Chaser stats, Texas Motor Speedway preview and my pick
Here's a look at the Chasers going into the race this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway (stats provided by NASCAR):
1 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet) 6248 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Six wins, 14 top fives, 21 top 10s
• Average finish of 10.5
• Led 27 races for 1,736 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 107.9
• One win, five top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 8.5
• Finished second in April
2 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) 6065 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Seven wins, 16 top fives, 24 top 10s
• Average finish of 10.2
• Led 19 races for 913 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 96.0
• Two wins
• Average finish of 15.7
• Won the Texas race in April
3 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford) 6063 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Two wins, 11 top fives, 16 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.0
• Led 18 races for 456 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 88.8
• One win, two top 10s
• Average finish of 26.1
• Finished 39th in April
4 - Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet) 6030 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Two wins, seven top fives, 17 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.7
• Led 11 races for 140 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 84.7
• Two wins, three top fives, seven tops 10s
• Average finish of 16.2
• Finished sixth in April
5 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet) 5941 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Six top fives, 16 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.0
• Led seven races for 191 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 84.6
• Two top fives, four top 10s
• Average finish of 13.4
• Finished 11th in April
6 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) 5936 points, 2008 Rundown:
• 11 top fives, 17 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.4
• Led 18 races for 416 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 85.1
• Five top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 17.1
• Finished 43rd in April
7 - Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet) 5934 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, five top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.7
• Led five races for 152 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 85.0
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 13.8
• Finished 10th in April
8 - Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) 5847 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.8
• Led 14 races for 622 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 107.9
• One win, three top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 13.0
• Finished seventh in April
9 - Matt Kenseth (No. 14 DEWALT Ford) 5835 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Nine top fives, 19 top 10s
• Average finish of 16.5
• Led 18 races for 531 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 104.9
• One win, five top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 10.2
• Finished ninth in April
10 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet) 5829 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.3
• Led 21 races for 895 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 98.1
• One win, three top fives, seven top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 12.8
• Finished 12th in April
11 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) 5823 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s
• Average finish of 15.7
• Led 15 races for 766 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 101.9
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 10.7
• Finished fifth in April
12 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's Toyota) 5783 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Eight wins, 17 top fives, 19 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.6
• Led 23 races for 1,671 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 93.2
• Three top fives
• Average finish of 17.7
• Finished third in April
Congratulations to Carl Edwards for his win yesterday and Saturday in the Nationwide Series.
I will say this, I am getting so sick of the same winners. The season is so long and it seems that each week, you can almost bet money that the winner will be Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson or Kyle Busch. (not so much Busch recently though) Of the 33 completed races, 21 of them have been won by one of those three drivers.
It doesn't make it all that thrilling to continue to sit down each week to watch a race.
Having said that, here are my thoughts of yesterday's race:
-- I felt bad for Jeff Burton who was involved in a late-race wreck. With 22 laps remaining he got tangled up with Juan Pablo Montoya, Joe Nemechek, Dave Blaney, Reed Sorenson. It was hard to tell if Blaney came down on him or Burton made a mistake by not checking up to let him in. Flip a coin I guess. Burton ended the day in 18th position.
-- My pick to blow a tire first, Sam Hornish Jr., wasn't the first to blow a tire but was the first one involved in a wreck. I was close.
-- The first driver to blow a tire was Michael Waltrip. I believe he blew two right-rear tires and actually was the only one who had any issues with tires.
-- Kurt Busch's troubles continued this week. He got loose and hit the wall around lap 175.
-- Chad Knaus made the right decision to bring Johnson in for fresh tires with ten laps to go. On the restart, Johnson started 11th. The tires paid off and he finished in second place. Good call Knaus!
There you have it. What did you think of the race?
