2024 NASCAR

[wdwfan4ver]

Front Row Motorsport - This organization is down 2 cup teams, but added a truck team. This organization didn't have a drover in the top 25 in points. The organization is better than it was 3 or 4 years ago. The 2 Teams can sneak into chase due to Daytona and Talladega.

Team has John Hunter Nemecheck and Michael Mcdowell as drivers. The organization is known for its Daytona and Talladega abilities.

John Hunter Nemecheck to me is one year season from cup, but was forced do to Gallagher Motorsports wanted to fold the Xfinity series team John raced for. John to me is decent to solid prospect although Ross Chastain outshined him at Chip Ganassi Racing in 2018 in the Xfinity level. He is a better driver than Matt Tifft was.

The aim for John should be not to tear up equipment and he has no chance for rookie of the year since Tyler Reddick, Cole Custer, and Christopher Bell are in better equipment. John Hunter nemechek could sneak in the 25 in points things go right for him.

Michael Mcdowell to my understanding only returned because Corey Lajoie decided to return to Go Fas Racing with them having some Stewart Haas-Equipment. Mcdowell is good plate racer and is a good road course driver with his equipment. He also can do surprise top 10 qualifying starts with the equipment. He might pull of a top 25 in points, but it is tough to.

JTG Daugherty Racing - I see this organization be the same or be on the decline. They down graded last year byreplacing AJ Allmendinger with Ryan Preece and this year they have Rickey Stenhouse Jr instead of Chris Buescher. The organization can do different tracks, but it depends on the driver. I think the way for them to win is by Daytona and Talladega.

I'm Starting with Preece. He was much worse than Chris Buescher last year, but he was rookie with only 55 Xfinity starts before going to cup. I think he's in the hot seat. I think he needs to be in the top 25 in points to stay in 2021, but I don't know if that will happen.

Rickey Stenhouse Jr. is a questionable move. He can do Bristol, Daytona and Talladega. The problem is he pushes his equipment past the edge to the point of causing a caution and can tear up plenty of race cars. I think he regressed as a driver and I wonder how much of that was with Roush's complete worst years as an owner. Rickey might pull of a top 25 in points at best.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Richard Childress Racing- Organization is trying to bounce back. I don't think they are ready to contender for a chase spot unless they win at Daytona or Talladega though.

Austin Dillon needs to improve finishing average and it was his worst since 2015. Austin can do well at Daytona and Talladega and I consider him a possible win threat at the two tracks. He will surprise you will a top 10 once in a while at other tracks. The big problem is his road course ability. Unless he can win outside Daytona or Talladega without strategy, he can not get into the 2nd of the chase. Austin is a possible 22 to 19 range driver. I see Austin being in the 5 to 10 top 10's range this season.

Tyler Reddick is a possible upgrade from Daniel Hemric based he on he can win on national lower levels in NASCAR. He's on an unknown and I think has the weakest equipment of the big 3 of this rookie class. Stewart-Haas and JGR equipment is better than RCR equipment. I can't see Tyler possibly make it to the chase. I expect Tyler to get at least 4 top 10's this season.

Go Fas Racing - Team improved their equipment during the off season. No longer are using 4 year old Roush cars or Front Row Racing cars. They have Stewart-Haas racing equipment that they no longer use, but is from the 2019/2018 time frame. They still have Corey Lajoie as a driver. There is a possible issue is team has a new crew chief in Ryan Sparks and there might a driver/crew chief adjustment peroid.

Corey Lajoie is highly thought of enough that Front Row Racing actually wanted him to be John Hunter Nemechek's teammate. What I know about Corey Lajoie raced against Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and Suarez in the K &N series back in 2012. Corey Lajoie was only 15 points away from being tied with Kyle Larson for being tied with the most point in the series.

Corey is a possible Matt DiBendetto type driver based on what I mentioned. What DiBendetto did last year was he was able pull off top 10's/ top 5's at 1 mile tracks, short tracks and road courses despite having older JGR equipment.

The older Stewart-Haas equipment might be good enough to get a top 25 to to 16th place on 2 mile tracks, Pocono, Indy, and 1.5 mile tracks. The strength of the older Stewart-Haas equipment is going to at short tracks, 1 mile tracks and road courses. It depends on how the driver and crew chief clicks. The other thing to watch is if Stewart - Haas is trying get the 32 car up to speed if Chase Briscoe is ready in 2021 to be in cup.

