Kyle Larson 2015 Season Preview
By Richard Tix
In 1993 a young gun came up from the lower levels of NASCAR to make his rookie season debut. In 30 races he went win-less but finished with 7 top 5's, 11 top 10's and a pole. In that rookie season he also finished 14th in points while having an average finish position of 13.1.
Meanwhile, in 2014 NASCAR had another you gun come up and take on his rookie season. That rookie was Kyle Larson. He finished the year win-less but with 8 top 5's, 17 top 10's, and 1 pole. He finished the season 17th in points and with an average finish of 15.6.
If you haven't guessed (or looked up) yet, that 1993 rookie was Jeff Gordon. The following season after his rookie year he broke out to win 2 races, 7 top 5's, and 14 top 10's, while finishing the year 8th in the standings. Year three broke the mold and he finished off his first Cup Championship, 1995 (see why I like the three year scale of new drivers?). The rest since then is history.
And history, that is what Kyle Larson is looking to make going forward. Gordon was just 21 years old his rookie year, as is Larson. In the world of NASCAR at the time there was no way a kid that young would adapt that quick. Some of the same things were said about Larson. He was too young, too raw, and hadn't spent enough time in the NASCAR ranks to do well right away at the Cup level.
Well, in 2014 Larson quieted some of those idea's but going out and putting on some impressive performances throughout the year. The most impressive part of the season to me was when he started the Chase (Chicago) with 5 straight top 10's (4 of those were top 5's).
The next part that impressed me? In the last 18 races (starting at Loudon) Larson strung together 10 top 10's, 5 of which were top 5's. Not only that, he 15 of those 18 were at least top 15's. That a streak that many top 10 drivers on the Cup level would enjoy.
Bold Predictions/2015 Season Expectation:
- I think it is safe to assume many fans have high expectations for Larson in 2015, heck I started this article out talking about Jeff Gordon who will go down as one of the greatest drivers in the Modern Era and Chase Era. The question is can he live up to them and what should the real expectations be? I really think he will get his first win in 2015 and I think he may follow that up with one or two more. I think in 2015 his top 5 total (8) and top 10 total (17) will stay about the same, though. With the fact that I think he will win a race or two in 2015, I also think he will obviously make the Chase.
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