Dale Jr.'s return, Johnson's quest, new rules spur NASCAR in 2017
When the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off Friday at Daytona International Speedway, there will be the usual firsts and lasts.
Key issues to keep an eye on:
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: NASCAR’s most popular driver 14 times running will climb back into a Cup car in competition for the first time since July, when the effects of concussions knocked him from the remaining 18 races. The series badly needs Earnhardt — his name, talent and fan base. When he is running up front, there generally is more fan engagement and interest around the son of late seven-time Cup champion and Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Sr. And that means more interest in NASCAR. And with longtime fan favorites and champions Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart retired and no proven replacements in sight, Earnhardt carries a lot of star power — and a fervent Junior Nation — with him.
Earnhardt, 42, has said he is excited to return to the car and is feeling like himself after doctors cleared him in December to get behind the wheel.
He also has credited his new bride, Amy Reimann, whom he wed on New Year’s Eve, as someone who influenced him positively while he was sidelined.
“She just helped me mature as a person,” Earnhardt said. “She showed me a lot of things that were important. She helped me sort some priorities out in my life and get some things in a row.”
Only time will tell if he and crew chief Greg Ives remain in lockstep or need a few weeks — or months — to get their feet under them again. Meanwhile, every little nudge and bump that Earnhardt absorbs in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet will have Junior Nation — and NASCAR — holding its breath.
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New rules: No, not the Bill Maher kind. Get out your abacus. Or calculator. Or slide rule. The two most significant offseason changes involve race segments and points.
Every race — yes, even the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s version of the Super Bowl — will be divided into three segments. As always, an overall race winner will be declared, but there also will be winners of the individual segments. The segment winners will also get some TV time as NASCAR makes another attempt at building its brand with Millennials. And points will be awarded not just for the final running order, but for the top 10 at the end of the first and second segments.
In another wrinkle, all the bonus points collected in the regular season will carry into the 10-race playoffs — the Chase nomenclature went out with former sponsor Sprint — bringing more weight to performance during the first 26 races. And those bonus points will carry over through the elimination rounds and can be built upon with more stage and race wins.
Johnson’s drive for eight: After winning a seventh title in November to tie Richard Petty and Earnhardt Sr. for the most Cup titles, many labeled Jimmie Johnson NASCAR’s greatest of all-time. After all, he has won in an era that has seen more competitive racing under various points and elimination rules. He and crew chief Chad Knaus have adapted to — and conquered — them all.
Now, they must do it again to make history. Johnson, 41, must perform under a different points format that is aimed at rewarding consistency throughout the 26-race regular-season and a different race format.
With 80 wins in 543 starts and an average finish of 12.1, Johnson knows the rewards that come with reliability. It would be foolish to count him out, even if he gets off to a slow start.
He looks refreshed, as anyone who follows him on Instagram will tell you, after an offseason spent frolicking in the snow with family and friends in the Colorado mountains.
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Toyota: Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip has said he is making his final Cup start at the Great American Race. It will come 10 years after Waltrip and his team helped bring Toyota into the NASCAR Cup family — in a very inauspicious manner.
Michael Waltrip Racing was found to have added an illegal substance to the engine manifold during qualifying for that year’s 500, incurring harsh penalties that put the team owner on the brink of bankruptcy and embarrassing the car manufacturer before its first race.
Now, Toyota is coming off its first manufacturers’ championship in Cup and arguably has the dominant team again in Joe Gibbs Racing, with 2015 champion Kyle Busch, 2003 champ Matt Kenseth, defending Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin and rookie Daniel Suarez, the 2016 Xfinity Series champion who is replacing retired Carl Edwards. And that’s not counting Furniture Row Racing’s two-car contingent of Martin Truex Jr., who made the final four in 2015, and rookie Erik Jones, the 2015 Camping World Truck Series champion.
What a difference a decade makes.
Stewart-Haas Racing: Stewart, a three-time Cup champion, has vacated the No. 14 — but not the building.
While his NASCAR career as a driver has ended, his responsibilities as a co-owner remain. Expect him to be atop the pit box and around the garage as he helps guide the four-car team to a switch from Chevrolet to Ford.
Meanwhile, Clint Bowyer will step in as the fourth driver, joining 2014 champion Kevin Harvick, 2004 titlist Kurt Busch and Danica Patrick. Bowyer and Patrick are seeking sponsorship for more than a handful of their races, which could add pressure to up their performance on the track sooner rather than later.
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