http://www.thatsracin.com/drivers/index.xml Motorsports News from ThatsRacin.com en-us Copyright 2008 ThatsRacin.com Drivers 60 Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:26 EDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive Workbench webmaster@thatsracin.com http://www.thatsracin.com/drivers/story/2826.html http://www.thatsracin.com/drivers/story/2826.html Fri, 09 Feb 2007 10:32 EST Though many things seem different as a new Nextel Cup season dawns this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, the names look mighty familiar at and near the top in That’s Racin’s preseason top-40 team rankings.<p/>Adaptation figures to be the critical factor for success this year, as the “car of tomorrow” is featured in 16 races and drivers and crews have to get used to that new vehicle while still maintaining a mastery of the “old” car.<p/>Our guess – and history shows that’s all it is – is the more things change, the more they stay the same. The sport’s most powerful and successful teams will be the ones that best cope with all the new things thrown their way in 2007.<p/>So nine of the 10 drivers who made last year’s Chase for the Nextel Cup start out in our preseason top 10. Add Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle – a trio of drivers who surprised the sport by failing to make last year’s Chase – and you have our 12 predictions for this year’s championship field.<p/>Kurt Busch, Scott Riggs, Clint Bowyer and even Juan Pablo Montoya drew consideration for being in that top 12, and it’s a safe bet to say that someone from outside our top 20 will be in the Chase come September. Denny Hamlin was 27th in the preseason last year, and Jeff Burton was 21st. But we have to start somewhere.<p/>Teams are listed in the order of anticipated success, with the car number and last year’s final ranking:<p/>1. JIMMIE JOHNSON Car: 48. Previous: 1<p/>Nobody has won back-to-back titles since Jeff Gordon in 1997-98. This team has been so solid, though, you have to entertain that possibility.<p/>2. TONY STEWART Car: 20. Previous: 5.<p/>If anyone can cope with different cars, it figures to be the sport’s most versatile star.<p/>3. KASEY KAHNE Car: 9. Previous: 6 <p/>Dangerous if new car helps on short tracks, because this team had 1.5-mile tracks nailed. <p/>4. KEVIN HARVICK Car: 29. Previous: 3.<p/>Has Richard Childress Racing truly bridged the gap between itself and sport’s elite?<p/>5. MATT KENSETH Car: 17. Previous: 2. <p/>Always steady and sometimes spectacular, he also has been a perennial Chase participant. <p/>6. DENNY HAMLIN Car: 11. Previous: 4.<p/>Sophomore jinx? We’ll see, but this team fashioned a stellar 2006 season.<p/>7. JEFF GORDON Car: 24. Previous: 8. <p/>Making the Chase shouldn’t be enough. Let’s say it – the 48 is what the 24 once was. <p/>8. DALE EARNHARDT JR. Car: 8. Previous: 7. <p/>Trendy pick for this year’s title. If contract mess lingers, though, that won’t happen.<p/>9. KYLE BUSCH Car: 5. Previous: 11. <p/>Fell apart after making Chase last year, but this team believes it’s on the rise.<p/>10. JEFF BURTON Car: 31. Previous: 9. <p/>Could go way up, could slip a bit. Team needs to run up front a lot more to win a title. <p/>11 Through 25:<p/>11. (13) Carl Edwards, 99 Crew chief Bob Osborne’s back. Edwards hopes he brings magic from 2005 with him.<p/>12. (12) Greg Biffle, 16 A lot depends on how switch from Doug Richert to Pat Tryson as crew chief pans out. <p/>13. (15) Kurt Busch, (2) These guys need to worry less about their driver’s image and more about going fast.<p/>14. (16) Clint Bowyer, 07 Is Childress operation deep enough to put three teams in contention this year?<p/>15. (21) Scott Riggs, 10 Repeatedly seems to be on the verge of a breakout season. Maybe it’ll come in 2007.<p/>16. (18) Ryan Newman, 12 Not sure what went wrong, so can’t be confident anybody’s figured out how to fix it.<p/>17. (22) Elliott Sadler, 19 If Evernham tide goes as high as some think it might, this boat will float upward, too.<p/>18. (14) Casey Mears, 25 Mears joins the Hendrick Motorsports fleet and gets his best shot to show his stuff.<p/>19. (17) Juan Pablo Montoya, 42 He figures to have some noteworthy successes and some spectacular failures, too.<p/>20. (34) Jamie McMurray, 26 No question about it, the time has come for McMurray to fish or cut bait with Roush.<p/>21. (20) Bobby Labonte, 43 Improved by several degrees in 2006, but progress gradually gets harder to come by.<p/>22. (30) Dave Blaney, 22 We’ve just got a hunch that Bill Davis Racing will surprise a lot of people in 2007.<p/>23. (NR) Brian Vickers, 83 If the No. 22 isn’t the best Toyota team, this one probably will be by season’s end.<p/>24. (23) Reed Sorenson, 41 Could the “other” Ganassi teams wind up suffering through a case of Montoya envy?<p/>25. (19) Martin Truex Jr., 1 Once again depth is a question. Can DEI field two competitive teams, let alone three?<p/>26 Through 40<p/>26. (31) J.J. Yeley, 18<p/>27. (NR) Dale Jarrett, 44<p/>28. (27) Ricky Rudd, 88<p/>29. (25) Mark Martin/Regan Smith, 01<p/>30. (4) Jeff Green, 66<p/>31. (33) David Gilliland, 38<p/>32. (28) David Stremme, 40<p/>33. (29) Tony Raines, 96<p/>34. (32) Robby Gordon, 7<p/>35. (NR) Paul Menard, 15<p/>36. (26) Ken Schrader/Jon Wood, 21<p/>37. (10) David Ragan, 6<p/>38. (36) Sterling Marlin, 14<p/>39. (NR) Jeremy Mayfield, 36<p/>40. (NR) Joe Nemechek, 13