2015 Pit Road Week 1: Daytona

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Week 1 Daytona 500

By Richard Tix

After a first few weeks of NASCAR headlines Sunday finally brought fans the Daytona 500. Qualifying, Kurt Busch, and Kyle Busch news and story lines swarmed the NASCAR world and it seemed like everyone was talking about everything but the 500.

All that changed when finally the season officially started on Sunday. Early on Jimmie Johnson held the lead until Gordon passed him around lap 14. The first caution came out when Landon Cassill's motor let go on lap 19. The whole field came in to pit and Gordon won the race off pit road.

Gordon continued to lead as the field finally settled in and for the most part found there way into single line racing with a bit of two wide through the field.  The second caution of the day came out when Tony Stewart got tight and then sideways in a wreck that involved Matt Kenseth and Ryan Blaney (not much damage). 

Once again Gordon led the field off of pit road and to the green on lap 45. This time Joey Logano took a quick lead on the way back to the start finish line and held that lead until Gordon came running back around lap 53. In the meantime Smoke headed to the garage about lap 50 which ended his day (he made it back out, but just to log some laps). This time around NASCAR finally had its first rounds of green flag pits stops (starting about lap 77).

After a full round of pit stops Gordon continued to be the leader of the pack. During the round of pits Ryan Truex Jr, Jimmie Johnson, and Carl Edwards were all hit with pitting penalties but ll teamed up to try and draft to avoid being caught by the front leaders.

The three drivers were about a front stretch from being caught when NASCAR threw a debris caution on lap 92. On the restart Gordon again won the race to the front but Joey Logano soon took the lead with 88 laps to go (restart was on lap 110). Dale Earnhardt Jr then quickly took the lead from JoLo the very next lap and led until JoLo came back to take the lead with about 54 to go.

The second green flags stops came with about 49 laps to go and after cycling through Joey remained out front. After fighting his way back to the front JJ finally took the lead back on lap 158 and held the lead until a caution came with 40 to go when Brad Keselowski's engine blew.

With 35 left to go JJ led the field back to green and the three wide racing started to pick up. Mixed in the next few laps Carl Edwards, JJ, and Jr all mixed in fighting for the lead. Finally with 25 to go Ryan Blaney's engine blew (alliance with Penske) and the yellow flew. With 20 to go the green flew again and JJ on the high side of JoLo took the lead. 

The pace picked up again in the pack as drivers knew it was time to go. Most of the field was three wide through the pack. JoLo was on the high side of the track getting huge pushes from Clint Bowyer. Denny Hamlin through himself into the mix and was fighting JJ for the lead on lap 13 when Clint helped finally push JoLo past JJ and Denny and into the lead. 

With three to go and Joey still leading Justin Allgaier's engine blew and NASCAR called another caution. NASCAR threw the red so the track could be cleared and when they resumed we had a GWC for the story books. The last 50 laps ended up being nothing but exciting with the racing somehow staying three wide with no real "big one." 

Joey Logano chose the high side giving Denny Hamlin the low side on the restart. Joey eventually got the lead and was safely out front. Jr made a push but it didn't look like it would be enough when NASCAR threw the final caution of the day on the last lap when the field fell apart when Gordon and A. Dillon got into each other. That sealed Joey Logano as the 2015 Daytona 500 winner for the first time in his career.

In my opinion the 2015 Daytona was a great start to the 2015 year. Some fans complained of boring single file racing during the middle of the race, but what do you expect? Why would anyone jeopardize there chance of winning so early in the race? Racing is not always about excitement for 100% of the race. Its all about strategy, staying clean, and by the last 30 laps putting yourself in a great spot for a win.

During the last laps you want the highest probability of winning as possible, and if you race three wide all day you put your odds of being in a wreck that much higher. The funny thing is, when a driver runs over there head (runs two and three wide at times they shouldn't) those same fans complain when a mistake is made. So, fans you can not have it both ways. NASCAR will always have some laps that are about strategy and staying clean, rather than excitement. But when it comes down to it, those last laps were truly as entertaining as any fan can expect. So please, sit back and enjoys some racing...

