NASCAR Roundtable: Will Dale Jr. score a win in his final season?

Ryan Blaney became the third first-time winner this season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday. Who else do you think could earn their first win this year?

Jim: I think both Chase Elliott and Erik Jones are legitimate contenders to become first-time winners this season. Elliott has not been running up front as much recently but that team certainly is capable of pulling off a win. Jones' Furniture Row Racing team seems to have found its groove in recent weeks punctuated by his career-best third-place finish on Sunday at Pocono.

Lee: I’ve been wrong three times now, but I’m still sticking with Erik Jones. Although Chase Elliott looks better on paper, with Jones’ raw speed, it’s just a matter of time before he breaks through. On the other hand, having a rookie team with a rookie driver can be a hindrance. But I do believe the talent is there to win. 

Nick: Even with three new winners already, there's still plenty of talented drivers in great equipment that have never won. Among them, I'd place my money on Chase Elliott. It's only a matter of time before he reaches Victory Lane and when he finally does, I expect many more wins will follow.

Tim: I think we’ll see Erik Jones and Chase Elliott both scores wins before the season is completed. They’ve ran too well and been fast as numerous tracks not to been in contention for a win. I also don’t think it would be too big a stretch to include Ty Dillon in the equation as well as his team is starting to show more speed too.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. found bad luck once again Sunday at Pocono Raceway. It appears he'll have to win a race to make the playoffs in his final season. What track do you think he could win at in the remaining 12 races of the regular season or do you'll even think he'll win a race?

Jim: His best shot is likely next month's race at Daytona but that team just has not shown the ability to run up front consistently and lead laps - typically a very good indicator as to whether a driver is likely to have the opportunity for a victory. There is still time for the No. 88 team to get better, but the clock is ticking and there aren't a lot of timeouts left.

Lee: If he’s going to win a race, my money is on Michigan or Daytona. Between the two tracks, Earnhardt has six wins. His best results this season have been on intermediate tracks but there’s only 1.5-mile track left on the circuit — Kentucky. Earnhardt has two top-five finishes at Kentucky. He was involved in wrecks at all three short tracks earlier this year and only finished at Richmond (30th). Earnhardt has won races at half of the remaining tracks on the regular season schedule, but he has never won a Cup race at either road course, Indy, Kentucky, New Hampshire or Darlington.

Nick: Certainly Daytona and Talladega are his best shots. His final season reminds me a bit of Jeff Gordon's. They too encountered issues on an almost weekly basis and he didn't get a win until October, qualifying him for the the final four. There is still plenty of time for them to improve and although I can't say he'll be a title contender, I do believe he'll win a race.

Tim: After his recent struggles, I’m not sure that he’ll win this season, but if he does, I’m thinking it will come at either Daytona or Talladega. He could also surprise everyone and win this weekend at Michigan where he’s won before and often runs well there too.

Jimmie Johnson walked away from a pretty scary crash at Pocono after suffering brake failure.. What do you think has been the biggest improvement NASCAR has made in safety over the past 16-plus years since Dale Earnhardt Sr. died?

Jim: Without a doubt I believe the addition of SAFER barriers has been the biggest safety improvement in NASCAR. There is still work to be done in my opinion - I think every wall at every track NASCAR's national series run should be covered, if practicable. I also believe that have been vast improvements to the cars - but its benefits are much harder to quantify because it's unlikely those who don't drive in the cars can appreciate the full effect of the changes.

Lee: The reinforcement of the driver’s cockpit along with seats, belts and HANS device has gone a long way in protecting the driver. Unfortunately, drivers are also crash test dummies when it comes to bringing awareness to where additional changes — such as SAFER barriers and the positioning — need to be addressed.

Nick: SAFER Barriers and the HANS device are the two things that stand out to me above all else. Those soft walls have helped innumerable times and the HANS device speaks for itself. We've seen what happens when cars find walls that weren't SAFER Barriers and Dale Earnahardt remains a poignant reminder of the importance of head and neck restraints.

