1. (1) Tony Stewart
On behalf of the NASCAR World Mr. Stewart, your message has been received loud and clear. You have just as good a chance at winning this year’s championship as Jimmie Johnson does, maybe more depending on your point of view.
2. (2) Jimmie Johnson
Let’s put this in perspective, it took Dale Earnhardt 517 races and Richard Petty 200 races before either won a race on a road course. So there is no shame for Johnson never having yet won one himself.
3. (3) Jeff Gordon
Back injuries never completely heal, so the question is will Gordon be able to manage the pain well enough to become the third wheel on the Stewart-Johnson bicycle.
4. (5) Denny Hamlin
Hamlin has put himself in excellent position to make some noise in the next few weeks, whether or not he takes advantage of that is a different story.
5. (8) Kurt Busch
Busch just keeps quietly doing the same thing every week, which is run upfront all race and collect top-10s like a kid collects trading cards.
6. (7) Juan Pablo Montoya
Montoya definitely has the consistency thing down, now he just needs to get the winning thing down. Just don’t expect it to happen this weekend in Michigan.
7. (9) Carl Edwards
A strong run at Watkins Glen following back-to-back disappointing finishes shows this team is resilient. What this team really needs to do is show that it can win, which it hasn’t done since last year.
8. (4) Mark Martin
Martin channeled the Invincible Man Monday, which for a team that still is very much on the Chase bubble is beyond unacceptable. This coming Sunday at Michigan, don’t expect Martin to pull the same disappearing act; he won there in June, and should be a contender once again.
9. (6) Kasey Kahne
Here’s hoping that at the very least Kahne sent Sam Hornish Jr. either a note saying “I’m sorry,” or a bottle of Hornish’s favorite adult beverage. If it were me, I would prefer the bottle.
10. (NR) Greg Biffle
Needed a good run to further enhance his Chase hopes and he got exactly the kind of finish he needed (5th). Now it’s off to Michigan where Biffle will be looking to settle some unfinished business from the race he lost here in June.
Coming into Watkins Glen, the talk was centered on how Jimmie Johnson has become the favorite to win this year’s Sprint Cup championship. And it’s not hard to see why everyone has been beating the Johnson drum the last two-weeks. He won the Brickyard 400 for the second-straight year, and rallied back in impressive fashion from a three-lap deficit to leave Pocono with a 12th-place finish. What has gone under the radar though, is that Johnson’ biggest hurled to his fourth-straight title, Tony Stewart, has been just as impressive in the two races leading up to the Glen. He finishing third at Indy, and staged his own comeback at Pocono to leave with yet another top-10 finish. If there was any doubt that Tony Stewart shouldn’t be talked about in the same breath as Jimmie Johnson, look at what Stewart accomplished yesterday. Stewart led the most laps, won for the third time in 2009, and his fifth time at Watkins Glen, and extended his vast points lead to an immense 260 points over second-place Johnson. Not to mention that on the year, Stewart has a series-best 18 top-10s, four more than Johnson has, and his average finish is almost four places better than the three-time champ. Is Stewart, and most importantly his new team, up to the task of dethroning the 48? I don’t know. What I do know though, is that the 10 race fight between clearly the two best teams in NASCAR in 2009 is one that I am eagerly anticipating.
I read and heard a lot this weekend how Jimmie Johnson needed a win on a road course to justify his credentials as one of the best to sit behind the wheel of a stock car. That’s ridiculous. Actually, that’s beyond ridiculous, it’s asinine. Johnson has won three-straight championships, something only one other driver has ever accomplished. He’s won one Daytona 500, three Brickyard 400’s, and 43 career Sprint Cup races. Does a career like that need anything else to justify it? A win on a road course is going to elevate Johnson’s career to another level? Really? I don’t think so. Johnson has done more than enough already. Don’t forget too, that Dale Earnhardt, a seven-time NASCAR champion won only one race on a road course, and he didn’t do until 1995, a full 15 years after his first championship. If Earnhardt hadn’t won that race, would that have made him a lesser driver? Of course not! Much as it won’t diminish Johnson’s credentials if he never gets that win on a track where you turn left and right.
