Jimmie Johnson looks to win fifth straight championship as NASCAR season begins

February 9, 2010
Filed under Sports

By Eli Mansour Co-Editor-in-Chief

When the green flag waves to begin the Daytona 500 on Sunday, the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series begins. Four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson, driver of the number 48 Lowes Chevrolet, is looking to add to his record championship streak. Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and 51-year-old Mark Martin are looking to win their first championship, while Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch are trying to return to glory.

The regular season begins at Daytona. Unlike most races where drivers may not take a risk to win in order to conserve points, every driver goes all out to win the Great American Race. In all, the regular season lasts 26 races. The postseason for NASCAR, the Chase, spans the final ten races of the season. Twelve drivers make the Chase and compete for the Sprint Cup. Last season, Hendrick Motorsports dominated the season, as they had the top three drivers in the sport. Roush Fenway Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress went through slumps last year, but appear to be stronger this season in the early practice.

Here are my predictions for the 2010 Chase in order of how I think they will finish:

Jimmie Johnson- Johnson is the only driver in NASCAR history to win four straight championships and he has dominated the Chase for the last four years. Nobody is going to pick against Johnson.
Tony Stewart- Stewart had a great first season as an owner-driver. Odds are that he will have another strong season and could be Johnson’s chief competition.
Denny Hamlin- Hamlin finished 2009 strong with a win at Homestead. Hamlin appears to be near the top of the standings.
Carl Edwards- After a season where he led the circuit in wins, Edwards had a disappointing winless season. I believe that he, along with the rest of the Roush Fenway team, will rebound from the nightmare 2009 campaign.
Kyle Busch- Busch barely missed the Chase last season, though he ran strong for most of the season. Busch looks to have a rebound and make the Chase and renew his rivalry with Edwards.
Kurt Busch- Kyle Busch’s older brother, Kurt, looks to have another strong season. Busch had a strong season and would have been near the top of the standings had he not had a streak of bad luck in the Chase.
Mark Martin- Last years runner-up, Martin looks to have a solid 2010 campaign, though his best chance to win a championship was last year.
Jeff Gordon- The four-time champion finished third last year and looks to have another strong campaign.
Kasey Kahne- Kahne has switched from a Dodge to a Ford and looks to make the Chase for the second consecutive year.
Kevin Harvick- Harvick hasn’t won a Sprint Cup race since 2007, though he has won two straight Budweiser Shootouts at Daytona. He could be a favorite to a second Daytona 500 this season.
Ryan Newman- Stewart’s teammate had a strong season last year and looks to finish solidly again.
Greg Biffle- Biffle looks to have a strong year after a winless season, as the rest of Roush Fenway Racing also looks to rebound.