It's Richmond or Bust!

One last race to set the Chase field and it’s been like a game of “Hot Potato” while a small group of drivers vie for the 12^th and final spot. Nobody wants it! Will someone win the spot by default?

 

Just one little bump...

 

Atlanta had a potential Chaser come right down to the wire only to have his chance at the gold ring ripped out of his grasp. Jeff Gordon has been left wondering if he’s become too soft in the latter part of his racing career after not going the “bump and run” route on eventual race winner Denny Hamlin. Hamlin’s win, preventing Gordon from getting to victory lane, worked to keep his teammate Kyle Busch in the final Chase position thanks to his point total. (see http://www.thatsracin.com/2012/09/03/93843/jeff-gordon-wonders-if-hes-getting.html)

Believe it or not, there are actually 6 other drivers besides Kyle who can wind up in the cherished final Chase position.

The least likely of this group to get in is Paul Menard and without going through all the necessary things that must happen I’ll just say it’s like a snowball’s chance… A win and some horrendous finishes by top drivers is all that can make Paul’s day a happy one…



Dinner at SB's house...

What the???

Poor Carl Edwards has enough on his plate just dealing with the 42 other drivers and teams he faces each week, but Beagle Voodoo is like the final straw. Going into Atlanta Carl was very optimistic with his chances to win on a track where his had past success. He told more than one interviewer he expected to win and assume the 12^th Chase position. What happened? That darned Beagle played in and blew up Carl’s engine! Carl still has a long shot at the Chase but does anyone really want to bet on him? Somebody (Kristen? Sal? Gene? Phil?) needs to corner Cousin Carl, tell him what has been going on, give him the Speed Beagle’s phone number and tell him to formally apologize and not to allow this to continue! Like Paul Menard, Carl must win and have terrible finishes from drivers who don’t normally go that route in order to make the Chase.

And the beat goes on with the one-win drivers… If Joey Logano, Marcos Ambrose, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon or Kyle Busch win in Richmond they’re in… Simple, right?

Here’s the rundown on these five drivers’ results across the last 10 races at Richmond:

Driver------------------Wins---------------Top 5’s---------------Top 10’s-------------Average Finish

Kyle Busch--------------4---------------------7------------------------8-------------------------5.4

Jeff Gordon-------------0---------------------4------------------------7------------------------11.1

Ryan Newman---------0---------------------1------------------------5------------------------12.6

Marcos Ambrose------0---------------------1------------------------2------------------------16.1

Joey Logano------------0---------------------1------------------------1------------------------17.6

Here’s how these five drivers were ranked and performed in the previous four races in this series:

Driver------------------Rank--W G--Rank--Mich--Rank--Bristol--Rank—Atlanta—Ave. Finish

Kyle Busch--------------1-------7------1--------13-----1-------6--------2---------6-----------8

Ryan Newman---------2------11-----3---------28-----2------36-------3--------35---------27.5

Jeff Gordon-------------3------21-----2----------8-----3--------3-------1---------2----------8.5

Joey Logano------------4------32-----4---------31-----5-------8-------5---------18--------22.3

Marcos Ambrose------*-------1-----5-----------5-----4-------5-------4---------17---------7 (!)

*Marcos was winless going into Watkins Glen and not ranked but just look at who has out-performed the others in terms of average finish through this four race period leading up to Richmond.

It's not impossible...

Considering what has occurred over the course of the previous four races will any of the original group of four drivers step up? For the fourth time in the five races analyzed Kyle Busch stands most likely to win as the only driver to win at Richmond in the last 10 races and he’s done it four times! His average finish is less than half that of the next best driver… Jeff Gordon has to be characterized as the hottest driver in the group with a second and third place finish in Atlanta and Bristol respectively. Marcos fell off of his hot pace at Atlanta finishing seventeenth but he seems to perform well on short tracks. Then there’s Ryan Newman and Joey Logano who have  both been thrashing to get to this point. I’ll drag out what has become a broken record to this point in time and say it again… “Just win baby!” It will cure what ails any of these five.

Here are the current odds to win at Richmond next weekend among this group from http://www.thespread.com/nascar-articles/090412-2012-nascar-odds-federated-auto-parts-400-hamlin-a-busch-favored : Kyle Busch 9/2, Jeff Gordon 8/1, Ryan Newman 50/1, Joey Logano 60/1 and Marcos Ambrose 100/1. If I had to bet right now I think I’d take the long odds and throw down on our Australian brother, Marcos Ambrose!

