It’s starting to look a little different up front. I think it’s interesting that Tony Stewart named David Ragan as NASCAR’s drive of the year in 2008. Stewart said of the driver he once described as a “dart without feather” that he’s improved by leaps and bounds and what he’s learned has led to increased performance.
Ragan’s not the only neophyte we see up front these days. Free agent to-be A.J. Allmendinger continues his great qualifying runs and is competing in races like a guy who wants to catch on with a new team next year. We’ve come to expect good racing from Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin and Bowyer is back on an upswing. Young in NASCAR experience, though in not years, David Reutimann has made huge strides after taking over the #44 ride from Dale Jarrett, proving it is not just JGR doing well for Toyota this season.
Because my weekly power ranking are more about “Mr. Right Now” than “Mr. Right”- you may see some wheel men up front you’re not used to seeing.
#5- David Ragan- It’s hard to believe people were calling him “David Wreck-Um” at the beginning of the year. Ragan ran a respectable 11th at Texas and has 3 top 10s in his last 6 races.
#4- Clint Bowyer- With 2 Top 5s in his last five races and an average finish of 10th, Bowyer is vaulting past better known names to a better finish in the Chase than what he was showing earlier in the run. Clint has finished no worse than 20th since Watkins- Glen.
#3- Jeff Gordon- Lost in the calls for crew chief Steve Letarte’s- he being a popular scapegoat for Gordon’s trouble is the fact the Rainbow Warrior has four consecutive top 10s. If he doesn’t visit victory lane this week, he will next. I’ll bet on that.
#2- Jimmie Johnson- Gotta go with Jimmie here. NASCAR’s answer to Colin Farrell has a top 10 average finish going all the way back to mid-season. While he’s mastered the art of late-season excellence, Johnson is still a model for racing consistency. A heck of a battle would be pitting the second Johnson versus the first half Kyle Busch.
#1- Carl Edwards- Think about this: if not for a penalty at Las Vegas for the oil tank lid, Edwards would be the point leader right now. Being a man on a mission can be hazardous in NASCAR, see his foibles at Talladega for reference. Yet Edwards is willing himself to win as much as a driver can without compromising his points.
Just off by a turn: Dale Jr. still has maddening bouts of inconsistency. If his team can put a complete race together, he’ll be dangerously dominant. David Reutimann has taken Michael Waltrip to another level. Kevin Harvick is putting in workmanlike performances for Richard Childress.
Left in the dust: Hey, didn’t you used to be Matt Kenseth? Juan Pablo Montoya needs to learn that his temper costs him races. What David Gilliland did to JPM was flat-out wrong, but if Montoya had stayed off of Gilly’s hind end, it wouldn’t have happened. Jeff Burton must be in the witness protection program, because he’s disappeared since his most recent win.
