Rank Prev Number Driver Comments
1 1 Tony Stewart We’re starting to think that he will be seeded No. 1 after the 26th race.
2 2 Jeff Gordon He’s already clinched a spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Which means he will probably be getting Jimmie Johnson’s engines for the next couple of weeks.
3 3 Kasey Kahne One of his favorite T-shirts as a kid was one that had Rusty Wallace on it. Kasey, get the thing autographed – you only have one more year to do it, unless you want to drive all the way out to his house in 2006.
4 4 Mark Martin Sometimes, it seems, even his good days are overshadowed by bad luck.
5 7 Dale Jarrett Yeah, he may be one of the best drivers in NASCAR history, but we’re still mad about him preventing a Dick Trickle win in the Bristol night race back in 1997.
6 5 Jeremy Mayfield So he might finish 11th in the final standings. Which is like finishing fourth in the Olympics, except it’s worth a lot more money.
7 8 Kurt Busch We noticed that Jimmy Spencer didn’t bother Kurt after he noticed his Superman driver’s uniform.
8 9 Matt Kenseth We looked at the stats and we were all excited about Matt Kenseth’s qualifying stats – he’s started fifth for two straight weeks. Then we remembered both races were set by owners points.
9 20 Greg Biffle Sterling’s suggested NASCAR.COM headline for Biffle’s win: Bug-eyed dummy sees way into victory lane.
10 12 Jamie McMurray Funny, subtle note to Sunday’s broadcast: Benny Parsons started calling McMurray “42” instead of “McMary.”
11 6 Jimmie Johnson His weekly teleconference was canceled this week. Mainly because they knew the teleconference would blow up.
12 13 Kevin Harvick Still completes all his laps, which will make him tough to get out of the top 10.
13 11 Dale Earnhardt Jr. He’s been credited with just one top-10 finish since Daytona. That is his worst stretch of races since the spring of 2002.
14 10 Elliott Sadler We must have jinxed him two weeks when we said he had only failed to complete 21 laps in 2004, because he failed to complete 21 on Sunday.
15 14 Ryan Newman He said last week that he really enjoys working on old cars. Which means that if the driving career goes sour, he can always work as Kirk Shelmerdine’s crew chief.
16 15 Casey Mears This year, he only has five finishes of 30th or worse. In 2003, he finished 30th or worse 17 times.
17 21 Jeff Burton So he admitted he was looking for the “99” pit board when we entered the pits. Which is understandable. What would be even funnier, though, is if Burton wins at Bristol, gets out of car, and says: “Now, with this win, we should be able to attract a sponsor.”
18 16 Michael Waltrip Jayski headline of the week that didn’t shock us: Waltrip commercial to debut.
19 18 Bobby Labonte Strange as it sounds, but considering his underrated skill on bullrings, he needs the short tracks to bounce back.
20 NR Carl Edwards So he’s already got a sponsor for 2005. Which means the new sponsor wanted someone in the car younger than Jeff Burton, but older than Matt Martin.
21 17 Robby Gordon He practically pushed Jeff Burton down the straightaway at Michigan? Maybe he wasn’t aware of the driver change.
22 NR Joe Nemechek He’s got seven straight top-25 finishes, all of which have been lead-lap runs. Which will probably end on Saturday night, since his best career finish at Bristol is 16th.
23 22 Brian Vickers Welcome to Bristol, kid. You might be scheduled for a blind date with the bumpers of a Mr. Marlin and Mr. Jarrett.
24 24 Sterling Marlin About the nicest thing you can say about the last six weeks is that he’s scored more points than the other two beer cars.
25 NR Scott Wimmer It will be very interesting to see if he can beat Brian Vickers for second place in the rookie standings.
The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.
1 1 Tony Stewart We’re starting to think that he will be seeded No. 1 after the 26th race.
2 2 Jeff Gordon He’s already clinched a spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Which means he will probably be getting Jimmie Johnson’s engines for the next couple of weeks.
3 3 Kasey Kahne One of his favorite T-shirts as a kid was one that had Rusty Wallace on it. Kasey, get the thing autographed – you only have one more year to do it, unless you want to drive all the way out to his house in 2006.
4 4 Mark Martin Sometimes, it seems, even his good days are overshadowed by bad luck.
5 7 Dale Jarrett Yeah, he may be one of the best drivers in NASCAR history, but we’re still mad about him preventing a Dick Trickle win in the Bristol night race back in 1997.
6 5 Jeremy Mayfield So he might finish 11th in the final standings. Which is like finishing fourth in the Olympics, except it’s worth a lot more money.
7 8 Kurt Busch We noticed that Jimmy Spencer didn’t bother Kurt after he noticed his Superman driver’s uniform.
8 9 Matt Kenseth We looked at the stats and we were all excited about Matt Kenseth’s qualifying stats – he’s started fifth for two straight weeks. Then we remembered both races were set by owners points.
9 20 Greg Biffle Sterling’s suggested NASCAR.COM headline for Biffle’s win: Bug-eyed dummy sees way into victory lane.
10 12 Jamie McMurray Funny, subtle note to Sunday’s broadcast: Benny Parsons started calling McMurray “42” instead of “McMary.”
11 6 Jimmie Johnson His weekly teleconference was canceled this week. Mainly because they knew the teleconference would blow up.
12 13 Kevin Harvick Still completes all his laps, which will make him tough to get out of the top 10.
13 11 Dale Earnhardt Jr. He’s been credited with just one top-10 finish since Daytona. That is his worst stretch of races since the spring of 2002.
14 10 Elliott Sadler We must have jinxed him two weeks when we said he had only failed to complete 21 laps in 2004, because he failed to complete 21 on Sunday.
15 14 Ryan Newman He said last week that he really enjoys working on old cars. Which means that if the driving career goes sour, he can always work as Kirk Shelmerdine’s crew chief.
16 15 Casey Mears This year, he only has five finishes of 30th or worse. In 2003, he finished 30th or worse 17 times.
17 21 Jeff Burton So he admitted he was looking for the “99” pit board when we entered the pits. Which is understandable. What would be even funnier, though, is if Burton wins at Bristol, gets out of car, and says: “Now, with this win, we should be able to attract a sponsor.”
18 16 Michael Waltrip Jayski headline of the week that didn’t shock us: Waltrip commercial to debut.
19 18 Bobby Labonte Strange as it sounds, but considering his underrated skill on bullrings, he needs the short tracks to bounce back.
20 NR Carl Edwards So he’s already got a sponsor for 2005. Which means the new sponsor wanted someone in the car younger than Jeff Burton, but older than Matt Martin.
21 17 Robby Gordon He practically pushed Jeff Burton down the straightaway at Michigan? Maybe he wasn’t aware of the driver change.
22 NR Joe Nemechek He’s got seven straight top-25 finishes, all of which have been lead-lap runs. Which will probably end on Saturday night, since his best career finish at Bristol is 16th.
23 22 Brian Vickers Welcome to Bristol, kid. You might be scheduled for a blind date with the bumpers of a Mr. Marlin and Mr. Jarrett.
24 24 Sterling Marlin About the nicest thing you can say about the last six weeks is that he’s scored more points than the other two beer cars.
25 NR Scott Wimmer It will be very interesting to see if he can beat Brian Vickers for second place in the rookie standings.
The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.