 

A Hot Time In Hotlanta?

Who is going to burn Atlanta down?

Last week’s bombshell of a race at Bristol sure did bring out the best on the hostility front. Fan interest and viewership are up! Bruton must be smilin’ like the Cheshire Cat! (and so is race winner Denny Hamlin!)

So we march on to Atlanta once again with a group of drivers hoping to launch themselves into the glory of the Chase. There has been some shuffling among this group thanks to Bristol’s summer race on the revamped half mile concrete oval. Kyle Busch, on the strength of his 6^th place finish and 38 points, coupled with Ryan Newman’s unfortunate wreck that sent his team home early with a 36^th place finish and only 8 points, moved up to 13^th place and into the lead for the final Chase opening. Although Kyle wasn’t credited with leading a single lap at Bristol, a track he has tamed many times, I’m thinkin’ he’s pleased with these results but the fact remains any of this group of six drivers with a shot at 12^th place in the Chase can, just by virtue of a single win, either here in Atlanta or next week in Richmond, sew up the last seat at the dance.

Carl Edwards was oh so close to winning at Bristol after not stopping for fuel and tires on a caution with 85 laps to go. The strategy had him leading late in the race for 45 laps but alas (J) fresh tires and a splash was the way to go as Carl got passed then went dry. The 99 Ford team ended the night in 22^nd place garnering only 23 points. Carl remains in 12^th place without a win and a withering lead now only 5 points ahead of Kyle… Although I like them taking the risk late in the race and rolling the dice for another caution to pop up, the bottom line from this risky decision now equates to desperation time for the 99…

Jeff Gordon also elbowed his way past Newman to take over 14^th place, 15 points behind JGR’s 18. Jeff, powered by his great HMS 24 team, put together a strong effort coming in 3^rd at Bristol.

Now in 15^th place, all is not lost for the SHR 39 even though Ryan Newman gave up a lot of ground on the point’s side at Bristol. All you Ryan Newman fans have to do is just revisit Al Davis’ favorite saying…

Marcos Ambrose also moved up with his 5^th place Bristol finish adding 40 points to his total. Marcos is now in 16^th place and really picking up the pace as we head into turn four. Suddenly he’s trailing Kyle Busch for the 12^th place in the Chase by only 28 points! If he keeps the pressure on there’s no telling what might happen!

Joey Logano entered the Cup race at Bristol full of confidence after running off with the Nationwide win at Bristol race a day earlier and although he turned in a very good effort finishing in 8^th place, he’s so far down on the point’s side that a win is all that will cure his ills. Joey continues to languish in 18^th place not even within hailing distance of Paul Menard in 17^th place.

Bring on Atlanta!

Here is a quick rundown on these 6 drivers and their experiences down in Peach Country by order of most successful to least over their last 10 races:

Driver------------------Wins---------------Top 5’s---------------Top 10’s-------------Average Finish

Jeff Gordon-------------1---------------------3------------------------7-------------------------8.1

Carl Edwards-----------1---------------------5------------------------7------------------------14.5

Kyle Busch--------------1---------------------3------------------------3------------------------16.9

Ryan Newman---------0---------------------0------------------------2------------------------19.6

Marcos Ambrose------0---------------------0------------------------1------------------------22.0

Joey Logano------------0---------------------0------------------------0------------------------26.7

This is the first track I’ve examined in this series of races leading up to the 2012 Sprint Cup Chase where Kyle Busch hasn’t had the best record going in. Is it any coincidence that Atlanta is yet another of Bruton Smith’s 1.5 mile cookie cutter tracks? And along those same lines, is it any wonder why Jeff Gordon does well here?

Will this be the race where one of this group of almost also-rans knocks it out of the park? Or will we have to march on to Richmond to finally set the Chase field…

My best case scenario? Have one of these drivers notch their second win at Atlanta, move on to Richmond, full of optimism as the heir apparent to the Chase and then have another driver with a higher point total knock them off the perch at the last possible moment! Now that would really get the juices flowing! It would certainly give us something to consider since I’m afraid the 10 race 2012 Chase will only seem anti-climactic after what happened last year.