So, let's move on from the review and the Daytona rant and get into 2015's first regular season Power Rankings!

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 1 (Preseason)

1. Joey Logano (LW-3)- What a big win by Joey Logano. On a day when his Team Penske teammate went out with a blown engine (and alliance member Ryan Blaney) JoLo brought his car to VL. 
2. Kevin Harvick LW-1)- He was lurking all day towards the front and you were just waiting for him to make a move. He tried making a few late but just didn't have the perfect position to do it and hold the spot. Was still a quality effort by the 2014 Champ finishing 2nd.
3. Jimmie Johnson (LW-3)- He lead early and late while fighting through falling back through the field and penalties. In the end JJ looked strong while finishing 5th.
4. Denny Hamlin (LW-7)- Denny Hamlin was a player down the stretch but came up short. After a week of being in the spotlight with Danica his fourth place finish was a quality ending that may be over looked going into next week.
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-8)- Jr had one of the strongest cars all weekend and early on he showed just that by clawing to the front. He lead some laps but in the end was just a bit too far out to make a legit push at the win. He ended up finishing 3rd.
6. Jeff Gordon (LW-4)- Rough finish for Gordon on Sunday, but he showed early and often that 2014 wasn't a fluke comeback to his glory years. He might still have it in him for number five.
7. Clint Bowyer (LW-NR)- The preseason rankings at this point don't realyl mean much. After starting towards the back Sunday Clint (on his third car) made his way up front and was a true player with 15 to go. He was a huge help to JoLo and finished 7th himself.
8. Martin Truex Jr (LW-NR)- Strong all weekend, thats pretty much all you have to say for Truex. He ran into some bad luck along the way, but that team still has to be happy about an 8th place finish. 
9. Kasey Kahne (LW-NR)- Kahne was the least talked about Hendrick driver of the day but quietly finished the day in 9th. It was a good start to the season after a tough 2014 season.
10. Brad Keselowski (LW-5)- BK seemed like he was going to be one of the top cars in the closing laps early on, but then his engine gave out and he had to sit and watch from the side. I still think both Penske cars will once again be strong in 2015 and that statement only gains confidence in a JoLo win.
11. Casey Mears (LW-NR)- Mears has to get a shot at the top 12 after almost missing the Daytona 500 because of bad luck and then finishing 6th. It might be short lived, and I don't expect him to have a top 12 kind of season, but lets give him some spotlight on a great Daytona 500 finish.
12. Kyle Busch (LW-10)- This spot has to go to Kyle Busch for the week. Get well Rowdy. Some may not be his biggest fan, but the sport is better when he is out there. It was a rough hit at Daytona and it helped address issues NASCAR still needs to be looking at week after week, track after track. NASCAR needs to start being more proactive on helping reduce the chance of these big hits. Thankfully he is ok and we cant wait until he steps back into a car.

Just Missed: Greg Biffle

Week one in the NASCAR season is over. NASCAR heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway this season for stop two. Last season Kasey Kahne used race #25 to get him into the Chase late in the season. This season ATL will be used for a driver to get an early advantage towards the Chase. Check back in for TV schedules, the Entry List, and he race preview! Thanks for checking out NASCAR Behind the wall and let me know who you think will win at ATL for a chance to make the review and get on the Fan Vote Leaderboard. 

2015 NASCAR Daytona 500 Starting Lineup

By Richard Tix

The Sprint Unlimited has passed. Coors Light Pole Qualifying is done. The Budweiser Duel 150's have been run. Now, we finally have the starting grid for the 2015 Daytona 500. Is it an easy to follow process to get to the starting lineup? No. But, it has been a fun ride with up's and downs. I don't want to speak for everyone, but in my mind the week was entertaining.

