The 2016 NASCAR season was a fairy-tale ending for champion Jimmie Johnson, as he earned his record-tying seventh title.
But the 2016 chapter didn't close with a "Happily Ever After" for several Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers. Many were left with disappointment, wrecked race cars and thoughts pondering "what if?"
That begs the question: Who will best rebound from last season in 2017?
NASCAR.com's Jessica Ruffin and Kathy Sheldon weigh the best options.
Ruffin: Certainly several drivers could be due for a rebound season -- Martin Truex Jr. won two of the three opening Chase races, only to have an engine failure take him out of Chase contention at Talladega. Carl Edwards seemed primed for his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title at Homestead until he wrecked into Joey Logano and headed for the garage instead of Victory Lane. Even Kasey Kahne seems due for a rebound, as he's gone two straight seasons without a win.
However, I think the most likely candidate drives the No. 2 Team Penske Ford. Brad Keselowski appeared to be a title front-runner in the races leading up to and at the beginning of the Chase, as he earned seven straight top-10 finishes from Michigan in August to the October race at Charlotte. A crash at Kansas put him in a must-win scenario at Talladega, a race he was leading until his engine expired.
This marks the second consecutive year that Keselowski has missed the final round of the Chase after making it all the way to the Round of 8. All of NASCAR knows that Keselowski has a fire and a drive to succeed -- and he'll be looking to redeem himself next season, starting with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, a track where Keselowski and teammate Logano have won two of the last four events.
Sheldon: I'd add Aric Almirola to the list of drivers who looked set up to win in 2016 only to have the season slip away. As the sole focus of Richard Petty Motorsports in 2017, the No. 43 should be on the upswing again.
But while many drivers seemed to suffer from seriously bad luck last season, serious injury was the culprit for Dale Earnhardt Jr., whom I believe is perfectly poised for a huge 2017.
Keselowski is due for a big bounce, I agree, but Junior is positioned well for his best run since 2013, when he finished fifth in the final standings. Before a concussion and lingering symptoms knocked Earnhardt out of the No. 88 for the final 18 races of 2016, he had five top-five finishes, four of which were runnner-up showings (Atlanta, Texas, Bristol and Pocono.)
Johnson's turnaround from a midseason slump to championship run, paired with Alex Bowman's power performance at Phoenix and solid stretch through 2016's final three races, indicate Hendrick Motorsports is back in top form. And while Hendrick was proving its mettle amid adversity, Earnhardt worked through a challenging injury with persistence and patience -- a strengthening of his steel, if you will.
Add to that Junior's personal life being on point with his New Year's Eve nuptials with Amy. A happy, hungry Junior in top-quality equipment will be tough to beat.