Jamie McMurray 2016 Preview
By Richard Tix
It is weird how season's work now with the new Chase. In 2014 JMac was a front runner on Sunday numerous times, but just couldn't get that win. So, in the end he missed out on a Chase spot because NASCAR had 13 winners and only three spots up for grabs by points alone.
Yet, in 2015 JMac made the Chase even thought he had three less top 5's and three less top 10's then in 2014. He did have a better average finish which was because he routinely finished in or near the top 15, but couldn't get all those top 10's he did a season before.
The bigger factor may just have been that NASCAR only had 12 winners which opened up and extra points spot leaving him room to breath. He was easily in on points, but it is funny to look at how the points shape up season to season. Consistency is still king to getting in on points so "good points days" still count for a lot if you go win-less in the first 26 races.
Not just JMac, but Ganassi as a whole seemed to take a step back in 2015 compared to 2014. Both he and Larson both were front runners many times in 2014 and in 2015 the #1 and #42 vanished most races. So, 2016 will be a big year to see how they handle the slump.
Bold Predictions/2016 Season Expectations:
- I think Jamie's 2016 will go a lot like 2015. He and Kyle Larson should see a bit of an increase in production this season so it will feel like a much better season, but in the end the statistics won't be a lot different. As I feel every season, JMac will still have an outside shot at a trip to VL. He has excelled at superspeedway's so he always has an outside shot to win. I think a stat line of 0 wins, 4-6 top 5's, 9-11 top 10's and an average finish of around 16 will be how his 2016 plays out.
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