I’m not an engineer, in fact me changing a light bulb is cause for celebration, but what I do know, is that whenever NASCAR is running on a road course and it rains, they should be racing. Just about every other prominent series in the world runs in the rain whenever they’re turning right and left. Goodyear and NASCAR say they have been working on making this happen for I don’t know how many years now, someday, hopefully soon this will actually come to fruition. I guess I won’t hold my breath because I don’t want to start looking like a Smurf.
While Kyle Busch’s third-place finish yesterday didn’t move him inside the Chase, it might very well be exactly what Busch needs to jumpstart his chances and propel himself inside the Chase cutoff. Busch is a momentum driver, so it will be very interesting to see if he can carry yesterday’s strong run to Michigan this coming Sunday.
This is going to sound a bit convoluted, but to me it makes perfect sense, and I guess in a way it’s more of a backhanded compliment in regards to what I think of Juan Pablo Montoya and his ability. Despite a sixth-place finish, which should secure Montoya a place in this year’s Chase, I was disappointed in his performance yesterday. I guess with how strong Montoya looked the past two-weeks, I expected him to be more of a factor in the outcome. He never led a lap, never ran near the front, and was really never in contention for the win. I guess win number two will now have to wait for another week.
Top 12 as of Today: Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, and Greg Biffle.
Who Moved In: While there was some jostling inside the top-12, no driver this week moved inside the cutoff for the Chase.
Who Moved Out: As noted above no drivers dropped out of the top-12 for the week, but a few drivers inside the top-12 are inching themselves closer to the Chase bubble with continued mediocrity.
Outside Looking In: Kyle Busch moved up one spot in the standings to 13th, but still trails Greg Biffle for the 12th and final spot in the Chase by 101 points. Right behind Busch is the streaking Brian Vickers, who with momentum on his side, based on five-straight top-10 finishes, is now in Chase contention, just 103 markers in arrears of Biffle.
Forecast: The 12 drivers, who are in position to make the Chase for the Championship right now, might very well be the 12 drivers we see competing for the championship come September.
Stewart, Johnson, Gordon, Kurt Busch, and Hamlin are all locks to get into NASCAR’s postseason. While barring any unforeseen circumstances, Edwards, Kahne, Montoya, Newman and Martin all should be making plans to race for this year’s crown.
If you do the math, which has never been my strong suit, I did go to a Wisconsin college after all; there are two spots up for grabs to make the Chase. Competing for those final two spots are Matt Kenseth (11th), Greg Biffle (12th), Kyle Busch (13th), Brian Vickers (14th) and barely hanging by a thread, Clint Bowyer (15th) and David Reutimann (16th).
It’s going to take some stellar finishes and a lot of luck for either Bowyer or Reutimann to get in. Frankly though, neither of them has it in them to get it done, so we can go ahead and cross both of them off of our list.
While Vickers has been running great the past month, and runs very well at Michigan, there are too many tracks on the horizon where he has historically struggled. Look at his average finish at Watkins Glen (23.2), Bristol (23.0), and Richmond (19.5) and tell me that this looks like a driver who in the next five races can make a move into the top-12. Unfortunately for him, Vickers championship aspirations will have to be put on hold until next year.
So it boils down to Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Kyle Busch. Kenseth and Busch won four of the first five races this year, but that was a longtime ago, and neither looks close to their early season form. Kenseth though does have a bit of momentum going, having three top-11 finishes in the last four races. Add in the fact that Kenseth has won on three of the five tracks left in the regular season, and I think he continues his streak of making every Chase for the Championship, a record he shares with Jimmie Johnson.
Greg Biffle may have more top-fives than either Kenseth or Busch, but he seems to be heading in the opposite direction with only one top-10 in the last six races. Biffle’s track record this year shows that he’s streaky, both good and bad. Does he have another good streak left in him to sneak in? I think not, which means Kyle Busch would get the nod if…
Busch can somehow just start putting some good finishes together. And finishes is the key word here. Busch has run well the past two races, running in the top-10 in both. The problem is that the finishes haven’t been there, with Busch blowing a tire at Indy, and scraping the wall hard at Pocono. That being said, no driver outside of Jimmie Johnson is more capable of running off a winning-streak than Busch is, no matter how inconsistent he has been this year. Can a driver who has only one top-10 since Memorial Day, and driver who hasn’t finished inside the top-five since his win at Richmond in early May, make the Chase? I say yes, which means Busch will have a chance to atone for his disappointing Chase a year ago.
