With a win in the Bud Shootout and the 125 Quali, Earnhardt Junior has to be a favourite to win both the Daytona 500 and the Sprint Cup, but I thought I'd base my preview on a couple of guys who are likely to fly under most people's radar going into 2008.
1. Kyle Busch - Yes, it's hard to believe, but the once again ex-coach Joe Gibbs now has three championship-quality teams in his garage. The two front-runners, Hamlin and Stewart have had more than their share of cooperation issues in the past, while Kyle is used to being the black sheep of the Hendrick family. He's one of the most exciting drivers in the field to watch and can really drive the wheels off a stock car at a variety of tracks. Look for him to bring the 18 back into chase contention.
2. Brian Vickers - With Toyota already looking significantly stronger this season, and the resources of the Red Bull brand at his disposal, I think Vickers can lead this team into the next segment of the learning curve. All that fighting and scrapping for tenths and hundredths of a second down the time charts and the focusing effect of "go or go-home" on his raw speed can only serve to benefit a still young career.
3. Juan Pablo Montoya - Perhaps his solitary win at Sonoma could be considered a disappointment given both the tremendous hype that accompanied him into his first season and the expectation that he would be a dominant road course ringer at the very least. But it was hard to remind yourself that he was still only a rookie in the latter half of 2007. He finished 10th at Dover, 8th at Martinville and 15th at Talledega, a grab bag of pure stock car tracks. He also outscored his more experienced Ganassi teammates in winning the rookie title. Look for him to continue to distance himself from his open wheel peers in 2008.
Enjoy the season, and if you're interested in joining a racing pool, drop me a line. I've got an entry up on the
Yahoo Fantasy League.
