Which 2 drivers stand out as the biggest surprises in the Chase?
Now that the Chase field is set as we head to Chicagoland this weekend, fans have been asking me what are my biggest surprises, if there are any, in this year's Chase field.
I guess it boils down to time frame. I say that because by a landslide, the biggest surprise from 2014 to 2015 is Martin Truex Jr. This was a team in 2014 that led a single lap all season long. They simply weren't much of a factor last year. It's been well-documented that a lot of that had to do with not fully utilizing their alliance with Richard Childress Racing, plus the personal struggles Martin had off the track as his girlfriend battled cancer.
This year has been one for the ages for the No. 78 team. Just look at all the laps they've led. Sure, they had some wins slip through their fingers this year, but there's simply no comparison to 2014. They did win a race, they had seven top-five finishes and an amazing 17 top-10 finishes out of the 26 races so far. Martin starts 10th in the Chase lineup, only nine points back. So from 2014 to 2015, no question that Truex is my biggest surprise in this year's Chase.
Now if we are talking about my biggest surprise since our NASCAR on FOX portion of the season ended, then my biggest surprise is Clint Bowyer. Early in the season that No. 15 car was basically a non-factor every week. The sad part was they weren't even competitive on tracks where Clint is normally a favorite to be up front.
It wasn't until they made that crew-chief swap at Michigan in June that things began to turn. On top of that, when you throw in all the drama that has come to the surface with the announcement that Clint would no longer be at Michael Waltrip Racing come 2016, plus the fact there won't even be a Michael Waltrip Racing next year, Clint and his team are easily my biggest surprise from the second half of this season.
Clint will start 16th in the Chase. While he hasn't won yet, he has put together a great string of finishes lately and ended up with two top fives and 11 top-10 finishes. So from the first half of the season to the second half of the season, Clint Bowyer is my biggest surprise.