1. (1) Tony Stewart
Nine-straight top-10’s and a commanding lead in the points, now if Stewart could just stop wrecking cars in practice, then all would be right in the 14’s world.
2. (2) Jimmie Johnson
If there is any doubt as to who the favorite is come the Chase for the Championship, just go back and look at what this team did at Pocono. They put on a clinic on how you never, ever quit until the checkered flag flies. Hopefully, Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were taking notes.
3. (3) Jeff Gordon
Another top-10 finish is nice, his seventh in the last eight races. However, if I am to believe that Gordon is a legitimate contender for this year’s championship, I’m going to have to see this team win another race before the Chase begins.
4. (4) Mark Martin
The thing that was holding this team back was inconsistency, but that problem seems to have been solved with three-straight top-10s. Look for Martin to be in contention for win number five this weekend at the Glen, a track where in 19 career starts, he has three wins and only three finishes outside the top-10.
5. (7) Denny Hamlin
This team needed to win at Pocono for a variety reasons and it did, which says a lot about the makeup of this team. Now the question becomes, can this team breakout like I think it has the potential to, and become a contender for this year’s title?
6. (5) Kasey Kahne
Give Kahne all the credit in the world for the season he and his team are having. He’s accomplished a lot without the amount of resources that the guy’s above him have.
7. (8) Juan Pablo Montoya
With the way this team has ran the last two-weeks, anything less than a top-five at Watkins Glen will be considered a disappointment.
8. (9) Kurt Busch
Needed a good run at Pocono and got it, which shows the mettle of this team. Don’t be surprised if Busch is your winner Sunday in New York, he’s sneaky fast on the road courses.
9. (6) Carl Edwards
Yes, Edwards will make the Chase, but for a team that won nine times last year and was considered one of the favorites to win this years title, this year has been a disappointment on the level of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick.
10. (NR) Brian Vickers
Did you know that Vickers with 10 top-10s on the year has more than both Matt Kenseth (8) and Greg Biffle (9)? So why is Vickers not above them in the points? Well, when you have a pit crew that makes the Keystone Cops look coordinated, that’s why your not higher in the standings and still on the outside looking in when it comes to the Chase.
- Winning is a very powerful thing in and of itself, especially when you haven’t won a Sprint Cup race in over a year like Denny Hamlin has. But winning with a heavy heart is an even more powerful thing. So it’s understandable with the passing of his grandmother last Friday, why yesterday’s win by Hamlin meant so much to him, "We definitely had some angels with us today," Hamlin said in victory lane all the while fighting back tears. Sometimes you don’t have to say anything to say a lot.
- One thing I’m going to need explained to me and not with the reason that this is just how it’s always been, is why Pocono has two Sprint Cup races? While yesterday’s race was for the most part pretty good, particularly the last 30 laps or so, the truth is that the racing at Pocono isn’t consistently good enough to justify having two Cup races here. Especially when you look at the track where the Nationwide Series ran this weekend, Iowa Speedway, and think what a show NASCAR’s top series could put on if they were ever given the chance. Iowa had close to 60,000 fans on-hand Saturday afternoon and featured side-by-side racing throughout the race and not just after a restart like at Pocono. Why not take the Sprint Cup series to as many diverse tracks as possible, particularly if those tracks will offer great racing that will likely get fans excited about the on-track product once again?
- Here’s all you need to know why Jimmie Johnson and the 48 team are the three-time defending Sprint Cup champions. On Monday, engine issues left Johnson three laps behind the leaders. Instead of packing it in, and saying today is not our day, Johnson and the 48 team led by the best crew chief in the garage in Chad Knaus, put their heads down, went to work, diagnosed the problem, which they promptly fixed and began slowly working their way back into contention. At the end of the day, the box score will say that Johnson finished 13th, but the reality is that this was as much of a win by the 48 team as their actual win last week at Indianapolis was.
