Welcome to \"Mirror Driving.\" Every Wednesday, your favorite columnists sit down and give their opinion about the latest NASCAR news, rumors, and controversy. Love us or hate us, make a comment below and tell us how you feel about what we've said! *This Week's Participants*: <span style=\"color:dodgerblue; font-weight:bold\">Amy Henderson</span> \"(Mondays / The Big Six & Fridays / Holding A Pretty Wheel & Frontstretch Co-Managing Editor)\":http://www.frontstretch.com/staffinfo/351/ <span style=\"color:indigo; font-weight:bold\">Jeff Wolfe</span> (Frontstretch Fantasy Insider) <span style=\"color:blue; font-weight:bold\">Phil Allaway</span> \"(Tuesdays / Talking NASCAR TV & Frontstretch Newsletter Editor)\":http://www.frontstretch.com/staffinfo/18439/ <span style=\"color:gray; font-weight:bold\">Mike Neff</span> \"(Mondays / Thinkin' Out Loud & Tuesdays / Tech Talk & Frontstretch Short track Coordinator)\":http://www.frontstretch.com/staffinfo/1744/ <span style=\"color:magenta; font-weight:bold\">Summer Bedgood</span> \"(Frontstretch NASCAR Senior Writer)\":http://www.frontstretch.com/staffinfo/32577/ *Matt Kenseth’s win in Las Vegas was an emotional one, considering that it was only his third start with the organization plus the fact that it was his … er … “29th†birthday. Is this victory going to be a testament to the rest of his season or is it too soon to tell?* <span style=\"color:magenta; font-weight:bold\">Summer:</span> I think it will be a testament to the rest of his _career._ This pairing will be a great matchup, and he'll make the organization as a whole that much better. <span style=\"color:blue; font-weight:bold\">Phil:</span> Well, I had always figured that Kenseth was going to win at some point this season. Didn't think it was going to happen before St. Patrick's Day, though. Kenseth and his team out-foxed everyone on Sunday. He was up in the order most of the day, but very quiet. <span style=\"color:gray; font-weight:bold\">Mike N.:</span> Considering the majority of the schedule is on intermediate tracks, I think it is saying a lot about the ability the No. 20 team will have to win races all year. <span style=\"color:indigo; font-weight:bold\">Jeff:</span> I believe Kenseth thinks he has something to prove. After being with Roush his whole career, when you go to someplace new, you want to show them that you were a good choice. Kenseth is not Mr. Emotional, so him being that into it afterward really showed what it meant. <span style=\"color:gray; font-weight:bold\">Mike N.:</span> Kenseth may also have felt a little guilty about putting the team behind the eight ball by blowing an engine in testing and wrecking in practice at Daytona. <span style=\"color:blue; font-weight:bold\">Phil:</span> 41 isn't old in Sprint Cup, by the way. People have won titles at an older age than that. <span style=\"color:indigo; font-weight:bold\">Jeff:</span> Only six drivers have won titles in seasons they have turned 40 or more. Just so you know. <span style=\"color:magenta; font-weight:bold\">Summer:</span> I agree with you, Jeff. It's not like we see that all the time from him. I felt like Kenseth thought he was taking a risk by jumping ship; he’s relieved and excited that it paid off. I can't help but think of this in terms of the whole organization, though, that Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin will have similar success on similar tracks. Something tells me Joe Gibbs Racing will be the team to beat this year. <span style=\"color:dodgerblue; font-weight:bold\">Amy:</span> I think Kenseth will win a bunch of races, but a title is a stretch. Not so much because of his age but because the Chase doesn't suit his style. <span style=\"color:magenta; font-weight:bold\">Summer:</span> I don't think he'll win the title, either, but I think he'll finish somewhere in the top seven in the standings by the end of the year. <span style=\"color:gray; font-weight:bold\">Mike N.:</span> He could very easily win the title. Kenseth is usually there once the money is on the line. No need to “be there before.†Although the way Johnson and Keselowski are running right now, I think everyone else is running for third. <span style=\"color:indigo; font-weight:bold\">Jeff:</span> If the Toyotas can get their durability issues straightened out, and they might have already done that, Gibbs could be a force. <span style=\"color:blue; font-weight:bold\">Phil:</span> Kind of hard to claim that someone's the dude to beat three weeks into the year. Unless they won all three… <span style=\"color:magenta; font-weight:bold\">Summer:</span> Yeah, I'm trying not to read too much into the whole Keselowski/Johnson run. How often do we see the people strong at the beginning of the season still there at the end? <span style=\"color:gray; font-weight:bold\">Mike N.:</span> Quite a few times over the last seven years, Summer; outside of Stewart's run in 2011. <span style=\"color:indigo; font-weight:bold\">Jeff:</span> Right now, Johnson and Keselowski have to be the favorites. They've been the most consistent. <span style=\"color:gray; font-weight:bold\">Mike N.:</span> Not only consistent, but up front consistent. <span style=\"color:indigo; font-weight:bold\">Jeff:</span> Keselowski's mad that he's not winning. That's a good sign for that team. <span style=\"color:magenta; font-weight:bold\">Summer:</span> Well I expect Kenseth to win multiple races this year, make the Chase, and at least be a contender. I'm not sure I'd go as far as champion, but JGR will be a good move for him. <span style=\"color:gray; font-weight:bold\">Mike N.:</span> Kenseth is a stud driver. There is no question about that. And being in equipment as good as Gibbs, he could go on a heck of a run. <span style=\"color:blue; font-weight:bold\">Phil:</span> The No. 20 will be a lot better than 19th in owner points, that's for sure. Kenseth will probably finish somewhere between fourth and eighth. And… he’ll win a couple more races. Where those wins come from are anyone's guess, though. *How long will it take, if ever for NASCAR drivers to stop thinking twice about what they say in the wake of the Denny Hamlin fine? Is there any chance, based on fan reaction you think the appeal will cause the fine to be overturned?