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Preseason Thunder is behind us and we are just days away from Speed Weeks at Daytona. So there is no better time than the present to take a peek at what could be in store for us race fans in ‘06.
Without further ado, here are the Top Five Stories that will come from NASCAR in 2006.
1. COT (“Car of Tomorrow”) Ban Wagon Grows - COT will be the most overused acronym in all of sports in ’06. The “Car of Tomorrow” is bigger and boxier than the cars we are used to seeing on the track. However, NASCAR will wield its power by coming down hard (publicly or privately) on any person who speaks badly of the COT. Therefore, drivers, crew chiefs and car owners will all spend ’06 bragging on how good the COT performs.
2. Junior and Gordon Bounce Back - 2005 was a year both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon would love to forget. Look for both to run well at Daytona and then slowly build momentum for the end of ’06. Neither will be a front runner in points early but both will stay in the bottom half of the top ten in points for the majority of the year. Then, once the final ten races hit, both could be looking like rubber balls bouncing back up off the floor.
3. Roush Loses Dominance - 2005 saw car owner Jack Roush get all five of his Fords into the chase. In ’06, it will be a different story. Elder statesman, Mark Martin, has a full plate racing in both the Nextel Cup and the Craftsmen Truck Series full time. Double duty will take its toll and Martin will hover outside the top ten for most of the year. The sophomore slump gets the better of Carl Edwards. He wins races but is inconsistent and slides in the standings. Newcomer, Jamie McMurray will have a better year but will be a bubble team going into the final regular season race at Richmond. Greg Biffle will be there and so will Matt Kenseth come chase time, but the rest of the Roushkateers could be on the outside looking in.
4. Best Rookie Class in Ages - These kids can drive. 2006 will field one of the best rookie classes NASCAR has seen in a long time. Last year’s Bush series champion Martin Truex Jr. is the favorite to win rookie of the year, but watch for the two kids from Joe Gibbs Racing to give him a run for his money. Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley have a bright future and both are in good rides. Clint Boyer will also have a say in the Rookie of the Year award but the Richard Childress Racing cars are not what they used to be. Look for Truex Jr. and Hamlin to make a big splash in ’06.
5. Rivalries Emerge - 2006 could be the year. Before the start of every season there is buzz about which two guys will fight, claw and bump each other to get a win, points, or respect. This year could be the year. Look for Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart to clash. Also, Kevin Harvick will bounce back and have a great year only to continually bump bumpers with Greg Biffle. A new emerging rivalry could be between Kurt Busch and his former teammates. It starts off as a couple of racing incidents involving Busch and Biffle or Busch and Martin and then the media blows it into a full blown rivalry. Every NASCAR outlet will turn a cut tire or a over correction into vengeance filled bump that sends a Roushkateer into the retaining wall.
That’s all the crystal ball has in it for now. Until the next round of pit stops, put the pedal down and burn some rubber.
Jeff Clark came to a meeting!
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