Welcome ladies and gentleman, with the upcoming 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season upon us with the biggest race of the season this weekend at Daytona international Speedway, the Daytona 500, I am going to touch on the top 5 drivers and team to watch this season.
Now when it comes to the upcoming 2009 season, you have your odds on favorite drivers to watch from Jimmie Johnson who might just be going for four straight Cup Series Championships or a four-peat, Carl Edwards who had 9 victories last season from race #2 at California Speedway to the finale in Homestead and finished second in the Cup Series championship, Kyle Busch, who dominated in the first 26 races of 2008 with 8 victories, only to have troubles in the chase and finish 10th in points to my favorite, Dale Earnhardt Jr. who moved from DEI to Hendrick Motorsports in 2008, drive the #88 National Guard/AMP/Mountain Dew Chevrolet, won last June on Father’s day at Michigan, was between 3rd and 4th in the points during the first 26 races, but had troubles in the chase and finished 12th in points.
However for 2009, there are five drivers that I will be watching closely to see what their season will shape up to be, first, yes “sliced bread”, Joey Logano in his rookie season driving one of the best rides in the past several seasons that was vacated by the two-time champion Tony Stewart. Joey Logano will be watched by many including me as I have picked him to be the rookie of the year. In my opinion, nobody really should expect so much for this driver, the goal in my eyes is simple, stay in top 35 in owner’s and drivers points, make all 36 races in 2009 and start to become a contender week in and week out for victories. Logano will not be a hit right out of the box, however he does have the skills to win races this season with a good crew chief and guys behind him.
Just about everybody knows this kid can drive, but I will be interested to see where he is in points and finishing positions at the Spring race at Martinsville, the 6th race in and halfway through the season at Daytona. Watch for Logano to be good at New Hampshire as well, he knows that race track and has won there in the NASCAR East Series.
Second, the man they call Smoke, #14-Tony Stewart with Old Spice/Office Depot on board. Leaving Joe Gibbs Racing in 2009 to start Stewart-Haas racing from the old Haas Racing is a huge move, Stewart-Haas racing is running Hendrick Motorsports equipment, and I can’t wait to see not only what Tony Stewart can do, but also his teammate and defending Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman can do. I will say that Tony Stewart will win a race and make the chase in 2009, beyond that, he needs to get into the top 35 in points, making all 36 races and stay there. I don’t know about everyone else, but he will be interesting to watch especially in the Daytona 500 coming up this weekend as he has never won the big race.
Third and I don’t know how to put this any other way, but Tony Stewart’s half teammate Mark Martin. Yeah I know, I could have worked on that one, anyway #5-Mark Martin has already started 2009 off in a big way, grabbed the outside front row for the 2009 Daytona 500, he is a favorite to win both the Daytona 500 and the 2009 Cup Series Championship, in which both he has never won in his career, but finished 2nd in a couple of times. Mark has been doing part-time schedules in the Cup Series for the past two seasons and is ready to go full-time in 2009. Don’t doubt him to win in 2009, I sure don’t, Mark is rested, is in Hendrick Motorsports equipment and has three great teammates including Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., the Hendrick Motorsports dream team if you will and I would say all four Hendrick cars will make the chase in 2009.
Here’s a driver that has basically has been lost in the garage for years, but has found a new and famous home at the newly formed Richard Petty motorsports (formerly GEM), #43-Reed Sorenson. Sorenson is taking over the famous #43 ride and I do have to say he’s an underdog in 2009, but after leaving Ganassi Racing at the end of last season, I wonder what he can do now driving for The King, in good equipment and under the Dodge banner. Sorenson hasn’t won a Cup race yet, but I think late 2009 could be his year to break out and win in the Cup Series.
Specking of second chances, #07-Casey Mears, who was released from Hendrick Motorsports last season, now finds himself still in the Chevrolet camp, but at Richard Childress Racing. Mears takes over the #07 ride with Jack Daniels on board, after Clint Bowyer was moved over to RCR’s fourth team, the #33. For Mears, in taking over the #07 at RCR, he gets a championship caliber team and race winners including the team that Clint Bowyer scored his first Cup Series victory with at New Hampshire in September 2007 and gets some good teammates as well, Kevin Harvick and of course the mayor of the garage, Jeff Burton. I will say that RCR has a good lineup for 2009, this should be an organization to watch, not to mention that they have already started off 2009 with a bang, Kevin Harvick has already won the 2009 Budweiser Shootout with a last lap slingshot pass to win.
For Casey Mears, I don’t know what to say, he was at Ganassi racing a couple years ago and then moved the #5 at Hendrick Motorsports, some say that this is a make it or break it year for Mears, then again, 2009 is that way for most drivers not only in the Cup Series, nut in all three NASCAR National Series.
One last note, 2009 will mark the final season for the Roush-Fenway racing five-car team, which means one driver and team will find themselves out at Roush-Fenway Racing and that might just be either David Ragan or more towards Jamie McMurray. For both drivers, 2009 will be a make it or break it season for staying at RFR, of course my own thinking here is they will just move one team and driver over to Yates racing which has one full-time team, one part-time (…not sure) team with an alliance with Hall of Fame racing with Bobby Labonte running out of the Yates racing shop, that’s a new way to do it.
So many people of marked both Casey Mears and Jamie McMurray as one’s that have to set it up in 2009, both have been given the chances and equipment to win, who knows what the outcome will be when NASCAR reaches Homestead in November, any thoughts?