- Another former champion who needs to be commended on his attitude and commitment is Tony Stewart. After a practice crash had him starting at the tail end of the field in a backup car, and with a car that for the first half of the race that can best be described as piggish, Stewart and his team rallied back to score their ninth straight top-10 finish and their series leading 17th top-10 finish of the year.
- I have no real opinion of teams who elect to start-and-park. My thinking is if a team is good enough to qualify on speed, then they deserve to run whatever number of laps they elect to. Plus how is NASCAR supposed to regulate that they run a certain number of laps each race? That being said, it needs to be pointed out that yesterday by lap 40, there were seven cars that were in the garage parked for the day for a variety of non-descript reasons.
- Brian Vickers had another top-10 finish Monday, his fourth-straight, but if he has any chance of making this year’s Chase for the Championship, then his pit crew is going to have to be a heck of a lot better than it was yesterday. On their first two pit stops of the day, the 83 crew lost a combined 13 spots on pit road, which is beyond unacceptable for a team who is chasing a berth in NASCAR’s postseason.
- With his runner-up finish, Juan Pablo Montoya did two things yesterday. One, he recorded his first top-five finish of the year. The second is that with that second-place finish, Montoya took another huge step towards making the Chase for the Championship. Expect big things for this team next weekend at Watkins Glen.
- After finishing a career-best fourth yesterday, Sam Hornish Jr. took yet another big step in showing the NASCAR world that he is becoming a genuine stock car driver. The next step for Hornish is to build on this and start putting top-20 finishes together on a consistent basis.
Understandably with all the personal changes within the leadership rank of the IndyCar Series and its parent company Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the past month and change, there has not been a whole lot time for the new leadership to put its stamp on the future direction of the IRL. However, with all that being said, with the 2010 schedule being released and no races scheduled for Cleveland, Road America, and New Hampshire, the 2010 IndyCar Series schedule leaves a lot to be desired. The three above venues are tracks that fans, both old and new have been clamoring for the IndyCar Series to return to since the reunification last year. The question I have, why is the IndyCar Series not listening to its fans and returning to tracks that generally, for the most part have produced great open-wheel racing? Especially when you factor in how dreadful the majority of the races have been this year? I understand that Barber Motorsports Park, which is being added to the 2010 schedule, is a great facility, but the pink elephant in the room is that there are almost zero opportunities for an IndyCar to complete a pass. Someone needs to explain to me how adding another track where passing is difficult to the schedule is in the best interests of open-wheel racing?
Another problem I have with the schedule is for the first-time in the history of the IRL, the schedule has more road course races than ovals. This is a series that was founded on the principle of giving American oval open-wheel drivers an opportunity to compete in the most famous race in the world. If you want my complete thoughts on the direction that the IRL is headed in, read my plan from last month on how I would save open-wheel racing in America. Nonetheless, this series continues to take steps to go away from the very foundation that it was built upon. This series is an almost exact replica of the series that intended not to be, Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). It’s too bad the economy is as bad as it is, because I’m convinced if the opportunity presented itself I could start an IndyCar-style series and turn it not only into a viable competitor to the IRL, but NASCAR as well.
The Edmonton City Centre Airport circuit is generally regarded as one of the can’t miss races of the year, and is supposed to offer plenty of good opportunities for an IndyCar to attempt and complete a pass. The road courses supposedly also offer smaller teams an opportunity to win, like Justin Wilson did at Watkins Glen driving for Dale Coyne. Well both of those ideas sure went out the window this past weekend. The race was anything but a can’t miss, as Will Power driving for Team Penske led 90 of 95 laps and won his first IndyCar race of the year and his first while driving for Penske. And further illustrating the dominance of the Penske and Ganassi teams in 2009, is the fact that the top-five drivers in the Rexall Edmonton Indy all drove for one of the two above mentioned owners. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
As for Power, he continues to show that he is more than deserving of a top-notch fulltime ride for 2010. On the year, Power has raced five times, has one win, and has finished in the top-10 in all five races, and four of his top-10s are finishes inside the top-five and he also has two poles. Even more telling is the fact that Power has led 106 laps on the year, which is fifth most this year. Hopefully Roger Penske sees the quality of work that Power has done in a brief amount of time this year and secures a fulltime ride for him next year, because no one is more deserving of that kind of opportunity at the moment than Will Power.
