Ryan Blaney

One of the top rising drivers in the sport, Blaney held serve in 2019. He didn't quite make the gains we expected for him last season, but much of that can be attributed to the COVID-affected campaign. Blaney still slugged it out to one win and 17 Top-10 finishes. The driver of the No. 12 Ford didn't make a deep drive into the playoffs, and that's where much of the disappointment comes in. Still, Blaney's numbers held up well when compared to 2019 and his average finish held steady at 13.8. Crew chief Todd Gordon and Blaney now have one season under the belts as a duo, and will now look to climb from here. This driver and team certainly have that potential. Blaney has become one of the top superspeedway drivers in the series, and his road course skills are improving with each passing start. This could be the season where he notches a multi-win campaign and breaks the 20 Top-10 plateau for the first time.

The Penske Racing youngster took some gradual steps over the last three seasons, and now Blaney may be poised to explode. The driver of the No. 12 Ford won a race for the third-straight season, and he claimed career-best marks of 11 Top-5 and 18 Top-10 finishes in 2019. It all added up to an impressive seventh-place finish in the points for Blaney. Now he and crew chief, Jeremy Bullins, will look to step it up a notch in the upcoming season. We really liked the way this driver and team rounded out last season. Blaney has a lot of momentum and looks like he has the most room to grow of the drivers ranked in our Top 10. We could see Blaney post his first multi-win season in 2020 and he could break the 20 Top-10 plateau for the first time in his career. Those fantasy racing players who are fortunate enough to get Blaney on the cheap this season should reap some pretty big rewards. 2020 could be the last season this driver comes cheap in drafts and auctions.

Blaney made some strides last season in his first year of racing under the Penske banner. The driver of the No. 12 Ford racked up his second-career win with a victory at the Charlotte Roval in perhaps one of the toughest tests of last season. He also grabbed three pole positions and 16 Top-10 finishes en route to a 10th-place finish in the standings. Blaney would have liked a deeper playoff run, but that just wasn't in the cards. He'll look for more incremental improvement in 2019. Blaney returns to the same team and crew chief Jeremy Bullins. The two will look to keep the momentum rolling and to drive deeper into the playoffs this coming season. Blaney is very talented and has yet to really tap into his potential. He makes a good candidate for breakout or speculative upside this season.

Probably one of the most watched drivers in the upcoming season will be Blaney and his new No. 12 Penske Racing team. The young driver makes the jump from Wood Brothers Racing to Penske. Blaney accomplished a lot of great things in his short time with the No. 21 Ford team. He even took the Wood Brothers back to victory lane last year with a big win at Pocono Raceway. Blaney's one win, 14 Top-10 finish campaign of last year should be viewed as just the tip of his potential. With the full resources of Penske Racing, great lineup of sponsors and Jeremy Bullins calling the shots from atop the tool box there's great potential in this driver and team. Blaney is one of the rising stars of NASCAR and he should post an incredible breakout season in 2018.

The Wood Brothers Racing return to full-time action last season was a great success. A big part of the reason for it lies directly on Blaney's shoulders. The youngster exceeded expectations in every way. He claimed nine Top-10 finishes along the way en route to a respectable 20th-place finish in the final driver standings. Not bad for a driver who only had 18-career starts at NASCAR's top level prior to last season. Blaney will set the bar a bit higher in the upcoming season. He will once again be paired with crew chief Jeremy Bullins, and the team also returns completely intact. The goal in 2017 will simply be to make the Chase for the Cup and to be more consistent from week-to-week. Both goals are entirely possible. Winning a race may still be out of reach for the No. 21 Ford team, but there's still plenty of room for more Top 10s and improved consistency.

After nine seasons of part-time racing in the Sprint Cup Series, Wood Brothers Racing will return to full-time competition in 2016. Blaney will take the wheel and continue the work that he started last season with his 16-start schedule. Over those efforts there were a lot of ups-and-downs, but the young driver managed to claim two top-10 finishes and even one top-5 finish. Blaney will compete for Rookie of the Year honors and battle with Chase Elliott for that honor. Jeremy Bullins returns to the crew chief's seat and will continue to build chemistry with this talented youngster. Blaney has eight combined victories between the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series and he has a runner-up finish in the 2014 truck series standings to his credit. Blaney has tremendous talent and will grow with this small team.

The second generation driver and son of Sprint Cup Series veteran Dave Blaney will get his first full-time NASCAR ride in 2013. Blaney will race the full schedule in pursuit of the championship for the strong No. 29 BKR team. He made nine starts for this team last season with one victory and five Top-10 finishes. If you project those results out over a full 22-race schedule you get numbers that are near championship-contending. Blaney is obviously talented, and the Camping World Truck Series is a good fit at this point and time for the young driver. This driver and team should be a winning combination.