The NASCAR Sprint Cup season is almost here, and drivers will spend this week discussing their plans and predictions for the year as part of the annual Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Entering the year, teams face a series of questions. Can Jimmie Johnson win his sixth consecutive Sprint Cup title? Will Earnhardt Ganassi Racing be the team on the rise and, therefore, the ones breaking back into the Chase for the Sprint Cup this season? And what will Roush Fenway Racing bring to the table?
On Wednesday, NASCAR chairman Brian France is expected to outline the 2011 points system for all three series, the most anticipated announcement from the sanctioning body in some time. Numerous reports have outlined a new points system that awards 43 points to the winner and 1 to the 43rd-place finisher. What role bonus points for a win play in that scenario is something that will also be addressed.
In a news conference last Friday, NASCAR officials explained that a change would simplify the system, but that they did not have the specifics of any such move to outline yet.
Whatever changes are or are not made to the system, the question entering the 2011 season remains the same as that entering 2010: Can Johnson win it all again?
Johnson enters this year as the five-time defending Cup champion. Last season, he and crew chief Chad Knaus showed new strength as they rallied from behind with two races to go to take the title.
Now, with the season nearing, teams will spend this week discussing expectations for the year and whether or not each is the top candidate to end Johnson’s reign.
Three men are high on most lists of potential candidates to do so: Richard Childress Racing’s Kevin Harvick, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin and Roush Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards.
Harvick led the field for most of the so-called regular season in 2010. He was in contention for the title into the season’s final race, ending the year in third.
Hamlin ran well in the Chase, surging past the competition to take the lead in the standings. He entered the season finale with a slim grip on the points lead, but ended up finishing second to Johnson for the year.
Edwards and his Roush Fenway Racing team were outstanding in the closing races of the 2010 season, winning the final pair of Cup races and setting the tone for a strong start this to this year.
Soon, the season will begin and it will be clear for an edge. In the meantime, the drivers will continue to discuss who they view as the favorite and why. And the impact any potential change to the points system may or may not have on their plans.
Stay logged on to FOXSports.com all week long to read what everybody is saying, get analysis from our experts, and much more.