Chaser stats, Atlanta Motor Speedway preview and my pick
Here's a look at the Chasers going into the race this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway (stats provided by NASCAR):
1 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet) 6073 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Six wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s
• Average finish of 10.8
• Led 26 races for 1,708 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 113.4
• Three wins, eight top fives, nine top 10s
• Average finish of 9.6
• Finished 13th in March
2 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford) 5924 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Two wins, 11 top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.1
• Led 17 races for 455 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 102.3
• Three top fives, six top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 14.8
• Finished fourth in March
3 - Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet) 5921 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Two wins, seven top fives, 17 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.5
• Led 11 races for 140 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 92.8
• Seven top fives, 13 tops 10s
• Average finish of 16.5
• Finished 10th in March
4 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) 5875 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Six wins, 15 top fives, 23 top 10s
• Average finish of 10.5
• Led 18 races for 815 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 102.8
• Two wins, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 12.9
• Finished 42nd in March
5 - Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet) 5831 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, five top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.5
• Led five races for 152 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 89.4
• Three top 10s
• Average finish of 14.0
• Finished sixth in March
6 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet) 5817 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Six top fives, 16 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.0
• Led seven races for 191 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 74.5
• One win, two top fives, three top 10s
• Average finish of 23.3
• Finished seventh in March
7 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) 5798 points, 2008 Rundown:
• 11 top fives, 16 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.6
• Led 18 races for 416 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 96.6
• Four wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 12.8
• Finished fifth in March
8 - Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) 5735 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.8
• Led 14 races for 622 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 104.4
• Two wins, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.0
• Finished second in March
9 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet) 5694 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.4
• Led 20 races for 894 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 103.6
• One win, eight top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.7
• Finished third in March
10 - Matt Kenseth (No. 14 DEWALT Ford) 5665 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Eight top fives, 18 top 10s
• Average finish of 16.8
• Led 17 races for 403 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 94.1
• Six top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.5
• Finished eighth in March
11 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) 5653 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, 10 top fives, 16 top 10s
• Average finish of 16.1
• Led 14 races for 710 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 83.5
• One top 10
• Average finish of 19.3
• Finished 15th in March
12 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's Toyota) 5628 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Eight wins, 16 top fives, 18 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.8
• Led 23 races for 1,671 laps
Atlanta Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 88.5
• One win
• Average finish of 19.9
• Won March's Atlanta race
Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson who won yesterday's TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway. He's now won two races in the Chase. Good job, J.J.!
Here are some observations of the race:
-- Kurt Busch could not catch a break. How many blown tires did the guy have? Seriously. He had rear brake issues early on in the race. I think, he blew three tires during the race. How about when he actually asked if he could just park the car? I bet his sponsors would have loved that.
-- His brother Kyle Busch had his share of bad luck as well with tires. One of the times that he blew a tire, two other drivers blew tires at almost the same time, the 70 car of Tony Raines and the 77 car of Sam Hornish Jr. NASCAR officials said that Busch intentionally stopped on the track to bring out the caution and they penalized him two laps.
-- Tony Stewart also blew a couple of right front tires. He ended the day with a 26th-place position.
-- The announcers at one point during the race said that six drivers had been caught speeding down pit road but I don't think they ever said who. Did I miss something?
-- The heartbreaker of the race? Jamie McMurray breaking an axle. He was running in 4th position when it happened. He had a very good car all day long and was looking like he was going to have a top-five finish for sure.
-- Jeff Burton had some bad luck in the pits. He had to check up while trying to get in his pit stall so that he wouldn't hit Jeff Gordon. They did work to his car while he was outside of his pit stall and NASCAR officials held him a lap because of it. He finished 17th despite going a lap down.
-- The biggest loser in the point standings was Kyle Busch who fell three positions back to the 12th position.
