By Jared Turner Although the 2016 NASCAR season has just ended, we’re only a little more than three months away from the Daytona Speedweeks and the start of the 2017 NASCAR season. Following are 5 fearless predictions for the year to come: Carl Edwards Will Finally Close The Deal Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Greg Biffle are the only active drivers to finish fourth or better in the standings at least twice, only to never win a title. But among the four drivers, only Edwards has twice been a bridesmaid – the second time on the basis of a tiebreaker.…

By Jared Turner After having only modestly successful 2014 and 2015 seasons by his lofty standards, Jimmie Johnson entered the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season somewhat under the radar for a driver of his caliber and success. Johnson, who rang up a record-breaking five consecutive championships from 2006-2010 and added another in 2013, remained under the radar at the outset of the 2016 Chase thanks to a relatively quiet regular season performance that included just two wins – both in the first month-and-a-half of the season. But once the Chase commenced, Johnson showed his muscle with victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway and…