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Hey there everyone, I figured I would get rolling on the 2022 content and what better way to start off with some pre-season rankings. I wouldn't put too much into these rankings, but this is how I view drivers in the early going before the season. A lot of things happened last season and a lot of moving parts in the off-season happened as well. With that said, there are many questioned headed into a new season! Will Larson repeat his impressive 2021 season? Will Harvick return to victory lane? How will Keselowski do at Roush as a driver-owner? Who will fall down to earth from 2021? Who will bounce back? I am getting excited thinking about it, so let's get rolling!
1. Kyle Larson - He's the 2021 Cup champion and went to victory lane a impressive 10 times in 2021. Might be one of the most dominant seasons that we seen from any driver over the past couple decades. I think it is harder to see dominant seasons in this day and age because some teams will go into test mode after locking up a couple wins. Not with Larson, that team kept cracking the whip. If I were to start a brand new team, I would select the most talented driver in the field. Hands down his name is Kyle Larson!
2. Denny Hamlin - I say Hamlin was the most consistent driver in the field when the checkers waved in 2021 for most of the season. He seemed like he behind Larson in terms of overall performance, though. It was pretty impressive to see him bulid that huge lead on Larson. I believe it was over 100 points at one point. But Larson went on like a 7 or 8 race streak of top 2 finishes. Still, Hamlin was strong all season and ended up making to Phoenix. I personally thought he had a real shot, but he never had the speed for the 5 car and was a bit behind the 19 car as well. He should be one of the favorites in 2022, but one has to wonder if he will ever get
3. Martin Truex Jr - I don't think Truex Jr get credit for having a strong of a season as he did but Larson stole the spotlight almost on a weekly basis. However, Truex jr was in contention on a weekly basis and had the 2nd-most wins (tied with Bowman actually) among all drivers in the series. I think the Gibbs cars were behind the HMS bunch often in 2021, but they eventually caught up as the weather got warmer though. Truex was really really good and should be considered a favorite in 2022!
4. Kyle Busch - Early in 2021 season, it was pretty clear that Hendrick Motorsports was head and shoulder above the field. After that, I thought Kyle Busch consistently one of the teams showed the most speed. Him and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates! I feel like other teams eventually caught up, but seemed like it always was a Gibbs driver or two that most often challenged the Hendrick cars. His teammate Denny Hamlin was probably just as quick most weekends, but only difference was Hamlin rarely had a bad race most of the season. In terms of speed, I didn't really think it was major difference between the 18,11 and 19. They were pretty similar in the speed department. I do feel like Kyle Busch struggled a little bit more some races because they didn't the setup just right. He one of the drivers seem to not be a beneficial of the no practice and qualifying rule
5. Joey Logano - I am not really super high on the Penske cars this season, but Logano looked awesome in the clash. I think people say that Penske had a down year, even though they put all 3 cars in victory lane at least once. I think the Penske fords started off pretty good, but they never got better like other teams did. Penske seem to always be ahead of the curve, but sometimes they don't do a good job of improving. I wouldn't be surprise if they started off really strong again.
6. Chase Elliott - I think I could easily put Elliott head of Logano and maybe one of the Gibbs cars. It is no shade at Elliott. He is one of the best drivers in the sport, but that says a lot of how deep the field is. Elliott will likely win a few races in 2022 and be in contention for the championship. However, I think Elliott is Jeff Gordon to Kyle Larson's Jimmie Johnson. If him and Larson were to stay long term at Hendrick, I think that how it would play out. I do have curiosity about if Larson and Elliott were 1A and 1B in terms of equipment, or if Larson was given the best available. If it was the latter, that would explain why Larson won 7 more races than Elliott. If it the former, then that just says how ungodly talented Kyle Larson really is. Now that Larson got his championship, I think he might get our answer on that. I say we know after about 12 races
7. William Byron - I was very high on Bryon headed into last season and he honestly blew away my expectations. He really did have his breakout season at Hendrick. There were some weeks that he struggled, but for the most part he was really strong in that 24 car. Byron was one of those highly touted prospects to come up through the ranks in recent years. William Byron seems to have finally arrived in the Cup series. Just kinds sucks he get overshadow by two of the best drivers in the sport. I think the general public, if he was on a different team
8. Kevin Harvick - Two seasons ago, Harvick won 9 times and just came up short of the championship race. Last season, he failed to reach victory lane. Will he get back to his winning ways? 99% of people would say yes, but I am gonna be bold and say no. I think Haas had a down year, but I don't think it just a one year thing, though. I think Harvick is still a good driver, but I am just not convinced that he will have the equipment to get it done. Weird to say, but could Haas be headed down the Roush path? Ford in general I am concerned about. They been good the last few years, but they are obviously a step behind Gibbs and Hendrick. I am just not convinced that Haas is back and that includes the aging Harvick
9. Ryan Blaney - Blaney is another interesting driver. Blaney will have to take one more of a leadership role in 2022 with no longer being the youngest guy there. And he hasn't been bad by any means in his career. He has been pretty good, but he has remained inconsistent with good equipment. Which is fair because he is young still. But at what point do we say that is old enough that excuse isn't valid. Being honest, Blaney is Kasey Kahne. Frankly that is a pretty good comparison. Both good but inconsistent drivers. Both won races, but nobody ever saw them as threats because they consistently get the job done. So far in his career, that pretty much to a tee what we have seen from Blaney. Will 2022 be any difference? Time will tell!
10. Christopher Bell - Quite a few drivers I considered for this final spot. Including Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick. Bell, I think has the most talent and I think he has the best equipment. I guess the equipment is debatable, but I think he could do more with it than these other guys. I think Bell has under performed so far at Gibbs and which means he will likely be the chopping block at some point like every other driver that is the 4th driver at Gibbs. Can Bell finally put it together? He certainly had his fair share of good runs, but he also probably have had just as many just good enough or bad runs as well. I think this is the year that he has to put it together. If not, I do wonder about his future. Erik Jones only got 4 years at Gibbs in Cup. Bell might share the same faith, if he dont start winning races in the next few years
Thanks for reading,
Twitter - @Garryy12
Email - Garrybriggs265@gmail.com