Here's a look at the Chasers going into the race this weekend at Martinsville Speedway(stats provided by NASCAR):
1 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet) 5878 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Five wins, 12 top fives, 19 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.1
• Led 25 races for 1,369 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 121.2
• Four wins, nine top fives, 12 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 6.0
• Finished fourth in March
2 - Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet) 5809 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Two wins, seven top fives, 17 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.4
• Led 11 races for 140 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 85.3
• One win, 10 top fives, 14 tops 10s
• Average finish of 14.5
• Finished third in April
3 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford) 5792 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Two wins, 11 top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.1
• Led 16 races for 446 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 64.4
• One top 10
• Average finish of 23.6
• Finished 20th in March
4 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) 5710 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Six wins, 14 top fives, 22 top 10s
• Average finish of 10.7
• Led 18 races for 815 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 72.4
• One top 10
• Average finish of 19.1 in eight races
• Finished ninth in March
5 - Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet) 5693 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, five top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.7
• Led five races for 152 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 75.0
• Two top 10s
• Average finish of 15.0 in five races
• Finished 10th in March
6 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet) 5671 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Six top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.2
• Led seven races for 191 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 87.4
• Five top 10s
• Average finish of 18.8
• Finished 12th in March
7 - Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) 5650 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.4
• Led 14 races for 622 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 116.3
• Two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s; three poles
• Average finish of 11.9
• Finished fifth in March
8 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) 5633 points, 2008 Rundown:
• 10 top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.9
• Led 17 races for 359 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 124.5
• Seven wins, 19 top fives, 25 top 10s; seven poles
• Average finish of 7.0
• Finished second in March
9 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's Toyota) 5552 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Eight wins, 16 top fives, 18 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.3
• Led 23 races for 1,671 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 93.3
• Three top fives, four top 10s
• Average finish of 16.7
• Finished 38th in March
10 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet) 5524 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, nine top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.7
• Led 20 races for 894 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 100.7
• Seven top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 14.3
• Finished sixth in March
11 - Matt Kenseth (No. 14 DEWALT Ford) 5518 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Eight top fives, 17 top 10s
• Average finish of 17.1
• Led 17 races for 395 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 77.8
• Two top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 16.5
• Finished 30th in March
12 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) 5498 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, nine top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 16.5
• Led 14 races for 710 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 100.6
• One win, three top fives, five top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 9.5
• Won the March Martinsville race
I've been curious as to what position Kyle Busch would be in with the old points format. After all, he dominated the first 26 races of the season with eight wins in the Sprint Cup Series.
I went looking to see if anyone did a comparison in the points systems for any of the races in the CHASE and found this article. It shows the comparison after the completion of the race at Kansas.
I used the article mentioned above as my starting point to figure the rest out. Here's hoping I did my math correctly. This is what I came up with:
Current Points System (After Lowe's Motor Speedway)
1. Jimmie Johnson 5878
2. Jeff Burton 5809 -69
3. Greg Biffle 5792 -86
4. Carl Edwards 5710 -168
5. Clint Bowyer 5693 -185
6. Kevin Harvick 5671 -207
7. Tony Stewart 5650 -228
8. Jeff Gordon 5633 -245
9. Kyle Busch 5552 -326
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 5524 -354
11. Matt Kenseth 5518 -360
12. Denny Hamlin 5498 -380
Old Points System (After Lowe's Motor Speedway)
1. Jimmie Johnson 4414
2. Kyle Busch 4350 -64
3. Carl Edwards 4331 -83
4. Jeff Burton 4183 -231
5. Greg Biffle 4072 -342
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 4002 -412
7. Kevin Harvick 3954 -460
8. Tony Stewart 3939 -475
9. Jeff Gordon 3854 -560
10. Clint Bowyer 3799 -615
11. Denny Hamlin 3723 -691
12. Matt Kenseth 3652 -762
I really hate the format of the points system. It's not fair to the driver who dominated the first 26 races and built a major lead in the point standings. It's not fair to the driver who was sitting just barely outside the top 12 in points.
NASCAR should have just left well enough alone. I wish for once, they would see the error in their ways and go back to the way it was.
Is there anyone out there who actually likes the CHASE format?
Congratulations to Jeff Burton for winning Saturday night's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. I only wish that during the race as he gets close to victory, they didn't show Kim Burton on television as much as they do. They don't really do that with any other driver's wife. Uuugh.
Here are some random thoughts and observations of the race:
-- I thought Jessica Simpson did a horrible job with the National Anthem.
-- I couldn't help but feel bad for Carl Edwards who first had to make an unscheduled pit stop because he had a vibration and then had issues on the track with the ignition box or something, stalled the car and had to be pushed on to pit road by the tow truck. He went many laps down and finished 33rd.
-- Jeff Gordon had to be the luckiest guy of the night. Very early in the race, Jeff Gordon not only hit the wall once but twice and had to make an unscheduled pit stop and went a lap down. At one point, he was shown in 43rd position. He later got the lucky dog and ended up finishing the race in 8th spot. Fantastic.
-- It always makes me nervous watching Dale Earnhardt Jr. run that high line on the track. He is all but kissing the wall. I just wait for him to smack it. And then he did. But it wasn't because he got loose. He blew a tire, ruining his night. He finished 36th.
-- Does anyone else think that AJ Allmendinger resembles John Andretti?
-- More tire issues Saturday night. Here's a few drivers that blew tires during the race: Brian Vickers, Mike Wallace, Junior, Sam Hornish Jr. and Joe Nemechek. I am sure I am missing some.
