Good and bad: 2014 proved to be full of both kinds of surprises

By Larry McReynolds
Published

There were a lot of surprises this past season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

There were some good and some not so much in my book. I think the most obvious one is our new champion. Did we really deep down think that Kevin Harvick, in his first year at Stewart-Haas Racing, being paired with a new crew chief in Rodney Childers, could really win this championship? If someone told you they did, well, they are lying.

So to me, that has to be one of the more pleasant surprises of the season. 

Young Kyle Larson was another nice surprise. I'll be honest: Initially, I thought they were moving him up too fast at Chip Ganassi Racing. He certainly proved me and the other skeptics wrong. Just look at the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Even though Larson Kyle wasn't in it, he still ran some of his best races of the season over the final 10 Chase race.

In my book, that really sets the stage for Kyle to really be strong in 2015.

On the flip side of things, I would have to say Roush Fenway Racing was a disappointment in 2014. While I realize that Carl Edwards won two races and made the Chase, for the organization as a whole, it was pretty dismal over there. I think the way their Ford counterparts, Team Penske, ran this season only amplified the problems over there at Roush Fenway Racing.

I think the other disappointment to me in 2014 was Michael Waltrip Racing. After a strong 2013 season, they went winless this year. Now somewhat in their defense, Toyota across the board was down. In 2013, Toyota as a manufacturer in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series won 14 races with five different drivers. This year with five different drivers they only won two races.

So Toyota across the board was another disappointment to me. Just look at Matt Kenseth at Joe Gibbs Racing. He won seven races in 2013 and won zero this year. So the Toyota struggles were another surprise and disappointment to me from this past season. 

VIDEO: Larry McReynolds discusses Roush Fenway Racing's struggles during the 2014 season