Newman, the champion?

By @GucciardoJoey | November 30th, 2014

Ryan Newman in 2014 (Photo: Jayski.com)

Try to think back to 2002. You had two NASCAR Winston Cup Series rookies fighting for Rookie of the Year. They were Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman.

Newman won the award that season.

But, since 2002, the Winston Cup Series went through huge changes. New champions emerged, and the name changed from NEXTEL Cup (2004-2007), to Sprint Cup (2008-Pres.). Jimmie Johnson won six championships, Tony Stewart won his third, Brad Keselowski won his first, and now, Kevin Harvick has won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

But, Newman still had a good run in the race when Harvick won the championship. He finished second, Harvick finished first.

Newman has never won a championship in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Newman was a free agent at the end of the 2013 season after completing five seasons at Stewart-HAAS Racing in the No. 39 Chevrolet.

He needed something new on his resume if he wanted to get on another team, someone would think at least.

He had a DAYTONA 500 victory in 2008, but that really wasn't enough to get Newman on a new team, neither was that Rookie of the Year award in 2002.

But, Newman went out and beat his 2002 rival Johnson in the 2013 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, winning the famed race for the first time in his career.

Now, Newman started at Richard Childress Racing in 2014 driving the No. 31 Chevrolet.

2014 was a  good season for Newman, because he was in the championship hunt all the way until the end, and managed to do this even though he went winless in 2014.

Could this be a new Ryan Newman?

Harvick starting a new dynasty?

By @GucciardoJoey

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Well, you had one in 2011 and 2014, a break from the Jimmie Johnson championship reign.

But, Johnson had that sixth championship in 2013.

But, 2014 was the year that Team 48 was proven beatable, thanks to the new Chase format, if you think of it that way.

 But, Kevin Harvick won that first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2014, but could this be the new dominator of the new chase format?

Remember, the old chase format basically was owned by Johnson. He won the championship in 2006-10, and again in 2013. Now, they didn't even make the third round of the chase this year.

Harvick, dominant all season long, won the championship with only four wins. He hit a walk at Phoenix to put himself in the final round of the chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup final four at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He was the highest finisher of the four drivers (1st), and Ryan Newman was second. Newman had a great run in the final laps but just couldn't get past Harvick.

But, we always wonder, when someone other than Johnson wins the championship, that the driver who wins that year will start a new dynasty.

I thought the same when Brad Keselowski beat Johnson in 2012 for the championship. But Johnson bounced back the next year. Tony Stewart's championship in 2011 didn't really strike my mind in the same way, not because Stewart already had two championships, but I thought at that time his career was winding down. 2014 proved me wrong.

Stewart was always in contention in 2014, and he didn't make the chase, and he may not have won, but he proved that he can stay in contention.

But Harvick is at the point where he can take the pressure.

He came in to what was then the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in 2001 to replace the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr., who died in the 2001 DAYTONA 500. Harvick ran the No. 29 Goodwrench Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.

But Harvick started out at Stewart-HAAS Racing this season, along with Kurt Busch, Danica Patrick, and Tony Stewart.

The main question here is, can Kevin Harvick start a new dynasty?

Is Crafton the Jimmie Johnson of the Truck Series?

By @GucciardoJoey | November 24th, 2014

PHOTO: Motorsport.com

Read the title again. Jimmie Johnson did not have that many impressive statistics the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

In fact, he has only one statistic, for running only one race in the series in 2008. He led 29 laps in the race, but finished 34th. He started 9th in the race.

But, look at his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series statistics. Six championships, two DAYTONA 500's, and as of the 2014 season, has 70 wins in the series.

MORE: Johnson's stats on Racing Reference

Any NASCAR fan knows that Johnson's first five championships came in a row (2006-10), but no one has ever had consecutive championships in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Except, Matt Crafton.

Crafton won his second consecutive championship in the series in November of 2014.

Since the Tulare, CA driver started racing in the series in 2000, it took him thirteen seasons to win his first championship, the first of the two consecutive being in 2013.

