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NASCAR Cup Series: 5 easy predictions for the 2019 season

By William Richard

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 18: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 60th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 18: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 60th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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FORT WORTH, TX – NOVEMBER 03: William Byron, driver of the #24 Hendrick Autoguard Chevrolet (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX – NOVEMBER 03: William Byron, driver of the #24 Hendrick Autoguard Chevrolet (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

#5: William Byron and Alex Bowman remain winless

My final easy prediction for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season is something that is sure to ruffle a few feathers. Using my magical powers and opening my mind to the future, I foresee Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Alex Bowman remaining winless this season.

The new aero package will change things in a huge way, but I just don’t see the #24 Chevrolet or the #88 Chevrolet finding victory lane this year.

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For Byron, I think it has proven to be overly difficult to win at the Cup Series level. I believe that we need to see smaller signs of improvement before marking him a Cup Series winner. Even current Cup Series talents such as Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney struggled to find victory lane in their first few seasons in the series.

Byron will absolutely cross the finish line a winner down the line, but I don’t think that he will get the job done until the 2020 season.

On the flip side, Bowman is still a driver with something to prove. He impressed fans in the 2018 season by recording 11 top 10 finishes and earning his first career playoff berth. He finished the season with an average finish of 17.0 and finished in 16th place in the championship standings.

Perhaps I’m being too hard on Bowman, but I need to see more consistency before I predict the the #88 Chevrolet making an appearance in victory lane. He has the talent to win races in the future, but just like for his young teammate, I believe that his time will come post-2019.

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Well, there you have it, folks! I hope you enjoyed my first round of predictions for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season! Join me next week when I discuss my bold predictions for the upcoming season! Enjoy the Advance Auto Parts Clash. See you next time!

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