Last week I said that Kyle Busch’s win did very little for his Championship hopes. Aside from ten more points to pad his lead for the final ten races, nothing on the track at Watkins Glen would translate. On the other hand Carl Edwards’ win at Michigan this last Sunday goes a long way towards Edwards’ title chances. Edwards has been the class of the field at intermediate tracks all season. Four of his five wins have come at 1.5 or 2 mile high speed tracks. Which is good news considering that half of the races in the Chase are downforce emphasized tracks. Kyle Busch is obviously capable of winning at any track (and don’t you dare forget Jimmie Johnson), but right now the #99 team is the strongest Cup team on intermediate tracks. That strength will go a long way in the Chase when they can practically count on top 5′s plus a win or two.
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Greg Biffle compared Michigan’s slippery conditions to Darlington and based on how loose every car was, it was a fair comparison. Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jeff Gordon could also provide decent reviews of the walls at the respective tracks. Both Hendrick drivers saw potential top five runs crumple when their car’s literally did. Both drivers offered microcosms of their seasons through their wrecks. Earnhardt Jr has been fast every week, but never at the right time. He leads races every week but then when the race gets to the final 25% of a race, the car’s handling decides to beat the traffic and head to the exit early.
Meanwhile Gordon and the #24 team have lost their incredible consistency that was their hallmark in 2007. A bad pit stop left him back in traffic which led to him making contact with Jimmie Johnson in the middle of a tight pack of cars, and ultimately a cut tire and wall-slap. Gordon slipped to 9th place and while he should still be safe for the Chase, he needs to wrap it up before Richmond because that track has been a nightmare for Gordon in recent years.
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[As read in your best Jeff Foxworthy impression] If you begin asking about the circumference of the Earth: You might be running out of Aflac Trivia Questions.
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The top 12 continues to tighten. David Ragan’s 3rd place run combined with Clint Bowyer being out to lunch forces a tie for 13th place, only 26 points behind Denny Hamlin. Despite a strong run Brian Vickers remains 166 points outside of 12th which looks just out of reach with only three races left.
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One driver that has separated himself from the Chase bubble is Kevin Harvick. He has four top tens in his last five races, including his 8th place ride at Michigan. He sat in 13th after Daytona, but is now up to eighth. After a mediocre first 18 races Harvick has at least improved his finishing. He and his RCR teammates are still well behind the top teams, but at least he appears clear of the danger zone.
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I keep waiting for Tony Stewart to break out and lead a ton of laps and finally win a race. It could finally happen this coming weekend at Bristol.
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