Less than one week remains until the 2021 NASCAR season kicks off at Daytona International Speedway. Let’s put that offseason to rest!
Of course, Daytona Speedweeks will look a tad different in 2021, as it has been condensed to six days with the Busch Clash kicking everything off on Tuesday evening (on the road course). Wednesday will feature a single 50-minute Cup Series practice, followed by Daytona 500 qualifying at night. On Thursday, the Bluegreen Vacations Duels hit center stage, where there will be six drivers battling for four spots. Then the Camping World Truck Series returns on Friday, the Xfinity Series will hit the track Saturday for its annual 300-miler and the Great American Race concludes the weekend.
For each series, Daytona is the first opportunity for drivers — and teams — to lock themselves into the postseason. Across all three series, there has never been a time where there were more winners in the regular season than allotted playoff positions.
And while there are thousands of miles to be run prior to the playoffs beginning, the Jayski crew decided to come up with who we all think will be a part of the postseason come the fall among all three series. And, oh yeah, who is going to win the championship?
Amanda Brooks, Associate Editor at Jayski.com
Cup Predictions
Chase Elliott – He’s the defending champion and will have another solid season.
Kevin Harvick – Multiple wins, continued consistency.
Kyle Larson – Will contend with his new home at Hendrick Motorsports.
Ryan Blaney – I think he will score multiple wins this year.
Brad Keselowski – Keselowski will start the season off in Daytona with frustration no more, and another solid season will follow.
Joey Logano – I expect the No. 22 team to repeat last season; scoring a few wins and continued consistency.
William Byron – I think he is going to have a very consistent year and could wind up getting a victory or two with Rudy Fugle atop the pit box.
Denny Hamlin – Will be up front again and score a few wins.
Kyle Busch – There’s a very high chance he’ll use his disappointment from season last year as fire and win multiple races. Watch out!
Martin Truex, Jr. – A few wins, and like Harvick, continued consistency in his second season with James Small.
Matt DiBenedetto – The No. 21 team will continue to contend and get the win everyone has been waiting for from the California kid.
Aric Almirola – The No. 10 team will have another solid season and make the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year.
Alex Bowman – I feel like he is going to have a solid year in the No. 48 and be in contention a number of times, potentially earning a win.
Chase Briscoe – The Cup rookie follow in teammate Cole Custer’s tracks and have a respectable rookie season, maybe even a win.
Kurt Busch – Busch will continue to show consistency, something he’s done in his first two years with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Austin Dillon – I think the No. 3 team and Richard Childress Racing will be a little more consistent and improve on his nine top-10 finishes from 2020.
Championship 4 — Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr.
Champion — Kevin Harvick
Xfinity Series
Championship 4 — Justin Allgaier, Austin Cindric, Justin Haley, Daniel Hemric
Champion — Austin Cindric
Truck Series
Championship 4 – Matt Crafton, Zane Smith, Brett Moffitt, John Hunter Nemechek
Champion – Brett Moffitt
Dustin Albino, Digital Content Editor at Jayski.com
Cup Predictions
Kevin Harvick — The No. 4 team is going to come out with a vengeance with the way the 2020 season ended. Expect another big statistical year from the 2014 champion.
Chase Elliott — Seven road courses on the schedule in 2021? Elliott wins at least four of them, awarding him the most playoff points he’s ever had entering the playoffs. Side note: the No. 9 team will lead the series in wins this year.
Brad Keselowski — The 2012 champion stated last week he hasn’t gotten over the way 2020 ended (had the fastest car in the championship race, had bad pit stops on pit road). I’d bet the over on three wins this year, something he’s done five years in a row.
Joey Logano — The past two seasons have looked awfully similar for the No. 22 crew. 2021 will likely see much of the same consistency.
Denny Hamlin — I’m not sure if Hamlin gets to six or seven wins like he has the last two years, but he will be a weekly factor. He’s also got 23XI Racing to think about, which could be a slight distraction.
Kyle Busch — There’s absolutely no way Rowdy gets just one victory in 2021. This’ll be a big rebound year, with first-year Cup crew chief Ben Beshore.
