According to nascar.com, these are the standings for the 10 race playoff chase this year:
Kyle Busch & Kevin Harvick (Leaders) Jeff Gordon (-3) Matt Kenseth (-6) Carl Edwards,Jimmie Johnson,Kurt Busch, and Ryan Newman(-9) Tony Stewart,Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski, and Denny Hamlin (-12)
So I guess that no matter how many wins you have as a wild card, you'll start out at zero come chase time. It makes sens I guess; after all you're not just awarding them for victories but for consistency as well. Still, that has to feel like a bit of a bum's rush for Keselowski.
My thoughts:
-Earnhardt stands out as the sore thumb of the group here. It seems like ever since he ran out of gas at Charlotte, he and his have never really regain their early season spark. Running in the mid-teens in the last couple of races may have been enough to get him into the chase, but it won't get him anywhere near the championship.
-Stewart, like Junior, hasn't won yet this season. But his last two races have shown me he's getting a bit closer and unlike Earnhardt, I believe he can win in a variety of chase tracks. He'll make some noise and get a win or two before the season is through.
-People keep saying Keselowski is going to slow down soon, but I don't think so quite yet. What has amazed me is not that he has suddenly gotten really good, it's that he's done so at a diverse set of tracks (Kansas, Watkins Glen, Bristol among others). I see him surprising a lot of critics and being in the top 5 or higher well into the chase.
-Hamlin, Edwards, Kurt Busch, and Newman are all question marks to me, Edwards especially. I have a urge to say he should be a top 3 favorite, but like the other 3 men, every time I go to choose him, he wrecks his chances. I can see all 4 guys getting a win in the chase, but they'll most likely finish mid-pack in the standings.
-Kyle Busch should also be a top 3 pick, but I definitely know he'll do something stupid to kill his bid like he did two years ago. I keep hearing how he's mature now but I don't see it. Get him under pressure like they did his teammate Hamlin last year and I'll assure you he'll have a sub top 35 finish and one is just enough to lose the championship, IMO.
-I like Harvick and it was nice to see him win at Richmond to break the slump. Unfortunately, with him all alone repping RCR and Roush Fenway & Hendrick having partners in the chase, he may not have enough to overcome the big teams this chase. Not having Bowyer get in this year might come back to bite them.
-Kenseth is the dark horse IMO. He has run under the radar, as usual, while getting a couple of wins this year. I think a lot of his best tracks, like Jimmie Johnson's, are in the chase.
-Of course, Johnson is the man to beat. Until the new champ is crowned, it's hard to pick against him. That said...
-Gordon's my pick to win this year. He seems to be heating up at the right time. I think he'll a couple of victories and win in one of the few tracks he has yet to win in his long career at Miami to secure his fifth championship.
I think this is Harvick's year, but I think it goes down to the wire this year, with Kyle a close second. Kurt is always a danger too.
Jimmie Johnson just has to lose this year doesn't he? He must lose.
We'll be back right after order has been restored here in the Omni Center.
That the universe was formed by a fortuitous concourse of atoms, I will no more believe than that the accidental jumbling of the alphabet would fall into a most ingenious treatise of philosophy - Swift
Originally posted by AWArulzJimmie Johnson just has to lose this year doesn't he? He must lose.
I will have to see it before I believe it. And THEN I might not even believe it.
I like the Jeff Gordon pick because he's been on fire the last month or so. I think Dale Jr. will do better in the Chase than people expect...he's been in defense mode for the last few weeks once his buffer to 11th fell to within 50 points, and I think Steve Letarte has been SUPER-conservative. They turned a 40th-place car into a 16th-place finish Saturday.
I think the big disappointment of the Chase is going to be Kurt Busch, and I don't give the Stewart-Haas guys much of a shot.
Holy fuck shit motherfucker shit. Read comics. Fuck shit shit fuck shit I sold out when I did my job. Fuck fuck fuck shit fuck. Sorry had to do it....
*snip*
Revenge of the Sith = one thumb up from me. Fuck shit. I want to tittie fuck your ass. -- The Guinness. to Cerebus
Good start for Harv - 2nd - holds the lead, and 5 time is a few points back right now.
Stewart was a surprise. And how many times is the best Hendrick car the 88? If Jr Wins next week, the fan base will be up for grabs. They will sell out a few tracks.
(edited by AWArulz on 19.9.11 1830)
We'll be back right after order has been restored here in the Omni Center.
That the universe was formed by a fortuitous concourse of atoms, I will no more believe than that the accidental jumbling of the alphabet would fall into a most ingenious treatise of philosophy - Swift
Originally posted by AWArulzGood start for Harv - 2nd - holds the lead, and 5 time is a few points back right now.
Stewart was a surprise. And how many times is the best Hendrick car the 88? If Jr Wins next week, the fan base will be up for grabs. They will sell out a few tracks.
(edited by AWArulz on 19.9.11 1830)
I was honestly surprised about last race. I love those fuel conservation tracks. The #48 failing didn't really surprise me, but Stewart winning did.
Stewart winning really didn't surprised me. He has won at Chicago before. But Junior finishing third did. Maybe they were just playing coy the last couple of weeks in getting into the chase like some analysts said they were. I don't know, I still need to see him have another top 5 performance at NH to think he has any chance of winning the chase.
The least surprising thing to me was seeing the Gibbs teammates (Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin)struggling. No matter how much they're favored to win the championship, they always seem to dig themselves a hole in the chase that they don't have the composure to get out of. I can see them getting into more trouble this weekend and falling further behind.
As for my pick in Gordon? Meh. Wasn't a good finish, but I do think he can bounce back into the thick of it within a race or two.
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People have given Paul Menard a lot of crap for buying his ride, but to be 9th in points after five races is nothing to sneeze at. The #26 being out of the top 35 doesn't bother me.