Allen Bestwick

We all like to try and predict the future. So what can we look for in the coming Nextel Cup season? I’ll venture a swing at that, hoping that some ego-swelling, told-you-so moments are down the road for me, rather than any of the oh-so-humbling, got-that-one wrong moments.

The champion
Yikes, can’t we start with something easier? The Nextel Cup field is so deep and competitive it might be easier to pick a winning stock on Wall Street than to predict the 2006 series winner, especially given NASCAR’s Chase for the Nextel Cup championship format.

Still, this is about making an educated guess, and my guess is Jeff Gordon. Already a four-time Cup champion, Gordon’s 2005 season was so out of character it was almost beyond description. Gordon began the year by winning the Daytona 500 and scored three wins in the opening nine races, but for most of the next six months there weren’t very many highlights for him.

Gordon finished 30th or worse an amazing 12 times last season -- a record that would be laughable if we weren’t talking about one of the sport’s very best drivers. But Gordon and his new crew chief, Steve Letarte, got things rolling in the final month of last season, winning once and scoring three top-three finishes in the final five races.

Handling problems on the fast 1.5-and-2-mile tracks were a major issue for Gordon through most of 2005, but in that final month of racing it seemed those had been figured out.

I look for Gordon to come out strong in 2006, make the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship, and add another ring to his collection come season’s end.

Most wins in 2006
As soon as I looked at this category, one driver’s name just sort of jumped off the page at me: Carl Edwards. I think there will be plenty to flip over after races during the coming year for the rising star who has made the flip his trademark celebration for race wins.

Despite being in just his first full-season of top-level NASCAR racing, Edwards posted four wins in 2005, including victories in two of the final four races. He did this despite being relatively inexperienced compared to the drivers he was beating.

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Add another year’s experience to the formula, and I think you’ve got a driver primed for success.

Why not pick Edwards for the championship? Believe me, I was tempted and tempted a lot, but I really feel Jeff Gordon’s experience will make him just that little bit more consistent than Edwards in the long run, and that will make the championship difference.

It will be a very small difference, but still prove enough. Still, the rapidly growing legion of Carl Edwards fans will have much to shout about during 2006.

Point position gain
Which driver will gain the most positions in the final standings from 2005 to 2006? I’m gonna pick Scott Riggs for this one.

Last year was simply lousy for Riggs. He finished 34th in the standings, with only four top-10 runs against seven DNF's. Riggs has moved on to Evernham Motorsports for 2006, and I look for him to gain a great deal more consistency this year than he’s had the past two seasons.

I’m not picking Riggs to make the Chase, but I think he’ll gain a great deal of ground this season.