2014 Nationwide Series Odds and Predictions: Nationwide Series Championship Favorites, Contenders and Sleepers

2014 Nationwide Series Odds and Predictions: Nationwide Series Championship Favorites, Contenders and Sleepers: It has been a busy offseason in the Nationwide Series, and heading into the 2014 season, several of the household names that have been competing for the title in recent years will be absent as well as some of the series’ rising stars. For starters, defending series champ Austin Dillon is taking his talents to the Cup Series, and last year’s runner-up Sam Hornish Jr. doesn’t have a full-time ride. Fourth-place finisher Justin Allgaier will also make the jump to the Cup Series and the same goes for top-10 finishers Kyle Larson, Parker Kligerman and Brian Vickers. Add it all up, and you have six of the 10 drivers that finished in the top 10 in the Nationwide standings in 2013 that won’t be a part of the title fight in 2014.  Needless to say, some new championship contenders are poised to emerge this season, and with that in mind, here is a closer look at the drivers that could end up claiming the 2014 Nationwide Series crown.

The Favorites

He finished a distant third in the final Nationwide Series standings last year, but that still makes Regan Smith the highest-returning finisher to return to the series in 2014. Smith actually led the standings for the first half of the year, and he led all series regulars with two wins in what was his first season in the series with JR Motorsports. Don’t be surprised if Smith is even better in his second year with the team, and even if he just repeats his numbers from a year ago, he figures to be one of the championship frontrunners considering the only two drivers that beat him in 2013 won’t be around.

Contending for the Nationwide title has become routine for Elliott Sadler, and after finishing second in the standings in 2011 and 2012, he finished tied for fourth last year in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing. His 2013 campaign got off to a terribly slow start, but he rallied to finish with 9 top-5s and 20 top-10s. Sadler actually ranks first in both categories among drivers returning to contend for the series title this season so there is no reason to think he won’t be right in the mix yet again. It seems like only a matter of time before he seals the deal.

Other Contenders

Big things were expected out of Trevor Bayne last season when he took over as the full-time driver for the two-time defending champion Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 team. However, a slow start to the year basically killed his title hopes. Bayne quietly rallied to finish sixth in the final standings and just four points out of the No. 4 spot. When all was said and done, he managed 20 top-10s, and no driver returning to the series in 2014 had more top-10s. A thinner list of championship contenders should certainly help his chances, and if Bayne can carry his second half form from a year ago into 2014, the No. 6 team could be celebrating their third Nationwide title in the past four seasons.

Although Austin Dillon won’t be defending his Nationwide title, his younger brother Ty Dillon will at least try to keep the championship within the family. Fittingly, Ty is taking over Austin’s ride and will be driving the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing entry in 2014. Last year, he nearly won the Truck Series crown while looking solid in seven of his nine Nationwide Series starts. He will have championship-caliber equipment to work with, and he has already shown in lower series that he has plenty of talent. Austin was a title contender in his rookie year in the Nationwide Series, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see Ty follow a similar path.

The Sleeper

After winning races in the Truck Series and ARCA last year, 18-year-old Chase Elliott landed a full-time Nationwide ride with JR Motorsports late in the offseason after NAPA decided to provide sponsorship. Chase is the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, and the young driver has quickly shown the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. He has never made a start in the Nationwide Series so he is definitely inexperienced, but he has a ton of talent and will have excellent equipment to work with. If Chase can avoid digging an early hole as he transitions to the Nationwide Series, he could be a force to be reckoned with by the end of the year.

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