So it begins. In a couple days, the haulers will roll into the infield of the renovated Daytona International Speedway, and the 2016 season will be underway. There are so many different things to predict, so I think I will sort my predictions by team.

Stewart-Hass Racing: SHR is coming off a very interesting season. Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch both were serious threats for the 2015 title, but Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick struggled to find any consistency. However, both Stewart and Patrick have been given new crew chiefs for this season, so they may improve. Unfortunatly, Stewart, who is in his final season, was injured in a non-racing accident. No one knows when he will return, but it is technically possible he will be a title contender. He just needs the same doctor as Kyle Busch.

Joe Gibbs Racing: Speaking of Kyle Busch, the next topic is JGR. Last year all four JGR drivers, Kyle, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, and Matt Kenseth, made the chase. All four were contenders for the championship, and Kyle won it. In the Summer of 2015, Nascar tested the low downforce rules package, and JGR drivers won both races with that package. This year, Nascar plans to use that as the primary rules package, so look for the JGR teams to be up front.

Hendrick Motorsports: For two decades, HMS has beenthe dominate team in Nascar. But last year, they seemed to lose their edge. Jeff Gordon retired, Jimmie Johnson was inconsistent, Kasey Kahne missed the chase, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had rotten luck late in the season. However, they now have a new weapon on the team. Chase Elliot. Chase has only driven in Nascar for two years, yet he already is an Xfinity Series champ. With the edition of Chase, HMS may have a shot to regain the domination they recently lost.

Penske Racing: I don’t know what to say here. Both Joey Logano and Brad Keslowski were capable of finishing the 2015 season 1-2. Yet somehow, neither was in the final four. Logano raced dirty in the final races of the Chase, prompting Matt Kenseth to wreck him out of Chase contention. Keslowski just couldn’t seem to be good when he needed to. I can never tell when these two will be fast, or when they will drie like spoiled little kids and wreck their way to the win. My prediction is that at least one of them will be punched in the nose by another driver this year.

Ganassi Racing: For the first time in years, Ganassi Racing put a driver in the chase. While Jamie McMurray made the chase, he failed to advance out of the first round. Still, it was improvement. As for his teammate Kyle Larson, improvement is needed. However both showed said improvment towards the close of 2015, so I think both may get in the chase in 2016.

Furniture Row Racing: FRR made big gains in 2015, putting solo driver Martin Truex Jr. in the chase, and getting a win in the Spring Pocono race. On top of those achievements, Truex made it into the final four drivers in the chase. However, 2016 will be a year of change. They are switching manufacturers from Chevrolet to Toyota, and the team announced that they are going to form a second team in 2017. While these changes may take some time to adjust to, they may pay off over the course of the season. So look for Truex tomake the chase yet again.

Richard Childress Racing: RCR is a puzzle. They haven’t won a race since 2013, yet they almost won the 2014 championship, and they put two drivers in the chase in 2015. Ryan Newman and Paul Menard are driving consistently, but Austin Dillon is a wild card. Ryan and Paul made the chase, yet somehow Dillon seemed to deserve it more. Can RCR have a breakout season in 2016? Yes, but they need to get Dillon more consistent, and they need to give Newman and Menard more speed.

Roush-Fenway Racing: RFR was, putting it nicely, horrible in 2015. None of their drivers made the chase, and they had no wins or consistency. Trevor Bayne struggled in his first full season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was out-raced by his girlfriend Danica, and Greg Biffle just needs to retire. That is all I have to say here.

Wood Brothers Racing: For the first time in years, WBR will run a full season in 2016 with Ryan Blaney behind the wheel of the no. 21 Ford. Blaney is a very young driver, but he has shown skill. I belive he will be a suprisingly good driver in 2016.

My predicted rankings in 2016:

1- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2- Kyle Busch

3- Kevin Harvick

4- Kurt Busch

5- Matt Kenseth

6- Carl Edwards

7-Jimmie Johnson

8- Chase Elliot

9- Ryan Blaney

10-Jamie McMurray

11-Austin Dillon

12-Kyle Larson

13-Brad Keslowski

14-Martin Truex Jr.

15-Danica Patrick

16-Ryan Newman

17-Paul Menard

18-Kasey Kahne

19-Trevor Bayne

20-Tony Stewart

21-Clint Bowyer

22-David Ragan

23-Chris Buescher

24-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

25-David Gilliland