As far as Corey Lajoie goes, I think needs a win to get in. The problem is he has aging, but good equipment. This is going affect him at 2 mile tracks, 1.5 mile tracks, Pocono, and Indianapolis. I think Corey Lajoie could be anywhere from 5 to 12 top 10's this year. I don't what places Corey would have a chance to win at Outside of Daytona and Talladedga. Based on Corey's history on Regional racing series, 1 mile tracks and short tracks would be a possibility although it is a long shot.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Wood Bros. - This team got an upgrade in driver talent in Matt DiBendetto compare to Paul Menard. The only thing is Matt is only under contract for 2020. This team gets Penske Equipment.

If the Penske Equipment does not have an age issue, Matt DiBendetto could be getting 8 to 20 top 10's this season. Matt is real possibility for going into the chase and there is a possibility for going very deep in chase. Matt as a driver is proven at short tracks, road courses and 1 mile tracks.

Roush Fenway Racing - They might have made an upgrade by having Chris Buescher replacing Ricky Stenhouse. The problem is going to get tougher since The Wood Bros have an upgrade for a driver, Leavine Family Racing has up to date JGR equipment with Christopher Bell, and Stewart - Haas having Cole Custer could make things tougher for Roush.

Chris Buescher takes care of cars better than Stenhouse did. The thing is Buescher does not lead a lot of laps even dating to his Xfinity series days. Chris should be getting 5 to 12 10 top's this year. Chris is a good road course driver and could be a wild card for a win at Sonoma and Watkin's Glen before the chase. He does seem capable at Daytona and Talladega style drafting. He could make the chase due to how he takes care of his equipment.

Ryan Newman is still a solid driver. I think his days of winning poles are long gone. He still is tough to pass though. The only thing is competition is getting tougher and he needs more to 5s for making the chase. Ryan is a 10 to 15 top 10's a year type.

Leavine Family Racing - They do not having aging equipment from JGR unlike year and have Christopher Bell as a Rookie Driver. The equipment is good enough for the Chase, but Christopher Bell is unknown on the cup level as a rookie. I can't rule Christopher Bell out of the chase due to his pure speed. Christopher Bell I think could be getting 8 to 16 top 10's this season.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Chip Ganassi Racing - They had a fine season last year although Kyle Larson had rough start. Kurt did mention the organization has a pit stop problem and think there is some truth to that.

Kurt Busch has been around the cup Series since the later part of 2000 for Roush when he replaced Chad Little, but still showed some speed. He was able to pull off 5 poles. I am mentioning this because Kurt is going to be 42 in August. Some drivers in the past at 42 years old were in the decline like Jimmie Johnson, Terry Labonte, Bobby Labonte, I do not see Kurt having that type of decline based on what I seen. Kurt's stats to me is more of a Rusty Wallace from 1997 to 2002 and a Darrell Waltrip from 1987 to 1992. Darrell was not at his peak, but he still very competitive

There are two concerns with Kurt. Only 18 top 5's in the last 3 seasons and the 1 team had been inconstant after their Kentucky win although I do question the pit crew.

Kurt should make the chase and getting a cup win is not out the question. Kurt is still cable of winning races anywhere. I see him as a dark house. He should get 15 to 20 top 10's this season

Kyle Larson last year had a slow start, but did make the chase and end of 6th in points. As far as this year, it depends on the pit crew and if there is any Contract distractions. Kyle's contract is up after this season. Larson's weakest point is plate racing. He also is not much of a Martinsville driver and is very average at road courses. The only way for Kyle Larson to get into the final 4 is avoid wrecks at Talladega and be decent at Martinsville.

Larson is should have 14 to 20 top 10's range this year and a good amount of top 5's.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Penske Racing - This organization did a major change during the off season with the pit crew and crew chief swaps

Joey Logano is getting a great crew chief in Paul Wolfe, but I don't think Joey can fully take advantage of him. ul is known to take a lot of risks as a crew chief including Fuel Mileage. Joey is not as good at save fuel as Brad Keselowski. Joey is a very good around driver and you can't count him out making the final 4. If Joey is not the chase this year, there is a problem. Ryan to me is 20 to 25 top 10 in a season as a driver and I expect that this year.

Ryan Blaney is getting a very good crew chief in Todd Gordon. Ryan is known to be better earlier in the race than later in the race and I don't know if that is on the driver or the Crew chief. Todd would answer that. Ryan is getting a better pit crew. Ryan only has 3 wins, but winning at Pocono, Charlotte Roval, and Talladega is a decent variety.

