Preseason Picks
With qualifying just a few days away, we thought we'd offer up our predictions for Daytona and for the season-long Cup championship. We'll check back to see how we did!
DAYTONA 500
Winner:
Tony Stewart, #20 Home Depot Chevy, Joe Gibbs Racing
Darkhorse pick:
Casey Mears, #42 Texaco Havoline Dodge, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
CUP CHAMPIONSHIP
Winner:
Jeff Gordon, #24 DuPont Chevy, Hendrick Motorsports
Darkhorse pick:
Mark Martin, #6 AAA Ford, Roush Racing
EXPLANATIONS
Tony won the most recent race at Daytona, and finished second at both Talladega races last season. He also dominated the 2005 Daytona 500, leading the most laps, before settling for a disappointing 7th place finish. He finally won NASCAR's second-most prestigious event, the Brickyard 400. In short, Tony's extremely strong at the plate tracks, and in this opinion, he's due to capture the premier event on the schedule.
Casey Mears is a hunch pick, but he finally showed consistency in the second half of last season. I think he'll be strong out of the box as he switches seats within the Chip Ganassi organization.
As for the series championship, look for Jeff Gordon to ride the momentum of his strong 2005 "Chase," and be a contender week-in and week-out. You may ask, "what about Tony Stewart?" I'm a big fan of Tony, but these days, it's awfully difficult to repeat as champion. Tony's a big-time talent, and he'll surely be in it, but I think Gordon will net his fifth title.
Mark Martin may not be a true "darkhorse" since he's contended for the Cup the past two years, but he's a veteran driver and is no longer considered part of the Junior, Gordon, Johnson, Stewart, Biffle group of top drivers. I think Roush Racing will pull out all the stops for their flagship driver. Mark can flat drive, and he'll be looking to go out on top. Rusty Wallace performed well in his final season in 2005. I think Mark will be better this year than Rusty was a year ago.
DAYTONA 500
Winner:
Tony Stewart, #20 Home Depot Chevy, Joe Gibbs Racing
Darkhorse pick:
Casey Mears, #42 Texaco Havoline Dodge, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
CUP CHAMPIONSHIP
Winner:
Jeff Gordon, #24 DuPont Chevy, Hendrick Motorsports
Darkhorse pick:
Mark Martin, #6 AAA Ford, Roush Racing
EXPLANATIONS
Tony won the most recent race at Daytona, and finished second at both Talladega races last season. He also dominated the 2005 Daytona 500, leading the most laps, before settling for a disappointing 7th place finish. He finally won NASCAR's second-most prestigious event, the Brickyard 400. In short, Tony's extremely strong at the plate tracks, and in this opinion, he's due to capture the premier event on the schedule.
Casey Mears is a hunch pick, but he finally showed consistency in the second half of last season. I think he'll be strong out of the box as he switches seats within the Chip Ganassi organization.
As for the series championship, look for Jeff Gordon to ride the momentum of his strong 2005 "Chase," and be a contender week-in and week-out. You may ask, "what about Tony Stewart?" I'm a big fan of Tony, but these days, it's awfully difficult to repeat as champion. Tony's a big-time talent, and he'll surely be in it, but I think Gordon will net his fifth title.
Mark Martin may not be a true "darkhorse" since he's contended for the Cup the past two years, but he's a veteran driver and is no longer considered part of the Junior, Gordon, Johnson, Stewart, Biffle group of top drivers. I think Roush Racing will pull out all the stops for their flagship driver. Mark can flat drive, and he'll be looking to go out on top. Rusty Wallace performed well in his final season in 2005. I think Mark will be better this year than Rusty was a year ago.
posted by Jon at 12:33 AM
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