8 – THE DERRICK. / The News-Herald Wednesday, November 30, 2016 QUESTIONS & ATTITUDE Compelling questions... and maybe a few actual answers What about Chad? Good question. While Jimmie Johnson has obviously hogged the attention, as the confetti is swept away and the champagne is mopped, crew chief Chad Knaus is finally getting some well-deserved pats on the SPEED FREAKS back. Knaus’ contributions to the No. 48 A couple questions team all these years isn’t lost on the driver, we had to ask — ourselves 3 THINGS WE LEARNED who says it’s his goal to get Chad an eighth championship, which would tie him with Who would like to see the 2016 Hall of Fame crew chief Dale Inman. season continue forever? GODSPEAK: Chase Elliott, FROM 2016 because he got better What? Inman had 8? NASCAR Chair- and better as the season man and CEO That’s right, and it might be what truly progressed. Brian France says separates Inman from the other Hall- KEN'S CALL: Kyle Larson, big-time stock-car caliber crew chiefs. He not only had those probably. He ended strong, racing is holding its seven he won with his cousin, King Richard then won a midget race last audience. GETTY Petty, but it’s often overlooked that Inman Thursday. Keep rolling, he's IMAGES/BOB also won one in 1984 with Terry Labonte. thinking. LEVERONE So Chad is still one shy of a tie. And, according to the Racing Reference record Who's glad 2016 is over? book, 93 race wins behind Inman. GODSPEAK: Clint Bowyer was in NASCAR purgatory all season. Next year he could Why Kevin Harvick? win the Cup Series title. You look below and you see my early KEN'S CALL: Easy, Tony top-10 projection for the beginning of 2017, Stewart. His only stock-car with Harvick at No. 1. And assuming you’ve pit stops will now involve the paid attention the past few years, you White Castle drive-thru. really shouldn’t have to ask why. Granted, with the current Chase system, even a con- Did Greg Biffle underachieve or sensus favorite can be kicked to the curb overachieve at Roush Racing? early. So there’s no guarantees, except GODSPEAK: We all love "The this: Harvick is probably the one driver Biff," but he never posted 1. Sport down? 2. Toyota’s year 3. Hendrick dynasty the others know they have to deal with in the Cup Series numbers we order to succeed in 2017. Well, OK, unless The numbers are down for Chevy’s Jimmie Johnson No other major American expected (not all his fault). that switch to Ford brings problems. NASCAR, from TV ratings to won the NASCAR Sprint Cup professional sports team has KEN'S CALL: I'll go with a simple "achieved." Champi- attendance figures. No wor- Series title, but Toyota ruled earned more championships ries. “We are still very pleased the season. Toyota drivers won (12) than Hendrick Motor- onships in Busch and Trucks, Ken Willis has been with our position in sports,” 16-of-36 races, including all sports since 1984. The L.A. 19 Cup wins. Solid career, but covering NASCAR for NASCAR CEO Brian France the majors, to take the series Lakers have eight NBA cham- never a star. The Daytona Beach said. “The audience isn't going manufacturer’s championship pionships, and the Chicago News-Journal for 27 away at all. It's sliding to dif- in the season finale. Chevy Bulls have six. The Cubs won years. Reach him at ken. ferent places, consuming in scored a dozen wins, leaving their first World Series title ONLINE EXTRAS [email protected] different ways.” Ford with eight. after a 108-year wait. news-journalonline. com/nascar — Godwin Kelly, [email protected] FEUD OF THE YEAR facebook.com/ nascardaytona 3 THINGS TO WATCH BEFORE 2017 @nascardaytona 1. Silly Season The biggest move of NASCAR’s Questions? Contact Godwin Wood Kauffman annual “Silly Season” wasn’t a Kelly at godwin.kelly@news- driver, but a team moving to a jrnl.com or Ken Willis at ken. WOOD BROTHERS VS. RTA: Just before the new car manufacturer. Stewart- [email protected] 2016 season, NASCAR and the Race Team Haas Racing is leaving the Chevy Alliance group, formed by Rob Kauff- camp to join forces with Ford. SHR man, signed a charter deal giving teams SPRINT CUP POINTS will now be receiving cars from tangible value. The Woods didn’t get a 1. Jimmie Johnson 5040 Team Penske and motors from charter. 