1. The 43 car will be back in victory lane

2. Danica will get into an altercation

3. Kurt Busch will be fired

4. Brian Vickers will go full time in the 55 next season

5. Joey Logano will make the chase

6. Jeff Gordon will disappoint

7. MWR won’t be quite as strong

8. Less start and parks than in recent years

9. Smoke captures the 500 crown

10. Denny ends the year third in points

11. Carl comes second again

12. Much to my surprise and yours, Dale Jr. wins the cup

Take a look at my reasons and then tell me why I’m right or why I’m wrong

Owners:
1. Rick Hendrick- This is a guarantee, his cup championships with Labonte, Gordon, and Johnson pretty much make him a lock.

2. Richard Childress- His success with Dale Sr. puts him among the best

3. Jack Roush/ Joe Gibbs- To me they are almost equal, both have cup championships and have produced boat loads of talent.

Crew Chiefs:
1. Chad Knaus- Nobody pushes the limits more and ultimately nobody has more current championships.  

2. Greg Zippadeli- He hasn’t had success recently but his success with Smoke makes him a pretty safe bet.

Drivers:
1. Jimmie Johnson- He accomplished something nobody has ever done before, that is enough plus he has over 50 victories.

2. Jeff Gordon- He’s still a 4-time champ and one of the sports great ambassadors.

3. Tony Stewart- He has 3 championships and one as an owner, few people drive a car like Smoke.

4. Matt Kenseth- He’s a rookie of the year, Coke 600, 2 time Daytona 500, and Sprint Cup champ, that should be all that is needed.

5. Dale Jr.- Not off of driving alone but his impact on the sport is huge.  He kept the sport going after the death of his father and deserves some credit.

Something left to prove:

Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch,Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Steve Addington, Chip Ganassi, Roger Penske, Danica Patrick 

15 Things that will happen this season:

1. Dale Jr. will win- Jr. is coming off a strong season, where, if not for Kevin Harvick, he may have one a race or two, expect him to stay strong and win this season

2. The 48 team will be caught cheating- Little late on this one.

3. Kurt Busch will leave Finch for a better team at years end- He’s a changed man with skill behind the wheel, Busch will be back in a strong ride (MWR?) soon enough.

4. The 55 car will struggle- Waltrip and Martin are both winners, but age is going against them, and neither will be competitive.

5. Home Depot and Napa will be looking for new drivers- Contracts run out for Truex and Logano this year and both must make the chase to keep their jobs.

6. Kasey Kahne will be successful- He has won races for bad teams, now he will prove just how could he is.

7. No short fields- All races will have at least 43 cars entered.

8. Somebody will cross the Boys have at it line- Maybe not a Busch brother, but somebody will snap under all the pressure.

9. I will get at least 2-3 of these wrong- That just seems like something I should clarify.

10. Danica will show her attitude at some point- She’s racing at Bristol, Darlington, and Dover, someone is gonna rub her the wrong way.

11. Regan Smith will be a big free agent signing- True Nascar fans know he’s won as many races as Truex and Logano but has crossed the line first twice.  His win at Darlington last season combined with a strong year this year will make him sought after.

12. Fox’s prerace show will be bias- Well when you have an owner on your show, it takes away from any real opinion, just as having Rusty Wallace has done for ESPN in the past. 

13. Harvick will be strong- He may give the title another run but he’s not my pick to win it, maybe another 3rd this year.

14. Edwards will be back- He will win more but lose out again, becoming this generations Mark Martin

15. Hamlin will be the champ- Remember two years ago he led going into Homestead, and now he’s has a championship crew chief by his side.  Also, JGR is in a big year after a horrible season last year.