Qualifying had it's controversies, but in the end the wrecked cars in the first group don't seem like anything after the crashes in practice/duels. I'm still on the fence of not liking group qualifying for superspeedways. I just think that with so many other times in a weekend something could go wrong, that we shouldn't add more opportunities to risk safety and gamble that something bad could happen. The group qualifying does add a mix of entertainment compared to single car runs, but when do we draw the line? Everyone has a different opinion on that and I would continue to expect that.

America's attention span is getting shorter and shorter by the year, so I can see what NASCAR was thinking when adding group qualifying to superspeedways (it was also a money move to get more fans at qualifying). In my opinion I feel like single car would still work for the Daytona 500. Fans are waiting during the offseason to see cars back on the track, so the longer qualifying would still hold them over. True, not as many fans would probably go to the track for it, but that's on the fans (if you complain, then support the way you want by going, if you can).

NASCAR can cut down on some of its (million) practices and still use the single car runs. By the last few practices teams aren't going out anyways because they don't want to wreck there car. This still wont solve the issue of mid season stops at Talladega and Daytona, but single car runs may still work to start the season.

I am not against change in NASCAR, so I am open to opinions. I just don't like adding the opportunity while drivers are gambling out of almost necessity for more safety issues. Everyone has there own agenda in this type of qualifying. Some drivers are almost a lock to get in (points) while others have to scramble just to make it. Plus, after group qualifying you also have another scramble to get into the 500 during the Duel's. With so many small teams getting pressure left and right to make the 500 qualifying puts them in a tough spot.

After saying all of that (my opinion) I also think the format for the 500 will work better in year two (if they keep it this way). I think teams will realize that qualifying isn't going to be as big of an issue as teams made it. Really, for a small team, whats the difference in starting 12th in a Duel or 24th? The field changes so much during Duels that teams shouldn't be as concerned about qualifying (when they have a very small chance of winning the pole) and focus more on keeping it clean for the duel.

I think that in hindsight teams might realize this, which may help keep cars clean during qualifying runs. But the issue will still remain for the other three superspeedway races since they do not have a duel format after qualifying. Should a duel style format or heat races be used? That is up for debate and I would love you hear your ideas.

Lets get onto the 2015 NASCAR Daytona 500 Starting Lineup.

2015 Daytona 500 Starting Grid
Row	Inside	Outside	How They Got In
1	Jeff Gordon	Jimmie Johnson	Top two qualifiers (Pole Qualifying)
2	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Kyle Busch	Race winners (Inside: First race; Outside: Second race)
3	Joey Logano	Carl Edwards	Top 15 from Duel races
4	Tony Stewart	Greg Biffle	Top 15 from Duel races
5	Clint Bowyer	Martin Truex Jr.	Top 15 from Duel races
6	Kevin Harvick	Ryan Blaney	Top 15 from Duel races
7	Kasey Kahne	Reed Sorenson	Top 15 from Duel races
8	Jamie McMurray	Mike Wallace	Top 15 from Duel races
9	Landon Cassill	Justin Allgaier	Top 15 from Duel races
10	Cole Whitt	Danica Patrick	Top 15 from Duel races
11	Paul Menard	Ryan Newman	Top 15 from Duel races
12	Michael McDowell	Kurt Busch	Top 15 from Duel races
13	JJ Yeley	David Gilliland	Top 15 from Duel races
14	Michael Annett	David Ragan	Top 15 from Duel races
15	Kyle Larson	Austin Dillon	Top 15 from Duel races
16	Ty Dillon	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Top 15 from Duel races (Last transfer spots)
17	Aric Almirola	Michael Waltrip	Four fastest qualifiers from any round
18	Matt Kenseth	Johnny Sauter	Four fastest qualifiers from any round
19	Trevor Bayne	Sam Hornish Jr.	Owner points
20	Brad Keselowski	AJ Allmendinger	Owner points
21	Casey Mears	Denny Hamlin	Owner points
22	Bobby Labonte		Past champion

*Note a few drivers will be moving to the back of the field because of going to back up cars

So, who do you got winning the 2015 Daytona 500? Let me know in the comments, on Google + (Richard Tix), or on Twitter (@NASCARBTW) and you can make this years all new Fan Vote Leaderboard. I will be keeping a running list of who predicts the weekly race winner the most all season! 

