2015 Driver Spotlight Review: Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart 2015 Review

By Richard Tix

2015 Preview

Season Grade: F

Season Preview: "Even after a down year in 2014, I don't think expectations have faltered much for Tony Stewart. In 2015 I think we all still believe he should be a title contender. He is 43 years old, but we have seen many drivers his age and older compete at a high level, so if they can do it why can't Smoke? I expect him to bounce back in 2015 and win 3-4 races while making a strong run to the Chase. Once in the Chase it will be interesting because he wasn't part of it last year, but I am sure Tony took some notes."

Season Review: Well, I hit it on the head with expectations entering the season, they were high. However, I think that is the last time his expectations are so high as they will be down heading into 2016, and 2016 is his last season.

Most fans would like to see one last strong effort, but he has looked out of it. He finished 28th in points after only posting three top 10's all year. Yes, three. No wins, no top 5's, just three top 10's.

He will take his 48 career wins into 2016 and finally try and get to the magic number of 50. 

Previous Driver Spotlights

2015 Driver Spotlight Review: Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth 2015 Review

By Richard Tix

2015 Preview

Season Grade: B+

Season Preview: "I do believe Kenseth will bounce back (in a way). I think he gets back on the win board, but his overall consistency may be a bit down. I think some early season adjusting may take place at JGR to the new Camry's and four team set up. I think he is in line for 2-3 wins, 10-11 top 5's, and 18-21 top 10's which are all a bit down from 2014 (except wins). As always, he will be expected to make the Chase at least, and possibly be a title contender."

Season Review: Bounce back, that is one way to put Kenseth's 2015 season. He passed my expectations in almost every category by finishing with 5 wins, 12 top 5's and 20 top 10's. However, the main point of Kenseth's 2015 season will always be remembered as him v Joey Logano.

Really is was the big factor in deciding the fate of his season and finishing 15th in points. Overall, it was a fantastic season by him and the #20 crew, but it is hard to look past everything that happened on the track not involving wins, top 5's, and top 10's. 

In the end, Kenseth would still have come up short of the end goal, but many people will still cling to what if's. Instead, Kenseth needs to focus on moving onto 2016 and a fresh start as he could be a ttitle contender again.

Previous Driver Spotlights

2015 Chase Power Rankings: Second Addition

By Richard Tix

Unlike NASCAR Behind the Wall's Pit Road Power Rankings, this years 2015 Chase Power Rankings will include ONLY drivers with a win. These rankings will not only take into account how they have done so far, but what NBTW things there Power Ranking is for winning the 2015 Sprint Cup Championship.

Last time around we looked at the rankings after 15 races. We now have finished 24 of 26 regular season races with only Darlington and Richmond left on the schedule. We had 10 winners after 15 races yet we have only added one winner in the last 9 races, Kyle Busch.

2015 Chase Power Rankings

LT=Last Time (Ranking during the last Chase Power Rankings)

