NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR: Five Drivers Who Will Surprise Us In 2017

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:58 p.m. ET

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May 15, 2016; Dover, DE, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr (88) leads driver Matt Kenseth (20) during the AAA 400 Drive For Autism at Dover International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

With the Daytona 500 just over a month away, the 2017 NASCAR season is right around the corner. 2017 is sure to have it’s ups and downs but some of those ups might end up being some unexpected surprises.

Every NASCAR fan has a favorite driver or at least a driver that they tend to root for. Heading into the 2017 season most fans have already put their driver expectations into order.

Fans of Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson are looking for a championship in 2017 while fans of David Ragan and Cole Whitt are looking to run in 36 races and maybe somehow steal a win and make the Chase.

Regardless of who your driver is, expectations have been set somewhere in your mind. The thing with expectations though is that more often than not they are either missed or surpassed. In 2017 there are sure to be at least a few surprises in NASCAR and you shouldn’t be surprised if it involves one of the drivers on this list.

Nov 12, 2016; Avondale, AZ, USA; Xfinity Series driver Erik Jones (20) during the Ticket Galaxy 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones

One of them was supposed to be here in 2017 and the other is here as a result of a surprise retirement. Regardless of the reasoning, both drivers will make their full-time Cup debuts in 2017 and both are going to end up turning some heads.

Daniel Suarez is taking over the No. 19 machine which was vacated when Carl Edwards stepped away from racing. Suarez is the defending Xfinity Series champion, he is in a car that made the final-four in the Chase in 2016 and he is on the best team in NASCAR. Look for Suarez to win a race in 2017 and continue the trend of rookies making it into the Chase.

Erik Jones is also under the JGR banner (via Furniture Row Racing) and he will also have himself a solid season. I will not predict him to win in 2017 but I do think he will be a lot more consistent than many fans believe. That consistency will keep him in the hunt to make the Chase as a rookie. These two drivers are a handful of reasons why NASCAR has a bright future and they will show why this season.

Oct 30, 2016; Martinsville, VA, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (21) pits during the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Blaney

Ryan Blaney did not win a race in his first full-time Cup Series season in 2016 but he did have some solid performances on his way to a top-20 finish in the final standings.

In 2016 Blaney will make the Chase and he will do so as the result of winning his first Cup Series race. Blaney alreay proved in 2016 that he has what it takes to run with some of the best cars in the Cup Series. In 2017 all Blaney and the No. 21 team need to do is find their consistency.

If Blaney can establish some consistency in 2017 he will put himself in a position to win and make NASCAR’s version of the playoffs. Look for Blaney to possibly win at Daytona or Talladega this season as the No. 21 team has one of the best superspeedway programs coming out of the 2016 season.

Nov 18, 2016; Homestead, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Austin Dillon (3) during practice for the Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Austin Dillon

Dillon started off by surprising us in 2016 when the young driver made the NASCAR Chase for the first time in his Cup career.

Prior to 2016, Dillon’s previous two seasons in the Cup Series were plagued by consistency issues. Those issues kept him from contending for wins and putting his No. 3 machine in position to win races.

Although a win did not come in 2016, Dillon began to run towards the front of the pack a lot more than in his previous seasons. In 2017 Dillon will be able to continue that trend, or so I believe, and the result will be him winning his first Cup Series race.

Dillon will not contend for a title in 2017 but he will finally win a race and put the No. 3 back in victory lane.

Nov 12, 2016; Avondale, AZ, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Matt Kenseth (20) during practice for the Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Kenseth

Who is the best driver at JGR? Many will say Kyle Busch and it’s hard to fault them for that. Who is the second best driver at JGR? Many will say Carl Edwards and when they are told that doesn’t count because le left, they will shrug and say Denny Hamlin or Matt Kenseth.

It wasn’t all that long ago that Matt Kenseth came over to JGR and in his first season with the team he led the series in wins.

Call me crazy but I think Edwards walking away from the sport will impact Kenseth the most and I think it will impact him in a positive way. In 2017 Kenseth is going to dig deep and he will lead JGR in wins on his way to a championship run in the Chase. He might not win a title, but he will make it deep into the Chase and that will certainly surprise some people.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Some people didn’t think that this was going to happen for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2017. Some people didn’t think that the driver of the No. 88 machine would or should return to the track. For some people, Earnhardt running in the Daytona 500 is a surprise.

Well, if that’s the case those people better buckle up because the surprises are going to keep on coming.

Assuming Earnhardt remains healthy in 2017, he is going to have a resurgent year. This is a driver who is fresh off missing half the season, just got married, and is beyond happy to be able to do what he loves to do. Inside Earnhardt has to know that the time is coming and on the outside it’s finally time to make a run at a championship.

Watch for Earnhardt to win multiple races in 2017 and make it to the final-four of the NASCAR Chase.