"Big 10" Rankings: Separation Sunday Coming?

Historically, Michigan International Speedway has been the “House Of Roush.” Like Fontana, like Las Vegas- names like Edwards, Kenseth and Biffle start popping out. Even some blasts from Roush’s past- Kurt Busch and Mark Martin starting showing up on the career leaderboard.

This track couldn’t come at a better time for Roush- Fenway. The RFR “Big 3″ could really use a victory to boost their standing in the points- especially Mssrs. Kenseth and Biffle- both of whom have a lot of traffic surrounding them. MIS provides an excellent opportunity to put some distance between these two and the hard-charging likes of Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers. Neither of these two have won at Brooklyn, but they most certainly have the potential.

THE BIG 10

#10- Mark Martin (ranked 6th last week)- “The Kid’ was off like he hasn’t been off in a while. Given the early season bad luck he’s had, the timing stinks as he now sits 11th in points. The good news for Martin is he has 4 career wins, including his mileage gamble victory in June. I’ll get grief for who I passed on to put Martin in this spot- but in my book, the wins count for something.

#9- Greg Biffle (unranked last week)- For the third week in a row, Biffle pulls off another solid finish, gaining two spots in the standings to 10th. Before running out of gas, he was poised to take the win from Jimmie Johnson on the final lap of the June race. As long as fuel mileage doesn’t bite him in the rear, “The Biff” has a real chance to solidify his standing.

#8- Kyle Busch (unranked last week)- I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Kyle Busch will make the chase. Shrub is nipping at Kenseth’s heels, and I’m not sure that Martin and Ryan Newman aren’t somewhat vulnerable. Do you realize there’s 9 wins between Busch, Kenseth and Martin that are on the bubble? If at least two- especially this guy and Martin miss the chase- the points system needs revision.

#7- Denny Hamlin (ranked 8th last week)- A 10th place finish at the Glen is nothing to jump up and down over, but it does rank as another solid finish for the Pocono winner. While he doesn’t quite have the look of a champion, he’s by no means a chump. Hamlin has more top fives than “provisional” chasers Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne.

#6- Kurt Busch (ranked 6th last week)- Busch was a serious contender Monday before giving way. He’s neither hot nor cold at this point- just gliding along. Last time the Spint Cup boys were in town, Busch took 8th. That’s about all he really needs.

#5- Carl Edwards (ranked 10th last week)- Cousin Carl appears to be springing back to life. Also playing into his hands is his history (2 wins) at MIS. Edwards was 4th here in June.

#4- Juan Pablo Montoya (ranked 5th last week)- While I wasn’t real bowled over by his 6th place finish at Watkins Glen, I still give JPM props for some impressive points racing. As much as I hate the concept, I know this is what Montoya has to do to get in. Knowing this goes against his aggressive nature, it makes what he’s attempting pull off all the more notable. Montoya has only one top ten at Michigan….that came in June.

#3- Jeff Gordon (ranked 2nd last week)- In spite of recent roughness, Gordon gets to keep his standing in my top five for his overall body of work this season. “Big Daddy” snuck past Johnson and Biffle to place second. The question now centers around whether or not his ailing back will hold up. One more wreck like he had at Watkins Glen and I don’t want to think about what this will do to him. Still, Gordon is 2nd in top fives and top 10s behind Tony Stewart.

#2- Jimmie Johnson (ranked 3rd last week)- After looking so impressive at Indianapolis, Jimmie has been a bit “un-Jimmie-like” the last two races, though he had moments in both races. The defending champion isn’t going anywhere. That’s good in that he’s not sliding back. That’s bad in that Tony Stewart is making J.J. look pretty ordinary at the moment.

#1- Tony Stewart (ranked 1st last week)- Smoke proves you can be hot and be consistent at the same time. He’s starting to stack up wins to go with the consistency. What Kyle Busch has done to the Nationwide Series, Stewart is doing to the Cup series. While I’ve been touting Johnson as my driver of the decade, I can’t deny the Rushville Rocket may challenge that. Smoke has “only” one win here, but the former USAC and IRL sensation will no doubt be motivated by an opportunity to clinch his spot in the chase AND move into a tie for a series-leading four wins with Mark Martin.

FALLING OFF THE PACE

While Kasey Kahne finished 6 spots better than Martin Monday, I would submit Martin lost less from his unimpressive day than Kahne did. Martin has demonstrated an ability to bounce back. Kahne’s good but he hasn’t shown it to me….yet.He also has a win in the Irish Hills, so the has a real chance to prove the doubters wrong here. Brian Vicker wasn’t spectacular,  but not awful at the Glen. The problem is, he needs to be great to get in the top 12. “Red Bull Red” has shown brilliance in qualifying here, now he needs to show he can do it with other cars on the track.

READY TO STRIKE

Clint Bowyer has been here before. He almost seems more at home coming from behind to get in the chase. He just to get hot and stay hot, not an easy task given the year the Richard Childress crew has had this season. Matt Kenseth hangs on just outside my top ten, and just inside the real top twelve. It’s “git ‘r’ done” time for the 2003 champ if he wants to stick around. He’s got the talent.

DISTANT THUNDER

Ryan Newman has been off since the June Pocono race. Rocket also has a good history at MIS. David Reutimann’s chase hopes are on life support. He’s been good, and at times, very good. If there’s some 2004 and 2005 “Mayfield mojo” lying around, I’d take it.

PHOTO CREDITS- Jack Roush by Total Photo (Leon), Biffle Burnout and Clint Bowyer by Walter G. Arce,  Montoya by jennifer 3. To see more, visit flickr.com.