2013 Edition of Round Table

What do you get when you put five highly opinionated people together to talk about NASCAR more current topics of interest? You get magic. If you’re reading this you have officially started to witness the third annual Round Table! Yay for you! Returning for a third year are two of my favorite people Garrett Beisheim and Stephanie Piech. Jason Schultz has decided to return after last year’s round table. New to the craziness is writer Kristen Schneider. Last Saturday, the five of us put out heads together. We took some of the biggest topics over the last two or so months and I guess you can say this is the best we came up with. We talked about Silly Season, Clint Bowyer, The Chase, Richmond, and NASCAR’s latest decision. Let’s take a look shall we…

Is Kyle Larson ready for Cup?

Kristen: I don't think he's ready. He has had no success in NNS, and he's attempting to leap frog that vital step. Yes, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, and many others have thrived in Cup without much NNS experience, but this is a different era. It's the era of "if you don't progress fast enough, you're done," and I'm worried that will be the thing that bites Larson.

Sam: It’s really hard to tell. One on hand, he’s basically just like Gordon, Stewart, and Kahne. All three come from dirt roots and all three have had success in the Cup series. I think Larson fits very well into that group. Larson has been amazing in everything he has sat in. On the other hand, he doesn’t have a lot of experience in NASCAR. Sure, he’s won a race, but that doesn’t exactly give you a free ride into the Cup series. You have to work hard and earn it. Look at Ricky Stenhouse Jr. His rookie year in Nationwide Series wasn’t the greatest, especially getting benched during the summer of 2010. BUT, when he did come back, he went on a tear and beat out Brian Scott for rookie of the year by 16 points. Ricky spent 2011 improving on 2010 by winning the championship and spent 2012 improving on 2011 by winning more races and winning the championship for the second year in a row. I don’t’ exactly think Kyle earned the spot, but if Chip thinks he’s ready, I’m not going to question it.

Steph: hhmmmm so far, he's had some really decent finishes, but he needs time. Look what happened with Logano: Gibbs put him in a little too early and it took his Cup career a little while to get on the track. His first couple of seasons were a bit of a stumble and he didn't get the results Gibbs was hoping for. I would like to see him run a full NW schedule next year, get some wins, contend for the championship, and then move to Cup. That would be the right way to do things.

Sam: Logano is the perfect example of being thrown into Cup too early. but look at him now, he's starting to come into that talent we all know he has. I just hope Kyle doesn't fail and he won't get the chance like Joey has running the Nationwide series, helping him run better in Cup

Steph: yes, he's really competitive but seat time is what he needs. I just hope Larson has grown enough from his little bit of nationwide experience to cope with the differences in the cars and with the media attention

Kristen: Also, what about Danica Patrick? She was shoved in the Cup series way too early. I think they suffer from the same issue: hype. So much hype surrounds them both, and it's difficult to support them with little results in stock cars.

Sam: The difference between the two of them though is Kyle has a little bit more success in a stock car than Danica has. I think that give Kyle a little better advantage going into Cup in 2014.

Garrett: In my opinion it is still a year early for Kyle Larson, like you all said, Logano is the perfect example. Just because he can drive everything and get a top 10 a majority of the time doesn't mean he is ready for cup. I think he should have stayed in nationwide series for one more season.

Kristen: I'm just saying the concepts are the same. Trust me, it's evident Larson is more talented than Patrick, but they're both being powered by hype.

Steph: exactly! and I don't want a talented guy like Larson to not live up to the hype because he deserves to have a pretty successful career

Sam: media pressure. Logano had, Danica had it, and Larson has it now.

Jason: No he isn't ready. One year in the Nationwide Series is far too little. He may be very talented, but being rushed up the NASCAR ranks won't be good for his career. A tough season will be in-store for the rookie in 2014.

Where will Jeff Burton and Juan Pablo Montoya end up?

