Monday, February 16, 2015

2015 Pit Road Preseason

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Preseason


By Richard Tix

Well the 2014 season ended with a bang. If you take a step back and hold off all opinions, take out what you know about old school NASCAR, there is no way you can say the new Chase wasn't exciting. I won't even argue with someone who says different.

Maybe it wasn't completely fair or left your driver out. Maybe you like the old way of full season points, no chase, to decide a Champion. That's a fair judgement, but you can't say it wasn't a thrilling ride. 

No one way of deciding a Champion will please every fan. So, I just try and roll with some of the changes and then form my opinion once we have seen the product play out. After the season, I still liked the new format and how it played out. In the end Kevin Harvick won the Championship and I would have said he was one of the top 3 or 4 drivers all season. 

But, enough talk about 2014. Its 2015 and the season is almost upon us so lets get to the preseason Power Rankings. Not a lot has changed from the last rankings in 2014, but some changes are to be expected even without knowing much about the upcoming season. We have no idea how the new changes will effect certain teams, but everyone loves rankings, so lets take a stab at them!


Pit Road Power Rankings: Preseason (2014 Week 36)

  1. Kevin Harvick- The latest Champ gets to keep his top spot until proven otherwise. Not much has changed with him in the offseason so there is no reason to move him right now.
  2. Jimmie Johnson- I don't see one reason why JJ won't turn it around in 2015. He had 4 wins and 20 top 10's in a "down" season, so what will he do with a good season? This system still makes it harder to rack up Championships, but JJ should at least get another before he retires.
  3. Joey Logano- He broke out as a true Championship contender in 2014. He and Penske teammate Brad Keselowski were on a tear in 2014, both look to continue in 2015. I think JoLo sticks around in 2015.
  4. Jeff Gordon- Last full-time season for Gordon, can he make one last run in 2015? He sure did make it interesting in 2014 and he started of 2015 by winning the 500 pole. 
  5. Brad Keselowski- The 2012 Champ returned to form in 2014. Will he have a 2013 type season or a 2014 type season? A lot rides on how Penske adapts to the new package.
  6. Kyle Larson- Did anyone see how he ended his rookie season? 7 top 10's in his last 12 races and 11 top 15's in his final 13. If he stays on that pace going into 2015 other drivers better watch out. 
  7. Denny Hamlin- He was one of four drivers with a shot at the title in Miami. I think JGR will be better in 2015, so he has a shot at more wins than his one total in 2014.
  8. Dale Earnhardt Jr- One of his best season's in recent memory and he starts the preseason in 8th? I'm sorry Jr Nation, I just think he steps back a bit in 2015. It would be cool to see him go back to back at the 500, though.
  9. Carl Edwards- New team, fresh new start. Edwards moves over to JGR and looks to have an impact like Harvick and Kenseth have recently. 
  10. Kyle Busch- Three JGR drivers in a row. I'm really not sure which of the four drivers will rise to the top and which ones will struggle with consistency this season. I always side with talent and think Rowdy has a shot at a great season (I also said the same thing in 2014, so be weary). 
  11. Ryan Newman- 2014, one of the weirdest season's Newman may ever have in his career. He helped prove that this new system opens the door for many different ways to make the last race at Miami. 
  12. Matt Kenseth- The last spot was tricky as I really wanted Tony Stewart in the top 12, but I went with one of the known's instead of the unknown with Smoke. Kenseth is getting up there in age, but he is still one of the most consistent drivers at the Cup level. Add into that he won the Sprint Unlimited so he may have his 2013 confidence back. 
Just Missed: Tony Stewart, Austin Dillon, Clint Bowyer, and Greg Biffle
Just Missed the Just Missed: Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard, AJ Allmendinger, Jamie McMurray, and Kurt Busch
Missing out on the Just Missed: Ricky Stenhouse, Danica Patrick, Aric Almirola, Justin Allgaier, Martin Truex Jr, and Casey Mears


Well there it is, the preseason power rankings from NASCAR Behind the Wall. I wouldn't take too much into this. Last season a big shuffle took place after the Daytona 500 and an even bigger shuffle took place after the first three races. It's always hard to get a grasp on how the season will start when each team will adapt to the new rule changes different. Also, Daytona is a tough place to put early season rankings on because it doesn't give us a full indication on how drivers will fair on short and intermediate tracks, which make up most of the schedule.

So, who is your number one going into 2015? Did you let Harvick keep his glory until the season starts? Did you jump Gordon up because he won the Daytona 500 pole or because its his last full time year?


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