In 2014, he had two wins, something he had never done before in the series. He always went with at least one win in a season, or even went winless. That's a fifteen year career in the famed NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

MORE: Crafton's stats on Racing Reference

Everyone seems to look up to famous drivers these days. Cole Whitt was involved in a wreck at Watkins Glen in the Sprint Cup race the track held in 2014. It was similar to Jimmie Johnson's 2000 crash in the same spot at the track.

"The last person to do that won six championships" Whitt  said, referencing the El Cajon, CA driver (Johnson).

Crafton is a driver who seems to have the guts to move on to the NASCAR XFINITY Series with a permanent ride for at least one season, right?

Look at these stats.

Crafton has only ran four NXS races, one in 2014, and 3 in 2013. Only two of the races resulted in top 5's, and both those races were in 2013.

But, the main question is can the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series have a new face of the series in their hands, and can Crafton move on through the ranks of the NASCAR circuit?

Kyle Busch wins O'Reilly Auto Parts Showdown, one win away from Weekend SWEEP!

By Joey Gucciardo @GucciardoJoey

(Photo: http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/
articles/2014/11/1/nationwide-series-o-reilly-auto-parts-
challenge-race-recap-results-texas-motor-speedway.html)

Fort Worth, TX--- Bring out the broom Texas!

Kyle Busch is on the hunt for another Trucks-Nationwide-Sprint Cup weekend sweep.

This time, it is after he was eliminated from Chase contention just two weeks ago in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega.

He won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race yesterday.

MORE: Mini Recap of Yesterday's Truck Series race

Joey Logano came in second, followed by Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, and Matt Kenseth.

Brian Scott, Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler, and Dakoda Armstrong rounded out the Top-10.

Full Series Standings from Google.com

NASCAR Standings

Sprint Cup Series -  Nationwide Series -  Camping World Truck Series

As of: O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge		+/-	Points	Behind	Wins
1	Chase Elliott #9 - Chevrolet	–	1,146	‒	3
2	Regan Smith #7 - Chevrolet	–	1,098	48	1
3	Brian Scott #2 - Chevrolet	–	1,083	63	0
4	Elliott Sadler #11 - Toyota	–	1,078	68	1
5	Ty Dillon #3 - Chevrolet	–	1,071	75	1
6	Trevor Bayne #6 - Ford	–	1,017	129	0
7	Chris Buescher #60 - Ford	–	943	203	1
8	Brendan Gaughan #62 - Chevrolet	–	903	243	2
9	Ryan Reed #16 - Ford	–	847	299	0
10	Dylan Kwasniewski #31 - Chevrolet	+1	813	333	0
11	James Buescher #99 - Toyota	-1	812	334	0
12	Landon Cassill #01 - Chevrolet	–	779	367	0
13	Dakoda Armstrong #43 - Ford	–	741	405	0
14	Mike Bliss #19 - Toyota	–	730	416	0
15	Jeremy Clements #51 - Chevrolet	–	691	455	0
16	Ryan Sieg #39 - Chevrolet	–	650	496	0
17	J.J. Yeley #28 - Dodge	–	609	537	0
18	Jeffrey Earnhardt #4 - Chevrolet	–	559	587	0
19	Eric McClure #14 - Toyota	–	485	661	0
20	Joey Gase #52 - Chevrolet	–	461	685	0

Kyle Busch wins trucks at Texas

By Joey Gucciardo

(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)

FORT WORTH, TX--- Not only did he walk away with the win, but the 2014 Manufacturer's Championship for Toyota.

He won it on a Green-White-Checkered finish, and won his 7th win in the 9 starts he has in the series this season. On that final restart, he passed German Quiroga for the win.

According to USA Today Sports (http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2014/10/31/kyle-busch-wins-truck-race-at-texas/18296105/), Burton was second, followed by Peters, Tyler Reddick, points leader Matt Crafton, Joey Coulter, Max Gresham, Joe Nemechek, Ryan Blaney and Cameron Hayley.