Ryan has some major weakpoints as a driver. The first is he never has a top 10 at Richmond in 8 stats. Ryan has only 2 top 10's at dover, but Dover is not in the chase this season. I think he can produce 20 top 10's in a season, don't know if this is the year.

Brad Keselowski is getting a crew chief with question marks. Jeremy Bullins had Ryan Blaney and I noticed in the past Ryan got slower during the race after being fast early in the race. The other problem is Brad is getting a pit crew that does not have a good reputation.

Every knows what to expect out of Brad Keselowski and Brad only is going to be 36 this season. Brad is known for saving fuel. Brad is not good at Sonoma. Brad could be a final 4 driver. He's a 20 top 10's a season type driver.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Hendrick Motorsports - Organization got 3 out of 4 drivers in the chase last season.

I know this is Jimmie's last full season as a cup driver. I known Jimmie wants to finish his career on a high note. I don't know he can pull off making the chase. Jimmie is not the driver he was 10 years ago. The odd thing Kevin Harvick is only about 3 months younger, but I didn't see the performance drop off. I think this years field is a bit stronger compare to last year and it would mean Jimmie needs to win. and increase amount of top 5's. I think Jimmie is a 10 to 14 top 10's in a season driver right now.

Alex Bowman was streaky last season. He double the amount of top 5s last year. What Alex needs to do is besides winning races is increase amount of top 10's. As far as making the chase a win might be a must due to the field appears to be tighter for the 16th spot. I think Alex is going to be to have 10 to 15 top 10's this season.

William Byron started out slow in 2019, but made the chase. I thought William made very good progress in his 2 year as a cup driver. The truth is he was rushed into cup by only having one year of xfinity series. I thought he was a great prospect, but could turn into another Logano.

William in 2019 figured out qualifying with 5 poles. He also did a gradually process of getting better on race day as the season went on. Chad Knaus did good with him. I think the next step is William getting a win.

William is good at Daytona and Talladega although the results don't always show it. He know to do Road courses. I can't get a great reading on him since this is a driver that had 2 years of cup experience. I think he is could get 14 to 18 top 10's this season and I like making the chase more than Bowman and Johnson. If William makes the chase, I think he could be 3 round driver.

Chase Elliott was streaky last year with some bad luck. Chase is one of the best Road course drivers in the cup series. I think Chase is a 15 to 20 top 10's this season. The question is not making the chase, but how far can he go. I think he could make the final 4.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

It was announced that Fire Alarm Services will be John Hunter Nemechek's primary sponsor at May Martinsville's race, Indianapolis Motor Speedway race, August Daytona race, and the Finale at Phoenix Raceway. Fire Alarm Services also will be a major associate partner of John Hunter Nemechek.

What I know is Fire Alarm Services is a sponsor that John Hunter Nemechek has since 2016 back when he was in the trucks series.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

It was announced that SiriusXM is Sponsoring Martin Treux Jr. for 5 races including the Busch Clash on February 9th. The other races Sirius XM is sponsoring Treux is Night time Martinsville race in May, both Pocono double header races, and the New Hampshire race.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Stewart-Haas Racing - organization had 3 out of 4 drivers in the chase. This years does have a change with Cole Custer replacing Daniel Suarez.

Cole Custer is an unknown how he will be as a cup rookie. Cole is in the 2nd best equipment out of the big 3 rookies. Cole did have a big season last year in the Xfinity series. Cole's talent ability before last year one that has no problem getting top 10's and can get top 5's and was even better in his 2 Xfinity series year than his first. This might be a driver may need a 2nd to figure things out for making the chase. As far as Cole Custer goes for the chase, it is 50/50 if he makes it. I think he could be in the 8 to 14 top 10's range this season as a rookie.

Aric Almirola to me was a disappoint last year after what he did in 2018. I found it a concern that he only had 6 top's after the 7th cup race last year. If he does that again, I think he could be one of the drivers that be looked at being out of the chase. The one thing he has for him is the crew chief swap with Clint Bowyer. Mike Bugarewicz went to the chase with Clint 2 years in a row.

Christopher Bell, Matt DiBendetto, and Chris Buescher have legit chase of making the chase this season and that is not good news for Almoriola if he goes not get a better season. To top it off there are possibilities of upsets winning a cup race and making the chase and that would not help Aric either.