1. Kevin Harvick (LT-1)- Yes, Harvick is still the favorite. Keep in mind that last year he went into the Chase as an underdog because his team was having issues on pit road or bad luck week after week. This year he hasn't been notching the wins in the regular season (just like 2014), but is reeling off runner up spots. Those finishes will be enough to get him to Miami and could even see him winning back to back Championships.
2. Joey Logano (LT-5)- Last time around JoLo was 5th on this list and had 11 top 10's in 15 races...That was probably good enough to be in the top 3 on these rankings. Yet, Penske seemed to be under the radar a bit. Since then JGR has made a huge pass by Penske and HMS, but Penske cars have been standing strong right next to them. Joey just finished up winning 2 of the last 3 races and looks like a true title contender.
3. Kyle Busch (LT-NR)- The only new driver to this list, Kyle came back from his injury at Daytona on fire. He has 4 wins, 5 top 5's, 7 top 10's, all just in 13 races. Consistency in the Chase has always been his achilles heel, but last year he showed signs of reversing that. If it wasn't for bad luck at Talladega where he was slowing down for a caution and got hit from behind, he would have moved on.
4. Jimmie Johnson (LT-2)- You can't count JJ out of any title hunt, but something has been a bit off at Hendrick Motor Sports. They have lost there edge as of late. Maybe it has more to do with JGR getting stronger and Penske staying with HMS, but they don't look bullet proof anymore. JJ is still tied for a Cup lead with 4 wins, and also has 16 top 10's in 24 races, so he knows how to get it done. 
5. Brad Keselowski (LT-7)- BK is starting to show consistency that he lacked to start the year. Those kinds of finishes are going to come up big during the Chase. When you look at BK's wins and top 5's it looks a lot like his poor 2013 season, but then you notice his top 10's and average finish. His average finish of 11.8 is the closest it has been to his Championship year in 2012. Maybe the consistency will pay off?
6. Matt Kenseth (LT-9)- Last time around Kenseth was an after thought in the Title talks. Man, what 9 races can change. He had some bad luck at Bristol (engine), but before that he has two wins, four top 5's, and 6 straight top 10's. Kenseth and JGR are on a roll at the right time and if they carry it into the Chase they will move up the favorites list. 
7. Denny Hamlin (LT-8)- Through 15 races JGR made up the final three spots (8th, 9th, and 10th). This time around they added the fourth driver and all started to make a climb. Hamlin is a curious case to crack this year once again. He hasn't been dominate in almost any race for a long period of time, but has stuck around for some quality finishes. That is the making of a driver getting through rounds and into the Finale (like he did last year). Once at Miami, Hamlin has shown he is one of the best recently including a test practice this week. So, he is an underdog to watch.
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LT-6)- Jr has been good in 2015, but it just seems like something is missing with HMS right now. The same can be said about many of Jr's finishes lately. The plus side is he has been pushing through and getting quality finishes despite HMS shortcomings, but at this moment it doesn't seem like enough to win a Championship.
9. Carl Edwards (LT-10)- Carl rounds up all four JGR cars in the 2015 Chase Power Rankings. He also happens to be the lowest in the points standings, but that wont matter when the Chase rolls around. Right now he is showing hope as a title contender with six top 10's in his last seven races (the other was 13th at Indy). That kind of consistency could see him moving on for a ways in the Chase.
10. Kurt Busch (LT-3)- No one fell or gained as much as Kurt Busch in these standings (side note: congratulations on the engagement!). Last time these rolled out he was on fire and had locked himself into the Chase with a win. In his last seven races he only has two finishes better than 10th. True, he still has four top 10's in that time, but he is no where near the front.
11. Martin Truex Jr (LT-4)- Martin has actually lost just as much ground in the rankings as Kurt did. It seems like as soon as JGR came around and got better that the #78 team started to find some struggles. Lucky for this small team they have a win and are locked in (would have got in on points anyways), but they will need to find "it" again before the Chase to have a chance.

It is crazy how 9 races changes the look of the 2015 Sprint Cup Chase. Earlier this year it looked like Kurt Busch was almost on the same level as Harvick, and now its hard seeing him winning the title. Last year Harvick went into the Chase as an underdog and became a first time Cup Champion. So, these rankings are not set in stone and that is why you have to tune into the remaining races before the Chase!

2015 Chase Power Rankings: First Edition

By Richard Tix

Unlike NASCAR Behind the Wall's Pit Road Power Rankings, this years 2015 Chase Power Rankings will include ONLY drivers with a win. These rankings will not only take into account how they have done so far, but what NBTW things there Power Ranking is for winning the 2015 Sprint Cup Championship.

