2007 Cup Predictions

NASCAR.COM gazes into its crystal ball ...

MARK AUMANN

	MARK AUMANN
Send Mark your thoughts ...

Jimmie Johnson will win the Cup
There hasn't been a repeat champion in almost a decade, but Johnson will break that jinx this season. In order to win the championship, you have to be consistent -- and you have to win races. Johnson is one of the best at doing both. Consider this: The only thing that separates Johnson's 2006 season from the previous three was an improvement in average finishing position. Otherwise, his top-fives and top-10s have been incredibly consistent since 2003. With a couple of lucky breaks, Johnson could have won the last three championships.

Denny Hamlin will miss the Chase
The easy choice to miss the 2007 Chase is Mark Martin, but that's cheating since he's not running the full schedule. Denny Hamlin had a tremendous rookie season with a pair of victories at Pocono, three poles and 20 top-10 finishes. Most importantly, he was running at the end of all but one race last season. That's going to be hard to repeat, especially when veterans like Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch will be pressing hard to get back to the postseason.

Scott Riggs will be the surprise driver of '07
Scott Riggs is in the perfect position to surprise everyone in 2007. It's obvious the Evernham team has the speed to run up front, particularly at the intermediate tracks -- and Riggs was one of the fastest in testing. Plus, the new Dodge nose should help the cars run better in traffic. After missing the Daytona 500, Riggs steadily moved up the standings with 24 lead-lap finishes. With any breaks at all this season, Riggs should be right in the thick of things.

Kurt Busch will be the comeback driver of' '07
Busch had easily his worst season since his rookie year, with one win and 12 top-10s. He crashed out of the season-opening Daytona 500 and the season finale at Homestead, which sums up 2006 in a nutshell. Still, Busch won six poles and his average starting position of 10.4 was his career high. That would lead you to believe that with the resources available to the Penske camp, Busch should bounce back big-time in 2007.

The story of the year will be ... qualifying
The race might take a back seat to the drama surrounding qualifying each weekend. With more cars than starting spots, the pressure will be immense on those teams sitting outside of the top 35 in owner's points. Qualifying could be dog-eat-dog, especially for the Toyota teams and the smaller operations. Even teams with guaranteed starts in the first five races of the season can't afford bad finishes that will leave them near the dividing line that will separate the fortunate from the desperate.

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JARROD BREEZE

	JARROD BREEZE
Send Jarrod your thoughts ...

Jimmie Johnson will win the Cup
He's simply the best going. Not only is he the most consistent driver in Nextel Cup, but he can also put his car in Victory Lane. He has at least three wins in each of his five full seasons on the circuit, the only driver with such a streak during that span. He has never finished worse than fifth in points. He came agonizingly close to the title in 2004 and 2005, then overcame everything thrown his way in 2006 to ascend to the top, with seemingly ease. He's there to stay.

Denny Hamlin will miss the Chase
Hamlin made for a good story in 2006, becoming the first rookie to make the Chase. Carl Edwards made for a good story in 2005. That's the point. It's hard to imagine the likes of Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle and Edwards missing the Chase two years in a row. If they get in, someone has to fall out. Hamlin is a future star, but hey, Tony Stewart missed out last year.

Scott Riggs will be the surprise driver of '07
Riggs finished 20th in points last year, despite missing the Daytona 500. He was better than 13 other drivers who made the full complement of starts. Riggs showed he wasn't afraid to mix it up with the sport's heavyweights, meaning he won't wilt under pressure. Evernham Motorsports is on an upswing, and Riggs will be in the middle of that.

Kurt Busch will be the comeback driver of' '07
After winning 14 races the previous four years, things fell apart for Busch in 2006, his first with Dodge. Busch finished 16th in points, the victim of bad luck more than once. His six Bud Poles were a testament to the No. 2 car's mettle, and a year of input should help in 2007. Expect the Blue Deuce back in the Chase.

The story of the year will be ... the COT -- the Car of Toyota
Yes, it's a safe bet in that if one isn't being mentioned, it's because the talk is about the other. They are hot topics that won't go away. We, the media, won't let them. We want to hear how ugly the Car of Tomorrow is, or how Toyota is going to send other manufacturers to the poorhouse. Misery loves company, you know! (Continued)