Aric is a good Daytona and Talladega driver and him winning there is not out of the question.
I think Air is anywhere from 10 to 18 top 10's this season. Chase depends on if he improves.

Clint Bowyer is going to 41 years old this year and the only question is the crew chief change. I did not see much of a decline out of him out side of wins and laps led, but Clint is not known for winning and leading laps. Clint always been a Poor Man's Terry Labonte. Terry Labonte in his prime was master points racer who won 2 championships with only 2 wins, and and even once almost won a cup championship without winning a race. I don't see Clint making the final 4, but is 12 to 18 top 10's this season range.

Kevin Harvick turned 44 in December, but age is only a number for him. This not like Jimmie Johnson. Kevin is one of those drivers that don't drop off before turning 46 years old at least.

I did not see slowdown. His laps led went down, but the team found something during the 2nd half of the season for getting all 4 of his wins. I consider Rodney Childers as one the best crew chiefs in the garage for setting up a race car. Kevin is a championship threat plain and simple. Phoenix is the race to determine who will become of the cup champion of 2020 and Kevin has to be one of the favorites at that track.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Joe Gibbs Racing had all 4 of their drivers in the chase.

Erik Jones had some bad luck during the chase. The thing is he's a solid driver and is the youngest of the group. He's good enough to make the chase, but his goal needs to be make it to the 2nd or 3rd round. He is 17 to 20 top 10's a season driver to me with JGR.

Martin Truex Jr. not having Cole Pearn as a crew chief is something watch. The fact is Truex at Furniture Racing racing struggled before getting Cole. While Truex has a new crew chief that worked with him before as a lead engineer in James Small, he is an unknown on how he will be as a crew chief.

Truex is going to 40 this year, but I don't see that as an issue. How Truex and James Small click is a bigger deal. I think Truex is not as much as a driver carried by a crew chief as much as being in the right situation. Truex is known for his 1.5 mile track powers, but is a wonderful road course racer that final figured out how to win at short tracks. Phoenix would be a disadvantage for him if he makes as a final 4 driver with him being average there with no wins.

Truex being in the chase is about a guarantee. He's good for 15 to 20 top 10's.

Denny Hamlin had his best season in top 5's and top 10's. The question is going to be how Denny is going to be after losing the Cup championship. He is a very talented driver, but is not the most mentally strong driver out there. Back in 2011, Denny allowed to dwell on his 2010 cup championship loss to get to him and affected his 2011 season. He also is known for making mental mistakes.

If Denny's head is straight, him being in the final 4 at Phoenix is not out of the Question. Denny is real solid driver all around that is overlooked due to teammates in the past and his mental mistakes on pit road didn't help matters. He should be a 15 to 20 top 10's this year.

Kyle Busch is one of the greats in NASCAR that is still in his prime with him being only 35 with 56 career cup wins. I think he's the best all round short track driver in the cup series since Rusty Wallace or Jeff Gordon. My reasoning is the cup series only has 6 short track races a year, but yet has 16 career short tracks.

As a driver, media people comparing him to the pre 1983 Darrell Waltrip is very accurate.

He's a threat to win a cup championship and having the finale at Phoenix goes help him out since he is good there.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

NASCAR announced NASCAR Hall of Fame Changes starting with the 2021 class. There is going to be a Modern era ballot and a Pioneer Ballot.

The Pioneer ballot is people that started in NASCAR 60 years ago or longer meaning 1961 is the cut off point for someone before eligible to be on the 2021 pioneer class ballot .

The Modern era Ballot will have 10 nominees, but only 2 will be inducted each year. The Pioneer ballot will have 5 nominees, but only 1 will be inducted.

Other changes are made also. There are now crew chief eligibility rules. The rules are the Crew chief has to be in NASCAR for 10 years. Crew chiefs have to be retired for 2 years. The crew chief automatically becomes eligible for the NASCAR Hall of Fame if they didn't retire if they are 55 years old or been in NASCAR for 30 years.

 

[MinnieM123]

Hendrick Motorsports - Organization got 3 out of 4 drivers in the chase last season.

I know this is Jimmie's last full season as a cup driver. I known Jimmie wants to finish his career on a high note. I don't know he can pull off making the chase. Jimmie is not the driver he was 10 years ago. The odd thing Kevin Harvick is only about 3 months younger, but I didn't see the performance drop off. I think this years field is a bit stronger compare to last year and it would mean Jimmie needs to win. and increase amount of top 5's. I think Jimmie is a 10 to 14 top 10's in a season driver right now.