Bristol Baby!

And then there were 3 races to go before the Chase field is set...

What’s interesting is that we still don’t have a single chaser assured of a place in the field with only 3 races to go. The top of the points standings keeps getting jostled about. Last week’s points leader (Jimmie Johnson) fell clear to 4^th after losing his engine on a fast Michigan track just when it looked like the force (and the win) was with him… Greg Biffle was there to regain the points lead he had earlier in the season as he held off Brad Keselowski for the win. By the way, Bad Brad continues to look like the real deal as the Chase approaches. Too bad he and JJ appear to be friends. A Brad / JJ rivalry might really be something and somebody’s got to challenge the 48 team that otherwise looks poised to run away with it's 6^th championship…

While the top of the points standings seems to keep getting rearranged each week the drivers who are still in the race for the 12^th and final seat at the Chase table seem to be stuck with no one stepping up to claim the prize.

Last week’s analysis of drivers with the best chance to make the Chase pointed out that for the second week in a row Kyle Busch should have had the best finish based on historical statistics. Although Kyle had his struggles finishing in 13^th place he actually was slightly better than his 13.8 place average finish at Michigan. He picked up 31 points and maintained 14^th place overall in the points standings.

Just like Kyle, Ryan Newman entered and left Michigan without changing his position in the Chase remaining in 13^th place overall with a Top 10 finish coming in 8^th. Ryan did stretch his lead over Kyle by 15 points to 680 vs. 669 for Busch. As it stands right now Newman is in with one win and his point total...

Jeff Gordon had a tough outing in Michigan finishing 28^th with in-race and engine problems ending up with a sore finger from pointing it at everyone else as if it wasn’t his problem… Jeff, man up! The 24 team slipped a place in the standings as Paul Mennard moved up into 15^{th .} Jeff only picked up 16 points Sunday.

Marcos Ambrose, of the five one-win drivers with a shot to make the Chase, had the best finish at Michigan coming in 5^th and picking up 39 points. Problem is Marcos remained in 17^th place overall in the standings.

Finally Joey Logano remains in 18^th place overall after having a dismal day at Michigan where he came in 31^st only completing 132 laps of a possible 201 thanks to Juan Montoya. First, around mid-race, Joey and Juan were running side by side when Juan got loose and used the 20 car for his salvation. This move caused Joey to run up and smash into the wall. After another 50 racing laps passed the 20 was out of the garage and back on the track when Juan Pablo found the orange 20 once again forcing it into the wall a second time and again into the garage for heavy repair work. Joey was back out when the checkers flew only to scrape up 13 points. What did Joey do to you, Montoya???

If you think about it, all this talk about points is really fruitless. One of these guys needs to grab another win or Carl Edwards needs to do something he hasn't done since last season and defy Beagle voodoo by swiping a win and getting into the Chase by virtue of one win and more points than these other five drivers.

Who shines at Bristol? I think we all know the answer to that…

In his last 10 Cup starts in Thunder Valley Kyle Busch has 4 wins, 5 Top 5’s, 7 Top 10’s and an average finish of 8.7 but the way he’s been doing this season I’m going to say all bets are off at Bristol. The odds say he ought to win but will he?

Ryan Newman has the second best historical numbers at Bristol in his last 10 starts. Ryan has had 7 top 10 finishes and an average of 11.1 since 2007. In 21 Cup starts at Bristol in Ryan’s career his best finish was a 2^nd place way back in 2004. Ryan, you need to get ‘r done!

For the sake of comparison, Carl Edwards’ record at Bristol is very good. Cousin Carl in his last 10 starts has 2 wins, 3 Top 5’s, 5 Top 10’s and an average finish of 11.7. If Carl’s gonna do it, this just might be the place…

I wonder what Junior's thinking... No maybe not...

