The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has hit the halfway point. 18 races have been completed, and 18 are left to go to decide the champion of the 2011 season. Seven races have been completed since I last wrote about the Sprint Cup series, and a lot has happened in those couple months.
Carl Edwards has been the points leader almost the entire season, but after the race at Daytona two weeks ago, Kevin Harvick took over the lead. Then Kyle Busch won the inaugural race at Kentucky Speedway last Sunday and took over the points lead from Harvick.
Top ten in points, with amount of wins in parenthesis:
1. Kyle Busch (3)
2. Kevin Harvick (1)
3. Carl Edwards (3)
4. Kurt Busch (1)
5. Jimmie Johnson (1)
6. Matt Kenseth (2)
7. Jeff Gordon (2)
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
9. Ryan Newman
10. Denny Hamlin (1)
The next eleven in points:
11. Tony Stewart
12. Clint Bowyer
13. Juan Pablo Montoya
14. Greg Bifle
15. David Ragan (1)
16. Paul Menard
17. Kasey Kahne
18. A.J. Allmendinger
19. Mark Martin
20. Joey Logano
21. Brad Keselowski (1)
I threw in the 21st place driver because of the new "Wildcard" rule for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR's playoff system.The top 10 drivers in the points standing after the 26th race are in the Chase. Then the two drivers outside the top 10 but inside the top 20 that have the most wins will also be in the Chase. If Brad K. can get into the top 20 then he will be eligible for the Chase, along with David Ragan.
A big change in the points standings since the last time I covered the Sprint Cup Series has been the declining performance of Dale Earnhardt Jr. At one point, Jr. was 3rd in points, now he’s 8th. In the past four races he’s finished 19th or worse, including a 30th place finish last race. The one race Jr. is winning? The 2011 Sprint Cup’s Most Popular Driver Contest!
But for every driver moving back, one has to be moving forward. That driver would be Jeff Gordon. Gordon has been on a tear since his win at Pocono last month. Since the Pocono race he’s finished 2nd, 6th, 10th, and 17th (those finishes are not chronological). He’s moved from 13th to 7th and with 2 wins this season he’s basically a lock for the Chase.
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| Jeff Gordon celebrating at Pocono |
If you recall, I made some very bold predictions for what would happen over the course of 15 races until the Chase. I said that Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, and Kurt Busch would all need to step it up to make the Chase. That is holding truth for Stewart and Newman, who sit 11th and 9th in points, respectively. Neither driver has any wins, nor has any driven appeared to be able to compete for a win. Kurt Busch is the one I whiffed in. Busch got a win at Sonoma and sits comfortably at 4th in the standings.
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| Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart, at a much happier time. |
I also said that Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, and Greg Bifle would be looking to break into the Top 10. Again, I went 2 for 3. Hamlin has one win and sits 10th in points, and you already know about Gordon. Bifle has looked very mediocre in the past couple races, and I have no idea why. In the past four races he’s averaged a 19.5 finishing position.
A lot of folks are freaking out about how "human" Jimmie Johnson has looked recently. The five-time champion is lacking in the win column compared to past years but there is no reason to lose faith in him. He has won five straight titles, and is still my favorite to win the 2011 Championship and make it six-straight.
A.J. Allmendinger, my favorite driver, has gone off the deep end quickly. He had one good race at Sonoma, but besides that he’s finished nowhere near the front of the pack. At one point, this guy had a real chance to make the Chase. I’m not so sure now. He is always good at Indy though, and you can't count him out at Watkins Glen (a road course).
A.J. Allmendinger, my favorite driver, has gone off the deep end quickly. He had one good race at Sonoma, but besides that he’s finished nowhere near the front of the pack. At one point, this guy had a real chance to make the Chase. I’m not so sure now. He is always good at Indy though, and you can't count him out at Watkins Glen (a road course).
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