-- Michael Waltrip was at it again. He wrecked Kenny Schrader and Mike Skinner. He went down in the grass came up onto the track and pushed Skinner into Schrader. Good job Mikey, good job.
-- Matt Kenseth was involved in a wreck. I dozed off but woke up in time to see his car wrecked. Not sure what happened for that caution though. If anyone would like to share, I'd appreciate it. Kenseth finished 41st.
-- Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart were each penalized for driving too fast down pit road. Despite the pass-through penalities, they both had good finishes. Fourth and 11th, respectively.
There really weren't any drastic changes in the point standings. Edwards and Kenseth dropped two positions while Burton and Busch gained two.
Harvick pushing and shoving with big bully, Edwards
There's nothing like a good scuffle in the garage to stir up some excitement. In this corner, Kevin Harvick. In this corner, Carl Edwards. Ring, ding, daddy!
We need something like this every now and then to make sure these drivers actually have a pulse. I did have to read this article twice to make sure that I was reading it correctly. Harvick shoved Edwards on to his No. 33, Nationwide car? Harvick shoved Edwards? Huh?
I didn't think there was a driver out there that could push and shove King Kong around. Let's face it folks, he's buff.
Almost exactly one year ago Edwards had a confrontation with his teammate Matt Kenseth. Remember?
Edwards is a scary dude, period. He's a clean-cut version of a bully. I'd almost prefer a Tony Stewart over him. At least with Stewart, you know what you're getting all the time. Edwards just snaps.
I would have loved to have had front-row seats to see Harvick shoving Edwards around. Further, it must have been a hilarious sight to see Harvick's motor-home driver putting Edwards in a headlock.
Here's a look at the Chasers going into the race this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway(stats provided by NASCAR):
1 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet) 5718 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Five wins, 12 top fives, 18 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.3
• Led 24 races for 1,302 laps
Lowe's Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 116.5
• Five wins, eight top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 9.1
• Finished 39th in May
2 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) 5646 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Six wins, 14 top fives, 22 top 10s
• Average finish of 10.0
• Led 18 races for 815 laps
Lowe's Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 88.2
• Three top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 7.6
• Finished ninth in May
3 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford) 5641 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Two wins, 11 top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.3
• Led 15 races for 430 laps
Lowe's Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 87.0
• Two top fives, four top 10s
• Average finish of 19.3
• Finished second in May
4 - Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet) 5619 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, six top fives, 16 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.7
• Led 11 races for 82 laps
Lowe's Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 86.6
• Two wins, seven top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.9
• Finished sixth in May
5 - Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet) 5566 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, four top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.8
• Led five races for 152 laps
Lowe's Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 71.4
• One top five
• Average finish of 19.6
• Finished 25th in May
6 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet) 5547 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Six top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.2
• Led seven races for 191 laps
Lowe's Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 66.4
• One top five, three top 10s
• Average finish of 20.7
• Finished 14th in May
7 - Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) 5515 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.5
• Led 13 races for 580 laps
Lowe's Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 80.0
• One win, six top fives, 11 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.2
• Finished 18th in May
8 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) 5486 points, 2008 Rundown:
• 10 top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 15.2
• Led 16 races for 312 laps
Lowe's Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 84.1
• Five wins, 15 top fives, 17 top 10s; seven poles
• Average finish of 16.4
• Finished fourth in May
9 - Matt Kenseth (No. 14 DEWALT Ford) 5473 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Eight top fives, 17 top 10s
• Average finish of 16.3
• Led 16 races for 394 laps
Lowe's Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 87.6
• One win, five top fives, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 15.3
• Finished seventh in May
10 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet) 5469 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, nine top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.0
• Led 20 races for 894 laps
Lowe's Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 89.7
• Five top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 16.3
• Finished fifth in May
11 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's Toyota) 5387 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Eight wins, 15 top fives, 17 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.6
• Led 22 races for 1,657 laps
Lowe's Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 98.7
• Two top fives, three top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 23.3
• Finished third in May
12 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) 5383 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, nine top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 16.5
• Led 14 races for 710 laps
Lowe's Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 77.8
• Three top 10s
• Average finish of 16.3
• Finished 24th in May
Congratulations to Tony Stewart for his first win of the season and his first win at Talladega. He stayed out of the couple of big ones that took place and came out ahead. He also had the biggest gain in the point standings going from 11th to 7th. Great going Tony!
