NASCAR: Post-Season Driver Grades

HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 19: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19, 2017 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 19: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19, 2017 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 19: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Toyota (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 19: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Toyota (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /

Closing thoughts

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With Martin Truex Jr. coming out on top thanks to the fact that he won the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida to secure his first career NASCAR Cup Series championship, does this make him the favorite to once again be the top driver in the sport in the 2018 season? Which driver has the best chance to dethrone him as the sport’s best?

Kyle Busch should also be a factor like he was this season, and Ryan Blaney should be strong as well seeing as how he is making the jump from the one-car Wood Brothers Racing team to the three-car Team Penske team. The Hendrick Motorsports drivers, of which two will be new, should also be up front next season, as this season was an uncharacteristically down season for the team as a whole.

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How will each of these drivers who are returning to racing perform in the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season? Who will improve, and who will take a step back? The 2018 season begins in under three months on Sunday, February 18th with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florida.