I have enjoyed watching many of these up-and-coming drivers work their way up the ranks, so I thought that trying to figure out which 3 to put on a team would be an interesting challenge. It was honestly very hard to do! So, after much consideration, here are my 3 drivers, and the reasons why I picked them.
Joey Logano – 23 years old, 38 in 15 years
Joey was actually the first pick, claimed by Kyle Petty, on Race Hub. It’s a good one too. Joey is still very young, but I think he will be a top star in the coming years. His first year with Penske has been better than I thought it would be! If it wasn’t for the 25 point penalty earlier this year and 2 tire failures, Joey would almost certainly be in the top 10 in points. If they have been running this strong in their first year at Penske, it will be very interesting to see the next. Bottom line, Joey’s new ride has allowed him to show his talent…and he definitely has talent! He also has more experience than my other two picks, which would make him the leader for my organization. In 15 years, he would be at the tail end of his “prime” (When a driver produces the best results, usually 29 – 39 years old.), and able to give quality veteran advice, which is very valuable for a team.
Kyle Larson – 20 years old, 35 in 15 years
Kyle has probably been the most impressive of the all the up-and coming drivers so far. For me, this was an easy pick. Kyle is currently racing in his 1st full time year in the Nationwide Series, and in the 17 races they have ran so far, he has placed in the top 10 65% of the time! Not bad for a rookie year. The kid has a lot of potential, and I, along with many others, think he will be one of the top drivers in the next generation of the sport. He will be in the middle of his prime in 15 years, and I’m almost positive he will be a multi-year champion.
Gray Gaulding – 15 years old, 30 in 15 years
Trying to figure out who would be my 3rd pick was incredibly hard! I put a lot of time and effort in trying to work it out. I kept going back and forth between 3 guys: My official pick, and the other 2 who are listed below. The main two reasons I picked Gray was because of his potential, and his age. He also is a marketing dream! I have never seen a driver so sponsor-oriented! If he keeps driving and makes it to Sprint, he will probably never run out of willing sponsors! Gray is doing great on the track too, placing very solid finishes in the K&N Pro Series East right now. In the series 7 races so far, Gray had had 5 top 10s, including a 2nd place, and an average finish of 10.4. Gray would be entering his prime in 15 years from now, which separates my 3 drivers into 3 different stages of their career. He would be benefiting from his two older teammates input, which will make him even more of a threat when he peaks.
The only concern I would have about him being on my team is this: He seems like a one-man show. What I mean by that is, I don’t think he would like teammates that much. In the top 3 primer series in NASCAR, teammates share data and advice on how they have been driving the track. This can help the driver’s car setup, and how to run the track on a faster line. I can’t see Gray doing this. He probably never has. When it comes to smaller series, the kind that drivers start on that run local tracks, a group comes to the track and the focus is on that one driver and car. In K&N, they run “higher up” tracks, but it is mostly a development series, directly linked to NASCAR. Many big name teams, including Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, have a hand in this series to develop a driver… usually just one at a time. Again, the team is focused on that one driver and car. I might be reading Gray all wrong, but I think it will be interesting to see how does with his future teammates when he gets to the Truck Series and beyond.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ryan Blaney – 19 years old, 34 in 15 years
If I had a four car team, Ryan would be my next pick. He’s another driver with a lot of potential. In the Truck series, 6 of the 9 races he has run have been in the top 10, half of those being in the top 5. He would be another driver in their prime a decade and a half from now, but there is one particular reason I didn’t pick him over Gray: Marketability. Blaney seems very bland to me during interviews, and apparently I’m not the only one who thinks that. Kyle Petty noted during Race Hub, that Ryan needs to show a little more personality. If he doesn’t do this, it could hurt how he attracts sponsors. As I have seen from his sisters’ Twitter accounts, though, Ryan does actually have a more interesting side to him. So why “no personality”? Petty added later that he thought this was because of Ryan wanting to be professional, and not making mistakes that could hurt his career. I’m sure he will find the balance between professionalism and personality soon, though.
Chase Elliott – 17 years old, 32 in 15 years
Chase is another pick I was considering. He would be closer to the beginning of his prime, like Gray, but I would like to see more stats from him. Of the four Truck Series races he has run, he’s earned straight top 10’s, 3 of them being top 5’s. Very impressive stats, but they are all short tracks (Drivers who are 16 and 17 years old can only run short tracks and road courses in the Truck Series). I would like to see Chase run the full Truck Series schedule, which I’m sure he will do next year since he will be old enough to, and see his stats then. I’m sure they will be good, but I want to wait until then to possibly put him on my team.
One thing this challenge showed for certain is that NASCAR’s future is very bright. The 20 drivers who were chosen by those on Race Hub, all deserved to be picked and I think they will go far in their careers. I’m really looking forward to it!
Ryan Blaney – 19 years old, 34 in 15 years
If I had a four car team, Ryan would be my next pick. He’s another driver with a lot of potential. In the Truck series, 6 of the 9 races he has run have been in the top 10, half of those being in the top 5. He would be another driver in their prime a decade and a half from now, but there is one particular reason I didn’t pick him over Gray: Marketability. Blaney seems very bland to me during interviews, and apparently I’m not the only one who thinks that. Kyle Petty noted during Race Hub, that Ryan needs to show a little more personality. If he doesn’t do this, it could hurt how he attracts sponsors. As I have seen from his sisters’ Twitter accounts, though, Ryan does actually have a more interesting side to him. So why “no personality”? Petty added later that he thought this was because of Ryan wanting to be professional, and not making mistakes that could hurt his career. I’m sure he will find the balance between professionalism and personality soon, though.
Chase Elliott – 17 years old, 32 in 15 years
Chase is another pick I was considering. He would be closer to the beginning of his prime, like Gray, but I would like to see more stats from him. Of the four Truck Series races he has run, he’s earned straight top 10’s, 3 of them being top 5’s. Very impressive stats, but they are all short tracks (Drivers who are 16 and 17 years old can only run short tracks and road courses in the Truck Series). I would like to see Chase run the full Truck Series schedule, which I’m sure he will do next year since he will be old enough to, and see his stats then. I’m sure they will be good, but I want to wait until then to possibly put him on my team.
One thing this challenge showed for certain is that NASCAR’s future is very bright. The 20 drivers who were chosen by those on Race Hub, all deserved to be picked and I think they will go far in their careers. I’m really looking forward to it!
