2015 NASCAR Thread - And then there was 1

• NASCAR makes a change to the chase that renders everyone's predictions for Homestead irrelevant.
• Dinger gets a win at an oval.
• Gordon would win the championship under the pre-chase system but gets screwed out of it at or before Homestead.
• Keselowski gets suspended after another fight.
• Hamlin doesn't start all 36 races.
• Wet race at Watkins Glen.
• The Daytona 500 winner will be a first time Cup race winner.
• 29 car crash in the first Talladega race.
• Knaus gets suspended for cheating.

 

Carl Edwards wins 5 races and takes his first championship driving for Joe Gibbs

 

To be honest, I don't see a Toyota driver winning a championship. At least not anytime soon. The Toyotas always seem to come up just short when they need to do best.

 

My prediction is that someone in a booth will become the new Marty Reid. After all, fails in the booth were one thing we could count on during the 2014 season- especially from Marty Reid and ESPN. Here's a compilation I found of some of Marty's fails over the years. Don't be shocked if someone hosting races goes Full ESPN in honor of ESPN embarrassing itself so badly that it didn't renew its contract to get races in the 2015 season.

 

Totally plausible.

 

Don't know why some people are down on Hornish. Sure RPM don't have the best equipment (though it probably could be argued that they are on the same level as Roush, performance wise these days). And sure he's not going to light the world on fire by any means but I think he'll do a solid enough job for them.

 

If Hornish flopped with Penske, no way can he have many good finishes with RPM. I see him having decent finishes at the road courses and possibly plate tracks but elsewhere I can't see anything better than a top 15.

 

And if Danica Patrick has flopped even worse than that, with no top 5's in 2 full seasons, no way can she suddenly bounce up and take a victory.

 

A few predictions for 2015:

1. Danica doesn't get a win, but finally gets a top 5.
2. RFR makes a comeback.
3. Hornish has a decent, but not great first season at RPM. A few top 5's and top 10's but no wins.
4. Edwards has a strong first season at JGR with multiple wins, but won't win the title.
5. Thanks to the new aero package for the cars, drivers like Stewart* & Biffle have strong seasons.
6. *Stewart makes a title run, providing disaster/tragedy doesn't find him again at Watkins Glen.
7. Allmendinger continues to improve and makes the chase again.

 

• Cars will go around an oval shaped track.
• They will only turn right in two races all year.
• The champion will most likely be an American.
• There will be a fight.
• The pace car will lead the most laps of any car.
• There will be a lot of crashes.

Expert predictions from yours truly. Bear in mind, it's banter. I have just as much respect for NASCAR as I do any other motorsport.

 

Has anyone seen the Camry for next year that isn't on a 2D plane? It doesn't look disproportionately awful, although it does look quite annoyed.

 

That's almost as bold as my 'Rebellion will win LMP1-L' prediction at Le Mans this year.

 

When Toyota first came to NASCAR specifically Joe Gibbs Nationwide team domination of 2008 many felt the Toyota motors motors were too powerful and people like Jack Roush, Chevy teams etc complained and NASCAR made the teams using Toyota power run a tapered spacer kind of like a restrictor plate mandatory for all Toyota teams to decrease the hp. That is counter productive to competition. They would never do that to Chevy or Ford. Now with the new rules on hp reduction for everyone, there is no reason a Toyota driver can't win the Championship. Remember 2013? Kenseth 7 wins and almost won the Championship. Kyle Busch won 8 races in 2008. IMO, the 2015 Sprint Cup Champion will be...... Carl Edwards.

 

all I gotta say is; due to the contrast between the grille and the brightly colored body, this looks downright creepy

 

Way to go out on a limb for the crash prediction.

 

Yes they all are quite some bold predictions. Thankfully, I consulted a NASCAR guru before making them.

 

Was Marty Reid your expert?

 

Wouldn't surprise me.

 

Can we drop the Jeff Gordon thing? Even if he made the top 4 instead of Newman he still would have gotten 3rd in the championship under the new format. They are not going back to the pre chase format so it's kind of pointless to talk about it.

 

That is your opinion, and we have ours.

Don't like it, skip the post and move on.

 

You guys are so tough.

 

You should know actual logic isn't allowed here. You're asking WAY too much from some people...

As for 2015 predictions....

- Carl Edwards will win 7 races along with the championship.
- Kyle Busch will return to form, winning 4 races.
- JJ will improve as well, but not to his 2013 standards. 5 wins.
- The rule changes will hurt both Gordon and Jr. Gordon wins a single race, Jr goes winless.
- Harvick will have a respectable season with 4 wins but won't advance to Homestead.
- Roush struggles will continue. They might sneak out a restrictor plate win. If not, the entire organization goes winless.
- Larson gets a win, likely at an intermediate track.

 

THIS, so many times.

 

You're going to hear about it every year that it happens so you might as well get used to it.

 

When the 24 wins a Championship and someone else deserves it you won't complain.

 

It'll get even more annoying as the season goes on. If people want it to go away, get mass groups together and stop watching to really hurt NASCAR's ratings. If the fans don't stop watching through the entire season, NASCAR will say that this system works and will continue to use it accordingly.

 

Just for the record, I will

(ducks)

 

I was talking about the 24 lovers best buds brigade.

 

OH MY GOD, JOEY LOGANO GOT SCREWED! HAD WE USED LAST YEAR'S CHASE SYSTEM, JOEY WOULD HAVE WON THE TITLE THIS YEAR!!!!11

Unofficial Chase Standings using 2013 Sprint Cup Chase rules: (per Jayski)
[after Homestead, race 36 of 36]
1) #22-Joey Logano [5 wins], 2396
2) #4-Kevin Harvick [5 wins], 2389, -7 (2014 Champ)
3) #2-Brad Keselowski [6 wins], 2361, -35
4) #31-Ryan Newman, 2354, -42
5) #24-Jeff Gordon [4 wins], 2348, -48
6) #20-Matt Kenseth, 2334, -62
7) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [4 wins], 2301, -95
8) #99-Carl Edwards [2 wins], 2288, -108
9) #18-Kyle Busch [1 win], 2282, -114
10) #48-Jimmie Johnson [4 wins], 2274, -122
11) #16-Greg Biffle, 2247, -149
12) #5-Kasey Kahne [1 win], 2231, -165


</sarcasm>

This is why the previous Chase system was overhauled. Even in a smaller ten-race format, the final race would have been nearly meaningless. Joey Logano had a disastrous race. Kevin Harvick won, and Joey still would have cruised to an easy championship using the 2013 methodology.

Personally, I don't want to see a guy riding around, just hoping to finish 18th or better to clinch a title. I loved watching all four guys go all-out the whole time knowing that they had to win the race to guarantee the championship. That was exciting racing all the way up to the final corner.

The win-and-you're in format also makes most of the other races more exciting, as guys are willing to take more chances to just get that one win that it takes to qualify. Next year might even get crazier, as all of the drivers can look up to Ryan Newman's 2014 finale for proof that all it takes is a chance, and you really could win it all.