 

Poor Jeff Gordon…  He’d be all right if there weren’t any other cars on the track. Okay, enough of that. How’s Jeff done in his last 10 starts at Bristol? How about 3 Top 5’s and an average finish of 13.9? Not too shabby... In his career Jeff has 4 wins on the half mile concrete track but the last one was back in 2002. Did anyone else see Rusty Wallace’s take on Gordon this week? I don’t usually go along with much Rusty has to say but this time he nailed it. He talked about how involved most drivers are with their crews, a whole team working to win. Rusty claims Jeff isn’t that way anymore, kinda like he’s on cruise control while everyone else is thrashing for the win. If true, that says a lot…

Marcos needs to pay close attention to those immortal words spoken by the NFL’s Al Davis… “JUST WIN BABY!” Marcos, you listenin’?  Can you do that? I know it’s a tall order, man, especially at Bristol, but wouldn’t that be cool? In seven Cup starts at Bristol Marcos has a 3^rd place finish in 2009 and a 10^th place finish in last season’s August race. Couple that with an average finish of 18.14 and the indications are that there’s a chance and I guess that’s all you can ask for right now…

Joey Logano has not performed well in Thunder Valley at all. His best finish in seven Cup starts has been a 13^th place in last season’s August race. Joey has an average finish of 24.4… What can I say? Once again, here is a driver who just needs to win and it will make everything else immaterial. Is it in you Joey?

Is there really special power in Beagle voodoo? Will Carl break the spell?

What about Kyle? Can he climb out of his funk?

 Will Ryan make our own famous Cord Rotz proud?

Can Jeff pull off another weather win?

What about Marcos? It looks like he’s finally getting comfortable on America’s ovals. Can he really pump up our Aussie fans?

Logano makes a good dark horse. Will he surprise us all?

Here comes Thunder Valley! Who wants it???

Do Fords Really Consistently Win At Michigan?

Last week we were looking down a twisting road course trying to determine who might, based upon their historical accomplishments at Watkins Glen, improve their chances of making the 2012 Sprint Cup Chase. Of the four drivers with a single win at the time it appeared Kyle Busch should have held the edge going into the race. Although the outright win went to that interloper from Australia, Marcos Ambrose, here’s how the four drivers with a single win were expected to perform and how they actually did:

Kyle Busch, with 6 top 10 finishes in 7 races, 3 top 5’s and a win in 2008 on the Glen course was by far the best historical driver and he ended up placing 7^th, which in combination with his lead laps netted the JGR #18 39 points.

Ryan Newman, in his last 10 starts at Watkins Glen put up the second best numbers with a top 5 and 3 top 10’s. Ryan just missed a top 10 finish coming in 11^th and garnering 33 points.

Jeff Gordon had just 2 top 10 finishes in his last 10 starts on New York’s road course and although, like Kyle Busch, he had a genuine shot at a top 5 finish and possibly the win, Jeff was victimized by the oily track. After spinning out on the final lap he finished well down the line in 21^st and only picked up 23 points for the 24 team’s effort.

Joey Logano was kind of a dark horse in this since we only had 3 starts in Sprint Cup racing to examine. His best finish was just last year when he came in 5^th. Logano ended up having a bad day finishing 32^nd and only picking up 12 points.

The analysis was really quite accurate based on the historical numbers these drivers have produced. So what was the bottom line coming out of one of the best races we’ve seen in a long time? Instead of the picture clearing up a little concerning who might end up grabbing the 12^th and final position in the 2012 Chase, the picture has become even more muddled with yet another driver literally willing himself into the competition.  

Going into this week’s Cup race at Michigan International Speedway I’ll now take a look at 5 drivers and their historical numbers. Just remember if any of these 5 can rip off a win at MIS the odds go way way up that they’ll be in the Chase and we all know anything can happen if a driver gets hot late in the season…

In order of their points standings after 22 races-

Ryan Newman is 13^th with 644 points (49 points out of 10^th place). In his last 10 starts at Michigan Ryan has 1 top 5 and 2 top 10 finishes and his average finish has been 19.8.

Kyle Busch is now in 14^th place with 638 points. In his last 10 starts Kyle has 1 win (Aug. 2011) and 3 top 5’s. Kyle’s average finish has been 13.8.

Jeff Gordon is 15^th with 634 points. Jeff has 3 top 5 and 5 top 10 finishes in his last 10 starts at MIS. His average finish has been 15.1.

Marcos Ambrose comes in 17^th with 600 points on the strength of last Sunday’s win. In his 8 starts at Michigan Marcos has accumulated 1 top 10 finish and that was a 9^th place finish last June. His average finish has been 24.9.

Finally, Joey Logano is in 18^th in the points standings through 22 races this season with 587 total points. In 7 Michigan Cup race appearances Joey has 2 top 10 finishes and his finishes have averaged 18.0.