Here are some other thoughts:
-- Since when do they allow NASCAR officials to pull debris off from racecars during a red flag? The official was making his way to another car but they cut to commerical or something before we could watch him do it again. Did anyone else see that?
-- Carl Edwards pushing his teammate, Greg Biffle in the center of the corner = the BIG ONE. Several Chasers were involved in the mistake by Edwards: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch. Busch had the least damage of the Chasers involved in this wreck. Dave Blaney, Reed Sorenson and Travis Kvapil were also involved in the pileup.
-- Sometimes I think the announcers make things up as they go. Since when is it ever legal to pass below the yellow line at any point during a race at a superspeedway? That's what one of the announcers said when Regan Smith went below the yellow line to pass Stewart on the last lap. Whoever said it was wrong and it looks as though NASCAR placed Smith in the 18th position.
-- Jeff Gordon had a rough day when he got tangled up with David Reutimann who blew a tire. Gordon managed to get back out on the track only to blow up later in the race.
-- The theme of the day was blown tires. Below are a few of the drivers that had tires give way. I may have missed a few though.
-- Brian Vickers blew a right front tire and took out several drivers, Martin Truex Jr., Tony Raines, Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, Mike Skinner and David Gilliland.
-- I was hoping Mike Wallace would have a good race but he also blew a tire. He seemed to be having a pretty good day, too, running in the top-five when he had his misfortune.
-- Denny Hamlin took a HARD hit when his right front tire blew. He went like a rocket up towards that outside wall. I was glad to see him get out of the car okay.
Here are the race results if you want to see where your driver finished.
Here's a look at the Chasers going into the race this weekend at Kansas Speedway(stats provided by NASCAR):
1 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet) 5575 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Five wins, 12 top fives, 17 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.4
• Led 23 races for 1,299 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 86.7
• One win, four top fives, five top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 17.5
• Finished 13th in April
2 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) 5565 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Six wins, 14 top fives, 22 top 10s
• Average finish of 9.3
• Led 17 races for 813 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 70.5
• One top five, three top 10s
• Average finish of 24.0
• Finished 40th in April
3 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford) 5545 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Two wins, 11 top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.0
• Led 14 races for 428 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 68.0
• Average finish of 25.3
• Finished 18th in April
4 - Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet) 5454 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, five top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.0
• Led 10 races for 74 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 80.2
• Two top fives, 10 tops 10s
• Average finish of 19.1
• Finished 12th in April
5 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
5439 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Six top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.0
• Led six races for 169 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 75.9
• Three top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 14.3
• Finished 24th in April
6 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) 5432 points, 2008 Rundown:
• 10 top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.4
• Led 15 races for 309 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 96.9
• Six wins, 13 top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 15.0
• Finished 19th in April
7 - Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet) 5411 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, four top fives, 13 top 10s
• Average finish of 15.1
• Led five races for 152 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 58.4
• One top 10
• Average finish of 26.0
• Finished ninth in April
8 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet) 5385 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, nine top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.5
• Led 19 races for 875 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 86.6
• Five wins, seven top fives, 10 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.1
• Finished 10th in April
9 - Matt Kenseth (No. 14 DEWALT Ford) 5383 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Eight top fives, 17 top 10s
• Average finish of 16.0
• Led 15 races for 389 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 83.0
• Three top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 17.5
• Finished 41st in April
10 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) 5332 points, 2008 Rundown:
• One win, nine top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 15.7
• Led 13 races for 701 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 96.8
• Two top fives
• Average finish of 14.2
• Finished third in April
11 - Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) 5320 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Nine top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 15.0
• Led 12 races for 556 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 94.4
• Eight top fives, 11 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.9
• Finished 38th in April
12 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's Toyota) 5264 points, 2008 Rundown:
• Eight wins, 15 top fives, 17 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.5
• Led 21 races for 1,637 laps
Talladega Superspeedway Outlook:
• Driver Rating of 70.7
• One win
• Average finish of 27.3
• Won the April Talladega race
Jennifer is the newsroom
administrative assistant and
executive
assistant to the editor for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. She is married, lives in Pownal with her husband and son, and has been following NASCAR for many years.
About this blog:
I am hopeful that this will be a place where people can air their two cents' worth about a race, catch up on the gossip and share their opinions on the rules and regulations of NASCAR. I have always felt that there has been a need for such a place in Maine and that this blog helps to fill the void.
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