Kristen: I see Burton going to Furniture Row, with the RCR connection and the fact that Burton still has a contract with Childress. Montoya may have no choice but to go back to Indy Car

Garrett: I know there hasn't been much said about burton, but it makes me think FRR will take him in, I think Montoya is going back to Inday Car

Jason: I see Jeff Burton ending up at a smaller team and helping them grow. His racing knowledge is arguably the best in the garage and he would be a great asset to any team. Juan Pablo Montoya will fall to Furniture Row Racing. He's the best option for the team and they could be a good fit to win some races. If not Furniture Row, then not in NASCAR.

Sam: Again, it’s hard to tell. There aren’t many open spots left for these two. The fact that RCR sped up the end of Burton’s contract is a little fishy with me. Of course he’s a good driver, but he hasn’t won since 2008. He hasn’t had a Chase appearance since 2008, which was his last shot at winning a championship. He hasn’t been a contender for years. Burton knows how to race, but I think he may have hit his peak already. I like Jeff Burton, but I think it may be time to hang up the racing helmet soon. On to Montoya.  Where do I start? How about the lousy two wins since his rookie year in 2007? Sure, he won rookie of the year and he’s got a Chase berth, but that’s it. Eight years to really do something and what does he have to show for it? Two road course wins. Sure, there have been some near misses, but if he was good enough, a lot of those could and should have been made up. It just came down to whether or not Chip wanted mediocre over fresh talent and he chose fresh talent.

Steph: I think with Juan's unfortunate (for him) success in NASCAR, his only choice would be to go back to Indy Car if he still wanted to have some success. He obviously hasn't quite figured the Cup cars out

Will Ryan Newman find success at RCR?

Garrett: Ryan Newman WILL find success at RCR; he is finding his strength again for the chase. Richmond was a perfect example, Borland told him he had to win and he "rocketed" to the front. First few races may be rough but it shouldn't be a problem. I just hope they focus on Newman and not all on Dillon

Jason: Newman will be extremely successful at RCR. That team seems like a perfect match for the Rocket and the Chase will definitely be in reach. A win or two will be easily accomplished for the team. Look for Newman to have much more success at RCR than he had at SHR.

Sam:  I think he will find some sort of success, but he will have the Chase controversy on his back. Not like Clint will, but it will be there. This will be the third team Ryan has run for since 2008 when he decided to leave Penske for Stewart Haas. He will also have the sting of his best friend not wanting him back on the team, telling him they didn’t want to go to a four car team. Plus the even bigger sting of Gene Haas turning around and hiring Kurt Busch to the team. Ryan will have a lot of obstacles to jump over, so this isn’t me saying he’ll go out and win the 2014 Cup.

Steph: I think Newman needs a solid team and I think RCR will give him what he needs. SHR was and is still trying to find its place in Cup. Yes they have Tony's money and everything, but as an owner, Tony hasn't had much success in Cup and if Newman wants to win, RCR will give him that stable team he needs I don't think he'll win the Championship next year, but he may get a win or two and more solid finishes than he has gotten with SHR

Kristen: Newman won't win the championship next year solely on the trial and error that will be in effect. The year after that? STRONG contender.

Sam: I think Ryan's biggest obstacle will be learning how Childress equipment works. He's known Hendrick power the last four years, so that's going to be a big change

Garrett: Agreed, no championship for Newman next season, the question is, how much will RCR put into Dillon over Newman

Steph: But I think with his engineering background and getting time in the car next year, he'll be able to figure out what he needs to do as a driver to get himself into that contender position

Kristen: Exactly, Garrett. Even with a new team, Newman may not get the attention he needs/deserves.

Garrett: My long time opinion has been that RCR puts all the $$$ into the Dillon’s cars

Sam: I think that RCR will give Austin a little more attention because of the fact that it's going to be Austin's rookie season. Newman is a veteran. He'll know what to do. He'll be top dog at RCR

Kristen: Which I can understand, since they're his grandsons, but they're talented enough to not be coddled. They could be successful on their own.

Steph: agreed, Kristen! give him the equipment he needs, and let him race! he obviously knows how to

Will Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch mesh well with Stewart and Patrick at SHR?