That's an interesting perspective on Johnson and Harvick. Agree, Harvick, at this point, appears to have the higher edge.

 

[Dead2009]

Only race I'll actually sit down and watch is the Daytona....though I don't like how they do it in segments. That's kinda boring.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

NASCAR announced leadership promotions.

Ben Kennedy is now the vice President of Racing Development for NASCAR. John Martin is now the vice president of Media and Event Technology. Patrick Rogers is now the Vice President of Marketing services. Chris Schwartz is now the Vice President of Media properties.

Of the people that got promoted. Ben Kennedy is the one to watch from a NASCAR Fan point. Ben Kennedy was a former racing competitor that that is the great grandson of the founder of NASCAR. Ben Kennedy's job now is now to oversee the strategic racing development initiatives for every NASCAR series including the development of future national series’ schedules and international expansion.

This means Ben Kennedy is the person NASCAR fans need to contact if they want if they a race track to be added to NASCAR schedule.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Here is the stuff to look to keep an eye as the season progress.
1.) The rookie of the year battle. I think this will looked at a great class as time will sure. I think it is going to be down to Bell and Custer. Tyler Reddick does not have the equipment to keep up.
2.) The replacement of Jimmie Johnson. This is not announced yet. It could be from Jr Motorsports or from outside of the organization, but points to a veteran driver at this point based on what I read.
3.) Kyle Larson's contract is up. One thing I know is Kyle Larson like to race outside of NASCAR. He either will stay with Chip or go to Stewart-Haas.
4.) There is a rumor about this might be Clint's final year in cup.
5.) The Daytona Summer race in late August. I think this race could determine who makes the chase for the 16th spot and how the weather will be.
6.) I think the Pocono double header is something to keep an eye on. If that event is popular, I see NASCAR attempt to do the same thing with a couple more tracks.
7.) The 2021 NASCAR Schedule. There is no contract that prevents tracks from losing a date now.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Only race I'll actually sit down and watch is the Daytona....though I don't like how they do it in segments. That's kinda boring.

I know your point in segment racing and be happy the networks went against having a 4th segment. The problem is the tv networks are responsible for that. NASCAR rating were dropping at the time.

What the networks didn't look at the time was Brian France was very hands off and we now know he had personal problems. Brian made decisions that were not the best. I remembered reading statements online back in the 2010s that once my driver retires, I'll stop watching NASCAR due to the decision making of the organization.

 

[artvandelay]

Here is the stuff to look to keep an eye as the season progress.
1.) The rookie of the year battle. I think this will looked at a great class as time will sure. I think it is going to be down to Bell and Custer. Tyler Reddick does not have the equipment to keep up.
2.) The replacement of Jimmie Johnson. This is not announced yet. It could be from Jr Motorsports or from outside of the organization, but points to a veteran driver at this point based on what I read.
3.) Kyle Larson's contract is up. One thing I know is Kyle Larson like to race outside of NASCAR. He either will stay with Chip or go to Stewart-Haas.
4.) There is a rumor about this might be Clint's final year in cup.
5.) The Daytona Summer race in late August. I think this race could determine who makes the chase for the 16th spot and how the weather will be.
6.) I think the Pocono double header is something to keep an eye on. If that event is popular, I see NASCAR attempt to do the same thing with a couple more tracks.
7.) The 2021 NASCAR Schedule. There is no contract that prevents tracks from losing a date now.

Any chance HMS doesn’t replace Johnson and goes to 3 cars? They’re having sponsorship trouble with the 88...

 

[Lilofan]

I missed the Tom Petty raceway experience at the MK parking lot. Love the roar of the race cars on the track.

 

[MinnieM123]

I missed the Tom Petty raceway experience at the MK parking lot. Love the roar of the race cars on the track.

I did the "Ride Along" at the (Richard Petty Driving Experience) at the Walt Disney World Speedway. A local race car driver drove the car around the tri-oval about 4 times at speed, and it was so much fun to ride along next to him, in the passenger seat!

Too bad the track shut down in 2015.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Any chance HMS doesn’t replace Johnson and goes to 3 cars? They’re having sponsorship trouble with the 88...

I don't know and I think it depends on if they are able to gain sponsors for 2021. All I know is Axalta and Valvoline are signed through 2022 for the 88 car, but does not have a lot of races as a primary. I know Hendrick was able to pull off a Chevrolet Accessories sponsorship for 26 races this year, but don't know for future years.