2014 Driver Spotlight Review: Ryan Newman

Ryan Newman 2014 Review

By Richard Tix

Season Preview

Season Grade: B

"In 2014 Newman will be set to start fresh at Richard Childress Racing in the #31 Chevy. Newman is hoping a change in scenery will help him bounce back to the once promising career he had (He had 8 total wins in 2003). We have seen team changes work out for the best in the past, most recently with Matt Kenseth this past season. They can also be the last stop in a drivers career if it doesn't work out. So the next few years will be important for Ryan Newman and RCR." -Preseason Preview

Fast forward past the 2014 Driver Spotlight Preview, Newman has just finished his first season with RCR. It's easy to say he didn't have a bounce back, break out type season that guys like Matt Kenseth had in 2013, or Kevin Harvick had in 2014, but I don't think all was lost.

In fact, Newman took advantage of the new Chase system and with a solid season and very few terrible finishes he found himself in the Finale at Homestead-Miami. Some fans were upset with Newman in the Finale (many might be more accurate). He still had a chance to win his first NASCAR Championship without a win.

I think if he would have finished the highest at Miami most NASCAR fans would have had a hard time taking it. I may have even had a tough time and I have liked Newman since he days with Dodge and Penske. But, it didn't happen and I like the fact that you can get to the Finale in many different ways. If a favorite wins the next five years (assuming the Chase stays the same) and a guy like Newman wins the sixth year I think it will be easier to swallow. That's because I think some fans might come around to the possibility of a Cinderella or underdog after they see a majority of years a favorite wins.

But, lets move back to Newmans season and how he went as far as he did. Newman only had four finishes above 20th. Only 10 of his finishes were outside the top 15 all year. So, he may have only had 5 top 10's, but he had a total of 26 top 15 runs all season and didn't have many of those crippling 35th or higher finishes. In 2003 he won 8 races with an average finish of 13.9. In 2014 Newman had a career best average finish position of 12.7, which is better then that of his great 2003 season.

So, no NASCAR fans, winning isn't everything. It goes to show you can still get to the end with good points days, but at some point that may not be enough. All in all Ryan had a consistent season when his teammates struggled to put together back to back good finishes. If RCR gets a bit more speed in 2015 maybe he can notch a win or two again.

• List of Past Driver Spotlights

2014 Driver Spotlight Review: Joey Logano

Joey Logano 2014 Review

By Richard Tix

2014 Preview

Season Grade: A

"2013 was hands down Logano's best season in the Cup Series with new Career highs in average finish position, top 10's, and top 5's. It was a bumpy first season with Penske, but not because of a lack of chemistry. It seemed that other then problems with Nascar Officials and Rules that Joey fit right in at Penske. Penske now has two young drivers with something to prove in 2014. I think now that Penske has another year under its belt with Ford and the Gen-6 car, and Joey Logano is also in year two with them, that he will have once again his best season yet. Joey Logano might be one of the drivers this season that takes his driving up to the next level and is talked about week to week as a race contender." - My Preseason take on Joey Logano from the Preview

2013 was JoLo's first season with Team Penske and he showed new life as a NASCAR Cup driver. He did this in a season where Penske and Ford seemed to lack the speed to really keep up with the likes of Hendrick and Joe Gibbs.

Enter 2014. Joey just had his best season ever (I know, that's what I said in the season preview about 2013) and now will be considered a title contender in 2015. So how did he get there?

In 2014 Joey Logano was the second driver to get multiple wins (first was Harvick) and lock in his Chase spot for sure. Joey Logano had his first season with multiple wins in 2014 (5 total) after having just just 3 his first 183 races. 

Joey rounded out his 2014 season with 16 top 5's (career high) and 22 top 10's (also a career high) on his way to second career and second straight Chase appearance. Once in the Chase, Joey reeled off finishes of 4th, 1st, 4th, 1st, and 4th to start. His top 5 streak ended when he helped Brad Keselowski win at Talladega which left Joey finishing 11th (he was already locked into the next round). He fought through a tough race at Phoenix to get to the finale in Miami.

