8 Reasons You Should Be Watching NASCAR This Season

And none of them have to do with Danica Patrick.

March 31, 2014

Image via Complex Original

The 2014 NASCAR season is in full swing. With new qualifying rules, a new Sprint Cup Chase points system, and a whole mess of new drivers, the field has been all over the place in its six races thus far. But with the NBA also hitting its stride and about to head into the playoffs, baseball starting up today, and March Madness going wild, it's easy to understand why many people might not be paying attention. Whether that's because you think the sport is dumb, or you think it's boring, or you just think it's not even a sport at all, we can speak confidently when we say you're missing out. Let us explain why with these 8 Reasons You Should Be Watching NASCAR This Season.

There are eight rookie drivers.

Parker Kligerman, Justin Allgaier, Michael Annett, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Ryan Truex, Cole Whitt and Austin Dillon. All rookies! Larson has already been killing it this season, placing second in the Sprint Cup Series at California, and grabbing Top 10 spots in all of his Nationwide Series races, including a first-place finish at the TreatMyCloth.com 300 (yes, really). Additionally, Dillon has three Top 5 finishes in the Nationwide Series and three Top 15 finishes in the Sprint Cup Series. This might be one of the most talented freshman classes in NASCAR history, and they're already making a huge impact. It's fun watching kids grow up.

Jimmie Johnson is on his historic quest for 7.

This point alone is enough to draw attention to this sport. Fans of mainstream sports might not realize it, but Jimmie Johnson is one of the greatest (not just drivers) athletes of all time. He has won SIX championships in the past eight years. And now he's on his mission to go for No. 7, something only two other drivers, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty, have ever done. He won five championships in a row for cryin' out loud. And he won't even be 40 until next year. He's currently ninth in the standings, but we could be watching major, major history.

Because you saw Jeff' Gordon's awesome prank on an auto journalist.

At least, we hope you've seen it by now. If not, WATCH IT NOW (below). It's just one of many, many things that show how personable these drivers are. It's easy to latch on to them and pick your driver to root for, because they are pretty relatable. And, of course, Jeff Gordon, well into his 40's and now in his 23rd season of NASCAR, continues to consistently compete. He's currently in 8th place in the points standings.

Tony Stewart is back to being Tony Stewart.

NASCAR lost one of its most polarizing drivers last August when Tony Stewart broke his leg. In true Smoke form, it didn't even take the first race of the season for him to be back in the headlines. Before the Daytona 500, he commented on Richard Petty's ridiculous statement that Danica Patrick could only win a race if everybody else stayed home. Stewart's reaction?

"I think that (a race) would pretty much settle it once and for all, maybe get him to shut up a little bit, too," Stewart said. "I will supply the cars. If he wants to race her, I'll make sure they have exactly the same setup in the car and give him the chance. He can drive one of my 14 cars. I don't care."

Back to the usual, constantly stirring up the pot. So, how's he racing? He started the season a little rusty, but he has two Top 5 finishes in the past three races.

Dale Jr. is back!

Before 2014, Dale Jr. had gone winless in four of the past five years. Then he rolled up this year, won the Daytona 500, finished second in his next two races, and finished third this past weekend. That puts him in first in the Sprint Cup Series, and he's already guaranteed a spot in the chase, thanks to the new system. It's great to see him back on track.

Dale Jr. is also now on Twitter and is tweeting like a maniac.

After winning the Daytona 500, Dale figured that it'd be as good of a time as ever to join Twitter. He had previously said that he didn't want to join becuase he thought he couldn't maintain it, but we think his 624,000 followers (he had about 400,000 in two days) will help keep him on his toes. He started off right, tweeting photos of his Daytona trophy and shouting out his dad, and has maintained his incredible level of Twitter excellence by constantly engaging with his fans, giving himself props and encouragement after races and tweeting about things like how good the hot dogs are at Martinsville. Keep it up, champ.

Six different drivers have won the first six races, two of which were amidst horrible winless skids.

As we just mentioned, before, Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke a very rough stretch, winning the Daytona 500, and this past weekend, Kurt Busch snapped an 83-race winless streak by edging out Jimmie Johnson in Martinsville. That makes six winners in six races. How's that for parity?

The Brad Keselowski/Busch drama took a new firey turn.

Remember last year when Kyle Busch dumped Keselowski in Kansas? Well, this weekend in Martinsville Kyle's brother Kurt got into some trouble with Brad, ramming into Keselowski in the pits. Keselowski was so pissed that he went back out onto the track completely without a front end just so he could flip Kurt off and give him a little sideswipe. In interviews after the race, both basically said the other would get what's coming to him, which only means more heat and probably more crashes, which, for people who aren't really hardcore NASCAR fans, is exactly what makes the racing so exciting.