The Races Within The Races

In honor of NASCAR's roots and in consideration of NASCAR's CEO Brian France...

The 2010 Track Champions are being awarded a year's supply of...

Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon!

As already pointed out, with only two road course races out of 36 total, Juan Pablo Montoya is the 2010 road course champion followed closely by Marcos Ambrose.

Here are the three remaining championship standings...

Short Track Leaders after ten races and only Martinsville and Phoenix remaining…

----------------Average
Driver ----------Finish ---Points
1. Kyle Busch -------7.00 -1,560
2. Jeff Gordon ------7.60 -1,478
3. Jimmie Johnson 10.40 -1,468
4. Ryan Newman ---8.10 -1,455
5. Carl Edwards ----9.70 -1,389
6. Denny Hamlin --12.50 -1,349
7. Jeff Burton -----11.90 -1,339
8. Kevin Harvick --11.70 -1,320
9. Clint Bowyer ---12.80 -1,315
10. Joe Logano ---13.40 -1,275

Kyle may have this championship wrapped up with two races remaining.

Two non-chasers are included in the top ten…

Intermediate Track Leaders after eight races and three to go (Charlotte, Texas and Miami-Homestead)
----------------Average
Driver ----------Finish --Points
1. Jeff Gordon ----10.43 -1,143
2. Kurt Busch -----11.13 -1,137
3. Matt Kenseth --10.13 -1,101
4. Kyle Busch -----12.00 -1,069
5. Tony Stewart --13.00 -1,067
6. Jimmie Johnson 14.75 -1,042
7. Kevin Harvick --13.13 -1,039
8. Jeff Burton -----13.13 -1,025
9. Ryan Newman -12.88 -1,014
10. Denny Hamlin 15.38 -1,013

The intermediate track races have resulted in the tightest race going with 42 points separating the top three drivers and three races to go.

Non-chaser (and CR's fav) Ryan Newman is fourth in short tracks and ninth on the intermediates…

Long Track Leaders after ten races and only Talladega to go.

-----------------Average
Driver -----------Finish --Points
1. Kevin Harvick ----4.80 -1,658
2. Denny Hamlin ---10.60 -1,444
3. Tony Stewart ----9.40 -1,443
4. Clint Bowyer ----10.10 -1,392
5. Carl Edwards ---11.00 -1,343
6. Greg Biffle ------13.60 -1,311
7. Jeff Burton -----12.70 -1,302
8. Jimmie Johnson 15.60 -1,256
9. Mark Martin ---14.60 -1,252
10. Kurt Busch ---15.70 -1,218

Kevin Harvick is simply dominating the long tracks this season with the best average finish of any other driver on any other type of course...

The senior statesman of NASCAR, Mark Martin is the only non-chaser on the 2 mile and longer tracks.

Now… Did you notice what I did while posting these numbers? Take a look at Jimmie Johnson’s average finish numbers at each type of track and then note the points he’s accumulated. Look at the drivers around him. Doesn’t seem right, so I went back and looked. Evidently Jimmie’s figured out how to get more points with less. Just the guy to do it! Go figure.

With Charlotte’s Foreclosure Special (the Bank of America 500) looming next weekend I thought I’d toss out the top ten drivers from the Coca-Cola 600 last July…

1. Kurt Busch
2. Jamie McMurray
3. Kyle Busch
4. Mark Martin
5. David Reutimann
6. Jeff Gordon
7. Clint Bowyer
8. Paul Menard
9. Ryan Newman
10. Matt Kenseth

Where’s JJ? JJ… Where are you?

How about 37th place! What are the odds of that happening again?