Based on these numbers Kyle Busch should once again come out on top at Michigan followed by Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman. Will another interloper show up? Will Carl Edwards come out of his winless funk and assert his claim to the Chase? Fords are supposed to do well on this track. (The way it stands right now all Carl needs is one win while staying in 12^th )

With only Bristol, Atlanta and finally Richmond coming up after Michigan before the Chase field is set, who wants it?

The Definition of a “Good Guy” in NASCAR

It comes as no surprise that Dale Earnhardt didn’t win the most popular driver award voted on each year by NASCAR fans until after his untimely death. Dale was a winner. He would do whatever it took within the confines of “clean racing” to get out front late in a race and hold on, even if the car he was driving wasn’t the fastest. While Dale Sr. is the best example of the point I’m going to make,

other drivers like Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and more recently Kyle Busch have also spent time in the not too liked climes among NASCAR fans. Why? Well these guys are all winners and in NASCAR, when you consistently win you’re stepping on the toes of 42 other drivers, teams and their fans. So in a round-about way, winners are the “Bad Guys” and conversely all the drivers who are consistently also-rans are the “Good Guys”.

The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season will long be remembered for the number of first time winners who have graced Victory Lane and for the variety (fifteen different winners to date) of drivers waving checkered flags. The “Good Guy” ranks have taken a major hit this year…

Marcos Ambrose, since moving to the US and NASCAR to pursue his passion for auto racing, has been considered a “Good Guy” for a lot of reasons, but in no small part it was due to the fact he had been winless in 104 starts at the Sprint Cup level.

Well, all that changed yesterday on the Watkins Glen road course. The two-time Australian Super V8 champion had finally tasted victory at the world’s foremost stock car racing level. Marcos thus joined Trevor Bayne, Regan Smith, David Ragan and Paul Menard as a first time winner this season. That’s all fine and dandy, but boys you’ve all put your “Good Guy” standing in dire jeopardy. Since everyone likes first time winners, if you’ll all just calm down now and forget about winning again, you should be all right…

With four races left to qualify for the Chase, Marcos Ambrose has, by virtue of his first win, vaulted to 22nd in the 2011 Chase standings, only one measly point away from a three-way tie with Juan Pablo Montoya and Martin Truex, Jr. for 20th place. If he shows well in these last four races, there’s an outside chance he could make the Chase if he happens to post one more win and improves his point total into a top twenty standing.

This is the beauty of the new Chase format. As it stands today, Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard, Marcos and David Ragan all have one win and are either in or within striking distance of the top twenty. There should be a real scramble between these one-win drivers before it’s over.

Brad Keselowski now appears to be a lock for the Chase as his 1st place finish at Pocono (giving Brad two wins on the season) and now his 2nd place finish at the Glen have pushed the Blue Deuce all the way up to 14th in the Chase standings.

If any of this group of four happens to swipe another win (which would either solidify their position in the top twenty or get them into it) then that driver and team would almost be assured of a spot in the Chase and a chance at the championship. The problem is Menard, Ragan and now Ambrose will risk slamming their “Good Guy” rating into the dirt with that next win…

The NASCAR Gods…

I’m just curious…

Who made the decision that it would be this at the end of the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega last Sunday…


Instead of this?
There are a couple of possible answers to this question. First let me make it clear I don't think Richard Hendrick would demand a specific outcome, so let's throw out that theory right off the bat.

Do you think it was ultimately an agreement made between crew chiefs? Was it an agreement between the drivers? or... Was it just a matter of timing?

I'm leaning toward one of the drivers making a conscious decision to be a good teammate and if this is so, will Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ever win another Cup race?
_______________________________________________________

Leading to the first picture up above we all witnessed several hundred feet of this as HMS’s Johnson/Earnhardt tandem sacked their teammates…

How’s that rule about the yellow line go again?

You can tell me that while the 48 and 88 rode the yellow line they weren’t improving their position, but it doesn’t hold water… The simple act of moving to the inside while rounding turn four combined with two sets of cars racing in tandem immediately in front and on a headwind killing angle automatically set up “5 Time” and Junior to be sucked into the lead. The proof is that Johnson won the race…

What did Denny Hamlin do in the Shootout?

Oh… He was below the line at Daytona… Those HMS cars at Talladega were just on top of the line. I see...

