2015 Predictions: Part Two

A few days ago, I pos5 NASCARo, I posted part one of a many part ted part one of a many part 2015 NASCAR prediction. I evaluated all four drivers at Hendrick Motorsports and gave my opinion and prediction of how they will fare this coming season. I had said that not all of the Hendrick drivers will fare well in 2015. Let’s see how Team Penske and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing look under my microscope.

First, Team Penske. Team Penske was a pleasant surprise during the 2014 season, especially with one young Joey Logano. Logano, who recently got married, finished 4^th in the standings, his best season to date. Keselowski, the 2012 champion, came fired up with talent and a little controversy. Now, who is first? Let’s go with Keselowski.

Brad Keselowski: 2014 was certainly an eventful one for Keselowski, who was involved in two major altercations that got physical. Keselowski was involved in an on-track incident with two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth at Charlotte during the Chase. The altercation with Kenseth had gotten physical. You can watch it here. Just a few weeks after that, Keselowski got into another altercation with Jeff Gordon. You can watch that one here. 2014 certainly wasn’t Brad’s best year, but it wasn’t a bad one. Keselowski won a season-high six races, won 5 poles and a season-high 17 top five finishes. He finished 5^th in the standings after failing to advance to the championship round at Homestead. How will Brad fare in 2015? Brad will have a hiccup in 2015. With one win at Kansas in the October, Brad will miss The Chase.

Joey Logano: Logano is coming off his best year in Sprint Cup to date, racking up five wins and 16 top fives. Logano made it all the way to the Championship round, finishing fourth after two bad pit stops during the last race of the Chase, ultimately finishing 16^th in the race. Joey’s 2014 was less…exciting…than his teammate, staying pretty far under the radar. Logano’s best season by far was 2014, winning five races. 2014 was his first multi-race win season of his career and certainly not his last. How will 2015 treat Joey Logano? I think Joey will score two in the win column and make the Chase, BUT ultimately failing to advance from the second round of the Chase, leaving Joey mired in mid-pack.

Now that’s all for Team Penske. What about Earnhardt Ganassi? Let’s take a look at teammates Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray. Let’s start with…McMurray.

Jamie McMurray: Jamie McMurray’s 204 season was yet another mediocre one, despite performing better than some Chase drivers. Jamie finished 2014 with 7 top 5’s and 13 top 10’s with no wins. McMurray failed to make the Chase and finished 18^th in the points. I think 2015 wouldn’t be much different than 2014 was. Jamie will perform well, but I don’t foresee any wins by the driver.

Kyle Larson: Also called ‘Yung Money’, Kyle Larson came off one hell of a rookie season. Although he didn’t find himself in Victory Lane in 2014, Larson certainly was very close to Victory Lane. Scoring 8 to 5’s and 17 top 10’s, by far better than any other rookie. Kyle Larson, 2014 Rookie Of The Year, will have NO sophomore slump. I predict Larson winning at least two races and making the Chase. I think he’ll be a big threat come Chase time.

So these guys certainly weren’t as detailed as Hendrick, but it gets the job done. Part three will be Joe Gibbs Racing drivers and Furniture Row Racing driver Martin Truex Jr.

2015 Predictions: Part 1

I’m trying something new this year. Sure, I’ve done predictions before, but nothing like this. Over the next week or so, I’m going to break down teams and their drivers. I’m going to cover: Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, Team Penske, Richard Petty Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Furniture Row Racing, Stewart Haas Racing, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, and Michael Waltrip Racing. Every little detail will be done.

I’m going to start with Hendrick. Hendrick is always a threat to win the championship with all four of his drivers and I don’t think 2015 will be any different. With a powerhouse like Hendrick Motorsports, I don’t think anything less than the absolute best will do for the team. First up: Jimmie Johnson.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie is coming off his worst season yet. Despite winning four races, Jimmie failed to make it to round three of the Chase and finished 11^th in the standings. Despite all of that Jimmie is always a threat for the championship. He did win five in a row from 2006 to 2010 and won his sixth in 2013. 2015 will fare better for Jimmie, but I don’t think he’ll win another championship, maybe. I see Jimmie winning at least 2 races and making it to at least the final 8. With the competition that has been rising over the last two season, I think it will be a lot harder for Jimmie Johnson to win that coveted seventh championship that would tie him with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Jimmie will still be paired with long-time crew chief Chad Knaus in 2015.

Jeff Gordon: Just a couple of weeks ago, Jeff Gordon announced that 2015 will be his last full season as a driver. This came as a surprise to everyone in the NASCAR world, reporters and fans alike. Looking into Gordon’s last season, I don’t expect anything less than the very best from Jeff. This is going to be his last chance to bring in that fifth championship, one that has been eluding him since he won his last one back in 2001. Gordon recorded 4 wins and made it to the third round of the Chase, finishing sixth in the final standings. I think Gordon is going to out with a bang. Four wins and possibly a final four spot in the final race at Homestead in November may be in Jeff’s future. Jeff will still be working with Alan Gustafson in his final season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Junior is coming off his first multi-win season since 2004, winning four races including the Daytona 500. He finished eighth in the final standings. Junior has been getting better these last few seasons, but I don’t think 2015 will be the same. Pairing with new crew chief, Greg Ives, in 2015, it’s going to be hard for the two of them to mesh together right away. Junior will have a slow first half of the season, heating up around Daytona in July. I think he’ll barely make the Chase, winning at Richmond for his lone victory of the season. Dale will make it to the second round of the Chase before faltering at Kansas.

Kasey Kahne: Kasey is coming off of one of his worst seasons of his career, probably his worst at Hendrick. Despite winning at Atlanta and making the Chase, Kasey didn’t make any noise in the Chase. He missed the third round of the Chase by just a handful of points. Kasey finished 15^th. It was announced back on November 21^st that Kasey had resigned with Hendrick for another three season, making everyone question Hendrick’s thinking. I think 2015 will bring Kasey Kahne back to his true form. I think he’ll win a season high of 6 races and be a serious threat in the Chase, possibly winning the entire thing. Kasey got a new crew chief, but that’s not going to slow him down. Keith Rodden has worked with Kasey for the last ten year, not including 2014. I have a big feeling that 2015 is Kasey's year.

Hendrick will be the biggest threat in 2015. Stay tuned, next will be Team Penske and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.