NASCAR: Five Drivers Who Need To Show Improvement in 2015

Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

No. 4- Paul Menard: No. 27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Paul Menard will be entering his ninth full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2015. Menard will again drive the No. 27 Chevrolet with family sponsor Menards, a mid-west home improvement store, supporting the effort.

Menard has been an interesting driver over his career. He always seems to be poised for a chase run early in the season and as the season goes along his team seems to taper off and the consistency begins to fade.

While Menard has shown some flashes of running well early in the season his season always ends on the outside of the Chase looking in. Menard finished 21st in the points in the 2014 season, the first time Menard finished outside the top 20 in his four seasons at Richard Childress Racing. Yet, he’s never finished in the top 15 in points either.

Entering the 2015 Menard will have a new crew chief. Justin Alexander, a former engineer on his No. 27 team, takes over the crew chief duties replacing veteran Slugger Labbe. Labbe and Menard had worked together for the better part of the last five seasons and the two had a great working relationship.

Alexander took over the duties with five races to go in the 2014 season. It seemed to be a smooth transition as Menard ran pretty well over the last five races.

However, 2015 will be a big season for Menard as he looks to make the Chase for the first time in his career. He has just one career win and looks to improve on that total. Menard has been looked at as a good driver but one that just doesn’t have what it takes to push him into the Chase. In 2015 he will try and prove that wrong.