Once in the final he looked like the co-favorite with Harvick, but a rough pit stop late in the race where a jack-man dropped the jack and sent Joey to the back, ended his title run. Overall Joey had one heck of a season and made a run that not many saw coming. I think he takes that fuel and passion from this season and brings it back in 2015.

• List of past Driver Spotlights

2014 Chase Predictions in Review

Review of NASCAR Behind the Wall's Predictions

By Richard Tix

Going into a whole New Chase Era in 2014 I decided to take a stab at who would make the Chase and some random predictions. As I can not see into the future, I obviously was off on some of these. However, it is always fun to look back on how you were feeling before the season and how things changed. So lets look back at the 2014 Chase Predictions and take a quick review on them.

Who Will Make the Chase?

Who I was right on?

• I did get 14 of the 16 drivers correct. I did a 16 drivers section which were my safe bets and who I was taking to get in. Then I listed an extra six drivers that were long shots (which is where I had AJ Allmendinger. Who I missed on? Clint Boywer and Tony Stewart missed and Allmendinger and Aric Almirola made it in on wins. 
• Preseason I think most figured Smoke should have no problem getting into the Chase. He had a win in each of his 15 season's, so it is still crazy to think that streak ended.

Random Predictions

(Some of these are way off and some not so much)

Who Will Have the Better Season Kevin Harvick or Ryan Newman?

• "These two drivers pretty much swapped spots from SHR and RCR. So they will be easy to compare all season. But who will do better in 2014? On the outside it looks like an easy answer, it has to be Harvick right? Well, NASCAR Behind the Wall is going to go out on a limb and say this race will be a lot closer than some think. We are going to give the slight edge to Ryan Newman in a shocker. "Go big or go home" right?"
• I gave Newman the slight edge. If you look at where they finished the standings it doesn't look too bad. But lets be honest, Harvick easily had the better season even before he won the Championship. Not to take anything from Newman, he had a good first year with RCR.

Who Will Run Better in 2014, Danica or Stenhouse?

• "Danica is being pushed off to the side at SHR so will it make her want it more, or will she not receive the attention she needs to learn? Stenhouse had a quality rookie year, but many rookies are coming in 2014 and will try and show him up. I still say Ricky will make an improvement on last year, however slight it is, it will be enough to out duel Danica."
• Well, I picked Ricky but he barely edged Danica in the points this year. However, I also thought he would make an improvement in 2014 and if anything he regressed. Year three will be a big step for both of these drivers.

Who Has the Best Chance to Get Every Team Driver into the Chase? (Hendrick or SHR)

• "Hendrick should win this one pretty easy, but Dale Jr needs to win in 2014. Even if he doesn't he should have enough points to steal a spot after all the winners are decided. Danica makes this a no brainer towards Hendrick, but can she steal a super speedway win? (JGR was left out, they should hands down all make it in)"
• I obviously went HMS here, which they did get all four in. Going into the season its crazy this was a question. A lot of it had to do with some subpar performances by Kahne and Earnhardt Jr lately. Jr came out strong and put this question to rest earlier. However, HMS didn't make much of a splash in the Chase itself.

Who Wins First in 2014? Harvick or Kurt Busch

• "NASCAR Behind the Wall has already taken an in depth look at this with the article SHR Fresh Faces. As we found out in the research, it truly is a tossup. This is for predictions though so someone has to win right?"
• I went Harvick with the slight edge on this one. Which was correct when he won at Phoenix. Harvick by far had a better season than Kurt in every way possible.

Who Wins ROY Honors?