You know what? There’s too much gray area involved here. The appearance is that NASCAR is doing a smoke and mirrors deal in terms of who it is, not what they've done. The grand hoopla of NASCAR has gotta revisit this “over the line” rule. I was reading somewhere that in the spirit of “Have at it” NASCAR should throw out their yellow line rule on the Superspeedways for the final, white flag lap of the race only. Let the drivers go for the gusto! This year alone it would have already affected the result on one exhibition race and would have eliminated any potential questioning concerning the outcome of the most recent Cup race…

Caption Time!

Give it your best shot!

What in the world are these guys thinking / saying?

1.

2.
3.
4.
5.

Go get 'em Lug-Nuts!

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Championships!

If I’m correctly reading what the Indycar Series people are doing, they’re now going to award three championships per racing season based on the tracks they race on. There will be a road course champion, an oval track champion and (I’m speculating here, but it makes sense) there will be an overall champion.

Taking a page from the IZOD Indycar Series (stealing their idea!), I’ve cooked the books down to yield four different NASCAR Sprint Cup Championships. Here are the categories:

The Short Track Championship (tracks one mile or less in length)

The Road Course Championship (Infineon and Watkins Glen)

The Intermediate Track Championship (tracks between one and two miles in length)

And The Long Track Championship (tracks two miles in length or longer)

At this point in the season, with 22 races completed, we have just found our first champion of the season…

Our 2010 Road Course Champion is Juan Pablo Montoya driving the Earnhardt-Ganassi red number 42 Target Chevrolet!

Here are the top 20 Road Warriors of 2010:

---Road Course Championship Final Standings---

-------------------------Average-Total --Total

--Driver -----------------Finish -Points -Earnings
1 Juan Pablo Montoya -----5.50 --329 --$374,087
2 Marcos Ambrose --------4.50 --325 --$302,121
3 Kevin Harvick -----------7.00 --295 --$304,602
4 Jeff Gordon --------------7.50 --289 --$271,027
5 Tony Stewart ------------8.00 --289 --$246,371
6 A J Allmendinger --------8.50 ---284 -$268,852
7 Jimmie Johnson --------14.50 ---274 -$443,431
8 Jamie McMurray -------10.50 ---273 -$243,408
9 Kasey Kahne -----------10.50 ---272 -$284,805
10 Ryan Newman --------14.00 ---247 -$223,633
11 Greg Biffle ------------15.50 ---237 -$182,625
12 Kurt Busch -----------17.00 ---237 -$304,576
13 Mark Martin ---------16.50 ---232 -$185,475
14 Carl Edwards --------17.00 ---231 -$248,496
15 Robby Gordon -------19.00 ---225 -$291,646
16 Jeff Burton ----------18.00 ---220 -$226,055
17 Dale Earnhardt Jr. ---18.50 ---215 -$169,850
18 Paul Menard --------19.00 --212 -$164,900
19 Matt Kenseth -------21.50 --197 --$237,277
20 David Reutimann ---21.50 --197 --$209,637

Congratulations to Juan and Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing!

So how are the drivers doing with the other three championships?

With half (6) of the short track races in the books entering mid-August here are the top twenty:

--------Short Track Championship Standings--------
--------------------------Average -Total ---Total
--Driver ------------------Finish --Points --Earnings
1 Jimmie Johnson ----------6.67 ---952 --$1,057,758
2 Jeff Gordon --------------6.00 ---931 --$979,354
3 Kyle Busch ---------------8.67 ---907 --$1,116,909
4 Ryan Newman -----------8.00 ---891 --$865,922
5 Carl Edwards ------------9.83 ---828 --$775,211
6 Matt Kenseth ----------10.33 ----825 --$871,479
7 Jeff Burton -------------12.17 ----807 --$849,738
8 Kevin Harvick ----------12.33 ---788 --$823,579
9 Denny Hamlin ----------13.17 ---785 --$711,800
10 Joey Logano ----------12.33 ---778 --$766,263
11 Martin Truex Jr. ------12.50 ---774 --$523,825
12 Tony Stewart ---------14.17 ----771 --$834,636
13 Greg Biffle ------------13.33 ----758 --$589,050
14 Kurt Busch -----------16.83 ----722 --$818,411
15 Clint Bowyer ---------15.33 ----712 --$571,225
16 Brad Keselowski -----16.50 ----686 --$651,008
17 Dale Earnhardt Jr. ---17.33 ----673 --$537,400
18 A J Allmendinger ----18.50 ----651 --$715,354
19 Marcos Ambrose ----18.83 ----641 --$638,598
20 Mark Martin --------20.17 ----629 --$611,585