2015 Chase Power Rankings First

1. Kevin Harvick- Harvick has to be the Championship favorite right now. I know Jimmie Johnson has more wins, and wins help you move on during the Chase, but Harvicks 7.3 average finish will make sure he moves on round by round as well. Not only that, he leads NASCAR with 1,225 laps lead (560 more then the next closest. Kurt Busch-665). Other than Kurt, he has more than double laps lead than anyone else. That means he will be running up front when the pressure is on and that is where you have to be. 
2. Jimmie Johnson- Johnson knows how this Championship thing works, he has a few. He also leads NASCAR this year in wins so far (4) which is about 26.66% of the races so far. His average finish is down from last years 15.3 and closer to his career average. He has as many wins as he did in 2104 and is one top 5 away from as many as 2014 and we are only 15 races in. This is the JJ everyone has come to know in the past few years, yet something is different...Harvick and that fact that JJ hasn't won a title in this points system yet.
3. Kurt Busch- It is crazy, but even after missing three races Kurt has the second most laps lead behind Harvick (665 total). He actually has lead a higher percentage of laps while he was on the track than Harvick. Kurt has been in 1st 5.74% of the time compared to the 3.73% of the time Harvick has. It has been night and day looking at 2014 and his first year with SHR and this season. Not sure what happened, but the #41 running many of the same set ups as the #4 might be the answer. Those two teams have something figured out, plus Hendrick engines don't hurt..
4. Martin Truex Jr- Truex finally got another win and his first of 2015 after being so close so many times. Pocono locked him in the Chase even though he would have been in on points reguardless. Before his Pocono win, Martin had lead 357 laps in the three previous races. Just those 357 laps led would have put him 6th in laps lead on the season (he is actually 3rd with 486). It has been great to see him and Furniture Row succeed this season and the good luck been a long time coming for Truex. Even if he doesn't win again, he has been an even better version of the 2014 Ryan Newman and he made the Finale at Miami.
5. Joey Logano- Penske hasn't been the talk of NASCAR in 2015 like they were last season, but both Team Penske drivers are having great seasons. Maybe the under the radar approach is just what Joey needs to finish off the next step of his career. It isn't like his stats are lacking either, 1 win, 8 top 5's, 11 top 10's in 15 races (plus 4 poles). It is scary to think how quiet the hype has got on him even during such a good regular season. 
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr- Jr has the Hendrick backing, which helps anyone, plus he is putting it to good use. He and JJ have been fast all season and seem to have found a bit more than teammates Kahne and Gordon have. Seems like Jr has been top 5 or bust this season (8 top 5's and 9 top 10's), which isn't a bad thing. He has also been limiting his number of really bad finishes which is something that you have to do during the Chase. Is this the season he finally win's a Championship? No one has been talking about the loss of Steve LeTarte recently, so that must be a good thing..
7. Brad Keselowski- I debated having BK ahead of both JoLo and Jr because he has won a title and knows how to get it done when everything is on the line (see last years Chase and how he advanced). At the same time JoLo and Jr have been finishing out more runs in the top 5 and might not be hated by as many other drivers. Does that matter? Not much, but one time around retaliation could cost him a lot. Even after saying that, BK still has a good shot at #2. He has shown speed all season and we know Paul Wolfe is one of the best in NASCAR when it comes to strategy.
8. Denny Hamlin- Once we get past BK it is JGR and family. I really have those 7 above as the best contenders, with about 4 of them the top dogs. The rest if Joe Gibbs Racing.... JGR just hasn't found the speed the past two years and its drivers are scrapping to stay alive in the Chase. Give these guys credit, they have been sticking around as long as they could with Penske and Hendrick engines. Denny gets the top nod just because he did the same thing in 2014 but made his way to the final four in Miami.
9. Matt Kenseth- Kenseth has been the most consistent of all the JGR drivers with a win. Anyone who says he should be above Hamlin has a legitimate opinion. Kenseth has been very good on the shorter tracks, but JGR speed has hurt him a bit at 1.5's. They might be closing the gap and the nice thing for the #20 is they're locked in so they have time to make some ground up.
10. Carl Edwards- Edwards transition to JGR hasn't been as smooth as he would have liked. However, looking back at RFR he can still see a sinking ship so he has to be happy about leaving. If JGR can find the speed than Carl can climb up this list, until then he has been one of the least consistent drivers with a win in 2015.

Well, that's it. After 15 races in 2015 I really think this fight will be up to Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch. You can add in the mix Truex, JoLo, BK, and Jr if they make a run into the final four and one of the top 3 have set backs. It will be interesting to watch how the next 11 races unfold and how the new package works at Kentucky. That car package could be a game changer down the stretch and might bring some new drivers to the front of contention.

NASCAR Behind the Wall wont be looking at these Power Rankings week by week, but rather every few weeks just to catch up on how the drivers already locked in are doing. Thanks for checking it out!

2015 Fan Vote: Weekly Winner Leaderboard

By Richard Tix

Last season I asked every week (ok, most weeks. Some weeks Jeff Nathans had to help me remember) for who you though would win the Cup race that particular weekend. By the end of the season I had a bunch of followers who would predict every week and some that would predict now and then when they saw it.

So, this season I am going to try and keep track of a leader board as best I can. You get it correct, you make this page that I will update all year long. Not only can you see how many times you predicted the correct winner, but how many times other fans did.

Now, you have to respond to my prediction tweet or submission (if its on Google +) in order to get counted. You can also just send me a tweet that week predicting the winner. I will not go out of the way and just look at your feed for a prediction.