Pre-Daytona Articles

• 2015 Daytona 500 Preview
• 2015 Preseason Power Rankings

2015 NASCAR Budweiser Duel Review

By Richard Tix

After a weekend with the Sprint Unlimited and Daytona Qualifying to get race fans back into full swing, NASCAR dipped into the Duels this Thursday to round out the field for the Daytona 500. After Qualifying NASCAR was hit with a lot of heat on social media about the new group format. So, everything was on the line for amny drivers Thursday night, including some big names. So, who got in? How did they get in? Take a peak at the Duel reviews below if you missed anything Thursday.

Budweiser Duel One

Race Review

Kenseth lead the field to green after taking the Pole in Qualifying last Sunday. MK kept the lead for a good portion of the early laps (32 of 60 laps) and did it while looking just as strong as Saturday night (Sprint Unlimited win). Early on Trevor Bayne and Brad Keselowski followed him around up front and most of the field behind stayed three wide. The big mover early in the race was Dale Earnhardt Jr who started in the back after failing inspection for being to low in qualifying. By lap 12 Jr was up in the top 5 trying to track down Kenseth.

Lap 17 the first duel had its first caution flag fly when Casey Mears engine seemed to blow. It was a rough blow to Mears as his chanced at the 500 literally went up in smoke. Everyone came to pit lane and most teams only took fuel. With a lap 17 caution it meant everyone would be within the pit window and should make it on fuel.

Gordon moved up four spots to take the lead, meanwhile Jamie McMurray was the big mover gaining five spots to fourth place. Gordon led the field to the green on lap 23 and led a lap before Kenseth took the lead back on lap 25. Again, Matt stayed up front and led the field around with a dominant car while most of the field behind stayed three wide.

Lap 27 brought the second caution of Duel one when it looked like Allmendinger went up the track and got into Sauter causing Sauter to spin to the bottom of the track.

The front 11 cars all stayed out (13 total cars stayed out). Everyone who came to pit road took advantage of the pit stop and put on new fresh tires. Kenseth led them back to green again but this time Jr was coming on strong to take the lead. Jr took the lead on lap 36 on the bottom side (led 21 of 60 laps). After Jr held the lead for a bit Kenseth came back strong and took back the lead on lap 39, but the battle wasn't done.

Jr, who looked to have one of the strongest cars all weekend, took the lead back one last time lap 43 (while FS1 went to commercial). A nice surprise all race was Cole Whitt. Whitt stayed in the top 10 most of the second half of the race and stayed out of trouble (eventually raced his way in to the 500).

The third and final caution came with 9 to go when Trevor Bayne spun by himself while next to Larson (seemed like aero). Bayne tapped Larson, but Larson seemed to come out alright and his car was fine. Kenseth and BK pit after falling back some late in the race while racing the bottom line that lost momentum.

The duel got going again with 5 to go as Jr brought them to green . Joey Logano and Jeff Gordon tried to make a move late on Jr, but Jr stayed low on turn 4 to cut the draft and bring the #88 to the start finish line winning the first Duel and locking himself into the 2015 Daytona 500.

Duel One Results

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Joey Logano
4. Tony Stewart
5. Clint Bowyer
6. Kevin Harvick
7. Kasey Kahne
8. Jamie McMurray
9. Landon Cassill
10. Cole Whitt
11. Paul Menard
12. Michael McDowell
13. JJ Yeley
14. Michael Annett
15. Kyle Larson
16. Ty Dillon
17. Matt Kenseth
18. Justin Marks
19. Brad Keselowski
20. Aric Almirola
21. Ron Hornaday Jr.
22. Trevor Bayne- Crash
23. AJ Allmendinger (DNF)- Crash
24. Johnny Sauter (DNF)- Crash
25. Casey Mears (DNF)- Engine

Didn't get into the 500 from this group:

• Ron Hornaday Jr
• Justin Marks

Budweiser Duel Two

Race Review

After an interesting duel one where a few storylines came up with who is on the bubble duel two started and ended with even more fireworks. Jimmie Johnson brought everyone to the green and Kyle Busch took the lead early. Josh Wise never got out to the pack as he had car troubles on pit road (will miss the 500).

