2018 Season Wrap Up: Part 1

The 2018 has come to a conclusion and Joey Logano has brought home the MENCS championship. Logano wrapped up his dream season with a title, so lets see how ol' Double A and Jonny K wrap up theirs.

Which driver surprised you the most this season?

Amerigo- I’m making this a tie (my blog, my rules), but give it up for Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola.

Bowyer broke his 190-race winless streak at Martinsville this spring and followed that up with a win at Michigan. Tony Stewart has to love this 2017 pickup for his team. Now to see if Bowyer can capitalize on this career renaissance in 2019.

Almirola meanwhile got his second career Cup Series win at the fall Talladega race, finished a career-best 5th in the final standings, and notched a season-high 17 top-10 finishes in 2018. At only age 34, Almirola has a lot of time remaining with SHR should he continue this newfound success.

Jon- Ties are like kissing your sister, so Clint Bowyer misses out for me. Aric Almirola is the biggest surprise of 2018. When Danica Patrick was wheeling the car, it looked like the 10 was a crap-box that could score a lucky top-15 finish at a plate track. I thought there would be a lot of work to do for Almirola, whose only win coming into 2018 was at a rain-shortened Daytona race. Never, did I expect Almirola to have a victory and show speed at, not only the plate tracks, but also short and intermediate tracks like Martinsville and Dover.

Which driver was the most disappointing?

Amerigo- Kyle Larson had four wins in 2017 and seemingly had nowhere to go, but up from last season’s breakout. However, Larson did not visit victory lane at all this year and barely scraped his way into the Round of 12 before being mercifully eliminated before the Round of 8 began. Six 2nd-place finishes on the year however bodes well for a 2019 comeback for Larson.

Jon- While I am inclined to side with my colleague here, (being a Larson fan has been very disappointing) I’m going to go with Denny Hamlin, who just had a 12-year win streak snapped. Not only did the 11 team not make it to victory lane, how many times were they even a factor in a race? They probably should have won Darlington, and maybe could have squeaked out a victory taking advantage of the Logano-Truex Martinsville scuffle, but the FedEx Camry just never showed the speed of its JGR counterpart 18 car.

What was the best moment from 2018?

Amerigo- Austin Dillon returned the famous No. 3 to Daytona’s victory lane, bringing the famous No. 43 with Bubba Wallace in 2nd place. Fans are divided by Dillon’s last-lap pass at the expense of Aric Almirola (expect to be bumped when you block, I say), but seeing the No. 3 take the checkered flag at the Daytona 500 and dedicating the win to Dale Earnhardt and his fans was simply a special way to kick off the 2018 season.

Jon- I loved seeing Chase Elliott capture his first win of his young Cup career at Watkins Glen. Given that he notched two more victories after doesn’t change that for me. There had been so much pressure on him, and so much talk about, “is Chase Elliott a bust?” Elliott out-dueled the defending champion to earn win number one, and became an opportunistic driver and won at Dover and Kansas to boot.

Which driver/team are you most looking forward to next year?

Amerigo- Leavine Family Racing just got a major boost entering into a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, so let’s see if this low-tier single-car team can improve its real estate week by week with Matt DiBenedetto behind the wheel of the No. 95 car. Perhaps another Furniture Row Racing (R.I.P.) is in the making.

Jon- I agree with Amerigo that LFR will be a fun team to follow, but I’m most looking forward to what Daniel Hemric can do in the #31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. That team has been on the fringe of being good, especially with Austin Dillon notching a win and turning in some impressive top-10 and 15 finishes. Hemric is a talented driver, qualified for the Championship 4 in back-to-back years in the Xfinity Series, but never won a race or championship. I want to see what he can do in slightly better equipment.

What was your worst prediction this year?

Amerigo- I foolishly said Bubba Wallace would make the Chase in his rookie season while the driver he replaced, Aric Almirola would miss the playoffs. The exact opposite happened, with Almirola even picking up a win at the fall Talladega race, making the Round of 8 and finishing 5th in the final standings.

Jon- Not predicting Kevin Harvick to make the Championship 4. Ol’ happy whooped on most of the competition in the regular season. I guess I didn’t expect him to be so dominant and gather so many playoff points. Coming into this season, the man had qualified for three of the four Championship 4 rounds at Homestead. I don’t know why I expected that to change.

Which upcoming rookie excites you the most?

Amerigo- Christopher Bell was simply magical in the Truck Series and Xfinity Series. Get ready to see this guy’s name on top of the leaderboards within the next couple years. He’s not yet confirmed for any Cup Series team in 2019, but he’s a hot commodity for any team looking for fresh faces.

Jon- Bell won’t be in the Cup Series this year, save for maybe a one or two race stint. Let’s see what Ryan Preece can do. He’s not necessarily a young guy, he’s 28, but he will be a rookie nonetheless. He’s in decent equipment at JTG-Dougherty Racing, so I’d like to think he can contend for a few top-10s this year.

Who won the “young guys vs. old guys” battle?

Amerigo- As much hype as there was for the young drivers (think 2014 rookie year and beyond), and despite great wins by Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Erik Jones, the grumpy old veterans win this year. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. led the field with a combined 20 wins. The young guys will need to step it up next year.

Jon- Old guys. Look at the stats. Next question.

Which driver is poised for breakout success next season?

Amerigo- Chase Elliott was clearly the best driver from the weirdly off-kilter Hendrick Motorsports team this year with three wins to his name. While some rookie-level mistakes were still evident (“that” Phoenix race), this team, from the driver to the pit crew to the mechanics in the garage area, is gelling together. I expect this team to be in the final four next year.

Jon- I’m going with Almirola here. Despite not winning the championship, SHR is NASCAR’s best team. Almirola emerged as a contender, but he didn’t truly break out. I look for him to quadruple his win total from 2018, and he will start with avenging his loss at the Daytona 500 and hoisting the Harley J. Earl trophy.