D
DJ Rossi
Guest
1. Brad Keselowski: The hottest driver in the Sprint Cup Series is in control of the Wild Card race but don’t be surprised to see him inside the top 10 of the point standings before the end of the regular season. No reason to believe he won’t be a factor at Atlanta and Richmond before the Chase field is officially locked in.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 85.7
Point Standing: 11th
Last Week's Ranking: Fourth
2. Jeff Gordon: Crew chief Alan Gustafson took the blame for getting snookered on pit road with the timing loop manipulation that helped others get to the front of the field. Otherwise, Gordon could have easily been the guy in Victory Lane Saturday night for his third win of the season.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.6
Point Standing: Sixth
Last Week's Ranking: Third
3. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson may have been off the radar in the early summer months but he’s back in a big way of late with another solid performance at Bristol coming off a runner-up run the previous week at Michigan. Don’t look now but the 48 team is gathering momentum at exactly the right time of the schedule.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.1
Point Standing: Second
Last Week's Ranking: Second
4. Kyle Busch: The way Busch has owned Bristol, his 14th place finish Saturday night was actually shocking. Had to settle for only one win in his quest for another sweep of "Thunder Valley," but still in good shape on top of the point standings and heading to a pair of tracks to end the regular season where he’s been stellar.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 109.6
Point Standing: First
Last Week's Ranking: First
5. Matt Kenseth: Usually runs well at Bristol and did not disappoint again on Saturday night, leading a good portion of the race and staying in the front of the field to come home inside the top 10. The Ford contingent hopes to flex its muscle at Atlanta Sunday night and Kenseth should definitely be in the mix.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.5
Point Standing: Third
Last Week's Ranking: Sixth
6. Ryan Newman: Set the pace in qualifying to win the Bristol pole and backed the effort up with a nice race performance and a top-10 finish. Has a sneaky fast look going on right now that could bode well once the Chase kicks off.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.5
Point Standing: Seventh
Last Week's Ranking: Eighth
7. Carl Edwards: Still waiting to bust out after inking his Roush Fenway Racing contract extension. A decent night for Edwards in Bristol, but as others surge will have to pick up some momentum heading into the Chase to re-position himself as a championship contender.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.6
Point Standing: Fourth
Last Week's Ranking: Seventh
8. Martin Truex Jr.: Some nice chemistry is coming from the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 56 entry in recent weeks with new crew chief Chad Johnston starting to make his mark on the team, as his call for two tires late in the race at Bristol proved. Truex had a pair of top-five finishes this month and looks to carry that performance over into September starting Sunday at Atlanta.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 83.1
Point Standing: 17th
Last Week's Ranking: N/R
9. Kurt Busch: More struggles for the Double Deuce at Bristol, including a couple of pit road speeding violations that predictably frustrated Busch big time. Not heading in the right direction at all as the regular season winds down and Busch has fallen down the standings since late June.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.2
Point Standing: Eighth
Last Week's Ranking: Fifth
10. Denny Hamlin: Desperately needed a good night in Bristol after his disastrous day at Michigan and came home with a good finish, but it wasn’t easy. Rebounded from a tangle with Paul Menard to notch a seventh-place finish and Hamlin still has a grip on the second Wild Card spot because of that effort.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.0
Point Standing: 13th
Last Week's Ranking: N/R
Out This Week: Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick
Current Chase Wild Cards: Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin
Related Topics:
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 85.7
Point Standing: 11th
Last Week's Ranking: Fourth
2. Jeff Gordon: Crew chief Alan Gustafson took the blame for getting snookered on pit road with the timing loop manipulation that helped others get to the front of the field. Otherwise, Gordon could have easily been the guy in Victory Lane Saturday night for his third win of the season.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.6
Point Standing: Sixth
Last Week's Ranking: Third
3. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson may have been off the radar in the early summer months but he’s back in a big way of late with another solid performance at Bristol coming off a runner-up run the previous week at Michigan. Don’t look now but the 48 team is gathering momentum at exactly the right time of the schedule.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.1
Point Standing: Second
Last Week's Ranking: Second
4. Kyle Busch: The way Busch has owned Bristol, his 14th place finish Saturday night was actually shocking. Had to settle for only one win in his quest for another sweep of "Thunder Valley," but still in good shape on top of the point standings and heading to a pair of tracks to end the regular season where he’s been stellar.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 109.6
Point Standing: First
Last Week's Ranking: First
5. Matt Kenseth: Usually runs well at Bristol and did not disappoint again on Saturday night, leading a good portion of the race and staying in the front of the field to come home inside the top 10. The Ford contingent hopes to flex its muscle at Atlanta Sunday night and Kenseth should definitely be in the mix.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.5
Point Standing: Third
Last Week's Ranking: Sixth
6. Ryan Newman: Set the pace in qualifying to win the Bristol pole and backed the effort up with a nice race performance and a top-10 finish. Has a sneaky fast look going on right now that could bode well once the Chase kicks off.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.5
Point Standing: Seventh
Last Week's Ranking: Eighth
7. Carl Edwards: Still waiting to bust out after inking his Roush Fenway Racing contract extension. A decent night for Edwards in Bristol, but as others surge will have to pick up some momentum heading into the Chase to re-position himself as a championship contender.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.6
Point Standing: Fourth
Last Week's Ranking: Seventh
8. Martin Truex Jr.: Some nice chemistry is coming from the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 56 entry in recent weeks with new crew chief Chad Johnston starting to make his mark on the team, as his call for two tires late in the race at Bristol proved. Truex had a pair of top-five finishes this month and looks to carry that performance over into September starting Sunday at Atlanta.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 83.1
Point Standing: 17th
Last Week's Ranking: N/R
9. Kurt Busch: More struggles for the Double Deuce at Bristol, including a couple of pit road speeding violations that predictably frustrated Busch big time. Not heading in the right direction at all as the regular season winds down and Busch has fallen down the standings since late June.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.2
Point Standing: Eighth
Last Week's Ranking: Fifth
10. Denny Hamlin: Desperately needed a good night in Bristol after his disastrous day at Michigan and came home with a good finish, but it wasn’t easy. Rebounded from a tangle with Paul Menard to notch a seventh-place finish and Hamlin still has a grip on the second Wild Card spot because of that effort.
Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.0
Point Standing: 13th
Last Week's Ranking: N/R
Out This Week: Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick
Current Chase Wild Cards: Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin
Related Topics:
