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As we head into another motorsport season, excitement grows amongst the fans as to who’s going to be the man to beat in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series in 2006.

Last season showed that it really doesn’t matter how you perform in the early stages. Who’d have thought Greg Biffle wouldn’t have taken the title in 2005 during the middle of his extremely competitive run?

Tony Stewart came back from a terrible early season performance but managed to get himself in a position where he just needed to ride out the last few events.

So, what’s going to happen in 2006? Who’s got the best shot at the title? Like every motorsport series across the world, like every season, nobody really knows… NASCAR is like a marathon, both in each individual race and the season as a whole. You have to try to stay in with a chance until the end, then sprint as fast as you can in the final few metres. But I’ll do my best and give my opinion…

TONY STEWART

Never, ever, ever rule out this man. I’m very proud that I proclaimed him the new Cup champion back in July 2005, just after he’d started to perform as we all know he can. Tony is always a contender and always will be, he can drag an under performing car to the front. The chances for a back to back title look pretty good, but that’s mainly down to the man behind the wheel.

KYLE BUSCH

Very rarely am I blown away by a young driver like Kyle, but in 2005 Kyle Busch did everything to justify his position with Hendrick. Sometimes you can just see a car dancing along and at a few events last season this young man really was the class of the field. If he can string a few performances like that together, who knows… So Kyle Busch is my outside bet for a contender for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.

JEFF GORDON

I’m still in shock. Jeff Gordon’s 2005 season really wasn’t that great. By many drivers standards, it would have been, he did after all finish eleventh in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup points, he won his team a whole lot of money and he was compeitive at most races. But Jeff really is so used to being competitive at every race that anything less than that is a dissapointment to both him and his fans. Jeff will be back in 2006 and if the end of 2005 is anything to go by, he’s really going to kick some ass.

DALE EARNHARDT JR.

What can you say about Dale Jr? In 2005 I consistently believed he’d make the chase right up until the end, when he didn’t I believed he’d claim eleventh place in the standings. Well, he didn’t do that either… No matter what the reason, Dale looked pretty damn good towards the end of the season, but plagued by problems his performances went without reward largely. In 2006 I’m very much hoping to see Dale Earnhardt Jr show us what he’s made of, he’s obviously a contender.

JAMIE McMURRAY

Now in the Roush Racing number 26, Jamie will either silence those who doubt him this season or he’ll give them a shock by winning the whole thing. McMurray is obviously a raw talent and hopefully in the Roush family of teams he’ll be able to shine.

MARTIN TRUEX JR.

New to the NEXTEL Cup for 2006, Truex is still an outside bet for the title. His record in the Busch Series speaks for itself. Having run just a few races in 2005 in the Cup Series, this season will require a lot of learning, but Truex seems to be up to it. It’s also good that he chose to stay with Earnhardt Inc. where he feels comfortable, he’ll be running with number 1 on his door.

DALE JARRETT

Some fans thought Dale had had his day. That was until he had it again at Talladega last season. As the developments at Yates improve, so will Jarrett.

JOE NEMECHEK

There were races in 2005 that Joe looked far from deserving his “front row” nickname, but others where he looked unbeatable. Another outsider hope for the title in 2006.

KURT BUSCH

Although I think he lacks the skill of his younger brother, he is an intelligent driver the majority of the time and usually knows where to place a car to make it run at it’s best. Now running in the number 2 for Penske, Kurt Busch will no doubt win in 2006, probably first at Bristol where he seems unrivalled.

KEVIN HARVICK

How long will bad luck follow Kevin Harvick around? The car is there, the driver is there, so why aren’t they winning every weekend? We’d all like to see a Goodwrench car back in Victory lane, hopefully 2006 is the year where Harvick translates his success in the Busch cars over to the NEXTEL Cup.

KASEY KAHNE

Full of raw driving skill, but also inconsistent, Kasey Kahne so far has been considered as a contender for wins, but nothing more. His speed seems to vary from week to week and I don’t know whether it’s his fault or the teams, but if he’s to compete in 2006, it needs to be stopped. Kahne is a very fast driver…

ELLIOTT SADLER

When you look at Sadler, you can’t help but wonder if the driver is being held back by his team. Elliott’s obvious driving skill doesn’t seem to be able to help the Yates team car to get into Victory Lane as much as he deserves. He deserves a shot at the title in 2006, hopefully he’ll get that shot.

JIMMIE JOHNSON

Jimme Johnson is a superb competitor, always out to win at any cost. He is a winner or in with a chance of winning every time they unload his car off the hauler. He’s a champion waiting to be named as one.

CARL EDWARDS

In 2005 Carl Edwards probably could have won the title had he performed at every track like he did on the 1.5 mile speedways. If Edwards expands his skillset in 2006, he’ll win the title, without doubt.

RYAN NEWMAN

While always quick in qualifying, it has to be said that most times he starts from the front row, he doesn’t stay there for very long. Whether it’s Ryan or the team, one of them isn’t able to perform in most races as they should. He’s obviously quick over a single lap, he’s obviously able to setup a car and work out how to drive a race track, but things just don’t seem to gel…

MATT KENSETH

Matt Kenseth seems extremely consistent. I can’t remember ever being shocked by speed when he’s lead and won, but I have watched races before and not heard his name once, only for him to appear in the top five at the end…

JEREMY MAYFIELD

Mayfield really did himself proud in 2005. My very high opinion of Kasey Kahne meant that Jeremy’s performances meant a whole lot more. Yet again Mayfield put himself close… Not close enough, but there’s always another season!

BOBBY LABONTE

I’ve been a fan of Bobby Labonte since 1995 when I first discovered NASCAR existed. I’m extremely excited to see him running some different colours and what better number to have on your door that number 43? It’s no surprise that over the winter Petty have made some big changes to prepare for the 2006 season, I’ll be watching Labonte’s progress with great interest and I think he is another outside hope for a championship. He’ll need some luck though, but that’s the same with everyone.

GREG BIFFLE

Greg Biffle could have been the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Champion in 2005. His early season really put him a step infront of everyone else and it was only through bad luck and an occasional let down by the Roush team behind him that he didn’t make it back to the front in time to wrestle the Cup out of Tony Stewart’s fingers. In 2006 Greg has to use the experience gained last season, pushing hard from the first race he now knows how important it is to stay out of trouble and lead from the front.

MARK MARTIN

It’s kind of hard to believe 2006 will be Mark’s last year. But if he can put in a performance like he did in 2005, he’ll be in with a chance of winning. Mark has been the nearly man so much in his career that it really would be so great to see him take a title.