Martin Truex Jr. — 2020 broke a four-year stretch of Truex winning at least four races in a season. There’s a good chance the No. 19 team gets back on track this year with multiple checkered flags.
Kyle Larson — There might be no more highly anticipated storyline entering the 2021 season than Larson. He’s in great equipment for the first time, so expect his talent to show out.
Alex Bowman — With the way Bowman performed in the playoffs — seven top-10 finishes in 10 races — he’s a near lock for the 2021 playoffs.
Ryan Blaney — 2021 is a big year for Blaney. His 2020 season ended in great disappointment, getting eliminated after the first round. Expect more than one win out of the No. 12 team.
William Byron — With the addition of Rudy Fugle — the same pairing that won seven of 23 Truck Series races in 2016 with Kyle Busch Motorsports — Byron should finally have his true breakout year.
Kurt Busch — Consistency has been key for Busch in his first two years at Chip Ganassi Racing. You’ll see more of the same in 2021.
Christopher Bell — Moving over to Joe Gibbs Racing, Bell is expected to perform in 2021. Not only his he a standout talent behind the wheel, but he’s got two-time champion crew chief Adam Stevens in his corner.
Matt DiBenedetto — DiBenedetto is a pending free agent, racing for his life yet again knowing he won’t be back with Wood Brothers Racing in 2022. It would only be fitting for his first win to be the Wood Bros. 100th win.
Bubba Wallace — Expectations are sky high for 23XI Racing this season. But with better equipment than ever before, Wallace is plenty capable of pointing in and contending for wins.
Tyler Reddick — Reddick showed a lot of promise in his rookie campaign with RCR. No matter the series, his second full year always tends to be better.
Championship 4 – Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch
Champion — Joey Logano
Xfinity Series
Championship 4 — Austin Cindric, Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Daniel Hemric
Champion — Justin Allgaier
Truck Series
Championship 4 — Zane Smith, Sheldon Creed, John Hunter Nemechek, Matt Crafton
Champion — John Hunter Nemechek
Scott Page, Director of Operations at Jayski.com
Cup Predictions
Aric Almirola – The No. 10 team is just so consistent week in and week out.
Christopher Bell – He could struggle a bit in the move to JGR, but a winless season would be a disappointment.
Matt DiBenedetto – DiBenedetto is still a great story and had a ton of talent. He’s going to grab a win somewhere in 2021.
Ryan Blaney – Improving on last year’s one win season seems likely, but can the No. 12 team’s performance improve in the playoffs?
Alex Bowman – This move to the famed No. 48 Chevrolet could give the No. 48 team its first playoff berth since 2018.
Kurt Busch – A Playoff run in what could be his final season? Maybe.
Kyle Busch – A great mystery for 2021, but results can’t be as bad (relatively speaking) as 2020, right? I expect multiple wins out of the No. 18 team.
Ross Chastain – Chastain usually keeps the car clean and that will help him point his way in, during his first year with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Chase Elliott – He probably can’t match 2020’s success (though there are seven road courses on the schedule!), but he will still be a weekly contender.
Kevin Harvick – I assume this team will pick up where they left off (before the Round of 8) last year.
Brad Keselowski – Three wins in 2020. Seems like a good goal for 2021.
Kyle Larson – He’s back and looking to prove himself again in the best equipment he’s ever competed in.
Joey Logano – Two or three wins would be a typical performance. Could have a deep playoff run.
Denny Hamlin – I wouldn’t expect seven wins again this year, but the No. 11 team should be up front more times than not.
Martin Truex, Jr. – I expect this team to bounce back from an off year (if you can call advancing to the Round of 8 an off year) and score multiple victories.
Bubba Wallace – The playoffs might be a tall order for a new team, but they are going to have the resources and Wallace is certainly capable of stealing a win.
Championship 4 — Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex, Jr.
Champion — Kevin Harvick
Xfinity Series
Championship 4 – Justin Allgaier, Harrison Burton, Jeb Burton, Austin Cindric
Champion – Austin Cindric
Truck Series
Championship 4 – Sheldon Creed, Brett Moffitt, John Hunter Nemechek, Zane Smith
Champion – John Hunter Nemechek