The Gen 6 race car that has been brought before us may not bring every single NASCAR fan back into the sport, but it is a good start. Like Lance Armstrong’s confession to performance enhancing, it might be too late, but it is a never late than never scenario. Which driver out of the Sprint Cup field will capitalize out of the gate?
It occurred to me last season in the Bud Shootout, now the Sprint Unlimited, that the younger drivers don’t handle change really well. Remember when we had the two-car tandem? We could shove drivers pretty much anywhere on the race track without much threat of causing a big crash unless if we were talking the final few laps, but who caused the Lap 9 pileup in the beginning of the Shootout when we reverted back to pack racing? Drivers like David Ragan who were excellent plate racers in the prior year, so in my opinion it will be the veteran drivers who will be shining beginning with the Sprint Unlimited.
As you already know, Jeff Gordon is coming into this season with tremendous momentum after scoring his first career victory at Homestead in the season finale. The last time Gordon won the season finale back in 1998, he went on to score 7 wins the very next season, but some bad luck did put him back further in the standings. I think this is the year for Gordon to shine and have a shot to win that Chase title that has eluded him since 2004, but he may not be the only guy looking for that extra boost. Terry Labonte pulled it off back in 1996, Gordon still has the fire and push to do the same. I see Gordon racing until at least the 2016 season if his stats are up to par.
Many race analysts would say that Kyle Busch had a “dismal” 2012. I wouldn’t say that Kyle had a “dismal” year. Last year in the Cup series for example, Busch could have easily had 3-4 wins in the bag if not for gas mileage. Busch was one of the earlier critics of the COT even saying during his 2007 victory lane speech after the Food City 500 that his car “sucked.” For those of us that have been covering Kyle Busch since his rookie season in 2005, it amazes me that this will be his ninth season in Sprint Cup. I think he has a legitimate shot to win his first title this year, but of course you can never count out Jimmie Johnson and now defending Sprint Cup Series Champion, Brad Keselowski. I’m excited as anyone to see who will earn the first checkered flag of the 2013 season.
NASCAR has answered the fans calls for change and I finally have faith that the old racing we have all come to love and cherish is back to us. Who do you think is the early season favorite?