2. Joey Logano 5037 Roush Yates Racing. Greg Biffle GODWIN KELLY’S TAKE: Wood Brothers 3. Kyle Busch 5035 was released by car owner Jack Racing is NASCAR’s oldest active race Roush, and Clint Bowyer will take team. Eddie Wood said they were disap- 4. Carl Edwards 5007 Greg Biffle’s last shining moment of his NASCAR Cup career was winning the wheel of Tony Stewart’s No. 14 pointed, and the team developed an “us 5. Matt Kenseth 2330 this year’s Coke Zero 400 pole position at Daytona. Biffle, left, shares the entry. More to come? against the world” mentality and dropped 6. Denny Hamlin 2320 moment with car owner Jack Roush. GETTY IMAGES/JERRY MARKLAND 7. Kurt Busch 2296 2. Rule changes out of the RTA. 8. Kevin Harvick 2289 brings out the skills of the race of Speedweeks. December is NASCAR is constantly tinker- 9. Kyle Larson 2288 drivers and makes racing better. historically NASCAR’s quiet time, ing with the rulebook as far as WHAT’S ON TAP? 10. Chase Elliott 2285 Again, in theory. This is best especially as the calendar gets stock-car configurations. The described as a fluid situation. closer to the week of Christmas, 11. Martin Truex Jr. 2271 SPRINT CUP: NASCAR Champion’s sanctioning body is expected to but the work never really stops 12. Brad Keselowski 2267 3. Time off Week take more downforce away from as race teams try to find that one 13. Jamie McMurray 2231 SITE: Las Vegas, Wynn Hotel the cars in 2017 (the rules won’t The 2017 Daytona 500 is less little edge over competitors as 14. Austin Dillon 2223 TV SCHEDULE: Friday (NBC Sports apply to Daytona and Talladega). than 90 days away, and NASCAR’s they toil in their race shops. The 15. Tony Stewart 2211 Network, 8 p.m.) With less downforce, the cars are premier race teams will be in lights are always on in Moores- 16. Chris Buescher 2169 HALL OF FAME: NASCAR Hall of Fame harder to drive, which, in theory, prep mode right up to the start ville, North Carolina. 17. Kasey Kahne 898 induction 18. Ryan Newman 895 SITE: NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte 19. AJ Allmendinger 830 — Godwin Kelly, [email protected] DATE: Jan. 20 20. Ryan Blaney 812 INDUCTEES: Richard Childress, Rick 21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 772 Hendrick, Mark Martin, Raymond 22. Trevor Bayne 762 GODWIN’S 2016 SUPERLATIVES Parks and Benny Parsons 23. Greg Biffle 691 DRIVER OF YEAR: BIGGEST SURPRISE: Godwin Kelly is the Daytona TV SCHEDULE: TBA 24. Danica Patrick 689 Jimmie Johnson Tony Stewart missed Beach News-Journal’s SPEEDWEEKS: At Daytona Interna- 25. Paul Menard 678 ROOKIE OF YEAR: the first eight Cup motorsports editor and tional Speedway 26. Aric Almirola 638 Chase Elliott races because a has covered NASCAR for 30 DATES: Feb. 18-26 27. Clint Bowyer 628 TEAM OF YEAR: Joe non-racing injury, years. Reach him at godwin. CUP SERIES: Daytona 500 (Race 1 of 28. Casey Mears 556 Gibbs Racing won at Sonoma [email protected] 36) 29. Landon Cassill 530 BREAKOUT DRIVER: and became Chase TV SCHEDULE: Feb. 26, race (Fox, 2 30. Michael McDowell 500 Martin Truex Jr. eligible. p.m.) KEN WILLIS’ TOP 10 NASCAR DRIVER RANKINGS KEVIN JOEY KYLE BUSCH MATT CARL JIMMIE CHASE KYLE CLINT MARTIN HARVICK LOGANO 170 KENSETH EDWARDS JOHNSON ELLIOTT LARSON BOWYER TRUEX Has a few Has to be combined Will contend Gonna be a Is seven The trendy The other Will reintro- Beginning, years left at dealt with for wins in top- … quietly, of long winter where it pick for 2017 trendy pick duce himself or end, of his the top of his a long time three-series course ends? next year good run? game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2016 SPRINT CUP SCHEDULE RESULTSWALKER AND WINNERS SALES & SERVICE Feb. 13: Sprint Unlimited at Daytona (Denny Hamlin) June 12: FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan (Joey Logano) Oct. 9: Bank of America 500 at Charlotte (Jimmie Johnson) Feb. 21: Daytona 500 (Denny Hamlin) GREATJune 26:SELECTION Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma OF (Tony Stewart) PRE-OWNEDOct. 16: Hollywood Casino 400VEhICLES at Kansas (Kevin Harvick) Feb.2004 28: Foldsdodge of Honor 2009500 at chevy Atlanta (Jimmie2004 Johnson) c hevy July2010 2: Coke chevy Zero 400 at 2009Daytona c hevy (Brad Keselowski)2003 buick Oct.2008 23: Alabamachevy 500 at2012 Talladega c hevy (Joey Logano)2003 c hevy Marchdurango 6: Kobalt 400 at Lasimpala Vegas (Brad Keselowski)impala Julysil 9: verado Quaker State 400 atimpala Kentucky (Brad Keselowski)centur y Oct. 30:hhr Goody’s 500 at Martinsvilleimpala (Jimmiesil Johnson) verado March 13: Good Sam 500k at Phoenix (Kevin Harvick) July 17: New Hampshire 301 (Matt Kenseth) Nov. 6: AAA 500 at Texas (Carl Edwards) March 20: Auto Club 400 at Fontana (Jimmie Johnson) July 24: Crown Royal 400 at Indianapolis (Kyle Busch) Nov. 13: Can-Am 500k at Phoenix (Joey Logano) April 3: STP 500 at Martinsville (Kyle Busch) Aug.