Are you ready? I’m ready! Speedweeks 2015 is set to go green green green!
Yes, only three months after Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott and Matt Crafton were all crowned champions at Homestead-Miami the NASCAR conveyor belt is ready to roll for the NASCAR 2015 season.
First though we should take a look back at one of the quieter off-seasons I can remember (not counting a certain court case of course).
On the driver side the big news has been Jeff Gordon’s announcement that he will retire from full time racing at the end of the upcoming season. Much has been said since the news broke but for me it’s the end of a great era in NASCAR. Gordon’s rookie year just happened to be the very first year that I watched the sport and as well as making me feel old it reminds me just what he has done for NASCAR. He changed the sport for ever as it was unheard of for a rookie to enter Winston Cup as it was then called, to take on and beat old hands such as Bill Elliott, Earnhardt and Marlin to name just three. The legacy is seen now with drivers such as Kyle Larson and Gordon’s replacement Chase Elliott !
Away from Gordon, Trevor Bayne has a deserved promotion to a full time Sprint Cup drive in the no.6 with Roush Fenway. The Daytona 500 winner’s place is taken at Wood Brothers by another fine young talent Ryan Blaney with the team increasing their race participation in 2015.
The other major driver news is Carl Edwards’ move to Gibbs in the newly numbered 19 car. Edwards has had a frustrating time since pushing Tony Stewart so close to championship glory in 2011. It feels like a good move to me and Edwards is certainly talking up his chances this year. Rule him out at your peril!
Perhaps the most highly anticipated driver debut of 2015 is from a driver only driving a handful of Sprint Cup races. Chase Elliott is been prepared for next year in the correct manner by driving a few races in the no.25 Hendricks car. It will of course have no bearing on next year but the experience for him will be invaluable. Another young talent who is making a full time Sprint Cup debut this year is Jeb Burton who will drive the no.26 for BK Racing. It’s great news for Burton, the son of Ward and nephew of Jeff who had faced a year of uncertainty until the announcement.
There have been a few technical changes to the cars plus NASCAR have banned teams pulling out the rear skirts during a race. With power reduction, a shorter spoiler and a new timing system in pitlane it will be interesting to see how, if at all it affects the racing. Pre-season testing at Daytona was banned sadly and the only real on track action has been a few tyre tests.
The schedule has changed a little with the questionable decision to move Atlanta to the second race of the year. It’s an odd move as snow is not out of the question there in March and should the worst happen the teams could lose one of the much needed off weekends of which there is an extra one. The July 4th weekend Daytona race is on a Sunday night which again is strange as should it rain then one of the showcase races of the year will have to run on a Monday. It’s said that this is just a one off to welcome NBC to the sport but time will tell. NBC join Fox by covering NASCAR and we wave goodbye to TNT and ESPN in another big change this year.
The one move nobody is complaining about is that the Southern 500 at Darlington is back on it’s September date. Sports fans like tradition and this is an excellent move by NASCAR for which they should be applauded.
So to Daytona and the haulers have already started to hit the road and arrive at famous track. It’s all set to be another incredible crazy ride this year. Don’t miss it!
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