This story was originally published in the fifth edition of The Lion’s Tale (March 26, 2021).

As the NFL season comes to an end, the NASCAR season begins. With a bunch of changes from this season to last, there are a lot of new faces who are attempting to be competitive this season.

Last season’s champion Chase Elliott looks to go back to back, and with added road courses he could easily up his win total. Last season Elliott scored five wins, but this season, he could easily score seven or higher.

Arguably the most dominant driver of the past decade, Kevin Harvick, won nine times last season, but couldn’t come home with the Championship. This season, he and crew chief Rodney Childers are on a mission to claim their second championship as a team. Fans are going to want to keep a sharp eye on his progress this season.

Denny Hamlin has had career reviving seasons in 2019 and 2020. After going winless in 2018, he was supposedly out of his ride. In 2019, he scored six wins and made it to the final round of the playoffs, but was not able to earn his first championship. In 2020, he won seven races and again made it to the final round of the playoffs, but wasn’t able to win the Championship. In 2021, he’s hoping to finally claim a championship. Brad Keselowski has been a quiet driver. Not many were talking about him as a favorite at the beginning of the 2020 season. But after racking up four wins and making an appearance in the final round of the playoffs, he’s entering 2021 as an early favorite for the championship.

Joey Logano enters 2021 after a three win season in 2020. Last season, he was rocked by a diagnosis of an immune system disorder. However, it hasn’t posed any health risks to his performance. It’s been a long time since he won rookie driver of the year and he really needs get to that championship trophy if he wants to be taken seriously amongst the fans. He has everything he needs to be successful as well as a great team behind him. It will be telling to see if he can adapt to the challenges this season will bring.