For those of you who go back with me all the way to last Fall, you’ll remember I narrowed my driver rankings when the Chase came along. Now, the time has come to do the same this year.
Let’s face it. When it comes to making a run at a championship, Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne are toast. The hopes of Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin are hanging by a thread and not very realistic. As far as that goes, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch still have shots, but they’re really going to need to turn it on quickly if they’re going to topple the likes of Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Juan Pablo Montoya. Hey, even Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are feeling the heat.
THE FAB FIVE
#5- Jeff Gordon (ranked 5th last week)- How tight is the competition at the front? With two straight second place finishes, Gordon is stuck here in 5th. Don’t get me wrong, he’s had good runs. Speaking as a Gordon fan, I’m just concerned that his team can’t quite close the deal. Quite honestly, this observer wonders if Gordon and Letarte OVER-think this. On more than one occasion, it seems like they’ve adjusted their way OUT of the race. Nonetheless, they fight on, and Gordon’s driving skill keeps him out of trouble on the track.
#4- Tony Stewart (ranked 4th last week)- I still say Smoke represents perhaps the best chance of knocking off Jimmie Johnson. a tribute to the work of this team is how they rallied from a lap down to get a top five. Stewart drove the wheels off this car and still managed to have enough to finish. I need not tell you there aren’t many drivers who can rally like that without completely using up the car.
#3- Mark Martin (ranked 1st last week)- This how tough this battle is getting: Martin has seven straight top tens and he’s slipped to second in the points. Really, it’s only history that raises any doubt on my part that he can still pull it off. The truth is, Martin’s finishing average of 8.6 over the last ten races is better than Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Denny Hamlin, or any of the other top drivers. Over the last five- Martin is still the best with a 3.6 average finish, compared to a 5.2 for J.J., a 6.6 for Montoya, and a 5.6 for Gordon. He appears to be comfortable in this groove- a good thing because the competition isn’t going away.
#2- Juan Pablo Montoya (ranked 3rd last week)- OK, so it’s taken me some time jump on board this train, but at last, I am here. Color me impressed with what he has done in just his third full year of NASCAR competition. He darn near pulled off an Auot Club win. Between Montoya and Stewart, they bring a little bit of a "bad boy" spirit to this otherwise vanilla Chase, and JPM also represents a front runner outside the clutches of Hendrick Motorsports. Dare I say, because of those two things, Montoya has fans cheering him on that never thought they would. Four Chase races and four top fives the "42." That’s rather impressive, if you ask me.
#1- Jimmie Johnson (ranked 2nd last week)- Because winning matters in my book, Johnson is number one. With his win in Fontana, he ties Mark Martin for the series lead in victories, and it’s his second win in three races. Detractors still refuse to acknowledge the greatness that is Jimmie Johnson. I think that’s sad, because this guy can haul the mail. Yes- he has a freakin’ genius for a crew chief. Yes- he has Rick "Daddy Warbucks" Hendrick to supply him equipment. But let’s face it, there’s guys out there who’ve got the same thing and don’t do nearly as much. By the same token, he hasn’t won it yet, so you can count on me to keep the trophy engraver at bay.
READY TO STRIKE
Kurt Busch is still alive and kicking, his problem is his competition. That 8th place finish just wasn’t good enough to help "Shrub Lite" gain points. Hopefully for Busch, Talladega and Martinsville will play something of a wild card role. Finishing 6th would have help in some races, and in reality, that finish at ACS says some good things about Carl Edwards’ team. At the same time, Edwards will have to pull off an "October surprise" to make it happen. He does have that kind of talent.
DISTANT THUNDER
I promised you I wouldn’t ignore the non-Chasers, so I would be remiss not to acknowledge the efforts of David Ragan. His 6th place finish at California has to lift the spirits of that "6" that has had a disappointing season to say the least. Is Kevin Harvick’s team turning it around? Well, let’s just say that his 10th place run and the 9th place finish by Clint Bowyer suggests to me that the RCR isn’t mailing it in. Casey Mears ran close to the front and finished a respectable 11th, Jeff Burton was having a decent day until running into some bad luck.