Tony Kanaan thankfully escaped with relatively minor injuries after what was a very scary and dangerous fuel mishap during his first pit stop of the day Sunday. The resulting fire not only singed off Kanaan’s eyebrows and eyelashes, but also left a minor burn on his nose (Insert your own Kanaan nose joke here). Kanaan though, will be racing this Saturday night in Kentucky, which will hopefully be the start of some good luck for the personable Brazilian, whose season has left him battered and bruised more than once in 2009.
I’m not quite sure what it says about the IndyCar Series that Danica Patrick is the top-ranked America driver. Either it shows how few Americans are racing in the series, and are with teams that can offer them competitive equipment or it states just how far along Patrick has come as a driver? I’ll let you decide for yourself.
Speaking of Danica, it’s sounding more and more likely that she will be staying in the IRL come 2010. The leader in the clubhouse at this point on where she will end up is Chip Ganassi Racing, where she will drive a third-car as a teammate to Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti. This however can, and will probably change before it’s all said and done. Also, don’t be shocked if she does decide to stay at Andretti Green Racing.
1. (1) Tony Stewart
Had a very quiet Brickyard, but a quiet day for Stewart just means that he finished third.
2. (2) Jimmie Johnson
Has more wins than the Stewart, but he still trails behind the 14 in points, top-fives and top-10s, which is why he trails Stewart in the Power Poll.
3. (3) Jeff Gordon
Indy win number five is going to have to wait until next year; much as championship number five is going to have to wait until next year.
4. (10) Mark Martin
Came up just short of his first Indianapolis win, but as Martin said post-race, there’s no shame in losing to Superman.
5. (7) Kasey Kahne
Keep an eye on Kahne over the next six races as they could be huge for him with races at Pocono, Michigan, Atlanta, and Richmond all racetracks where he has won at before.
6. (6) Carl Edwards
A bit of a lost weekend for the 99 team, we’ll see over the next month whether Edwards is a pretender or a contender for this year’s championship.
7. (4) Denny Hamlin
Once again, every time you expect this team to finally put it all together and do something special, something happens and this team leaves you scratching your head wondering if they will ever breakthrough.
8. (9) Juan Pablo Montoya
Ranking the costliest speeding tickets of all-time, Montoya’s would have to be number one the list right? I mean, I can’t think of another one that could top it.
9. (5) Kurt Busch
Maybe next year Kurt should consult his Penske teammate Helio Castroneves about how to best run at Indy? Couldn’t hurt after the weekend Busch had.
10. (8) Ryan Newman
This team isn’t at the level they were at in the spring, but there still in great shape to make the Chase, which all things considered, is mighty impressive.
- Unquestionably the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard is the second biggest NASCAR race on the schedule. If a driver can’t win the Daytona 500, a win at Indianapolis is almost as nice. But 16 years after NASCAR raced on the famous bricks for the first-time, the question that needs to be asked is, should NASCAR still a race on a track that rarely offers not even great racing, but good racing? 16-years after the most memorable moment in 400 history when “Wonder Boy” Jeff Gordon won the race in front of his hometown fans, we’re still waiting for another great moment in Brickyard history. Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart collecting checkered flags at the speedway were nice, but unlike the first Brickyard race, neither moment was truly memorable because the races themselves were pretty lackluster. Yes, I know in terms of media attention, and publicity, NASCAR needs an annual race at Indy. But what good is all that attention if all your doing is showcasing a product that rarely offers fans a reason to get excited, and a product that makes the casual fan wonder why they should invest their time in following NASCAR if all there going to see is single-file racing, and few, if any on-track passes for the lead? Ask yourself this, if you were someone who turned on yesterday’s race for the first-time, would you be compelled to take the time next Sunday to tune in to watch the Sprint Cup series race at Pocono? There is no need to answer that question because you and I both know what the answer is.