Kyle Busch took that early lead all the way to lap 20 where NASCAR had its first caution in the second duel. Before the caution most of the field was two wide with Carl Edwards and Martin Truex Jr following Kyle. The Caution came out as David Ragan spun as he got loose while near Justin Allgaier. Ragan ended up going a lap down.

The whole field came to pit road for the first caution. Carl Edwards (who reported brake issues early) slid through his pit box, meanwhile JGR teammate and leader Kyle Busch was caught speeding on pit road. He came out first but had to serve a drive through penalty that sent him to the back.

JJ and Austin Dillon took over the front row and on the restart JJ took the lead (lap 25). JJ kept the lead while staying out front and dominating. In the mean time Truex, Carl, and Kurt fought behind him trying to gain an advantage. Kyle Busch also started to make his come back from the back of the field (4th by lap 36).

Lap 36 brougt the second yellow of the duel when Jeb Burton got into Hornish (who also took out Alex Bowman). The caution put Ragan back on the led lap and new life to make it into the 500. JJ again led us to green after the caution with Truex following but soon fading to the back when he lost the draft.

With the main pack set, it looked like if everyone stayed clean that entire pack would be in the 500. Even the broadcast made mention of this, which must have been the jinx because Denny Hamlin got too close to Danica Patrick in the corner and lifted, which got Danica loose and started a chain reaction that resulted in a GWC. At that time it looked bleak that Danica would be able to make it back, but she ended up with very little damage.

When the GWC flew Danica and Kurt Busch (who was in the back because of a penalty for going below the double yellow on a pass) made a move towards the front of the main pack and both ended up making the 500. Still, no one had enough for Jimmie Johnson who's car looked as strong if not stronger than Matt Kenseths Sprint Unlimited car.

All in all the second duel brought the fireworks to end the night and leave fans waiting for this Sundays Daytona 500.

Duel Two Results

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kyle Busch
3. Carl Edwards
4. Greg Biffle
5. Martin Truex Jr.
6. Reed Sorenson
7. Ryan Blaney
8. Mike Wallace
9. Justin Allgaier
10. Danica Patrick
11. Ryan Newman
12. Kurt Busch
13. David Gilliland
14. David Ragan
15. Austin Dillon
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
17. Brian Scott
18. Denny Hamlin
19. Michael Waltrip
20. Bobby Labonte (DNF)- Crash
21. Sam Hornish Jr. (DNF)- Crash
22. Jeb Burton (DNF)- Crash
23. Alex Bowman (DNF)- Crash
24. Josh Wise (DNF)- Car

Did not get into the 500 from this group:

• Alex Bowman
• Josh Wise
• Jeb Burton
• Brian Scott

2015 Week 1 Preview: Daytona

Daytona International Speedway

Daytona 500

By Richard Tix

It is finally here! The NFL season is in the dust, MLB players are reporting to Spring Training, March Madness is around the corner, but one thing is ready to go. Finally, this week NASCAR starts it's 2015 season off with the crown jewel of the sport, the Daytona 500.

It seems like a while ago that fans were complaining about a win-less Ryan Newman in the Finale, the shock of a Joey Logano pit stop keeping him from a title, and obviously Kevin Harvick winning his first Cup Championship. Even though it was a pretty short time ago, it feels like it was six month's of down time. 

NASCAR heads into 2015 on a fresh slate. This season they left the Chase and points system as is and we will get to see if year two is as fun as year one. The big change is the testing ban and the new car package that reduces HP. We wont get to really judge those changes this week at Daytona, but it will be interesting to watch as the season progresses.

