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Courtesy of NASCAR.com
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With the NASCAR season just days away, everyone is making predictions so i figured I would give you the 12 drivers I think are going to make the Chase in 2011.
1. Jimmie Johnson- No explanation is needed for this driver. He has won the Sprint Cup title for the last 5 years and shows no signs of slowing down. His team is rock-solid with a brand new pit crew after last years pit crew swap controversy. Because of how strong this team is they are able to test pieces and parts during the summer races cause of how high up in points they always are. This has given the 48 team a leg up on the competition come Chase time.
2. Denny Hamlin- Hamlin came the closest of anyone to beat JJ in the last 5 years. He had 8 wins last year which was the most of any driver. His team will be motivated to take the next step and be at the head table at the Sprint Cup banquet. The thing to worry about is whether the 11 team will have a big letdown after the way last year ended. For Denny Hamlin fans, they hope the answer to that question is no. Time will only tell.
3. Carl Edwards- Edwards made the Chase last year but his title hopes vanished with an engine failure at the Auto Club Speedway. He did end the year winning the last two Sprint Cup races in Phoenix and Homestead. The Roush team as a whole vastly improved in the second half of the year so the momentum is with Edwards. He just has to keep the speed and hope the Roush equipment is reliable.
4. Kevin Harvick- Harvick led the RCR resurgence last year with all three drivers making the Chase after they all missed it in 2009. He was the regular season winner in 2010. But that does not win you anything. He was pretty good in the Chase but the downfall of this team was that the 11 and 48 teams were just a little better. For this team to win the title in 2011, the pit crew of the 29 team has got to be better. There were many races where Harvick blasted his pit crew over the radio. If they can fix the pit crew problems, they will be a serious threat to win the title and give RCR their first Sprint Cup title since the late Dale Earnhardt.
5. Kyle Busch- Kyle Busch may be the most talented Cup driver in the garage today. But the one thing he does not have is a Cup title. Last year he won 3 races but his title hopes ended with an in race altercation with David Reuitiman. What Busch has to do is to race a little smarter and try not to make as many drivers mad at him as he did last year. When it comes Chase time a shocking stat continues to follow him around. It is the fact that he has only one win in 60 Chase races. For him to compete for the title he needs to win races in the Chase and race cautiously aggressive.
6. Jeff Gordon- Gordon had his second winless season in the last three years. Rick Hendrick shook up this team in the offseason. He was moved over to the 5 teams shop and got Alan Gustafason as his crew chief. Last year this team had chances to win multiple races but every time they failed to take advantage of the opportunity. For him to be a serious contender he has to take advantage of those opportunites. I also think no longer being in the same shop with the 48 team will be very helpful.
7. Matt Kenseth- This team failed to win a race in 2011. One reason could be because it has been musical chairs with the crew chief. Jimmy Fennig took over crew chief duties late last year and they were almost able to win the race at Texas. If they can keep the speed at the end of last year and Matt and Jimmy are able to gel, they could be a surprise contender for the Sprint Cup title.
8. Jamie McMurray- This was the team that had the speed to make the Chase last year. The 1 team won the two biggest races of the year, the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400. But in between that they were very inconsistent. They were only a top 10 team in half of the races. That has got to improve if this team wants to make the Chase. Something to note, if the new Chase qualifications rules were in effect last year, McMurray would of made the Chase because of his two wins.
9. Greg Biffle- This team ended last year like all of his Roush teammates with lots of speed. Biffle was able to win 2 races last year. If he is able to win a few more races and finish top 5 consistently he can be a title contender. The thing looming over this team is that Biffle is a free agent after this year. The sooner Roush can re-sign Biffle the better so that it does not become a lingering distraction.
10. Mark Martin- This team was the most disappointing team in 2010. He won 5 races and finished second in points in 2009 but went winless and failed to make the Chase in 2010. In the off season they made a crew chief change with Lance McGrew taking over. Lance will have lot of motivation to prove that he was not the reason that Earnhardt Jr. ran bad last year. With this also being Mark Martin's last year with Hendrick what better way to go out than win his first Sprint Cup title.
11. Jeff Burton- This team shares a lot of characteristics with Jeff Gordon. He made the Chase like Gordon, and failed to win a race just like Gordon. Burton and the 31 have got to learn to close the deal at the end of the races they have a chance to win. They can win races as proven by Kevin Harvick last year. But to be a title contender they have to prove to themselves that they can indeed win races. And that has yet to happen.
12. Tony Stewart- Last but not least is Stewart. This team got off to a slow start but got hot near the end of the year and ended up with 2 wins. The 14 team will be fast because of their alliance with Hendrick Motorsports. The key for this team is to have the speed much earlier than they did last year. If they can, they will have a good chance to unseat JJ as Sprint Cup Champion
Have your own top 12 predictions? Leave them in the comments box.