• "2014's ROY class is huge! Before it got to such a large number of rookie drivers it was already going to be a good year for rookies. The class started with Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson. Most likely the end ROY fight will come down to them because they have started out in the best position (better cars and teams)."
• Its crazy to me I went with Dillon, since I have been following Larson for a few years now, but I guess I thought Larson might be up and down in his first year. Well, he showed some flashes of being a star on the Cup level. Dillon had a fine season, but Larson was more flashy. It will be fun to watch him develop over the years.

How will Dale Earnhardt Jr do in 2014, he and Letarte's last Hurrah? Will He Have Multiple Wins?

• "Letarte is going to the booth in 2015 and leaving Jr as CC. Letarte is known for helping turn around a struggling Jr and making him relevant again. Yet, they haven't found a way to find wins. After coming off a good 2013 season, will they make one last run at glory? I think that both will use this as a chance for a no pressure situation and take advantage. I think Jr will come up with multiple wins in 2014 and leave people wondering, what if they had one more year?"
• Well I was on target with this one. Jr came out strong at Daytona and then won a few more races along the way making it a 4 win season. It will be interesting to see how the 88 team does early on without LeTarte.

Who Ends with More Wins in 2014, Kyle or Kurt Busch?

• "Kurt Busch is in a new ride with new equipment in 2014, and it might help him get back to his winning ways. Kurt should get a win in 2014, but I think Kyle might end the season with the most wins in NASCAR."
• This prediction would have been fine if I stopped before saying Kyle might have the most wins in 2014. Still, Kyle and Kurt both only had one win this season, even if Kyle had the much better season.

How Many Races Before Tony Stewart Gets to 50 Wins? (2 More Wins)

• "This is a shot out of a cannon guess (Who else has a shot at 50 in there career?). He normally doesn't get hot until summer, but he has had seasons where he starts off well, so its a toss up. So lets just take a shot in the dark: 20."
• I didn't see this coming, a zero win season for Smoke. I guess this might be a question in the 2015 Chase Predictions.

Who Finishes Highest At Joe Gibbs Racing?

• "Its like shooting fish in a barrel, who will be the lucky one (or unlucky if you are an actual fish). Kenseth has been the most consistent in the Chase when it comes to finishing high, but its a new era. Denny Hamlin has been the second best at finishing high. But, Kyle Busch (the inconsistent Chase finisher) could gain the most in this new format with an emphasis on winning. I'm going to go on a limb here."
• This question was who finishes lowest at JGR, right? I really thought Kyle Busch was going to break out in 2014. I don't think the slow start for JGR as a whole helped, but it definitely wasn't what I was expecting out of Rowdy.

Will a Chase Spot be Stolen at a Road Course?

• "So will a guy like Ambrose, Martin Truex, or Allmendinger who may not have won before turning right steal a potential Chase spot? AJ could definitely win at a non road course, but his run in Nationwide last year was pretty impressive to think he could maybe steal one on a road course. Ambrose is always a threat at road courses. (This is not to say these drivers couldn't steal one elsewhere). No, I think Ambrose will be shut out again in 2014 at road courses. Look out for AJ this season though."
• Well, I said to watch out for AJ, but I did predict that a underdog win wouldn't come this season at a road course, which was wrong. Once again these two races were exciting to watch.

Biggest Surprise Driver in 2014?

• "Brian Vickers or AJ Almendinger. Also, Ryan Newman with a multi win season."
• Well, AJ had a great season after getting a win and Newman go into the Chase, but didn't win once. So I will call this one a push.

Most Disappointing Driver in 2014?

• "Kevin Harvick. Going on a limb here, but after a great 2013 he has a lot of pressure to perform at SHR."
• I did state in other articles that I thought Harvick would still make the Chase and that he would have a fine transition, however I did think he would have a down year getting adjusted. But, I couldn't have been more wrong about his season. Harvick was one of the fastest cars all year and showed that down the stretch. 

2014 Standings Using the 2013 Chase Format

How Would the Standings Look if we Used the 2013 Chase?

By Richard Tix

NASCAR Behind the Wall already took a fast look back at how the 2014 season would have turned out under a points only system, so lets take a look at how it would have played out under last years Chase Format. 

As it has played out, no matter what system we look at each one would have brought us a different Champion. This just proves no one system is perfect and it will almost always yield a different result. The only thing teams and fans can do is play by those rules set forth. Each system gives drivers a different way to look at things and approach each race. Each system provides a chance for a drivers strategy to come into play. Each system has its flaws and its strengths, so I just try and enojoy what we have. 

What we have is an exciting format that doesn't even have to create drama, it just comes with it. It gets drivers and teams out of there comfort zone and putting it all on the line down the stretch of the year, when it matters most. No matter what Chase style you like, I have provided all the Standings so you can use them for yourself. So, here is how 2014 would have played out under last years Chase rules:

2014 Chase Final under 2013 Chase Format
Finish	Driver	Wins	Points	Points Back
1	Joey Logano	5	2396
2	Kevin Harvick	5	2389	-7
3	Brad Keselowksi	6	2361	-35
4	Ryan Newman	0	2354	-42
5	Jeff Gordon	4	2348	-48
6	Matt Kenseth	0	2334	-62
7	Dale Earnhardt Jr	4	2301	-95
8	Carl Edwards	2	2288	-108
9	Kyle Busch	1	2282	-114
10	Jimmie Johnson	4	2274	-122
11	Greg Biffle	0	2247	-149
12	Kasey Kahne	1	2231	-165

So there it is, under the 2013 rules Joey Logano would be your Champion. The only way Harvick even made it close was because he won the final race, otherwise the last three races would have been a snoozer. Over the old Chase, I will take this new one every day (my opinion). 

One thing I want to take a look at is averaging all three standings together and getting a final average standings. This means absolutely nothing, but I thought it would be cool to look at who faired well no matter what the style:

Championship Decided by Average Standings Finish
Points, 2013, and 2014 Standings
Final	Driver	Points	2013	2014	Average
1	Joey Logano	2	1	4	2.33
2	Kevin Harvick	5	2	1	2.67
3	Brad Keselowski	3	3	5	3.67
4	Jeff Gordon	1	5	6	4.00
4	Ryan Newman	6	4	2	4.00
6	Dale Earnhardt Jr	4	7	8	6.33
7	Matt Kenseth	7	6	7	6.67

Who I would consider the four fastest drivers of 2014 averaged the best finishing position in the standings no matter the format. That is good to see. No matter how unfair some may think things are, the top two drivers in most styles ended up being in the final. Interesting to note Ryan Newman was tied for fourth with Gordon after everyone's uproar in him being in the final.

There you have it, a look back at a few different ways NASCAR has decided its Champion. Thanks for checking out NASCAR Behind the Wall.

Ranking the 2014 NASCAR Chase Races

2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Rankings Review

By Richard Tix

2014 marked the first year NASCAR took to its new Chase format. If somehow in this long season you still don't know the changes, well I don't know what to tell you, but you can read my article from earlier this season. 

Its undeniable that this new format created new excitement and built in drama along the way. Drivers emotions were at an all time high as they were giving everything they had each of the last 10 races so they could be known as the 2014 Sprint Cup Champion.

In the end Kevin Harvick closed the 2014 season off in dramatic fashion with two straight wins to lock himself into the finale at Miami and then as a first time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion. We all know who the lastest NASCAR Champion is, but what was the greatest Chase race of 2014?

So on that note, lets rank all ten Chase races. My criteria taken into account was excitement, drama, and importance. Really, it came down on the track racing (track links go to the race review and power rankings for that week). 

