There are just four races left to decide the 2011 Sprint Cup Champion. The first six races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup were exciting and included many twists and turns that nobody saw coming. The first two races were won by Tony Stewart, who had said before the Chase he had no hopes of being able to even compete. Needless to say nobody was more shocked by Stewart’s victories than himself. Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, and Matt Kenseth shared victories in the next three races. Then all Hades broke out at Talladega last weekend. Even though Carl Edwards didn’t win, he was able to capitalize on poor finishes of nearly all the Chase drivers and pull out to a 14 point lead over second place in the Chase points standings.
The standings for the Chase through six races
Position Driver Points Behind
1) Carl Edwards
2) Matt Kenseth -14
3) Brad Keselowski -18
4) Tony Stewart -19
5) Kevin Harvick -26
6) Kyle Busch -40
7) Jimmie Johnson -50
8) Kurt Busch -52
9) Dale Earnhardt Jr. -74
10) Jeff Gordon -82
11) Ryan Newman -84
12) Denny Hamlin -88
The new points system really makes it easy to tell you who is out of this thing and who still has a chance. Everybody that has less than 43 points is one race behind, and probably out of contention. If you notice, Jimmie Johnson is 50 points behind but I would not count him out like everybody in the media is. This guy is the best in NASCAR and always a threat to win. Kurt Busch, Dale Jr., Gordon, Newman, and Hamlin are done in my opinion.
- The points system by the way starts at 43 for 1st place, then decreases by one point for each position. So 1st gets 43, 2nd gets 42, 3rd gets 41, etc.
The biggest shocker in the Chase so far is Brad Keselowski. (I never thought I’d say that). I am not sold on Brad yet. Maybe it’s because he’s my girlfriend’s favorite driver and I’m jealous, but I have not been impressed. He is a good driver though and will be a name that you hear a lot of in the future. On the flip side, the most disappointing driver has been Jeff Gordon. He came into the Chase with three wins and seemed like he would make a run for his fifth championship but those dreams have quickly disappeared. Just like Johnson though, don’t count him out until he’s officially out.
Here are the final four races and a quick preview:
Martinsville (10/30 at 2:00 p.m.)- If Jimmie Johnson is gonna get back into contention for the Championship it’s gonna happen here. Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team has dominated this place for about the last 4 years. Another driver to watch out for is Kevin Harvick, who won hear in the Spring.
Texas (11/6 at 3:00 p.m.)- Looking at the results from the last three races here, it appears the driver with the most success has been Jimmie Johnson. What a shocker! Matt Kenseth won the race at Texas in the Spring earlier this year, so look for him to be strong.
Phoenix (11/13 at 3:00 p.m.)- This another track that Johnson has had success at, but so has Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. Edwards won this race last year and Busch has finished in the Top 15 the past three races here.
Homestead 11/20 at 3:00 p.m.) This is the race that will decide it all. Who knows what will happen between
here and this race, but it should be exciting. Whoever still has a shot at the championship will definitely be in contention to win here.
Before the Chase I made the prediction that Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards would “separate themselves as the legit Chase drivers by the 5th or 6th race”. Well, six races down and Kenseth and Edwards have done that. The other three still have some catching up to do to make my fortune-telling right. I also said Kevin Harvick would not be in contention, but right now he’s only 26 points behind Edwards. Finally, I predicted that Edwards would win the race and the Championship at Homestead. That has a pretty good chance of being spot on.