Jimmie Johnson

Looks like the usual suspects on this list. Four of the six remaining short track races are Chase races…

There have been 6 intermediate track races (out of 11) so far this year. Here’s how the leaderboard stands at this time:

-----Intermediate Track Championship Standing-----
--------------------------Average -Total -----Total
--Driver ------------------Finish --Points ---Earnings
1 Jeff Gordon --------------10.83 ---859 --$1,076,931
2 Kurt Busch --------------11.67 ----858 --$1,265,588
3 Denny Hamlin -----------11.33 ----847 --$1,229,475
4 Kasey Kahne -------------9.33 ----843 ---$919,615
5 Matt Kenseth -----------10.50 ----820 ---$937,381
6 Kyle Busch --------------11.67 ----814 --$1,071,986
7 Kevin Harvick -----------11.50 ---805 --$1,010,261
8 Mark Martin ------------13.00 ---767 ---$807,600
9 Jeff Burton --------------13.83 ---751 ---$812,390
10 Ryan Newman ---------14.33 ---729 ---$828,849
11 Jamie McMurray -------17.00 --725 --$1,081,599
12 Tony Stewart ----------16.50 ---707 ---$818,788
13 David Reutimann ------17.83 ---704 ---$968,721
14 Jimmie Johnson -------18.83 ---702 --$1,298,543
15 Dale Earnhardt Jr. ----17.00 ---685 ---$632,625
16 Clint Bowyer ----------18.33 ---684 --$660,025
17 Paul Menard ----------17.50 ---679 ---$614,225
18 Martin Truex Jr. ------18.17 ---658 ---$589,750
19 A J Allmendinger ------18.17 ---656 ---$784,681
20 Carl Edwards ---------19.50 ---645 ---$868,788

Jeff Gordon

Here again, four of the remaining five intermediate track races are part of the Chase. Notice the same names at the top of these standings…

Finally, here are the long track standings with 8 races in the books and 3 remaining (2 of which will be included in the Chase):

---------Long Track Championship Standings-----------
---------------------------Average --Total ----Total
--Driver -------------------Finish ---Points ---Earnings
1 Kevin Harvick -------------5.00 ---1,322 --$2,132,649
2 Denny Hamlin ------------12.00 ---1,127 --$1,355,820
3 Carl Edwards --------------9.13 ---1,117 --$1,401,325
4 Jeff Burton ---------------10.00 ---1,117 --$1,428,236
5 Greg Biffle ----------------11.38 ---1,106 --$1,787,545
6 Tony Stewart ------------10.88 ---1,098 --$1,498,525
7 Clint Bowyer -------------10.75 ---1,093 --$1,500,695
8 Kurt Busch --------------12.00 ---1,075 --$1,431,575
9 Mark Martin ------------14.00 ---1,013 --$1,182,770
10 Matt Kenseth ----------14.88 -----964 --$1,367,424
11 Jamie McMurray ------17.75 ------961 --$2,773,823
12 Kyle Busch ------------16.25 ------957 --$1,445,264
13 Jimmie Johnson -------17.63 ------954 --$1,581,934
14 Dale Earnhardt Jr. ----16.38 ------947 --$1,836,245
15 David Reutimann -----15.38 ------947 --$1,408,889
16 Jeff Gordon -----------17.00 -----946 --$1,390,824
17 Juan Pablo Montoya --18.25 ------916 --$1,342,739
18 Kasey Kahne ---------18.50 ------901 --$1,417,446
19 Joey Logano ----------18.38 ------883 --$1,273,297
20 Paul Menard ----------17.75 ------883 --$1,004,920

All Right! Kevin Harvick!

Based on these results, I really have to wonder what Jeff Gordon’s honest feelings are concerning NASCAR’s Chase format.

Jeff Gordon will make the Chase again this season and with 8 of the 10 Chase races on short and intermediate length tracks, Gordon might not be a bad bet to win it all, but will he in his last season being known as the Rainbow Warrior?