Garrett: Talk about the team with multiple personalities, they should be fine, but I'm just worried about 4 cars, not sure if it’s gonna work well or not. RCR struggled that one year they had 4 cup cars, that's my reason as to why I'm worried

Kristen: I think they'll definitely mesh with Stewart, seeing as they're all similar. Harvick and Stewart are also buddies. But it will be unbalanced. Nobody mentions Patrick when talking about next year. This will be a very rough patch in her professional career. In a four car team, there's always one that lags, and it will be Patrick. Other than that, it will be an explosive mix.

Sam: I think they’ll mesh well with Stewart, I don’t know about Danica. Danica seems like she wouldn’t belong in this group. Kurt and Kevin are already meshing really well before becoming teammate. It’s really just a test of time whether or not the entire organization will work well together. Kurt has a temper that could get him in trouble in 2014, but he’s been pretty good since his blow up in 2011, which got him fired from Penske. He’s been working really well on controlling his temper, just having very little slip-ups since. He’s a former champion, so he could possibly bring SHR their second title. But so can Harvick. Harvick is The Closer. He knows what he’s doing in a crunch. You never know with Harvick. He’ll have weeks were he’s one of the best cars on the track and then the next week, he’ll be struggling. It may be different since Harvick has run Childress engines since the beginning of his career and now will run his first Hendrick engine. There is a big difference between Childress power and Hendrick power and it will be interesting on how Harvick will use it. Busch is used to the Hendrick power with Furniture Row Racing getting resources from Hendrick over the years. It will definitely be something to watch out for.

Garrett: Kurt is a wheelman and Kevin is also good, SHR Is gonna be really competitive next season

Steph: I don't think SHR is ready to have 4 cars. They've been struggling with the teams they have already and to add up to the max amount of teams may not be the best idea. Yeah, they have some of the best in the business, but the equipment has to get better for next season. I think Harvick, Busch, and Stewart won't have a problem with each other but they'll have to help Tony with "training" Danica I think. It will be good for her because she'll get to talk with these guys to give her some pointers

Jason: I think they will. Being teammates will allow them to help each other in order to make SHR better. Each will bring something to the table which will put them in better contention overall. More wins are in the future for the team.

How will AJ Allmendinger’s first full season since 2011 go?

Garrett: From what I heard, the 47 team is looking to go to Chevy possibly for 2014 IF that happens and they are backed by RCR or HMS, he will be competitive, if not, he is just gonna be like bobby Labonte and ride around until the 2 road course races. I'm just glad AJ made it back to NASCAR, he deserves a second chance, and he is making the most of it

Kristen: Allmendinger will struggle, getting use to everything and all, but a win or two could be possible. He's more focused and grounded than he's ever been, and he plans on doing as much as he can to get back into the top tier...because he never thought he'd be back again.

Sam: It’s tough to tell. On one hand, AJ hasn’t been full-time since 2011 and hasn’t been in many races since. On another hand, AJ has been doing well in those races and even won for Penske in the Nationwide Series. JTG Daugherty hasn’t been a big threat in the Cup Series, but with AJ behind the wheel, they could be a threat for top five’s and possibly a win. This is one of those things were you just have to wait and see.

Jason: There will be some rough patches, but overall it will be successful. He has proven he runs well with the No.47 team and once he gets in a rhythm next season, consistent top 15's will come easily. I don't know, he can do good with 47, just not consistent IMO

Steph: I think he's going to have his struggles, but also a few decent finishes. I'm not too sure if he'll get a win next season because he hasn't had a full season ride in a couple years, and he may be a little rusty with a full schedule

Did Kasey make the right decision by not wrecking Matt Kenseth?

Garrett: Kasey Kahne made the right decision, as much as I wanted him to wreck Matt, he did what he thought was right. He is still in the chase, so there really isn't a problem as to if he should have or not

Sam: Kasey showed everyone what kind of driver he was by not wrecking Matt Kenseth even after being wrecked several times by JGR this season. Kasey had said himself that he would never wreck another driver for a win. Does Kasey have ‘balls’ after not wrecking Matt? Hell yeah! One decision doesn’t make or break a driver by any means. Of course Kasey has been mad at a driver during a race, but he doesn’t go as far as ruining both his and someone else’s day. He’s not doing to go all Danica Patrick on them and wreck them and himself in the process. He has more respect for his competitors than that. The fact that Kasey had said he wanted to wreck him after the checkered flag should say something. He was mad, but you can’t go around saying he has no balls for not wrecking Kenseth. That would have ruined everything Kasey stands for.