Below is the leader board on how many times individuals picked the correct winner. If you want in, just watch for my tweets on my handle @NASCARBTW or send me one each week predicting the winner! Even if it is just your driver every week (Like Dave did with BK last year). Also, week by week I will include the winning tweets on the Pit Road article (Power Rankings article) so you will have another way to bask in the glory of a correct prediction!

Fan Vote Leaderboard
#	Fan	# Correct	Tracks
1	JeffNathans	5	Phoenix, Martinsville, Kansas, Kentucky, NHMS
2	NASCARBTW	4	Phoenix, Auto Club, Dega, Kansas
3	Garry Briggs	3	Texas, Bristol, NHMS
4	HannahWides	2	Las Vegas and Phoenix
	BlueDueceAlex	2	Phoenix and Daytona 2
	Michele McNamara	2	Bristol, MIS
5	ferrari138_f138	1	Atlanta
	Joshua Sawyer	1	Las Vegas
	chevychevelle48	1	Las Vegas
	DaveLoomis1	1	Auto Club
	BremJDS	1	Daytona 500
	Jeff Shelton	1	Phoenix
	Robbie Hardy	1	Phoenix
	Gary Ramsey	1	Phoenix
	Ken Boyer	1	Phoenix
	Jeff Cunningham	1	Phoenix
	Shane Fader	1	Dega
	DanielTidentru	1	Dega
	nclady18	1	NHMS

Finally got someone back on the board. Michele made it back again after tweeting me Kenseth would win at MIS (when she remembers she always picks Kenseth. A very big Matt Keneeth supporter!)  Want to get on here? Let me know via Twitter (@NASCARBTW), Google + (Richard Tix or find the group NASCAR Behind the Wall), or in each weeks Race Preview in the comments!

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

Predicting a NASCAR Champion: 2015

Who Will be NASCAR's Champion in 2015?

By Richard Tix

Year two of NASCAR's new Chase Points system is almost upon us. They Daytona 500 is almost close enough to smell the rubber and racing fuel, its racing season again! So, NASCAR Behind the Wall just went over who will make the Chase in 2015, but the bigger question is who will win the Championship?

Just like last season, lets start off by looking at the past 21 Champions. The 2014 Champion under the new rules, the 10 Champions under the previous Chase rules (true, the rules changed a bit over the 10 year, but not much), and the 10 Champions from the 10 years right before the Chase. Also included is the averages of those 20 previous winners to see if we can determine what creates a Champion?

So what do you think creates a Champion?

NASCAR Champions 1994-2014
Chase Era 2.0 Champions 2014
Year	Driver	WIN (%)	Top 5 (%)	Top 10 (%)	Start	Fin	Laps Lead
2014	Harvick	5 (13.9%)	14 (38.88%)	20 (55.55%)	9.1	12.9	2137
Original Chase Champions 2004-2013
2013	Johnson	6 (16.7%)	16 (44.4%)	24 (66.7%)	9.8	10.7	1985
2012	Keselowski	5 (13.9%)	13 (36.1%)	23 (63.9%)	16.2	10.1	735
2011	Stewart	5 (13.9%)	9 (25.0%)	19 (52.8%)	17.7	12	913
2010	Johnson	6 (16.7%)	17 (47.2%)	23 (63.9%)	9.4	12.2	1315
2009	Johnson	7 (19.4%)	16 (44.4%)	24 (66.7%)	8.2	11.1	2238
2008	Johnson	7 (19.4%)	15 (41.7%)	22 (61.1%)	8.5	10.5	1959
2007	Johnson	10 (27.8%)	20 (55.6%)	24 (66.7%)	9.8	10.8	1290
2006	Johnson	5 (13.9%)	13 (36.1%)	24 (66.7%)	10.8	9.7	854
2005	Stewart	5 (13.9%)	17 (47.2%)	25 (69.4%)	12	9.9	1845
2004	Ku Busch	3 (8.3%)	10 (27.8%)	21 (58.3%)	15	12.5	746
04-12 Avg	10 Drivers	5.9 Wins	14.6 Top 5's	22.9 Top 10's	11.74	11	1388
Pre-Chase Era 1994-2003
2003	Kenseth	1 (2.8%)	11 (30.6%)	25 (69.4%)	21.3	10.2	354
2002	Stewart	3 (8.3%)	15 (41.7%)	21 (58.3%)	13.2	12.6	745
2001	Gordon	6 (16.7%)	18 (50.0%)	24 (66.7%)	9.5	11	2320
2000	B Labonte	4 (11.8%)	19 (55.9%)	24 (70.6%)	11.6	7.4	465
1999	Jarrett	4 (11.8%)	24 (70.6%)	29 (85.3%)	13.2	6.8	1061
1998	Gordon	7 (20.6%)	18 (52.9%)	21 (61.8%)	7.4	12.9	1319
1997	Gordon	10 (31.2%)	22 (68.8%)	23 (71.9%)	9.4	9.6	1647
1996	T Labonte	2 (6.5%)	21 (67.7%)	24 (77.4%)	10.6	8.2	973
1995	Gordon	7 (22.6%)	17 (54.8%)	23 (74.2%)	5	9.5	2610
1994	Earnhardt	4 (12.9%)	20 (64.5%)	25 (80.6%)	15.3	8	1013
94-03 Avg	10 Drivers	4.8 Wins	18.5 Top 5's	23.9 Top 10's	11.65	9.62	1250.7

