Sunday's with No Football?

Know who that young fella is? That would none other then newly minted 20-year old, Trevor Bayne. Or as he is now known, the 2011 Daytona 500 champion. Not even legal yet, making his second start ever in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, the young man from Knoxville, TN beat out some of NASCAR's finest drivers to win the biggest race of the year. I have to send out a huge congratulations to him. The kid doesn't isn't even racing the whole schedule this year (he's due for 17 of 36 races) but hey, he's the points leader at this moment.

...Which leads me into my first sports related post on this blog. As a hick deep-down, NASCAR is very close to my heart. I've been following it for years (though I kind of backed off during the college years), and to me it is more then watching cars drive around in a circle for three hours
 -As a sidenote, if you are one of those people that believe NASCAR is a waste of time, you should probably stop reading here. Thanks.

Jimmie Johnson has been dominating this sports for five years now. Every year, somebody comes up with a reason why THAT year is the year Jimmie will finally lose. Nobody is willing to give him the credit his deserves, which kills me. What does this man have to do to prove he is the best? People say the competition isn't up to par to what Dale Earnhardt faced in his day. Who cares? Jimmie is beating the people that are racing around him today. It is not his fault who he beats, he beats everyone.

In the spirit of argument though, I will give you five drivers I think have a legitimate chance to dethrone him this year, as well as a darkhose. Remember, this is just my opinion, so relax.

Denny Hamlin- 11

Last season's runner-up came within one race of winning the whole thing before losing to Jimmie at Homestead. Denny won 8 races last year and showed why he has probably the brightest future of anybody in racing. I believe the pressure got to him last year, but he is poised to have even a better year in 2011. When he makes the Chase (and he will), he will be better prepared. If his mind doesn't get the best of him, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Denny with the trophy.

Kevin Harvick- 29
In the 10 Chase races last year, Harvick finished outside the Top 10 only once (15th), and posted an average finish of 5.8. Yet somehow, Harvick ended up 3rd in the standings. Shows you how well Johnson and Hamlin raced during that time. Harvick comes back this year with a new sponser and paint scheme, and that's it. I expect him to be just as competitive as last year, with an added fire from coming so close.

Jeff Gordon- 24

Remember when Gordon was the seasoned veteran and Jimmie was just a little rookie with potenial. That was 2002 people. Only 8 years later, Johnson now has more championships then Gordon and is the main man in the Hendrick stable. You don't think Gordon has motivation to get a fifth title? Maybe that is why Rick Hendrick shuffeled the crews around between Gordon, Johnson, Martin and Junior. With a new crew and crew chief, and a newly found desire, I expect to see the Jeff Gordon of old emerge.

Clint Bowyer- 33

The young man from Kansas came on strong during the Chase last season, with victories at New Hampshire and Talladega. He followed that up by running up front for most of the Daytona 500, before being shuffeled back at the end to finish 17th. His car looks good, RCR looks the strongest it has in years, and Bowyer looks poised for a breakout season.

Carl Edwards- 99
Did anybody see Edwards come on at the end of the Daytona 500? Holy hell, it looked like he was going to drive right through Trevor Bayne at the start finish line. The race defined Edwards for me. He was not talked about at all during the race, running mid pack. All of sudden, he was there at the end with a chance to win it. Edwards is not the flashiest, best looking or most talented driver out there. Yet he puts himself in a position to win every week. Last season, he won the final two races of the Chase and ended up 4th in the standings. If he can put together a full season and stay consistant, he may be able to do a championship backflip at the end.

Darkhorse: Joey Logano- 20

This kid is all of 20 years old, and has already managed to impress one of the best drivers out there. Found by Mark Martin a few years ago, he impressed Martin so much that he gave him the nickname of "sliced bread" (for obvious reasons) Logano went through a learning curve last year, but finished the season with 6 Top 10's during the Chase, including 4 Top 5's. Will he win the championship this year? Probably not. But I expect to see him in the Chase and possibly on the championship podium in a few years. Keep your eyes out for this one.

I'm actually very excited for this year's NASCAR season. I haven't followed it too closely in years, but with everyone gunning for JJ, it should be exciting.

Song currently stuck in my head:
Brick - Ben Folds Five