The other big news is that 2015 will be Jeff Gordon's last full-time season at the Cup level. One thing we do know (as long as he sticks to his word) is that the 2015 Daytona 500 will be Gordons last Daytona 500 of his career. Even if he runs a short schedule in the next few years he said he will not run the 500. So, fans of racing soak this last Daytona 500 in as he is one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. 

So, lets move on. Just like last season we will look at some of the Good, Middle, and Bad drivers of each track each week in track previews. This is not a full run down, but rather a focus on some of the drivers in each category. NASCAR Behind the Wall takes a look at recent results to determine each category and not full career statistics. 

If you need a reminder of how it works, take a look back at some past Week Previews. 

The Good

• Dale Earnhardt Jr- Last years Daytona 500 winner makes his first appearance in the "Good" category in just his first opportunity. A lot of that is due to the fact that in the last 5 Daytona International Speedway races he has a Cup best 8.0 average finish. In that time he has 3 top 10's and no worse than a 15th place finish.
• Jamie McMurray- His overall statistics don't show it, but that's because bad luck and wrecks ruin a day so much at superspeedways, but JMac has a knack for finding the front at restricter plate tracks. I would not count him out this Sunday even though he only has one top 10 in his last nine at Daytona.
• Austin Dillon- He has a short Cup track record at Daytona (3 races) but he has a pole and two straight top 10's coming into the 2015 500 (9th in 2013 and 5th in 2014). He and his brother, Ty, might be underdogs to keep your eye on.

The Middle

• Joey Logano- In 12 starts at Daytona he has finished in the top 20 8 times. In his last 7 races here he has kept it fairly clean (other than his 40th place finish in 2013). In that time he has 3 top 10's, 4 top 15's, and 6 top 20's. JoLo seems to be a guy who can stay on the track here and that is half the battle at restricter plate tracks.

The Bad

• AJ Allmendinger- Over his career he has seemed to find trouble at Daytona more often than not. He only has two top 10's in 11 career starts and has crashed in 2 of his last 3. Is never that a driver can't get a good finish here, but rather about playing the odds.
• Aric Almirola- Before his rain out win at the Firecracker in July, Aric had only 2 finishes better than 30th in six career starts. Three out of those six were crashes. So, the question is of bad luck or just putting yourself in a bad spot? 
• Trevor Bayne- Yes, the driver that won his first and only race at Daytona, for the 2011 Daytona 500, at the age of 19 is on the "bad" list. True, he has new life and for the first time a full Cup ride with Roush Fenway this season, but in his last 7 starts he has one top 20 (20th) which is also his only top 25 finish as well. But, he has a chance to turn it around now with RFR and a new shot.

Track Stats

• Jimmie Johnson was the first driver since Bobby Allison in 1982 to win both stops at DIS in a single season
• The last Pole win in the Daytona 500 was in 2000 by Dale Jarrett. There have been 4 Pole winners since then in the other stop at DIS (Firecracker)
• Tony Stewart won from 42nd starting position 7/7/12, which is the farthest back anyone has won from (Firecracker)
• However, Matt Kenseth won from 39th in the 2009 500, which is the farthest back anyone has won the Daytona 500
• Of current drivers, Jeff Gordon has the most wins at Daytona with 6 (3 of them the 500). Stewart is second with 4 (None the 500)
• A Toyota only has one win at DIS (Kyle Busch 2008)
• Chevy won four straight at Daytona before Aric Almirola (Ford) won the 2014 Firecracker 400. 
• Chevy has also won 7 of the last 11. For has won the other 4 of 11.
• Trevor Bayne is still the youngest Daytona 500 win (19 years old. 2011 Daytona 500). It is still his only Cup win.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr has the best career average finish of current drivers at 13.4 (30 races)
• Jimmie Johnson has the best career average start of current drivers at 10.2

More Daytona Articles

• 2015 Pit Road Preseason (Power Rankings)
• 2015 Budweiser Duels Starting Order
• 2015 Daytona Weekend
• 2015 Daytona 500 Entry List
• Predicting a NASCAR Champion: 2015
• 2015 Chase Predictions
• 2015 Budweiser Duels

Also new to NASCAR Behind the Wall is Driver Profile pages! They can be found under the "Driver" tab above. The stats will show through the 2014 season, but it will be a great link to check out their specific driver spotlights and also almost all the career cars they have ever driven. Come back and keep checking them out as more will continually be released.

