Predicting what might happen is Crystal Ball Gazing!
Did anyone pick Michael McDowell to win a Cup Series race, let alone last year’s Daytona 500? But he did. Then dropped off the radar… Kyle Larson would bounced back huge from his suspension to dominate 2021, win 10 and the championship… Hendrick’s Alex Bowman would break out and win 4, while former champion Chase Elliott would only win 2 and Kevin Harvick would be skunked completely? And that Kyle Busch would struggle like he did.
Biggest Story into 2022: The New Car! The Next-Gen car is designed to increase parity, level the playing field and lessen equipment disparities. Composite bodies that look more like Mustangs, Camaros and Camry’s. But unlike the old steel body that was hand formed and riveted and welded together, the new body is comprised of carbon fibre reinforced plastic panels that snap together and bolt onto the chassis. They are more flexible, durable and cost less than steel. This reduces ways teams can manipulate the body for an aero advantage. Joey Logano said bumping and banging while winning the Clash without the body cutting down tires was a revelation. Days won’t be ruined by cosmetic damage anymore. The old bodies cut tires like razor blades
Parity? Whoever figures out the next-gen car the fastest will dominate. Penske, Hendrick, Gibbs. I don’t see that changing.
Pit Stops: The new single spin-off IndyCar-like hub nut should shave seconds off pit stops and change how the stops will be executed. Losing time in the pits kills track position, still a key factor in racing strategy.
2022 Season Champion: Kyle Larson repeats. His 2021 performance was outstanding! 10 Cup wins and 25 sprint car wins on dirt including the prestigious Knoxville Nationals, The Kings Royal and the Chili Bowl Nationals for midget cars. If he figures out the Next-Gen car quickly, and his ability to make loose and tight race cars work on dirt says he should, he could easily dominate again. Main competition: Martin Truex Jr. who finished 2nd in Cup points last year and Denny Hamlin who finished 3rd. Everybody is still waiting for Hamlin to break out. He has his own team with Michael Jordan and driver Bubba Wallace. Will that be a distraction?
Rookie of the Year: Austin Cindric. There are 3 rookie drivers in Cup this year, all of whom will be driving Fords. Cindric and Harrison Burton both move up from the Xfinity Series to drive for Team Penske and The Wood Brothers Racing respectively, while Todd Gilliland gets promoted from Front Row Motorsports’ Truck Series team to their Cup team. Austin is the son of long-time Penske Racing President Tim Cindric. He was born into the sport with the best resources and he’s earned his stripes the hard way.
Biggest Surprise: Brad Keselowski leaves Penske to co-own and drive for Roush-Fenway. This might be the most entertaining driver/team to watch as they try and catch Hendrick, Penske and Gibbs.
Wish List into 2022: NASCAR shortens more races. We still do not need three-plus hours to make the point. The contrived and manipulated finishes still bother me. A lot.
