My 2013 season predictions

It's that time of year again when many people in the NASCAR community pick a Championship winner for the end of the season. My first reaction to this is, "That's ridiculous! It's too early!" However, it's always fun to see how your first pick plays out throughout the year.

I've decided to pre-write articles two weeks ahead of the race schedule this year, in other words, my mind is on the Daytona 500 - not the Championship finale. Yet, I know it's smarter to post my Championship pick before the first race of the season - the Sprint Unlimited.

It's anyone's guess, I could be wrong, but I could be right. In the last three years I picked Kevin Harvick, and obviously, he never won. When NASCAR made it to the 2012 Chase season, I re-evaluated my options and decided to pick Kasey Kahne to win more races, including the Cup title. With that being said, I've decided to stick with Kahne to win the 2013 Cup. He ended the season strong- and finished fourth in points.  Now, he is ready to get back into his seat to race. Amazing things are in store for the 32 year old Washington native. He's yet to win the Great American race, the Southern 500, and the Brickyard- and there's no doubt that he can win all three -someday. (Side note, I did pick him to win all three of these races this year- so don't be surprised to see  my pre-race reports about Kahne when we visit those tracks!)

I'm not putting pressure on Kahne, he's capable of exceeding expectations he sets for his-self, as well as the ones his boss, team, and fans do.

Kahne had more luck winning poles in 2012 than he did winning races. His first season with the powerful Hendrick Motorsports team started with a few disappointments, but ended in celebrating what is Kahne's best season finish, fourth in points. He locked in four poles: Las Vegas, Martinsville, Talladega, and Kansas and scored two wins: one at his best track, Charlotte, with the second win, his first at New Hampshire. At the spring break, Kahne was sitting uncomfortably in 31st point- the turnaround he made when he returned to racing in Texas was phenomenal, he finished in the top 10 seven consecutive weeks- by the last race in November, he had 19 top tens, and 12 top fives.

For 2013, Kahne is settled and comfortable at Hendrick Motorsports. He also looks forward to racing for a new team in the Nationwide series. Long time sponsor Great Clips, and long time World of Outlaws driver for Kasey Kahne Racing Brad Sweet will share a seat for 27 races. Kahne will kick the season off in JR Motorsports No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet with the newest paint scheme, at Daytona on Saturday February 23rd, at 1:15 PM.

My second pick for the Championship title would be Kahne's teammate (and new boss) Dale Earnhardt Jr., but history proves that every time Earnhardt has a leg-up to winning, he falls short. Last season was his best season since he chose to race at Hendrick. With the new Gen 6 car that Earnhardt Jr. loves this could be the year Earnhardt wipes the slate clean, and move toward more success and races his way to the Championship title. The one race I'd like to see him win is at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He's strong there, but a win at the Magic Mile has yet to happen. 

At this time last year, no one predicted that Brad Keselowski would win the title. That leads me to say that the driver I believe has potential to surprise the NASCAR community with an over-all first place finish would be Aric Almirola. Going in to his second season in the No. 43 Smithfield Field Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports, Almirola has talent that's about to shine. He'll debut in his first shoot-out in Saturday's Sprint Unlimited after winning the pole for the Coca-Cola 600, and finishing the race in 16th position. Almirola and teammate Marcos Ambrose made some big moves in racing last season, and they are the next team to push forward and finish surprisingly strong - much like Michael Waltrip Racing success last season.

In conclusion, I believe Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will be named Rookie of the year in the Cup series. Sitting comfortably in the No. 17 Ford for Roush-Fenway, Stenhouse Jr. may surprise us with top ten and top finishes, and maybe a win.