Kristen: Yes, because that's who Kahne is. If he had, he would've carried guilt for the longest time, and he knew it was the right thing to do. He doesn't care about what others think he should've done, he cares about his morality. He didn't need his mindset compromised going into The Chase.

Steph: I think so. It just shows that Kasey is a class act. He's not on the track to wreck other drivers and start fights. He's doing his own thing and being his own person. He could've easily taken Matt out but what would that have proved? He didn't have anything to prove because he doesn't have to wreck others to win

Jason: Kasey Kahne's move for not wrecking Matt Kenseth may have kept him out of the media cycle, but it didn't help his Chase berth any. A win at Bristol would have maybe gave the team some momentum which could have carried his team into the top 10 where they could have used their wins for something. Wrecking Kenseth for the win would have helped Kahne immensely.

Did Chase Elliott rightly choose to wreck Ty Dillon for the win?

Steph: As a young guy trying to gain respect from his competitors? Probably wasn't the best decision to wreck them. I think there was a way to race for the win and not flat out dump him, but he made that decision. I guess sometimes the drivers are going to do what it takes to win and in some situations, that's the outcome

Garrett: Now there easily two arguments for that question. From what I saw, Ty Dillon took away Chase's line going into that final turn. BUT it also looked like Elliott drove in that corner way too fast.......Ty Dillon lost his respect, but I don't think Chase really cared.......

Sam: Chase is a young guy. and at his age, there will be hard decision for him to make. like 'moving' a competitor out of the way. was it right? probably not. was it what Chase thought needed to be done to win? Probably. making enemies at a young age isn't the best thing to do. Chase said he felt bad and that wasn't the way he raced, but he still did it. Ty voiced his opinion after that race and he said Chase wouldn't finish the next race. Chase didn't, but it wasn’t Ty's doing. You just have to be careful who decide to be rough with

Kristen: Elliott wanted it more, plain and simple. He knew what he was doing, and he has to live with it.

Jason: Chase Elliot's move was dirty. Turning someone for the win is something, but blatantly wrecking someone isn't right. Elliot didn't just get into Dillon in the last turn, he was going to run Dillon out of line and try and win. Your first win is special, but wrecking someone for it wasn't the right thing to do.

Who will win the 2013 title?

Kristen: Matt Kenseth has found new life with JGR, and I see him competing for the title. He is more focused than anyone in the playoffs. That with 15 bonus points equal confidence that will trump Jimmie Johnson's.

Sam: I have Carl Edwards. I think his newly found confidence will help him finally get that title he's been searching for.

Garrett: Jimmie Johnson vs. Matt Kenseth, with Kenseth prevailing at the end. The 48 team has struggled the past 4 (maybe 3?) races, but they always are strong for the final 10 races, don't count him out. Nobody thought Matt Kenseth would win as many as  five races so far this season, he will wheel that car to a fourth championship for Joe Gibbs Racing in his first season with them since leaving RFR

Sam: I know this is a far stretch, but I wouldn't count out Logano either. no one has earned more points in the last 5 races than Logano has. Richmond was a mulligan for Logano, but he has all this confidence (despite that little controversy from this past weekend) I think Logano will be a surprise contender

Jason: Five-time will become six-time this season. Jimmie Johnson has shown how dominant he can be this season with the Gen 6 car and that will propel him to the championship. Wins will fall easy for the No.48 team in the Chase and they will go into Homestead in November and take home the championship.

Who will surprise everyone in the Chase?

Kristen: Kurt Busch. People will expect him to contend for the title, but he'll fail to burst through. On the other end, Logano will shock with a strong streak. He's fueled by this controversy to prove himself, and that's exactly what he'll do.

