Return of Earnhardt Jr. is NASCAR’s biggest story
Now that the calendar has turned to 2017, NASCAR soon will emerge from hibernation with testing, a preseason media tour and the start of the season with the Daytona 500.
What will be top story lines?
1. THE RETURN OF EARNHARDT
This is a pretty obvious pick, but it’s also the one that will dominate the conversation all the way through Daytona Speedweeks in February. Dale Earnhardt Jr. missed half of the season last year while recovering from a concussion but won the sport’s most popular driver award again anyway, which shows how much he means to NASCAR’s success.
His fans have anticipated Earnhardt’s return for months. The news of a successful test at Darlington Raceway last month will set the stage for his participation in an organizational test at Phoenix International Raceway on Jan. 31.
The driver, who wed Amy Reimann on New Year’s Eve, then will turn his attention to Daytona, where he has won four Cup races — including two Daytona 500s.
The Daytona 500 is Feb. 26.
2. MONSTER’S ARRIVAL
There’s a lot of “new” in 2017. While the series sponsor, name and logo are what we know now, there’s certainly more to come as Monster Energy gets settled into NASCAR.
Sprint/ Nextel had sponsored NASCAR’s top series since 2004, concluding a 13- year run last season. That followed Winston’s title sponsorship from 19712003, so the name isn’t something that has changed often.
But Monster brings more than a name to what is now known as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The edgy brand appeals to a much younger audi- ence than the traditional NASCAR demographic, and there should be an infusion of excitement as Monster brings its unique brand of marketing to the sport.
3. YOUNG GUNS BREAK THROUGH
Up- and- coming drivers Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and Chris Buescher all made the Chase for the first time last year, with Larson and Buescher posting their first wins.
Elliott was close to several wins, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see other young drivers such as Ryan Blaney or rookie Erik Jones reach victory lane in 2017.
That could finally bring in the next wave of NASCAR stars, a long- awaited youth moment that has been simmering but not yet brought to a full boil.
New stars are sorely needed after Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart retired, and other big names — Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth — are older than 40.
If the next generation can be competitive with current under- 35 stars Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, it could shape NASCAR for years to come.
4. STEWART- HAAS MOVES TO FORD
One of the biggest shocks of last season was Stewart- Haas Racing’s announcement that it would leave Chevrolet for Ford beginning in 2017.
The team already was very competitive — putting three of its four drivers in the Chase last year — so will the move help or hurt its performance in the short term?
SHR had to break its alliance with Hendrick Motorsports to pull off the feat, which seems like it would be a setback. On the other hand, Ford’s Team Penske has shown plenty of speed, so it’s not as if SHR will fall off the map.
In addition, Clint Bowyer’s move to replace Stewart in the No. 14 car should be fun to watch as a formerly competitive driver looks to regain his footing after three consecutive disappointing seasons.
5. JOHNSON CHASES TITLE RECORD
Putting Jimmie Johnson’s quest for a record- setting eighth championship at No. 5 on this list isn’t meant as any disrespect.
If he won it, it certainly would rate as one of NASCAR’s greatest achievements.
But it’s simply too hard to predict whether Johnson will have a chance to get back to the title race at HomesteadMiami Speedway.
This minefield of a playoff format means he and crew chief Chad Knaus could go all the way, as they did last year. Or a freak mechanical failure could take them out of the first round, as was the case in 2015.
The bottom line: Johnson will make the Chase and be a contender, but we won’t be able to properly evaluate his chances until this fall.