2014 Sim Cup Preview THE VIDEO

So the goal for this series is to evolve into a youtube channel under the Mock Sports banner. I just recorded and uploaded our first video, a preview of this upcoming Sim Cup Season! Enjoy!

Burmy Bros. Racing

A lot has happened recently. The recording program just wasn't working out, so we're doing the next best thing, going back to screenshots of the race like last year. This decision caused some other decisions to be made.

The game will let as many cars race as the track has pit stalls. Every track has room for 43, except SOnoma which caps out at 24. This is the reason we ran 10 cars last season. So the 20 cars, plus one for the user player(i retire before the race starts). What I'm saying is theres room to expand! Last week, Michael Burmiester was rewarded a team. The Wisconsinite introduced his 2 rookie drivers, Reed Conway in the 38 Case IH ford, and Daniel Alderson in the 50 New Holland ford.

They will be behind everyone in research in development due to the short notice, but they are optimistic on their chances for the season which starts in a few weeks at Homestead.

Here are the drivers profiles.

2014 Preview: Team Harden

Owner- Brent Harden

2013 Standings- 9th / 2014 Projection- 5th

The disappointing 2013 season should only spur the team for this year. They cut Jamie Simms, and picked up the best free agent available. Morello and Unger have the opportunity to establish the building blocks for the future starting now

Scott Unger / 4 / Chick-Fil-A Ford Fusion

2013 Standings- 12th / 2014 Projection- 12th

They put a winning driver in a car that had issues running last season. Unger's main problem was the amount of finishes over 10th. He needs to show Dumas that he deserved to stay in the 12, so expect Unger to have better runs this year. Now that the 4 crew has a guy who has won in the series, they will look to him to earn Team Harden their first victory.

Tommy Morello / 21 / Kellog's Frosted Flakes Ford Fusion

2013 Standings- 7th / 2014 Projection- 7th

The year started out so positive, but when you have 4 finishes of 19th or worse in 5 races, the wheels are bound to fall off. But Morello fought adversity and rattled off 5 straight top 10s. Delete the DNFs, and the 21 had a pretty good season. But no trip to victory lane hurt the 21 in the points. The goal for the 21 should be to win a race. The boost in morale would be huge and might spur them to a championship.

2014 Preview: Taylor Motorsports

Owner- Michael Taylor

2013 Standings- 4th / 2014 Projection- 2nd

One of the projected improvements for this year. The key lies in consistency. A total of 6 DNFs was 2nd most in Sim Cup last year. But despite that, both cars had top 9 finishes in points. The reason is the 4 wins the team scored. Take away the retirements, and Taylor Motorsports is a real contender for the team cup.

Dillon Fischer / 19 / Old Spice Toyota Camry

2013 Standings- 9th / 2014 Projection- 8th

A 19th at Homestead last year hurt the team from the start. But after that, two 11ths, a 4th, and a win at Talladega, Fischer was now mixing it with the best of the league. The next 6 races were less than ideal, with only one top 10. But the 19 came on strong on the last 3 races. If Fischer can run in the top 10 more consistently, he will be there at the very end. He knows how to get to victory lane, so it's a matter of staying out of trouble and being smart.

 Anthony Wick / 26 / AAA Toyota Camry

2013 Standings- 3rd / 2014 Projection- 2nd

Wick might be the best shot at dethroning the 6 car for the title. Take away the blow up at Phoenix that ended his title run, the last 4 races of last season were something all drivers dream of. Two wins and a 3rd place kept him in the race, and gave him a huge boost for this year. Also winning the All-Star race definately helps. The reason he lost the championship was his 4 DNFs. The team worked hard to cut down this number. If they can limit the problems, the 26 will be scary to see in your rear view mirror.

2014 Preview: Revolution Motorsports

Owner- Ryan Martin

2013 Standings- 1st / 2014 Projection- 1st

It was a perfect season for Revolution Motorsports. That just makes it that much harder to match for this upcoming season. No race last year didn't have a Revolution car in the top 10. Can the new orange-clad Revolution Motorsports match these results for 2014?

Matt Zetticci / 6 / Ducks Unlimited Cheverlet SS 

2013 Standings- 1st / 2014 Projection- 1st

Our champion returns to the track in a bold new camoflague car. The way to win the championship is easy, score more top 3s(5) than races outside the top 10(4). It was truly amazing to see his comeback and pass of the 10 car for the championship. There was literally no way to improve upon his season, running wise. It took 9 races to wind up in victory lane, but that's no big deal if you're constantly running around first. It'll be hard to come close to last season, but if he's half as good, he will still be competative.

Michael Adkins / 9 / Ducks Unlimited Cheverlet SS 

2013 Standings- 6th / 2014 Projection- 5th

The All-Star fan vote winner started the year with 3 finishes lower than 12th, but in the next 10 races, he could hardly be kept down. Eight top 10s were scored in that time, and half of them were top 5s. The thing that kept him down was his highest finish being 4th. If he can get some help from the champion next door, the 9 car might have one or two visits to victory lane.

2014 Preview: Northstar Motorsports

Owner- Ryan McDonnell

2013 Standings- 2nd / 2014 Projection- 4th

A year after losing to Revolution Motorsports in both the drivers and team standings, Northstar is looking for 2014 to be their year. The most established driver in the series is at the helm, but the key to a team championship is, well, a consistant team.

Ricky Bracket / 5 / Verizon Cheverlet SS 

2013 Standings- 15th / 2014 Projection- 13th

For a while, the 5 was an actual championship contender. The finishes outside the top 10, or 2 DNFs weren't even that big of deal. What he needed to do was turn some of his 8 top 10s into a win. His best career finish as 3rd at Indy. If he can earn some top 5s, it'll go a long way into shortening the gap between Northstar's 1st and 2nd driver.

Mathues Barros / 10 / Best Buy Cheverlet SS 

2013 Standings- 2nd / 2014 Projection- 3rd

The Brazillian came within 4 points from winning the title for 2013. The only negative last year was one DNF, and that was on the 3rd to last race of the season. If his season comes anywhere close to last year, he will be in the running for the championship. The thinghe needs to improve on is mile and a half tri-ovals. On the 3 last season, he had no top 10s. With Texas added to the schedule, and Las Vegas still hosting the finale, the more emphasis there will be to run well on these tracks.

2014 Preview: KMI Racing

Owner- Kyle Miltenberger

2013 Standings- 6th / 2014 Projection- 8th

Team Powers Racing has been purchased and remade into KMI Racing. The switch to Toyota was the biggest change. The drivers stayed, but will have all new sponsors and paint schemes for this upcoming year.

Jim Powers / 13 / Dr. Pepper Ten Toyota Camry

2013 Standings- 18th / 2014 Projection- 19th

The 13 car was definately hit or miss last season. The season started with a 2nd at Homestead, but then was followed by 4 straight finishes utside the top 10. He had back to back podium finishes after that stretch, including a win at Charlotte. He had the results, but other than those 3 good races, he had no other race to really right home about. He'll need to work on adding to his top 10 total as a start, and work from there to possibly steal a win this season.

 Jason Severn / 34 / Snapple Toyota Camry

2013 Standings- 8th / 2014 Projection- 11th

For not having a win last season, Severn established himself as the lead driver for Team Powers Racing. Now with a Toyota engine under the hood, he will have to overcome that hurdle in his drive to improve upon last season. His season highlights were two 2nds, and a win at the All-Star transfer race. Three DNFs last season hurt him more than not winning. That could be the first step in improving for 2014.