Boogity, Boogity, Boogity, Let's Go Racing Boys
by Brian Whitesell
Sports Writer
February 14, 2007

“Gentlemen start your engines,” are the most famous words in racing and on Feb. 18 Nicolas Cage, the Grand Marshal for the Daytona 500, will speak those very words.

The “Great American Race” is fast approaching and along with it comes the start of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season.  As the season begins, many questions sit unanswered from a tumultuous off-season.

The two biggest questions: Who going to win the Daytona 500 and, more importantly, who will win the 2007 Nextel Cup?

The clear cut favorite to win both the race and championship is Jimmie Johnson.

Johnson had five wins last year with two of those five coming in the “Chase”, along with a series-leading 24 top-10 finishes earning him his first Nextel Cup championship.  Johnson is also the defending champ of the Daytona 500.

Matt Kenseth finished a close second in the overall standing by a meager 56 points and should be ready to contend for his second championship.

The surprise last year was the rookie sensation out of Richmond, Va., Denny Hamlin. Sweeping the two races at Pocono Raceway last season was good enough to earn him third overall at the end of the season.

Kevin Harvick along with the help of Jeff Burton helped put Richard Childress Racing back on track.  The teammates finished fourth and seventh respectively and both will look to improve off of last year’s final standings.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the most interesting driver for this upcoming season.  To say Junior has being living a soap opera these past couple of months is an understatement. Junior is trying to get majority ownership of his legendary father racing team.  Will he get majority of Dale Earnhardt Incorporated? Only time will tell.  If he can put all this in his rearview mirror come race day look for him to challenge for his first Nextel Cup.

The most decorated driver racing today is Jeff Gordon.  He has won more championships than any other driver except Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt who both have seven.  Gordon should be a serious threat to win his fifth championship.

Tony Stewart will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing season last year where he failed to make the “Chase,” and finished eleventh.  Don’t expect another season like last year, but he should return to the top five.

Other drivers to hoping to break through to the next level and be major contenders this season include Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman and Elliot Sadler.

My Predictions for the Daytona 500 and upcoming Nextel Cup season are as followed:

• Earnhardt Jr. has never failed to finish at Daytona, has six top 10 finishes in his last seven trips and his average finish at the Daytona International Speedway is 11.4.  Junior will win his second Daytona 500 with Johnson, Stewart, Hamlin and Kenseth rounding out the top five. 
• The championship is Johnson’s to lose.  He has been the most dominant driver of the past five years and has never finished outside of the top five in the final standings in any of his years racing. 
• Stewart and Kenseth should make this year’s championships battle one of the most exciting since 1992 when Alan Kulwicki lead one more lap than Bill Elliot in the final race giving him five bonus points for leading the most laps; he won the championship by ten points.  Earnhardt Jr. and Harvick will finish in the top five.