1. Talladega (Race 6)- Charlotte was the turning point of where we saw emotions get heated (see the next ranking), but after that, Talladega was where we saw the excitement of all this build up come to a huge peak. That's because after being cast away and needing a win after his Charlotte fiasco, Brad Keselowski won at Dega and moved onto the Eliminator Round. 
2. Charlotte (Race 5)- The reason Talladega was so exciting and dramatic? Well, it was all because of the post race fireworks that went on one week prior at Charlotte. Brad Keselowski went a bit off the deep end when his emotions got the best of him and started running into people after the race was over. Then Denny Hamlin tried to go after him. The best part was when the cool tempered Matt Kesneth snuck up like a ninja and attacked BK from behind. All of this was primarily caused by the stress and emotion the new chase has brought, so win for NASCAR. 
3. Texas (Race 8)- Texas is where things got heated again in the Chase. After the post race meltdown at Talladega drivers took a cool down race at Martinsville. But, Texas was heated again when BK made an aggressive move to try for a gap between JJ and Gordon and go for a much needed win. Well, Gordon ended up having a cut tire that killed his finale chances unless he won at Phoenix. So, Gordon confronted him and crews got in the way. Then Harvick came from behind and gave BK a push towards JG and all heck broke loose. It was the second big incident during the Chase and got even novice racing fans talking about the sport.
4. Homestead-Miami (Race 10)- The final race of the 2014 season. As you may know from reading the blog this season, I have been on the side of the new format. That's mostly because I decided to keep an open mind about it coming into the season. I have to say, the end of the Chase didn't disappoint me. It may be because I come from the background of just being a huge sports fan in general. May be its just because I try and let things play out a bit before judging because I realize NASCAR is consistently getting complaints so they feel like they need change. No matter how you look at it, like it, love it, hate it, or still haven't decided, the last race was fun. It had everything I wanted in a Championship; a few favorites, underdogs, drama, tension, excitement, passion, mistakes, and excellence when it mattered the most.
5. Phoenix (Race 9)- Phoenix was the last race of the Eliminator Round (8 drivers left) and the last chance for a driver to lock in his spot into the final. Guy's like Gordon, Harvick, Edwards, Keselowski, and Kenseth all pretty much needing a win to advance. In the end Harvick won his 4th Phoenix race in the last 5 tries and moved onto the final. At that same time, Newman took an aggressive move into turn 3 on Kyle Larson and came out one spot ahead of Gordon in the points. Controversy is one of the main things sports thrives off of and NASCAR got all of that and then some in this 2014 Chase.
6. Dover (Race 3)- Dover makes this spot after being the first elimination race in this new Chase format. Even though 12 drivers advanced, Jeff Gordon still came out a winner and locked in his spot in the final race after a rough week at NH. It was cool to get a taste of what each elimination race would be like, but it is easily the most tame of all of them. 
7. Kansas (Race 4)- Kansas was a big race in the Chase because every driver knew a win at Kansas or Charlotte would mean so much more since they would be able to have a stress free Talladega (boy would Hamlin, and Kenseth have loved that!). Joey Logano ended up being the driver that got to have a stress free Dega and instead got to help his Team Penske teammate win and advance after Talladega.
8. Martinsville (Race 7)- Martinsville was the first Chase race of the Eliminator round after an exciting Talladega finish. I think a track like this as an elimination race would be as dramatic as they come (that is, after a Talladega). Martinsville was the first race in which a non Chase driver ended up winning (Dale Earnhardt Jr). 
9. Chicagoland (Race 1)- Chicagoland was the first Chase race in this new format. The exciting part about this race was that we would find out who would be the first driver to lock a spot and advance (well, a non Chase driver could have won, but with 16 drivers in the Chase it wasn't likely). Well that diver ended up being Brad Keselowski with his fifth win of the season.
10. New Hampshire (Race 2)- I wouldn't call Loudon the most memorable of the Chase races. That is, unless you are a Team Penske fan. Two races into the 2014 Chase and both Penske drivers knew they would be in the next round with 10 other drivers. Not a bad way to start out if you are Rodger Penske.

What's your favorite race from this years Chase? Check out even more Highlights from the Chase in 2014 NASCAR Chase Highlights (News, Links, Photos, and Tweets from throughout the Chase).