With the official start of NASCAR season a little more than a week away at the Daytona 500, the was plenty of action off the track to keep fans occupied during the seven-week break.
Drivers signed with new teams, new rules were put into place, and Jim France replaced his nephew as chairman of NASCAR after Brian France took a leave of absence following his arrest for driving while intoxicated and criminal possession of oxycodone.
So what lies ahead for the sport in 2019? Plenty, and some of the issues that are sure to pop up are forecast below.
1. Will Big Three Dominate Again?
The trio of Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr. won 20 out of 36 races last year, and the NASCAR world is wondering if they can dominate again. Harvick and Busch look like they should pick up where they left off, but Truex had a big change in the offseason.
The Toyota driver lost his team Furniture Row Racing, and even though he slid over to Joe Gibbs Racing, it remains to be seen if he can keep up with Harvick and Busch.
2. If Not Harvick, Truex, Busch, Then Who?
The obvious pick would be Joey Logano, who took on those three at the season-ending Cup championship and drove away the winner. His three victories, including two in the playoffs bode well for the 28-year-old’s chances in 2019.
Logano always knew he could win the Cup, but now that he has actually done it, he is ready to repeat.
“I always knew I could do it, but I guess you’ve proven to yourself now you really know how to do it,†Logano said. “So, I guess there’s a little more confidence that comes along with that.â€
3. How Much Will New Rules Impact Races?
Depends on who you ask, but the consensus seems to be that the new rules will definitely impact the sport, but drivers are not sure to what degree. The new rule utilizes aerodynamic ducts and a tapered spacer to reduce engine horsepower in an attempt to level the playing field.
One driver, who criticized the move was Busch, who told NASCAR.com’s Jeff Gluck it will bring more drivers into races, which in his opinion, is not exactly a good thing.
“We’ve taken the driver skill away from the drivers in this package,†Busch said. “Anybody can go out and run around there and go wide open. You (media) can probably do it. It’s going to be a lot more mental game, a lot more chess match, thinking how you make moves, how daring you’ll be.â€
4. Can Jimmie Johnson Win Again?
For the first time in his career Jimmie Johnson didn’t win a race, and the whispers of him retiring got much louder. The 43-year-old shot down retirement rumors, saying he isn’t going anywhere.
He will be without crew chief Chad Knaus, and that will definitely test Johnson’s skills working with a new man for the first time. He is adamant that his career is not over.
“There is a lot of ‘new’ to it, there’s no way around that,†Johnson said. “It definitely is a new challenge and I welcome it. I’m just excited to get this fresh start and see where it takes us.â€
5. Will Kurt Busch Retire?
There was a lot of talk that Kurt Busch would hang it up after the 2018
season, and the future got even murkier when he left Stewart-Haas Racing. He signed with Ganassi Racing shortly afterward, however, and said he has no plans on retiring.
He won at Bristol last year and won the Daytona 500 in 2017. He should win at least one race in 2019.