* <span style=\"color:magenta; font-weight:bold\">Summer:</span> That fine isn't getting overturned. And I don't think drivers will ever know when it's safe to speak because NASCAR has been anything but consistent on this point. There have been much more disparaging comments made by drivers and they were hit with… nothing. <span style=\"color:gray; font-weight:bold\">Mike N.:</span> It is going to take an apology by the suits in Daytona, which will never happen. So they'll be thinking twice, for the most part, for now. There will be the occasional blowup where a driver goes off, but NASCAR has set the bar pretty low for what they'll tolerate. Which is terrible. <span style=\"color:magenta; font-weight:bold\">Summer:</span> It was pathetic watching the drivers fall all over themselves complimenting the car last week. <span style=\"color:gray; font-weight:bold\">Mike N.:</span> The fine should be overturned because Hamlin didn't say anything disparaging about NASCAR. But I'm with Summer. I doubt it will be. <span style=\"color:dodgerblue; font-weight:bold\">Amy:</span> NASCAR said constructive criticism was OK, and that's what Denny gave. <span style=\"color:blue; font-weight:bold\">Phil:</span> Sure, Denny gave constructive criticism. However, NASCAR's move says that they don't tolerate that either… at least not publicly. Maybe if he said it privately, to Mike Helton, we wouldn't be talking about this right now. <span style=\"color:indigo; font-weight:bold\">Jeff:</span> I'd be shocked if the fine gets changed, too. It's one of the worst fines I can ever remember for NASCAR. They are so image conscious, because of lack of fans in the seats they can't roll with it. <span style=\"color:blue; font-weight:bold\">Phil:</span> I wouldn't be surprised if the appeal results in an increased fine. <span style=\"color:dodgerblue; font-weight:bold\">Amy:</span> I don't know, Phil. If he loses the appeal, I hope he'll take it to Middlebrook. <span style=\"color:magenta; font-weight:bold\">Summer:</span> Unfortunately, we'll probably see more of the same old problems. The race could have five green-flag passes and the drivers would still be like, \"The car drives _great!\"_ <span style=\"color:blue; font-weight:bold\">Phil:</span> Yeah, the drivers are in a tough spot here. Apparently, \"Boys, Have At It\" is dead now. <span style=\"color:indigo; font-weight:bold\">Jeff:</span> Drivers, especially the younger ones, are going to be a little more careful with what they say. Maybe Stewart or Gordon could get away with complaining more than the real young guys. <span style=\"color:magenta; font-weight:bold\">Summer:</span> Which is weird, since Stewart has more negative things to say about NASCAR than Hamlin ever has. He was talking about \"entertainment cautions\" during the race yesterday. How is that not detrimental, but Hamlin's comment was? <span style=\"color:gray; font-weight:bold\">Mike N.:</span> What did he criticize, anyways? All Hamlin said was it was a work in progress and that it drove similar to the previous car. <span style=\"color:magenta; font-weight:bold\">Summer:</span> Right, Mike. He didn't even say the car sucked or didn't drive well. He just said it drove like the last one. I don't think anyone actually took that as criticism, constructive or not. In fact, no one even noticed it until they fined him. <span style=\"color:gray; font-weight:bold\">Mike N.:</span> NASCAR didn't fine Kyle Busch when he got out of the old car in Victory Lane and called the car a piece of crap. How can they fine Hamlin for this one? <span style=\"color:blue; font-weight:bold\">Phil:</span> NASCAR was in a different place in March 2007. They didn't feel the need to go after Kyle Busch that day. <span style=\"color:dodgerblue; font-weight:bold\">Amy:</span> Going forward, if fans wonder why guys like Jimmie Johnson are so careful with what they say, this tells us why. Of course you're going to be labeled vanilla if you can't say anything for fear of someone not liking it. NASCAR should be begging drivers for feedback. <span style=\"color:magenta; font-weight:bold\">Summer:</span> They really should. The drivers _need_ to be offering feedback. <span style=\"color:dodgerblue; font-weight:bold\">Amy:</span> Or do they only want feedback from certain people? They don't think Denny's is valuable for some reason? I don't know. The whole thing was just weird. <span style=\"color:indigo; font-weight:bold\">Jeff:</span> The fine was a huge PR mistake by NASCAR. If they don't fine, this issue would have already gone away. They created their own PR mess. I don't know… maybe they are thinking bad press is better than no press. But I don't believe they think that far ahead in such matters. <span style=\"color:gray; font-weight:bold\">Mike N.:</span> No doubt. Instead, they are killing the sport when it needs to have some spice more than ever. <span style=\"color:magenta; font-weight:bold\">Summer:</span> It's a new car. I don't think anyone expected it to be perfect. The thing is, Phil, people had a much bigger reaction to that. Like I said, no one even noticed Hamlin's comment until they said something. <span style=\"color:indigo; font-weight:bold\">Jeff:</span> Those of who watch it know the crew chiefs and engineers and drivers will adjust and make it better. <span style=\"color:gray; font-weight:bold\">Mike N.:</span> I just think they have focused the spotlight even more on the car now than it already was because of the fine. If they had just acknowledged it is a work in progress and moved on, everyone would be better for it. …
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