Garrett: Newman, Borland told him he had to win and he almost did at Richmond, if Borland can set up his cars so they are decent at the start of the races, maybe Newman can take a few wins and constantly finish top 10, and he could win the trophy. And Kurt Busch, he is a wheel man and can win! He likes to be known as the underdog (which he is) and he could surprise everyone

Sam: I've got Logano. I mean, it may be his first Chase ever, but look what he's done to get there. Logano may surprise everyone and finish this Chase strong. he's got the mindset for it. we all heard it Saturday and he proved it by winning the pole at Chicagoland. I just hope Joey's downfall isn't something completely out of his hands. you always have that factor. Kurt Busch is another. Kurt is racing for a single-car team this year. I think all the experience Kurt has with winning a championship will help him

Jason: I say Kasey Kahne. He has the ability to run well and that ability could lead him into the championship discussion. Starting 11th won't help him any, but having a great start and maybe winning a race or two will definitely do him good. He will remain in contention all the way to Homestead.

Sam: I think Logano has something for this Chase. It's a feeling I have. Never had this before. I never doubt Kasey's ability. Look what he did with his wildcard spot last year. 4th in the points!

Garrett: I'm still shocked Keselowski missed the chase

Kristen: I think Kyle Busch may be a contender in the end. He seems different this year, and that may call for a championship.

Garrett: Kyle seems more mature IMO, doesn't let as much get to him as he did 2-3 seasons ago

Kyle seems more mature IMO, doesn't let as much get to him as he did 2-3 seasons ago

Sam: that is 100% Kieslowski’s fault though

Kristen: I also think finding The Lord helped Busch, too. He'll be one to watch.

Garrett: True, but that 25 points didn't help him after (Fontana?)

Sam: Logano lost those points too, but Logano did something to turn it around, Keselowski didn't

Steph: I don't know who will win the title but I think Kenseth and Busch will be two really strong drivers and Busch has the momentum and confidence in himself to get the job done. Johnson has been struggling the past few races, so it will be interesting to see what he does in the chase! Strong contender will definitely be Logano. I think he's been surprising a lot of people with his consistency

Which drivers are basically done before it begins?

Kristen: Dale Earnhardt Jr. I haven't seen any fire from him. Also, Greg Biffle has never seemed like a champion. That mindset isn't there. Those two are the big ones.

Sam: I have five drivers. Bowyer, Newman, and Gordon, solely based on the controversy. I think these three will have a hard time focusing because of everything that has gone on. Bowyer has guilt on his mind. Newman and Gordon will have Truex on their mind. he lost his spot for something he was never a part of and Newman and Gordon are in. the other two are Junior and Biffle. you haven't heard much noise from these two this season. just quietly recording top fives and to tens. I don't think they will do much in the Chase.

Garrett: Dale Jr, Greg Biffle haven't done much all season, I don't see them doing much in the chase

Jason: Greg Biffle and Jeff Gordon. Neither have momentum right now and without momentum, the Chase is a tough game to play.

Steph: I think Gordon and Jr are basically done. Jeff hasn't gotten the results he's wanted this year and it shows in his interviews. For some reason, the $24 crew isn't hitting their marks and aren't that championship caliber team again yet..... same with Jr. He hasn't done anything to really wow me the past few races

Where will everyone finish

Kristen: Kenseth KyBusch Johnson Kahne Edwards Harvick Logano KuBusch Bowyer Newman Earnhardt Jr Gordon Biffle

Sam: Edwards, Johnson, Kenseth, Logano, Kahne, Kurt Busch, Harvick, Kyle Busch, Bowyer, Biffle, Newman, Junior, Gordon

Garrett: 1. Matt Kenseth 2. Jimmie Johnson 3. Kurt Busch 4. Kyle Busch 5. Ryan Newman 6. Clint Bowyer 7. Kasey Kahne 8. Kevin Harvick 9. Carl Edwards 10. Jeff Gordon 11. Joey Logano 12. Dale Jr. 13. Greg Biffle

Jason: 1. 48 2. 18 3. 5 4. 20 5. 99 6. 22 7. 15 8. 29 9. 39 10. 88 11. 78 12. 24 13. 16

Steph: 20, 18, 48, 5, 22, 78, 29, 99, 15, 16, 39, 88, 24,

Did Clint Bowyer spin intentionally?

