The first thing you need to know is that 2008 is only my second season watching NASCAR, so if I make rookie mistakes, forgive me. After watching just a couple of races in 2007, I decided that Matt Kenseth would be my guy. He’s an understated but very skilled driver, as I’m sure you all know. What I liked even more was that he was quick to take the blame for mistakes made, but even quicker to complement the crew when things went well. Not a lot of drivers do both of those things.
Last season had a lot of ups and downs, but all in all, it was a pretty enjoyable season to be a Matt Kenseth fan. However, I am kind of nervous about how this season is going to go. Now, don’t get me wrong….I am not a fair-weather fan. I will root for Kenseth whether he is winning or not. But, I have a couple of concerns.
First, I’m not so sure about new crew chief Bolin. I am trying my hardest to not make a snap judgement, but compared to the seamless functioning of the Reiser-led team, it doesn’t look so good to me.
Second, the Carl Edwards issue. I don’t think Edwards and Kenseth could be more opposite if they tried. Maybe in the off season, there was a lot of making up that I didn’t hear about, but after Edwards’ stunt late in the season (a fake punch thrown during an interview) the whole team seemed kind of off kilter. I think that could be a huge deal this season. The way the COTs are driving, I think teamwork is going to play into a lot of races. If Kenseth and Edwards are still at odds, this could spell disaster.
Third, the Hendrick issue. Can Jimmie and Jeff be beat? And now Junior has access to all that Hendrick has to offer.
Maybe I’m just being pessimistic. It’s really too early in the season to be worried, isn’t it? The good news is Roush-Fenway cars are awesome, and Kenseth is as good a driver as he always was. Here’s hoping for a championship season.