The cars are on the track, the teams are meticulously preparing their race cars for the beginning of the 2014 season, and the rookies are outshining the veterans, at least in testing. Starting with the Sprint Cup Series, Austin Dillon, the 2013 Nationwide Series Champion, had the fastest car in Sprint Cup Preseason Thunder Testing at 195.109 mph. He was followed by his RCR teammate and fellow rookie Brian Scott.
Fans were delighted to see the eldest Dillon brother rise to the top of the speed charts since his car carries the prestigious number 3 on the doors. Fellow rookie competitor Kyle Larson was fifth quickest at 193.411 mph.
As for the Nationwide Series, the story remains the same. The rookies are showing a lot of promise and one driver has shown that he is the clear favorite for the pole if not the win: Dylan Kwasniewski. In the Saturday morning test at Daytona, Kwasniewski was had the fastest car, posting a speed of 183.408 mph. He was also fastest in Sunday’s morning test and was the only driver to break the 190-mph barrier. Kwasniewski, who was the 2013 K&N Pro Series East Champion, was also ninth in the Saturday evening session. Fellow Nationwide rookies Chase Elliott and Chad Boat paced the Saturday and Sunday afternoon sessions respectively.
So the question remains: What does this all mean? In reality, not much, other than the fact that Austin Dillon and Dylan Kwasniewski are major threats to win the pole in their respective series. Other than that, it’s too early to determine whether or not Dillon or Kwasniewski (or any other rookie) will actually win a couple of races in 2014.
However, I will predict that Austin Dillon will win a race in 2014, which will most likely come on a restrictor plate track. How will much-hyped Kyle Larson fair in 2014? It’s very difficult to say, but something tells me that his season might be statistically similar to Ricky Stenhouse’s season last year. So, are these test speeds foreshadowing great things to come for the 2014 NASCAR Rookie Class? Only time will tell.