Kristen: He blatantly spun on purpose. You could see it in his body language.

Garrett: Yes he did, radio pretty much explains it all, poison oak or not, it happened

Steph: Hell Yes.

Sam: As much as I love Bowyer, I agree. he did it on purpose.

Garrett: Is there a question as to if the MWR penalties are fair? Cause that's what upsets me

Sam: they weren’t by any means. Truex gets nailed and Bowyer gets off scott free.

Kristen: Oh, the penalties are crap because Bowyer got off.

Steph: yeah.... he was the one who spun the damn car! "team effort" my ass because no one else was in that car to make that decision but Bowyer yet he still gets to compete for a championship -.-

Garrett:  Penalties are crap, points deduction for bowyer should have happened after chase reset, but they would have to decide what to do for Truex, can't do one prior and one after chase reset

Jason: Bowyer did spin intentionally. Dale Earnhardt Jr. said it was obvious along with other drivers. The radio communication isn't normal either, further enhancing the case that he did spin on purpose. He has also been apologizing for something all week, but hasn't said what for. We all know what it was for, an intentional spin that through NASCAR for a loop all weeklong.

Kristen: Truex had NO idea what was going on, and he actually won and earned his spot in The Chase. It's horrible what happened to him.

agreed! punish the drivers who manipulated the race, not the one who raced his way in

Sam: you could tell Clint felt extremely guilty about what he did, but he wasn't going to admit there was team orders there

Steph: YEP! I think that's what ticks me off the most about it

Garrett: Bowyer should have been kicked out, but he was locked in prior to Richmond so that wouldn't have been right

Kristen:  Then they shouldn't made sure he would finish last. But NASCAR didn't.

Did Penske get Logano help to get into the Chase?

Garrett: No, Logano got in based on the "ripple effect" of bowyers spin, that agreement between 38 and 22 was just to help him get an extra point, he was already in prior to that. Besides, Penske doesn't come across as the guy to do something like that, but like smoke said, "it's all about the money"

Kristen: He was already in The Chase, but some fishy work did go on

Sam: I agree. Logano worked hard for that spot in the Chase. I don't think Roger would have risked that to get  him help. Joey did it on his own and that's all that counts

Jason: Although the hard evidence isn't there, the No.38 team's radio proves that they did. Penske couldn't stand the idea of not having a car in the race, so when Logano's race wasn't going well, he looked into his options to assure Logano's Chase spot. They got the No.38 team's position and even though that wasn't the spot that got them in, they attempted to make sure that they wouldn't miss. This situation is very similar to the MWR one, expect Front Row/Penkse didn't get caught.

Steph: the radio communications on the #38 do sound suspicious but there's nothing on the Penske side to delineate that there was a deal there. If Logano didn't race his way in, he most likely would've gotten a wild card position

How far will one team owner go to get their driver a win or a spot in the Chase?

Kristen: As far as they can without being blatant about it.

Sam: Pretty sure they will do anything they can, without breaking the rules. Unless you're MWR

Garrett: Teams are gonna always bend the rules, honestly if bowyer wins the championship, that 300k is nothing to MWR after the championship earnings

Steph: As long as there are rules, there will be people willing to break them, and obviously, sports are no exception. Drivers and teams have always bent the rules since the sport started in the late 50's! It's obvious they will do anything they can before they get caught

Jason: The Chase means so much to each teams that they will literally do anything to make it in. That was shown at Richmond when teams resorted to cheating to make the Chase. So much money is involved in this sport that fixing the outcome seems alright since the money in the Chase is so important. This shouldn't be true, but in NASCAR today, money speaks volumes.

How has NASCAR’s recent decisions affected the sport and the Chase?

Garrett: The sport has definitely had its reputation damaged, it's fine that there is 13 chase spots, just wish it happened when they announced that Newman was in and Truex was out

Steph: IMO, I don't know if the fans think the Chase is credible anymore. Adding Jeff Gordon as a 13th car? Yes he is a deserving driver who has had bad luck but what next year? 15 cars? There has to be some consistency, which we all know, is quite lacking right now

Kristen: The sport now has a black eye over it. Changing everything just to cater one driver? Pitiful.

