This is the first installment of a two-part series of burning questions for NASCAR's 2016 season.
With the NASCAR season nearing its start -- Speedweeks at Daytona is coming up quick -- here are five burning questions for 2016:
Q. How will the new aerodynamic package be received?
Well, we won't know until after Daytona, since the low-downforce setup won't be used at superspeedways. But there will be a lot of curiosity about the package when it makes its debut at Atlanta in the season's second race. Drivers loved the package when it was tested last season at Kentucky and Darlington, with passing and handling coming much more into play.
Q. Who's that new voice in the television booth?
Why, it's Jeff Gordon, who retired last season at (nearly) the top of the sport. Gordon will join Mike Joy and Darrell Waltrip at Fox after coming close to winning the 2015 championship (falling short at Homestead in the last race of the season). Rick Hendrick, for whom Gordon drove for 23 seasons, has said it won't sink in for him that Gordon has retired until he goes to Daytona and doesn't see Gordon's name above the door of the No. 24 Chevy.
Q. So what becomes of that car?
Chase Elliott, who won the 2014 Xfinity championship, takes over for Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports. Given his pedigree and the equipment he'll be driving, Elliott, 20, the son of hall-of-famer Bill Elliott, will be under significant pressure to perform well.
Q. What's in store for Tony Stewart in 2016?
Stewart is retiring as a Cup driver after the season, and, although he has said he wants to be able to race in other series, will focus on his ownership duties at Stewart-Haas Racing in the future. One immediate goal for Stewart: to win his first Daytona 500 in his last chance to do so. He'd at least like to win another race, something he hasn't done since 2013.
Q. Can Kyle Busch repeat?
There's no reason to think Busch can't win his second Cup championship in a row. He made the Chase last season despite having run in 11 fewer races than his competition after breaking his leg and foot in a season-opening wreck at Daytona. After a career filled with bad luck and poor performances in the Chase, he finally figured out how to succeed in the playoffs. That's not something he'll forget how to do.
About the Author
