Nationwide Series preview, gallery
Tuesday, Feb. 09, 2010
In this July 9, 2009, photo, Brad Keselowski waits during qualifying for the NASCAR LifeLock.com 400 auto race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. (AP Photo/Skip Stewart)
1. Brad Keselowski, Penske Racing.
Made huge strides at JR Motorsports last season and move to Penske should only help fuel his ride to the top.
2. Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing.
The 2007 series champion is looking to add a second Nationwide title to his already-impressive resume.
3. Justin Allgaier, Penske Racing.
Allgaier has shown he is fast. Now, he needs to show he can finish races and remain in the hunt for wins.
4. Colin Braun, Roush Fenway Racing.
Braun spent the last two seasons in the Trucks series. He earned his first in last year at Michigan.
5. Jason Leffler, Braun Racing.
It will be interesting to see if Braun’s decision to field several fulltime teams this season will have an affect on the organization’s success.
6. Kevin Harvick, Kevin Harvick Inc.
His entire schedule isn’t set yet, but given his past success in this series, Harvick will run enough races to end up in the Top 10.
7. Trevor Bayne, Diamond-Waltrip Racing.
He’s been patiently working his way up through NASCAR’s developmental series and begins his first fulltime season of competition.
8. Steve Wallace, Rusty Wallace Inc.
Wallace broke into the Top 10 in points last season (seventh) but he’s still looking for his first series victory.
9. Brian Scott, Braun Racing.
Won his first Truck series race last season and looking to take the next step in his NASCAR career.
10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Roush Fenway Racing.
Here’s another newcomer to the series, courtesy of Roush Fenway. If Roush’s equipment is stout, they all should do well.
What they’re saying …
“There's going to be weeks where it's an advantage, and there's going to be weeks where it's a disadvantage. The key is to take the good weeks and maximize them and take the bad weeks and minimize them, and hopefully in the end you'll end up with a benefit.” – Brad Keselowski talking about running both the Nationwide and Cup schedules in 2010.
“I think for me one of the biggest things is just learning who I'm racing with and how those guys race. I'm used to the Truck Series where those guys race pretty intense and it's pretty cutthroat all the time.” – Colin Braun
3 to watch
1. Danica Patrick – Every one of her 13 planned races, beginning with Daytona, is sure to bring a wealth of new attention to the sport. The question is will her performance add to or detract from that?
2. Brad Keselowski – He was a lightening rod in the series last season – particularly with his feud with Denny Hamlin. Will his move to Penske temper his enthusiasm or fuel a championship run?
3. Trevor Bayne – Already has a pole and shown he has speed. His association with Michael Waltrip Racing
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