Thanks for checking out NBTW and lets get this season going!

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?


Daytona Articles:

• 2015 Budweiser Dule Starting Order
• 2015 Daytona Weekend
• 2015 Daytona 500 Entry List
• 2015 NASCAR Budweiser Duels
• 2015 Chase Predictions
• Predicting a Champion: 2015

2015 Budweiser Duel Starting Order

By Richard Tix

The fields are set for the 2015 Budweiser Duels after an exciting and controversial Daytona Qualifying session. The duels will be run this Thursday and will mold the starting line up of the 2015 Daytona 500. All the information you need on how Qualifying for the 500 and the Budweiser Duels work are in 2015 NASCAR Budweiser Dules.

Here are the Duel Starting Orders:

Duel One

1 Jeff Gordon
2 Denny Hamlin
3 Kyle Busch
4 Carl Edwards
5 Austin Dillon
6 Jamie McMurray
7 Johnny Sauter
8 Trevor Bayne
9 Aric Almirola
10 Brad Keselowski
11 Joey Logano
12 J.J. Yeley
13 Paul Menard
14 A.J. Allmendinger
15 Kevin Harvick
16 Tony Stewart
17 Casey Mears
18 Michael Annett
19 Kyle Larson
20 Michael McDowell
21 Clint Bowyer
22 Justin Marks
23 Cole Whitt
24 Landon Cassill
25 Ron Hornaday Jr.

*Denny Hamlin to the back (failed inspection)
*JJ Yeley to the back (back up car)
*Clint Bowyer to back (back up car)
*Michael Annett to the back (back up car)


Duel Two

1 Jimmie Johnson
2 Matt Kenseth
3 Kasey Kahne
4 Ty Dillon
5 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
6 Martin Truex Jr.
7 Greg Biffle
8 Sam Hornish Jr.
9 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
10 Ryan Blaney
11 Michael Waltrip
12 Bobby Labonte
13 Alex Bowman
14 Ryan Newman
15 Kurt Busch
16 Danica Patrick
17 Brian Scott
18 Justin Allgaier
19 David Gilliland
20 Jeb Burton
21 Reed Sorenson
22 David Ragan
23 Josh Wise
24 Mike Wallace

*Dale Earnhardt Jr to the back (failed inspection)
*Ryan Newman to the back (engine)
*Bobby Labonte to the back (back up car)
*Reed Sorenson to the back (back up car)
*Jeb Burton to the back (back up car)
Danica Patrick to the back (back up car)

• 2015 NASCAR Budweiser Duels
• 2015 Daytona 500 Entry List
• 2015 Daytona Weekend

2015 Daytona Weekend

Sprint Unlimited and Qualifying News and Results

By Richard Tix

The 2015 NASCAR season started off with a bang. It was like NASCAR picked up right where it left off in 2014. First up was the 2015 Sprint Unlimited on Saturday Night. Finally after months of waiting, fans got to see Cup cars back on the track.

Early in the Unlimited things started to unwind when Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski go together which left BK out of the race early. The fireworks continued time and time again until NASCAR was down to about 11 cars (2014 got down to a handful of cars as well). Luckily for all the drivers involved it was a non points race and no drivers were hurt by any of the incidents. 

In the end Matt Kenseth pulled away on a late restart and no one could catch him even while in the draft. After a 2014 season that came with no wins, Kenseth got back to VL in the first race of 2015 (non points, but non the less). 

