My Thoughts: OffSeason Week #11

         Ah, I love the smell of February in the morning. This month typically leads way to the Super Bowl, Valentine's Day, President's Day, and, more importantly, the annual Daytona 500. It is offseason week #11 and we only have a couple weeks left. In just two measly weeks, Cup cars will head on track for the annual Sprint Unlimited. One week later, the Trucks will run their annual race along with the Nationwide Series running their annual race at Daytona. All this on track action will culminate with the fifty sixth running of the Daytona 500. Legends are made in the Daytona 500 and this year should prove no different. Any one of the forty three drivers who start the event could very well walk away with the legendary Harley J. Earl Trophy that so many legends have held in their hands. Still, we have a lot of practicing, racing, and news stories to go through before the green flag drops on February 23, 2014. Not only that, but new eras will begin and new fans will begin watching America's greatest sport. This week dawned the beginning of a new era for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase. I will refrain from speaking about the system since I made a special article a few days ago, but this news sent shock waves through the NASCAR world. It could, possibly, be the most important piece of news we have received in the entire offseason. Nonetheless, even more news came out to give me a great chance at telling my thoughts this week. This week's topics include a driver cleared to race in 2014, a veteran getting a chance in a pretty good ride, two high profile drivers in the last year of their contracts, a championship winning crew chief receiving a contract extension, and a potential star making his Cup debut in 2014. It was definitely a good week for NASCAR news and I can't wait to talk about these very interesting topics.

1. Brian Vickers Cleared By Doctors to Race; Is This His Year?
        A great piece of news for Michael Waltrip Racing came out during the year. The team announced Brian Vickers, the full time driver of the number 55 for the team in 2014, was cleared to begin racing in 2014. If you recall, Vickers piloted the car for most of last season before a blood clot put him out in the final five races of the season. This incident wasn't Vickers first problem with blood clots. A blood clot in his leg in 2010 put him out of his Red Bull Racing car for the entire season. This health problem pretty much put Vickers on a down hill slope. He came back in 2011 with Red Bull Racing, but the team folded heading into 2012. Vickers could not find a full time ride and raced part time in the number 55 entry for Michael Waltrip Racing in 2012. In 2013, he made a run at the Nationwide Series championship while driving part time for MWR again. A win at New Hampshire in the number 55 in 2013 put him in the ride full time for 2014 and he looks to be in good hands. I personally think this is going to be Vickers's breakout year if injuries don't keep him sidelined. He proved last year that the equipment with MWR is pretty good and all he needs is a full season under his belt to do some great things. Yes, Vickers gets a bad rap because he didn't do well his first time up NASCAR's ranks, but I feel he wasn't prepared and this will now be his chance to redeem himself. We will have to wait and see as the season progresses, but don't let Vickers slide under the radar because he could take a Chase spot later this year.

2. Joe Nemechek to Run the #66 for Michael Waltrip Racing When Burton and Waltrip Aren't Running; Can He Win?
        A piece of fairly surprising news came out during the week from Joe Nemechek's camp. The veteran driver announced he would run the number 66, which is Jeff Burton and Michael Waltrip's part time home in 2014, when the two MWR drivers aren't piloting the car. Nemechek said he would get some help from Jay Robinson, who helped with his number 87 team last year and, possibly, other years before that. If you recall, Nemechek has been piloting his own number 87 car for a good many years now. I have to state this before I move on in the piece. I don't know if the car will be backed by Michael Waltrip Racing when Nemechek is driving, but that will be key to this whole deal. If the car is backed by MWR with Nemechek driving, he might surprise some people this year. I mean, he has been really close at winning some superspeedway races the past few years and I feel like he might could steal another race during the season with MWR backing. If the car isn't backed by MWR and it is an independent effort, I still could see him winning a superspeedway race, but I wouldn't expect much from him at the other tracks across NASCAR. Still, though, this is a pretty good move form Nemechek.  I mean, just racing this car could boost his abilities and maybe attract a sponsor that would allow him to run well for the future. Hopefully, this move allows Joe Nemechek to return to great competition in the sport and we might be able to see him win a couple more races.

3. Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards in Last Year of Contracts For Roush; Will We See New Faces at Roush in 2015?
        This was rather surprising news to me when I read it for the first time. According to contract reports, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, two mainstay drivers for Roush-Fenway Racing, are in the last year of their contracts with the team. Both drivers, if you recall, have been pretty good their entire careers in NASCAR's highest series. Biffle has won a good many races in his time along with winning two championships in NASCAR's two lower series. Edwards has won a lot of races and has come extremely close to winning his first Cup championship. It seems like if these two get everything together, they will be champions in the series soon. This brings me to my question for this topic. Will we see two new faces at Roush-Fenway Racing in 2015? I really hope not, honestly. I mean, yes, NASCAR is getting to a point where the young guys are starting to take over. But Biffle and Edwards are two of the more respected guys in the garage. Biffle races hard, but not rough and Edwards is a great role model for young kids looking to make their way up the ranks. I just don't see Jack Roush getting rid of two of the drivers who have helped his team stay as one of the better teams in the sport. Still, I would love to see either one of them win a championship in the next couple of years just to make sure that their abilities remain shown to the world. Hopefully, we don't see a huge change at RFR and Biffle and Edwards are able to remain great in the sport.

4. Paul Wolfe Receives Contract Extension with Team Penske; Will the Blue Deuce Hit It Big in 2014?
        A great piece of news came out for Team Penske during the week. The team announced that Paul Wolfe, the crew chief for Brad Keselowski, had received a contract extension with the team allowing him to be Keselowski's crew chief for at least 4 more years. If you recall, Wolfe lead Keselowski to his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title in 2012. I believe this is a great move for the number 2 team. The best thing for any team is definitely stability. When you know everybody's job is safe, it allows the team just go out there and try their hardest to win races along with a championship, if possible. This brings me to my question. Will the Blue Deuce team hit it big in 2014 with a championship? I definitely think it is possible. They have all the perfect things in place. Wolfe now has a secure job, the team has a couple of new great sponsors, and Brad Keselowski still has a few good years left and he has the abilities to win championships. If they win a few races this year and remain consistent in the Chase, they could be one of the four drivers to battle it out for the title come Homestead. Hopefully, Paul Wolfe and Brad Keselowski are able to prove their 2012 championship wasn't just a fluke.

5. Ryan Blaney to Make Cup Debut at Kansas in 2014 With Team Penske; How He Will Fare
        Some great news for the future came out during the week. Team Penske announced that Ryan Blaney would run a part time schedule in the Nationwide Series in 2014 along with making his Cup debut this year for the team. Along with this, Blaney will run a full time schedule in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for the second year in a row. If you recall, Blaney is the son of Cup driver, Dave Blaney. Honestly, Ryan looks like he is on the best path in terms of gaining experience before running full time in the Cup Series. He has run a good many ARCA races, he has two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series wins, and he has a Nationwide win to his credit. A few more wins and a good many great finishes will lead him all the way to NASCAR's highest series. I want to discuss for a second how I feel he will fare in his Cup debut at Kansas. I would say don't expect the world to be lit on fire, but we may be surprised. I mean, he has a ton of talent, honestly. I won't compare him to any drivers because I don't feel that is fair, but he is a really good driver. It just seems like we have so much talent coming up the ranks the next few years that we are in really good hands for the future. Hopefully, Ryan Blaney stays on the same path and one day he will be one of the better NASCAR drivers in the sport's highest series.

         Well, week #11 of the NASCAR offseason has drawn to a complete close. We are only three weeks away from the hype ending and the action beginning as the 2014 Daytona 500 goes green. Forty three drivers will look to start their season off in the best way possible: with a win. When the race goes green on February 23, it will end the NASCAR offseason and the chase for a championship will begin. I can not wait. I thank you guys once again for reading through my thoughts on another week. If you have any comments about the topics I have mentioned, please let me know in the comments down below. The 2013 NASCAR Season Recap finally went up last night. If you guys want to check it out, just scroll down a little bit or click on the link that should be to your right. I pretty much don't have anything left for this offseason other than my thoughts, but stay tuned for more. I hope you guys enjoy my writing and you continue to follow it throughout the year. Well, that is all for me and until we meet again.





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