It's too early to pull anything from Kevin Harvick's Championship from the New Era, but we can take a look at the other two. Either way you look at it both ways seemed to have had there outlier Champions (seasons that just don't fit the mold). 

It does seem like in the Chase format drivers won a few more races, and top 10's were close to pre-chase era. One interesting thing that does stick out is that during the Pre-Chase Era from 1994-2003 drivers seemed to finish in the top 5 at a higher rate. 

I think some of that has to do with how much young talent and competitiveness started to roll in during the Mid 2000's. You can see the top 5 decline start at the end of the Pre-Chase Era with Labonte, Gordon, Stewart, and then Kenseth. Also the change in car's and making them more even may have played a part. In each year the rate declined to much closer data to today's Champions (2004-2013 it was 14.6 Top 5's per season).

After you look at the data longer and longer its easy to admit a Champion can come in many different forms no matter the points system. So, how the heck do we predict a Champion? NASCAR might be one of the hardest sports to predict just that. In some other sports you can try and look at returning talent, free agent acquisitions, draft picks, and potential breakout stars. In racing you can look at the driver, the pit crew, the Crew Chief, and maybe the engine designers and still not get as good of grasp on what will happen in an upcoming season.

So what am I saying? Well, that it's not going to get any better than an educated guess. If you want to dive deeper into stats you can try, but the success rate may get no better than pulling a name out of a hat (unless you pick Jimmie Johnson). So, lets start the educated (uneducated?) guessing.

2014 Predicting a NASCAR Champion

2015 Chase Predictions

Final Eight

Not a lot of explaining to do for the last eight, lets take down who I think it will be and move onto the last four. For the record, I had three of eight correct last season (Hamlin, Keselowski, and Kenseth) not too great.

Drivers: Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Kyle Larson.

Final Four

Lets start off by saying last year I got one of four drivers right (Hamlin). My predictions right before the Chase were much more accurate, but with those predictions you get a better feel on the season. That's why these predictions are such a shot our of a cannon. Again I like Kyle Busch to move on (like last year) and he would have had a shot at doing it if he moved past Talladega (NASCAR moved from 12 to 8 drivers). The fifth guy I think that could really crash the four I have is Denny Hamlin. He finished 2014 off hot so he has a shot at a good season.

Drivers: Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick

2015 Champion

Two of the four drivers I also picked in 2014 (Kyle and JJ). It's funny because I am not a follower of either driver, but I keep having good hunches for them. It's such a hard call to pick a winner as I even flip flopped on JoLo and BK in the final four and flip flopped them from Champion to being left out. That's how close the new Chase makes it. 

Driver: Brad Keselowski

As I stated above, I at one time had Joey Logano in the final four and not BK, and JoLo was my Champion. It just shows you that picking a Champion is not easy as a handful of guys have a great shot at the end of the season and even more guys have a shot to start the 2015 season at a Championship. So, I am also going to make a short list of guys that are towards the top of my 2015 Championship hopeful's list.

Drivers: Keselowski, Johnson, Harvick, Ky Busch, Logano, Hamlin, and Edwards (in that order). 

So that's enough for 2015 predictions. If you haven't yet, check out the 2015 Chase Predictions as well. I am sure I will come up looking good on a few things and looking crazy on even more! Either way, the NASCAR season is almost upon us and predictions give us a good place to start. At the very least predictions are a good conversation starter, so who do you got?

Daytona Informational Links:

• Daytona Speedweeks Schedule
• 2015 Sprint Unlimited Entry List
• 2015 NASCAR Budweiser Duels