Full Sprint Unlimited Results:

1 Matt Kenseth

2 Martin Truex Jr.

3 Carl Edwards

4 Casey Mears

5 Kyle Larson

6 Joey Logano

7 Jeff Gordon

8 Kyle Busch

9 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

10 Danica Patrick

11 Kevin Harvick

12 Ryan Newman

13 Tony Stewart

14 Greg Biffle

15 Kurt Busch

16 Ricky Stenhouse Jr

17 Austin Dillon

18 Aric Almirola

19 Denny Hamlin

20 Clint Bowyer

21 Paul Menard

22 Jimmie Johnson

23 Kasey Kahne

24 Jamie McMurray

25 Brad Keselowski

After an exciting Saturday night that got many fans even more ready for the 2015 season to officially kick of NASCAR held its Daytona 500 qualifying Sunday afternoon. Coming into the qualifying many fans and drivers had there opinions on what the format would bring. As normal I tried to stay in the middle until I saw the results at the 500.

Well early in round one of Group A Reed Sorenson and Bowyer got caught up and caused a wreck that involved a few other cars. The red flag had to come out and the social media world blew up. 

I love the idea of group knock out qualifying most tracks, but after today I noticed how much I don't like it at Superspeedways. True, it does add an edge of excitement and some extra strategy, but at a track like Daytona it also adds in extra danger to each and every driver. A wreck can happen at anytime, so don't get me wrong NASCAR will always have that element of danger it has to deal with, but when underfunded teams and high rolling teams are out there with different strategies it just doesn't work. The fact that qualifying is mainly just to qualify for the Budweiser Duels add another element that seems to be over kill to a qualifying process that was out of control on Sunday. 

I know people also complain about how long single car qualifying takes, but during the season opener I think it would still work. Fans are so giddy to see cars on the track that an "old school" and traditional style would still work for the 500 in my opinion. It would take out the element of another big one during a weekend that is just waiting for wrecks to happen. 

Bowyer said it right, these guys work hard for months to just tear up a car in a few minutes because a guy is driving for his underfunded team to get into the 500. Its ten fold for those small teams because Reed wasn't even sure if he would have another car in Daytona (they announced they were sending one down for Thursday later after the wreck). So, its exciting and might help a few more fans get into the stands, but it also adds a lot of extra danger on pit road and on the track that isn't needed.

Now, onto the qualifying results. In the end Jeff Gordon who announced that 2015 will be his last full-time season won the pole in his last Daytona 500 of his career. It will be a great story line heading into the 2015 Daytona 500.

Qualifying Results:

1 Jeff Gordon

2 Jimmie Johnson

3 Denny Hamlin

4 Matt Kenseth

5 Kyle Busch

6 Kasey Kahne

7 Carl Edwards

8 Ty Dillon

9 Austin Dillon

10 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

11 Jamie McMurray

12 Martin Truex Jr.

13 Johnny Sauter

14 Greg Biffle

15 Trevor Bayne

16 Sam Hornish Jr.

17 Aric Almirola

18 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

19 Brad Keselowski

20 Ryan Blaney

21 Joey Logano

22 Michael Waltrip

23 J.J. Yeley

24 Bobby Labonte

25 Paul Menard

26 Alex Bowman

27 A.J. Allmendinger

28 Ryan Newman

29 Kevin Harvick

30 Kurt Busch

31 Tony Stewart

32 Danica Patrick

33 Casey Mears

34 Brian Scott

35 Michael Annett

36 Justin Allgaier

37 Kyle Larson

38 David Gilliland

39 Michael McDowell

40 Jeb Burton

41 Clint Bowyer

42 Reed Sorenson

43 Justin Marks

44 David Ragan

45 Cole Whitt

46 Josh Wise

47 Landon Cassill

48 Mike Wallace

49 Ron Hornaday Jr.

So everything is set for this Thursday Night at Daytona. The 2015 Budweiser Duels will help decide who makes the 2015 Daytona 500. No matter what way you look at it Sunday was exciting and Thursday should also be a blast and the 2015 season is finally underway!

• 2015 NASCAR Budweiser Duels
• 2015 Daytona 500 Entry List