Tim: I think the HANS devices along with seat and seatbelt improvements have made a difference. Of course SAFER barriers obviously kept Jimmie from being hurt as well last Sunday at Pocono. I’ll go to my grave believing that Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s death helped save Elliott Sadler at Pocono, Jeff Gordon at Las Vegas and Michael McDowell at Texas over the past decade. I feel that safety improvements made after 2001 helped those drivers walk away from all those crashes.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race featured a wild finish at Texas Motor Speedway. Do you think NASCAR needs to take another look at its rules regarding scoring and finishes when the caution comes out on the final lap?

Jim: No more rule changes. Fans get worked up over changing rules more often from who benefits from them, rather than anything specific about the rules themselves. In this case at Texas, if the fancy caution lights were never going to be in tune with the NASCAR signal, they should never have been added in the first place. This is a sport that thrives on testing the worst-case scenarios - if there is one, someone in NASCAR will find it. 

Lee: Yes. The TV partner should have never left the air prior to providing fans with clear-cut evidence that Christopher Bell was the winner of the race. The miscommunication led to too much speculation in social media before the situation was corrected. That’s not acceptable. NASCAR can’t afford to have its credibility being brought into question.

Nick: As I've said before, yes, I wish they'd tweak the overtime rules. However, the major issue with this particular situation was when the caution lights came on. There was a delay between the official NASCAR lights and those lining the fence, causing many to believe Chase Briscoe was robbed. TV then added fuel to the fire by showing the incorrect moment of caution (basing it on the fence lights as we the viewers were), which wasn't clarified until NASCAR posted the proper screen shot on social media, but many fans who watched the broadcast surely never saw it.

Tim: I think they ought to look at the overtime line but don’t change anything else. There have been enough changes already, but I’m sure there will be some modifications to the overtime rule and green-white-checkered finishes before next season begins.

If Ryan Blaney does move over to a third team at Team Penske in 2018 as some reports indicate, who would you put in the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford if you had the authority to do so and why?

Jim: It would be a tough pick for me between Kasey Kahne - someone I think could help continue the develop of the Wood Brothers team into a championship contender with this experience - and a driver like Darrell Wallace Jr., another up-and-comer like Blaney, who may need time to get acclimated but I think would benefit from the Wood Brothers' technical alliance with Team Penske.

Lee: This is a loaded question because once the first domino falls, the others would follow. Here’s one scenario that keeps floating around. Blaney to Penske, Paul Menard to the No. 21. Bubba Wallace rejoins the No. 43 team after Aric Almirola moves to the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing ride. Now, if the latter doesn’t happen and Almirola stays put, Bubba would be a great fit for the Wood Brothers. Currently, Ford doesn’t have another driver ready to move up to the Cup level. Chase Briscoe will eventually graduate through the tours but he won’t be ready by 2018. Steward-Haas Racing is grooming Cole Custer. While he’s done an admirable job in the Xfinity Series, it’s likely Custer will need another year in the feeder series before moving to Cup full-time.

Nick: It all comes down to who's available, but should Kasey Kahne be out of the No. 5, I think he'd be a great pick. He's a talented driver that just can't seem to make it work in his current situation. Perhaps a change of scenery would help. It sure did for Joey Logano ... Additionally, if you give Chase Briscoe another year or two, he'd be a perfect fit for that No. 21. Beyond those two, I'd look towards someone like Darrell Wallace Jr. or even Chris Buescher.

Tim: I would put Darrell Wallace Jr. in the car. I think he has the talent to become a winner in Cup and he’s already in the Ford camp so it makes sense. Chase Briscoe is someone who’s getting noticed fast and especially from his truck owner Brad Keselowski, but I think it would be too soon to put Briscoe in the No. 21 Ford next year. I would give Wallace a couple of years and then if it didn’t work out, maybe look at Briscoe.