Written by:
Adam Alexander
Only 82 days until the 2010 Daytona 500.
Okay, okay … while it might be a bit early to fully prognosticate about the 2010 season, we still can sneak a peek at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who missed this year’s Chase but currently show promise for making next year’s rendition.
Several teams and drivers posted great seasons but narrowly missed making the 2009 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup and were forced to settle for 13th and back in the final point standings.
Kyle Busch, an unbelievable talent behind the wheel, is my premier selection as the first 2009 non-Chaser who will qualify for the 2010 playoffs. Kyle showed flashes of brilliance this year but also endured a mid-season spurt where his team couldn’t get out of its own way, an abnormal scenario for that group and the entire Joe Gibbs Racing organization.
I think the No. 18 team will display renewed focus and commitment to getting in the Chase next year. The only question, of course, is how Kyle and his new crew chief, Dave Rogers, will mesh. My slight hesitation here is no reflection on Rogers’ abilities as a crew chief because he certainly has proven himself as Joey Logano’s NASCAR Nationwide Series crew chief, but rather a testament to the obstacles involved in weathering a transition period in the driver/crew chief relationship at the Cup level. However, moving Rogers into that role before this year concluded gave them vital additional time to get in sync with each other, in addition to providing Rogers some much-needed experience with this new Cup car, with which he is completely unfamiliar.
The second guy I’d put in the Chase for next season is Clint Bowyer and his No. 33 Richard Childress Racing team. How quickly we forget Bowyer actually had a strong season aside from a few races and circumstances that spoiled the entire season and narrowly eliminated them from Chase contention. Although Bowyer’s clan was at a disadvantage when the season commenced because he and crew chief Shane Wilson were “newlyweds,” to everyone’s surprise, they ran well out of the gate. That team is hungry and believes they deserved a spot in the Chase, and I think that attitude, along with some improvements we’re witnessing at RCR, should go a long way toward placing him in the 2010 playoffs.
I’d award the next available spot to Bowyer’s teammate Jeff Burton. I’ve always considered Burton one of the best drivers in the Cup Series. But unfortunately, there are seasons when even the foremost marquee names haven’t made the Chase, such as Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart. This was Burton’s year for this dubious distinction but with the recent addition of Todd Berrier as his crew chief, I think the No. 31 RCR team is poised for a great run next season. I don’t think that team’s goal should be to make the Chase – it should be winning the championship. We might even see the level of resurgence in Burton that we’ve seen in Mark Martin this year.
Those are my three top picks to find their way into the top 12 next season. A couple of additional drivers are on my “honorable mention” or “wait and see” list – Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr. Kenseth began 2009 with two consecutive victories, and with a championship on his resume, obviously has the talent to make the Chase. However, his team needs to show light years of improvement to put him in that position and keep him in this conversation.
I also wonder about Truex, who has proven himself a very capable driver but one who ventures into new territory next season at Michael Waltrip Racing. Not only will he have a new team, owner and manufacturer, Truex also will be paired up with a new crew chief in Pat Tryson. But Tryson is one of the best in the garage, and given both men’s abilities, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them make the Chase if their transition goes seamlessly.
Like I said, we’ve got a couple of months until the 2010 Daytona 500 but you can bet all these teams will be working diligently each and every day to guarantee they aren’t on the outside looking in again during next season’s Chase.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com,
FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel
