Looking Ahead: 23 to the "500"

During the off-season, Looking Ahead gives a snapshot of where drivers finished in 2012 and what’s ahead for them in 2013. We will look at drivers who scored at least 250 points in the Cup Series and those who earned at least 200 points in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series.

With 23 days to go until the 2013 season-opening Daytona 500, here are some driver recaps followed by a tentative list of 2013 Sprint Cup Driver/Team lineups.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS):
Denny Hamlin finished sixth in the standings and earned 2329 points.
2012: Drove the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. In the 36 starts, he led 1,226 laps, scored three poles, five wins, 14 top five and 17 top 10 finishes. He had an average start of 11.9 and a 12.8 average finish. He also drove JGR’s No. 18 Toyota in 12 NNS events, scoring one pole, nine top 10 finishes and earning a 9.5 average finish. Teammate Kyle Busch put him in his KBR Nos. 18 and 51 Toyota Tundras in two races. Hamlin finished fifth at Pocono and won the Martinsville race.
Best NSCS starts:  1 - Auto Club 03/25/12, Indianapolis 07/29/12 and Dover 09/30/12
Best NSCS finishes: 1 - Phoenix 03/04/12, Kansas 04/22/12, Bristol 08/25/12, Atlanta 09/02/12 and Loudon 09/23/12
Last NSCS Win: Loudon 09/23/12.
2013: No changes planned for the No. 11 team including the return of crew chief Darian Grubb and sponsorship from FedEx. Hamlin will also ride-share the JGR No. 18 Toyota in the Nationwide Series.

Greg Biffle finished fifth in the standings and earned 2332 points.
2012: Drove the No. 16 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. In the 36 starts, he led 721 laps, scored three poles, two victories, 12 top five and 21 top 10 finishes. He had an average start of 9.9 and a 10.2 average finish.
Best NSCS starts: 1 - Bristol 03/18/12, Darlington 05/12/12 and Charlotte 10/13/12
Best NSCS finishes: 1 - Texas 04/14/12 and Michigan 08/19/12
Last NSCS Win: Michigan 08/19/12.
2013: The No. 16 Ford team returns with no changes including Matt Puccia as crew chief. Biffle and sponsor 3M have signed on thru at least 2014.

Kasey Kahne finished fourth in the standings and earned 2345 points.
2012: Drove the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. In the 36 starts, he led 281 laps, scored four poles, two victories, 12 top five and 19 top 10 finishes. He had an average start of 8.8 and a 13.1 average finish. Kahne also made 15 Nationwide Series starts in Turner Motorsports’ No. 38 Chevrolet. He averaged a 12th place finish which included nine top 10’s. Steve Turner put Kahne in his No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado for the inaugural truck race at Rockingham Speedway. He started fifth and won the race.
Best NSCS starts: 1 - Las Vegas 03/11/12, Martinsville 04/01/12, Talladega 10/07/12 and Kansas 10/21/12
Best NSCS finishes: 1 - Charlotte 05/27/12 and Loudon 07/15/12
Last NSCS Win: Loudon 07/15/12.
2013: Kahne is signed thru 2015 with the No. 5 team. Farmers Insurance, Quaker State, Time Warner Cable and Great Clips are contracted as sponsors and Kenny Francis will return as crew chief. Kahne will also co-drive (with Brad Sweet) JR Motorsports Nationwide Series No. 5 Chevrolet.

NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS):
Justin Allgaier finished sixth in the standings and earned 1076 points.
2012: Drove Turner Motorsports’ No. 31 Chevrolet. In the 33 races, he led 168 laps, had one win, six top five and 19 top 10 finishes. He had an average start of 11.0 and a 12.0 average finish.
Best NNS starts: 2 - Auto Club 03/24/12 and Dover 09/29/12
Best NNS finish: 1 - Montreal 08/18/12
Last NNS Win: Montreal 08/18/12.
2013: Allgaier will return to the No. 31 with BRANDT sponsoring at least 26 of the 33 races. Scott Zipadelli will also be back as crew chief for the team.

Michael Annett finished fifth in the standings and earned 1082 points.
2012: Drove Richard Petty Motorsports’ No. 43 Ford. In the 33 races, he led 9 laps, had six top five and 17 top 10 finishes, an average start of 17.1 and an 11.2 average finish.
Best NNS start: 5 - Kentucky 09/22/12
Best NNS finishes: 3 - Daytona 07/06/12 and Dover 09/29/12
Last NNS Win: None so far.
2013: Annett will be back for a full season with Pilot Travel Centers and Flying J funding the No. 43 Ford. Philippe Lopez continues as crew chief.

Sam Hornish Jr. finished fourth in the standings and earned 1146 points.
2012: Drove Penske Racing’s No. 12 Dodge. In the 33 races, he led 134 laps, started on the pole in one race, and had 10 top five and 22 top 10 finishes. He had an average start of 8.5 and a 9.7 average finish. When AJ Allmendinger was released by Penske, Hornish stepped in and drove 19 Sprint Cup races in the No. 22 Dodge. He also made one Cup start in Penske’s No. 12 Dodge.  He averaged a 19.4 finish in the 20 Cup races.
Best NNS start: 1 - Watkins Glen 08/11/12
Best NNS finishes: 2 - Kentucky 09/22/12, Montreal 08/18/12 and Indianapolis 07/28/12
Last NNS Win: Phoenix 11/12/11.
2013: Hornish will run another full season in Penske Racing’s No. 12 but the team has switched to Roush-Yates powered Ford Mustangs for 2013. His 2012 sponsor Alliance Truck Parts will cover 17 of the races. Greg Erwin returns as crew chief. No firm plans, but Hornish may possibly be running a limited Sprint Cup schedule in the No. 12 Ford Fusion.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS):
Matt Crafton finished sixth in the standings and earned 759 points.
2012: Drove ThorSport Racing’s No. 88 Toyota Tundra. In the 22 races, he led 125 laps, scored one pole, eight top five and 14 top 10 finishes and had an average start of 10.5 and a 9.8 average finish. He entered one ARCA series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park. He started the McClure Racing No. 18 Toyota on the pole, led the first 51 laps but got into a wreck, while leading, and was done for the day.
Best NCWTS start: 1 - Kentucky 06/28/12
Best NCWTS finishes: 2 - Las Vegas 09/29/12 and Texas 06/08/12
Last NCWTS Win: Iowa 07/16/11.
2013: Crafton will be back in the Menards sponsored No. 88 Toyota Tundra with crew chief Carl Joiner returning as well.

Parker Kligerman finished fifth in the standings and earned 778 points.
2012: Drove Brad Keselowski Racing’s No. 29 RAM in the first 11 races of the season. BKR and Kligerman parted ways and he drove Red Horse Racing’s No. 7 Toyota Tundra for the last 11 races. In the 22 races, he led 176 laps, scored two poles (both in the No. 7), one victory (also in the No. 7) and had eight top five and 15 top 10 finishes. He had a season average start of 10.7 and a 9.2 average finish. Kligerman entered three Nationwide Series races in Penske Racing’s No. 22 Dodge picking up finishes of eighth, 12th and seventh.
Best NCWTS starts: 1 - Iowa 09/15/12 and Homestead 11/16/12
Best NCWTS finish: 1 - Talladega 10/06/12
Last NCWTS Win: Talladega 10/06/12.
2013: Kyle Busch Motorsports has signed Kligerman to drive the full Nationwide Series schedule in their No. 77 Toyota. Eric Phillips has been promoted from KBM’s truck team to be crew chief on the No. 77 NNS entry.

Ty Dillon finished fourth in the standings and earned 784 points.
2012: Drove the No. 3 Chevrolet Silverado for Richard Childress Racing. In the 22 races, he led 164 laps, scored three poles, one win, seven top five and 17 top 10 finishes and had an average start of 6.0 and a 9.0 average finish. He also entered three NNS races; one in RCR’s No. 33 and two in Jeremy Clements’ No. 51 Chevrolets. All three resulted in top 10 finishes.
Best NCWTS starts: 1 - Charlotte 05/18/12, Atlanta 08/31/12 and Talladega 10/06/12
Best NCWTS finish: 1 - Atlanta 08/31/12
Last NCWTS Win: Atlanta 08/31/12.
2013: Dillon will return for a full season in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet Silverado with Marcus Richmond as crew chief.  Richard Childress, Dillon’s grandfather, is preparing him for a 2014 move up to the Nationwide Series by running a limited 2013 NNS schedule. Plans are for him to run about 10 races in RCR’s No. 33 and Jeremy Clements’ No. 51 Chevrolets.

During the off-season, Looking Ahead gives a snapshot of where drivers finished in 2012 and what’s ahead for them in 2013. We will look at drivers who scored at least 250 points in the Cup Series and those who earned at least 200 points in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series.

With 23 days to go until the 2013 season-opening Daytona 500, here are some driver recaps followed by a tentative list of 2013 Sprint Cup Driver/Team lineups.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS):
Denny Hamlin finished sixth in the standings and earned 2329 points.
2012: Drove the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. In the 36 starts, he led 1,226 laps, scored three poles, five wins, 14 top five and 17 top 10 finishes. He had an average start of 11.9 and a 12.8 average finish. He also drove JGR’s No. 18 Toyota in 12 NNS events, scoring one pole, nine top 10 finishes and earning a 9.5 average finish. Teammate Kyle Busch put him in his KBR Nos. 18 and 51 Toyota Tundras in two races. Hamlin finished fifth at Pocono and won the Martinsville race.
Best NSCS starts:  1 - Auto Club 03/25/12, Indianapolis 07/29/12 and Dover 09/30/12
Best NSCS finishes: 1 - Phoenix 03/04/12, Kansas 04/22/12, Bristol 08/25/12, Atlanta 09/02/12 and Loudon 09/23/12
Last NSCS Win: Loudon 09/23/12.
2013: No changes planned for the No. 11 team including the return of crew chief Darian Grubb and sponsorship from FedEx. Hamlin will also ride-share the JGR No. 18 Toyota in the Nationwide Series.

Greg Biffle finished fifth in the standings and earned 2332 points.
2012: Drove the No. 16 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. In the 36 starts, he led 721 laps, scored three poles, two victories, 12 top five and 21 top 10 finishes. He had an average start of 9.9 and a 10.2 average finish.
Best NSCS starts: 1 - Bristol 03/18/12, Darlington 05/12/12 and Charlotte 10/13/12
Best NSCS finishes: 1 - Texas 04/14/12 and Michigan 08/19/12
Last NSCS Win: Michigan 08/19/12.
2013: The No. 16 Ford team returns with no changes including Matt Puccia as crew chief. Biffle and sponsor 3M have signed on thru at least 2014.

Kasey Kahne finished fourth in the standings and earned 2345 points.
2012: Drove the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. In the 36 starts, he led 281 laps, scored four poles, two victories, 12 top five and 19 top 10 finishes. He had an average start of 8.8 and a 13.1 average finish. Kahne also made 15 Nationwide Series starts in Turner Motorsports’ No. 38 Chevrolet. He averaged a 12th place finish which included nine top 10’s. Steve Turner put Kahne in his No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado for the inaugural truck race at Rockingham Speedway. He started fifth and won the race.
Best NSCS starts: 1 - Las Vegas 03/11/12, Martinsville 04/01/12, Talladega 10/07/12 and Kansas 10/21/12
Best NSCS finishes: 1 - Charlotte 05/27/12 and Loudon 07/15/12
Last NSCS Win: Loudon 07/15/12.
2013: Kahne is signed thru 2015 with the No. 5 team. Farmers Insurance, Quaker State, Time Warner Cable and Great Clips are contracted as sponsors and Kenny Francis will return as crew chief. Kahne will also co-drive (with Brad Sweet) JR Motorsports Nationwide Series No. 5 Chevrolet.

NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS):
Justin Allgaier finished sixth in the standings and earned 1076 points.
2012: Drove Turner Motorsports’ No. 31 Chevrolet. In the 33 races, he led 168 laps, had one win, six top five and 19 top 10 finishes. He had an average start of 11.0 and a 12.0 average finish.
Best NNS starts: 2 - Auto Club 03/24/12 and Dover 09/29/12
Best NNS finish: 1 - Montreal 08/18/12
Last NNS Win: Montreal 08/18/12.
2013: Allgaier will return to the No. 31 with BRANDT sponsoring at least 26 of the 33 races. Scott Zipadelli will also be back as crew chief for the team.

Michael Annett finished fifth in the standings and earned 1082 points.
2012: Drove Richard Petty Motorsports’ No. 43 Ford. In the 33 races, he led 9 laps, had six top five and 17 top 10 finishes, an average start of 17.1 and an 11.2 average finish.
Best NNS start: 5 - Kentucky 09/22/12
Best NNS finishes: 3 - Daytona 07/06/12 and Dover 09/29/12
Last NNS Win: None so far.
2013: Annett will be back for a full season with Pilot Travel Centers and Flying J funding the No. 43 Ford. Philippe Lopez continues as crew chief.

Sam Hornish Jr. finished fourth in the standings and earned 1146 points.
2012: Drove Penske Racing’s No. 12 Dodge. In the 33 races, he led 134 laps, started on the pole in one race, and had 10 top five and 22 top 10 finishes. He had an average start of 8.5 and a 9.7 average finish. When AJ Allmendinger was released by Penske, Hornish stepped in and drove 19 Sprint Cup races in the No. 22 Dodge. He also made one Cup start in Penske’s No. 12 Dodge.  He averaged a 19.4 finish in the 20 Cup races.
Best NNS start: 1 - Watkins Glen 08/11/12
Best NNS finishes: 2 - Kentucky 09/22/12, Montreal 08/18/12 and Indianapolis 07/28/12
Last NNS Win: Phoenix 11/12/11.
2013: Hornish will run another full season in Penske Racing’s No. 12 but the team has switched to Roush-Yates powered Ford Mustangs for 2013. His 2012 sponsor Alliance Truck Parts will cover 17 of the races. Greg Erwin returns as crew chief. No firm plans, but Hornish may possibly be running a limited Sprint Cup schedule in the No. 12 Ford Fusion.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS):
Matt Crafton finished sixth in the standings and earned 759 points.
2012: Drove ThorSport Racing’s No. 88 Toyota Tundra. In the 22 races, he led 125 laps, scored one pole, eight top five and 14 top 10 finishes and had an average start of 10.5 and a 9.8 average finish. He entered one ARCA series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park. He started the McClure Racing No. 18 Toyota on the pole, led the first 51 laps but got into a wreck, while leading, and was done for the day.
Best NCWTS start: 1 - Kentucky 06/28/12
Best NCWTS finishes: 2 - Las Vegas 09/29/12 and Texas 06/08/12
Last NCWTS Win: Iowa 07/16/11.
2013: Crafton will be back in the Menards sponsored No. 88 Toyota Tundra with crew chief Carl Joiner returning as well.

Parker Kligerman finished fifth in the standings and earned 778 points.
2012: Drove Brad Keselowski Racing’s No. 29 RAM in the first 11 races of the season. BKR and Kligerman parted ways and he drove Red Horse Racing’s No. 7 Toyota Tundra for the last 11 races. In the 22 races, he led 176 laps, scored two poles (both in the No. 7), one victory (also in the No. 7) and had eight top five and 15 top 10 finishes. He had a season average start of 10.7 and a 9.2 average finish. Kligerman entered three Nationwide Series races in Penske Racing’s No. 22 Dodge picking up finishes of eighth, 12th and seventh.
Best NCWTS starts: 1 - Iowa 09/15/12 and Homestead 11/16/12
Best NCWTS finish: 1 - Talladega 10/06/12
Last NCWTS Win: Talladega 10/06/12.
2013: Kyle Busch Motorsports has signed Kligerman to drive the full Nationwide Series schedule in their No. 77 Toyota. Eric Phillips has been promoted from KBM’s truck team to be crew chief on the No. 77 NNS entry.

Ty Dillon finished fourth in the standings and earned 784 points.
2012: Drove the No. 3 Chevrolet Silverado for Richard Childress Racing. In the 22 races, he led 164 laps, scored three poles, one win, seven top five and 17 top 10 finishes and had an average start of 6.0 and a 9.0 average finish. He also entered three NNS races; one in RCR’s No. 33 and two in Jeremy Clements’ No. 51 Chevrolets. All three resulted in top 10 finishes.
Best NCWTS starts: 1 - Charlotte 05/18/12, Atlanta 08/31/12 and Talladega 10/06/12
Best NCWTS finish: 1 - Atlanta 08/31/12
Last NCWTS Win: Atlanta 08/31/12.
2013: Dillon will return for a full season in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet Silverado with Marcus Richmond as crew chief.  Richard Childress, Dillon’s grandfather, is preparing him for a 2014 move up to the Nationwide Series by running a limited 2013 NNS schedule. Plans are for him to run about 10 races in RCR’s No. 33 and Jeremy Clements’ No. 51 Chevrolets.