PAUL CARREAU of Bleacher Report.com
For three Sprint Cup Series drivers, the season finale at Homestead is one last chance to win the 2013 series championship. For everyone else, it is an opportunity not only to win the final race of the year, but also to build some momentum going into the 2014 season.
Some drivers, like Kasey Kahne and Carl Edwards, have had minimal amounts of success in the Chase and could really use a strong finish to gain some momentum to take into the offseason.
Other competitors, namely Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick, have peaked at the right time and will have no trouble carrying over this year's successes into the upcoming season.
I will take a look at eight drivers who have built the most momentum going into next year. Whether they snapped long winless streaks, or put a string of really strong finishes together, these drivers are the ones who are least likely to be happy about the 2013 season coming to a close.
For three Sprint Cup Series drivers, the season finale at Homestead is one last chance to win the 2013 series championship. For everyone else, it is an opportunity not only to win the final race of the year, but also to build some momentum going into the 2014 season.
Some drivers, like Kasey Kahne and Carl Edwards, have had minimal amounts of success in the Chase and could really use a strong finish to gain some momentum to take into the offseason.
Other competitors, namely Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick, have peaked at the right time and will have no trouble carrying over this year's successes into the upcoming season.
I will take a look at eight drivers who have built the most momentum going into next year. Whether they snapped long winless streaks, or put a string of really strong finishes together, these drivers are the ones who are least likely to be happy about the 2013 season coming to a close.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won his first Sprint Cup pole earlier in 2013.
It would be unfair to call Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s rookie season a failure. He has yet to score a win and has only been a serious contender for a victory a handful of times. Even still, the results have not been that bad.
Stenhouse failed to record a top-10 finish through the first 25 races of the season, but 18 of those events ended with a finish between 11th and 20th.
The last 10 races have seen an improvement in Stenhouse's results. He has posted three top-10 finishes, including a career-best, third-place finish at Talladega. After spending the majority of the season muddled around 20th in the standings, he has picked up a few positions and currently sits in 18th place.
The 2013 season may not have been as successful as the two-time Nationwide Series champion would have hoped, but he has shown signs of improvement that are sure to lead to a bright future.
It would be unfair to call Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s rookie season a failure. He has yet to score a win and has only been a serious contender for a victory a handful of times. Even still, the results have not been that bad.
Stenhouse failed to record a top-10 finish through the first 25 races of the season, but 18 of those events ended with a finish between 11th and 20th.
The last 10 races have seen an improvement in Stenhouse's results. He has posted three top-10 finishes, including a career-best, third-place finish at Talladega. After spending the majority of the season muddled around 20th in the standings, he has picked up a few positions and currently sits in 18th place.
The 2013 season may not have been as successful as the two-time Nationwide Series champion would have hoped, but he has shown signs of improvement that are sure to lead to a bright future.
Brad Keselowski
His title defense got off to a great start. He opened the season with four consecutive top-five finishes, and seven top-10s through the first eight races. At that point, he was third in the standings.
Then it all fell apart. He only posted four top-10s for the rest of the regular season and finished 15th in points.
Though not a championship contender, Keselowski has had a successful postseason. He scored his lone win of the season at Charlotte and has finished 11th or better in seven of the nine playoff races.
After struggling through the middle portion of the season, Keselowski and his team have once again found the winning combination and appear to be well on their way to reclaiming a spot in next year's Chase.
His title defense got off to a great start. He opened the season with four consecutive top-five finishes, and seven top-10s through the first eight races. At that point, he was third in the standings.
Then it all fell apart. He only posted four top-10s for the rest of the regular season and finished 15th in points.
Though not a championship contender, Keselowski has had a successful postseason. He scored his lone win of the season at Charlotte and has finished 11th or better in seven of the nine playoff races.
After struggling through the middle portion of the season, Keselowski and his team have once again found the winning combination and appear to be well on their way to reclaiming a spot in next year's Chase.
Jeff Gordon
Following the controversial finish at Richmond that appeared to eliminate Gordon from playoff contention, he was given new life. NASCAR ruled that Gordon would be the 13th driver in the Chase, making it the first time in history that more than 12 drivers would compete for the title.
Since the playoffs began, Gordon has been one of the top runners. The first seven events of the Chase ended with Gordon finishing 15th or better, including the win at Martinsville, his first victory of the year.
Following a crash at Texas, caused by a blown tire, Gordon's 2013 championship hopes were ruined. That accident notwithstanding, Gordon has put a very stellar postseason together after it appeared that it was a Chase he would not even be a part of.
Following the controversial finish at Richmond that appeared to eliminate Gordon from playoff contention, he was given new life. NASCAR ruled that Gordon would be the 13th driver in the Chase, making it the first time in history that more than 12 drivers would compete for the title.
Since the playoffs began, Gordon has been one of the top runners. The first seven events of the Chase ended with Gordon finishing 15th or better, including the win at Martinsville, his first victory of the year.
Following a crash at Texas, caused by a blown tire, Gordon's 2013 championship hopes were ruined. That accident notwithstanding, Gordon has put a very stellar postseason together after it appeared that it was a Chase he would not even be a part of.
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