With Ohio State crowned college football’s National Champion, the Super Bowl now in the rear-view mirror, and baseball season more than a month away it will soon be time to go racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
The 2015 season officially gets underway on February 22 with the Daytona 500. NASCAR, however, has made plenty of headlines during the offseason. Jeff Gordon has already said that the upcoming campaign will be his last as a full-time driver.
Kurt Busch has stated in court that his ex-girlfriend is a government assassin in the couple’s much-publicized domestic violence case, which resembles an episode of Law & Order and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have a new crew chief in Greg Ives. Ives replaces Steve Letarte, who will now serve as a commentator for NBC’s racing coverage.
Letarte re-vitalized Earnhardt’s career, and time will tell if the sport’s most popular driver will continue to enjoy his recent success now that Letarte has departed for the broadcast booth. Junior has been a factor in the Chase for the Sprint Cup recently, though he hasn’t won the cup with Letarte in the pit box.
Time will tell if Gordon has one more series championship in him or if defending champ Kevin Harvick will win a second consecutive series title. Those stories and more will unfold between late-February and November.
The spotlight will also shine on 2011 Daytona 500 Champion and Knoxville native Trevor Bayne, who has finally secured a full-time ride in the Roush Fenway No. 6 car, which was once occupied by the legendary Mark Martin. Bob Osborne will serve as Bayne’s crew chief as Bayne finally gets a seat in NASCAR’s top series four years after he burst onto the scene by winning at Daytona as a rookie.
Joe Gibbs Racing has been one of the sport’s top teams. JGR will welcome Carl Edwards, who will drive the No. 19 car after a long stint with Roush Fenway Racing. Edwards has always been competitive, but he just wasn’t the same after he lost the Chase to Tony Stewart via the tie-breaker a few years back.
Stewart, who has had his share of struggles with a leg injury and last year’s altercation that led to the death of a dirt track driver last season, is eager to return as a healthy competitor, at least physically. The only question for Stewart will be if last year’s accident will still take its toll.
Meanwhile, Darian Grubb, who was Stewart’s crew chief during his last championship run, and most recently worked with Gibbs and driver Denny Hamlin. Grubb will remain with JGR and will be crew chief for Edwards in 2015 as the driver looks to recapture his past glory.
Dave Rogers, who previously served as Kyle Busch’s crew chief, will now play that role for Hamlin’s No. 11 team. Adam Stevens will replace Rogers on Busch’s team after Rogers and Kyle had success in Joe Gibbs’ No. 18 ride.
Bobby Labonte, a former JGR driver, has signed a four-race contract with GoFas Racing. Labonte, who enjoyed success with JGR, has driven for underfunded teams in recent years. He will run the two Daytona races and the two Talladega stops in 2015.
Danica Patrick, one of the sport’s most controversial figures, will have a new crew chief as she continues to search for her first win in a stock car.
While Patrick has struggled, the same can’t be said for Jimmie Johnson, who has won six series championships in the last eight years. He’ll look to be a factor again in 2015, along with Gordon, Stewart, Earnhardt Jr. and others.
It’s been a long two-plus month off-season, and now it’s time to go back to the track for American Sports’ longest season.