Sam: I think after all the controversy this year, NASCAR need to have a sit down and rethink what they've done. if they go back down to 12 drivers after what they did for Gordon this year, says a lot. they lost a love of respect in my book for their moves this week

Garrett: I'm kind of disappointed with the sport, but I'm not gonna be that person who just stops watching NASCAR because of this....

Sam: this definitely changes the way I am going to look at NASCAR from now on, maybe we need new people running this sport

Steph: yeah agreed! my love for the sport outweighs their bad decision making but for people on the outside looking in, I don't think it helps I just hope something happens quick

Garrett: We just need a body of people who can make consistent calls. Jimmie Johnson's idea of red flagging to make the right call is a good idea, but it could make the race long beside the current people can't make decisions on the spots with restarts and all that

Jason: NASCAR's recent decisions have questioned the sports integrity like never before. Bending the rules before the playoff cutoff is unheard of in sports, but that just happened in NASCAR. The sport will need to make sure this never happens again because losing the integrity is unacceptable in my eyes. Hammering the concept of not cheating into the teams' head may be a difficult task, but it absolutely needs to be done.

How will the new 13 man field impact the 2013 Chase?

Kristen: I don't think much will change. Gordon doesn't have any momentum to pull an upset.

Garrett: It shouldn't affect it, I don't see a problem with it. Just don't like how it took NASCAR 6 days to make a decision on Gordon's chase status

Sam: it's a bit of a new ball game, but it's basically the same. just one more driver to beat on the race track. just one more driver to get more points than

Steph: Unfortunately, Gordon hasn't been strong enough this year to show that he's a championship contender. I don't think it's going to affect the other drivers much, but I do hope that it gives Gordon some hope into turning his disastrous '13 season into a fruitful '14!

Jason: I don't think the 13 man fields will affect the Chase too much. Just another car to watch during the race will likely be the extent of the differences.

The season is always changing. People’s opinions are always changing. One this is definitely for certain. Someone is always going to have something to say about what’s going on in this sport. There is always going to be someone who has a different opinion as someone else, not everyone is going to have the same thing to say as you or anyone else. There will always be that one person that will disagree with you.

I love working with these four people. These four are the more opinion people I have ever met and I’m glad. Let’s meet my panel:

Garrett Beisheim: I live in Western New York and one day I would like to work for a NASCAR team. I would like to become an engineer of some kind and be a part of the sport. You can follow me on twitter @Gman1439 or go to my website http://racingtothecheckered.blogspot.com where I will try to keep you updated on the chase!

Kristen Schneider: I am the owner/writer for my blog, Up Top The Pit Box. I also contributes to Skirts and Scuffs and Popular Speed. I am a Senior in high school and plan to work for a sports network covering NASCAR.  You can follow me on twitter @KristenGoRawr

Jason Schultz: My dream is to one day work on the PR side of NASCAR. I'm currently chasing my dream in every way possible. I write for many racing websites including PopularSpeed.com, StartNParkBlog.com,SpeedwayMedia.com along with others and my own, Turn4RacingNews.com. Racing is my passion and I share my perspective on everything going on in NASCAR through my writing. Follow me on twitter, @NASCARJason

Steph Piech: 21 year old college graduate looking to pursue a sports marketing career either in the NFL or NASCAR. I would love to work for either a certain driver or player or either sport as a whole. If you want,  follow my personal twitter account @Stephisahotmess.

Samantha Young: 22-year-old aspiring sports journalist. I have hopes to become a NASCAR journalist or work in public relations or even work for a race team. Other than running my own blog, I run a Facebook age NASCAR Racing IS a Sport! You can follow me on twitter at @HurriKahne_5 and like my page by clicking this link.

I thank Garrett, Kristen, Jason, and Steph for doing this with me this year. Their insight and opinions are amazing. I thank Garrett and Steph for doing this for the past three years. And thanks to Jason for coming back from last year. I thank Kristen for coming aboard for her very first year. I hope you all enjoy the 2013 edition of Round Table and I hope you all come back next year.