I know it may be a little early for this, but I thought I’d share my predictions for the rest of the season. Maybe in doing so, I can give you a little more insight as to who my favorite driver is — or maybe not.
He may have it in him, but I don’t think Jimmie Johnson will actually win a third championship in a row. I don’t think he’ll drop out of the Top 12 in points, either. He’s high enough up and he’s got very “Jimmie Johnson friendly” tracks up ahead.
I’m sure he’s going to win a few more races. What would the season be if Johnson didn’t win a handful of races and wasn’t a threat to win?
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and Kasey Kahne will win at least one race this season, if not more. All four have been on the verge of wins already this season. I don’t think any of their fans will be disappointed by season’s end.
I do think that at least one of them won’t have a win until later in the season when it appears it may be too late for them, but he’ll win nonetheless, giving his fans something more to cheer for.
I think the Top 12 in the points is pretty solid. I think, however, at least one will drop out, and Jeff Gordon will make the Chase for the Sprint Cup. I don’t think Gordon will let 2005 happen again and not make it.
Luckily for him, a driver IS going to fall out of the Top 12, according to statistics. Who the driver will be is yet to be determined. I honestly don’t want to attempt to figure it out.
I think, as it is already being shown, that there will be no one dominant team, driver or organization. I think it will continue much like it is now and all four manufacturers (Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge) will be in the mix come Homestead.
I think surprises are ahead, as they are every year, as well as the many upsets that are guaranteed every season. There seems to be at least one major surprise a season. Last season seemed to hold quite a few surprises that were noteworthy.
Two drivers from the same rookie class of 2006, Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr., had the year they were thought to have had the previous year. Bowyer held his own and made the Chase for the Nextel Cup. To top it off, he won the Chase opening race at Loudon and finished a career best of third.
Truex Jr. finally won a race at Dover, the track he considers his “home” track. He, like Bowyer, made the Chase, however he finished 11th over all. I have to say, despite not being able to make it, points-wise, to the Banquet last Dec. 11 was still a good finish for a sophomore season. I bet he’s going do just as well, if not better.
Truex Jr. currently sits 14th in points; Bowyer currently sits eighth in points, and this after eight races.
Kahne came off of a season and career best six wins but failed to win (or make the Chase) last year. In fact, he had eight Top 10 finishes and only one Top Five. He was 19th in points. Currently he sits 11th in points and has four Top 10s in the first five races. I think that says a lot and allows his fans to see a possible good ending this season.
One of the biggest surprises was Earnhardt Jr. leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc. to race for Hendrick Motorsports. Most of his fans were aggravated at the decision mostly because of the way everything seemed to be going down between him and his step-mother and owner of DEI, Teresa Earnhardt. I think there was more to the story then the public knows, or was supposed to know, obviously.
Although, currently sitting third in points, with two non-points race wins, he isn’t doing too bad with his new team.
Of course there were other surprises and upsets, and of course there are bound to be just as many if not more, or less, this season. I do think there is going to be that one driver, that one team that simply blows us all away. It may be a team or driver already making noise but I think the biggest surprise (or upset) of the season is yet to come.
As for last weekend, in Mexico City, Kyle Busch, No. 20 Doosan Infracore Toyota, was able to pull off his third win in a row in the Nationwide Series. It was his very first road course win.
And, Busch still leaves the question, “Will he or won’t he run the entire Nationwide schedule and compete for the Championship?” wide open.
Don’t miss:
From Talladega
- Sprint Cup qualifying, Saturday morning at 11 on SPEED
- Aaron’s 312 (Nationwide race), Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on ABC
- Aaron’s 499 (Sprint Cup race), Sunday at 1 p.m. on FOX
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