- Give Jimmie Johnson, now the holder of three Brickyard trophies, credit for being in position to take advantage of a mistake by Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya without a doubt was cruising to his second Sprint Cup win, when during final pit stops, he was clocked exceeding the pit road speed limit not once but twice, necessitating that NASCAR hand down a drive-thru penalty to the 2000 Indy 500 winner. Johnson pretty much running in the top-three for the majority of the day, capitalized on Montoya’s mistake and became the first NASCAR driver to win back-to-back races at Indianapolis. When asked afterwards if he would have had anything for Montoya, Johnson replied bluntly "I don't have a clue," Johnson said, then snickered. "I do know I have the trophy." Which at the end of the day is the thing that matters the most.
- It has been a lost season for 2002 Brickyard 400 winner Kevin Harvick. Entering Indianapolis, Harvick was buried in the standings and hadn’t had a top-10 finish since Atlanta back in March. On Sunday though, Harvick looked a lot like the driver who finished fourth in points last year, running in the top-10 throughout the day and with a sixth-place finish, Harvick earned his first top-10 in 16 races.
- Speaking of Kevin Harvick, for those who think that he won’t be running for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2010 because Richard Childress issued a statement saying he has no intention of letting Harvick out of his contract early. Just remember that a year ago; Joe Gibbs was saying the same thing in regards to Tony Stewart, who still had a year left on his contract. I am no legal expert, and I don’t pretend to know anything other than what happens on a racetrack, I do however know that contracts in NASCAR are about as worthless as the paper their written on.
- Another driver who ran inside the top-10 all day was Brian Vickers, who ultimately finished fifth. Vickers is now 15th in points, and with Pocono and Michigan, two tracks Vickers always runs well at, upcoming, and trailing Matt Kenseth for 12th by just 120 points, he’s in excellent shape to cut that deficit significantly and make his first appearance in the Chase for the Championship.
- What do you think Elliott Sadler is thinking about the new Dodge engine that he raced for the first-time on Sunday? You know the one that lasted only a lap before Sadler had to take it behind the wall for repairs.
I know everyone keeps saying that there will be no tire issues today during the 400, and there is reason for their optimism after no reported tire problems so far in practice, but until I actually see it happen during race conditions, I don’t believe it. Goodyear has shown too many times that they lack the ability to build a quality, consistent tire that can survive 400 miles.
Admitting one has a problem is the first step towards getting help, so Kyle Busch acknowledging that he has to work on improving his attitude says a lot about Busch. It’s too bad that he waited so long before recognizing how is attitude has affected his race team. The good news though is that there is still a lot races left in the season and that Busch still has a shot at making the Chase and winning his first Sprint Cup championship, which is something a lot of drivers at this point in the year can’t say.
A big gold star for Mark Martin for making me look smart after I picked him to win the 400 on Friday morning and all before a practice lap had even been turned at Indy.
Good race last night in the Nationwide Series watching Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch work their way from the back to the front. Maybe it’s time we pass a rule that says any driver who is in the top-35 in the Sprint Cup standings has to start in the back anytime they race in the Nationwide Series? This would be a good thing for the series and it would definitely make the racing exciting watching Edwards, Busch, Logano and others attempt to fight their way from the back every week.
After qualifying second yesterday, Juan Montoya has more than a real chance today to become the first driver to win both the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. Other drivers who have qualified for today’s race that have raced in the 500 include Tony Stewart starting seventh, Sam Hornish Jr. (15th), Robby Gordon (32nd), and John Andretti (35th).
With Dale Earnhardt Jr. fighting a bug and not feeling 100%, if you were Rick Hendrick wouldn’t you put Brad Keselowski in that car and sit Junior for the weekend? I mean Keselowski has actually won a Sprint Cup race in the last calendar year and in 13 less starts he does have as many top-10s on the year as Junior. Just saying.
And in case you haven’t seen it, Formula One driver Felipe Massa had a very scary wreck yesterday in qualifying for today’s Hungarian Grand Prix. Massa was struck in the head by what looks like to be a spring off of Ruben Barrichello’s car dazing the Brazilian and causing Massa to run into a tire barrier. Massa suffered a skull fracture and is in stable condition, but according to reports, he thankfully is expected to make a full recovery.