S
stridsberry
Guest
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has used a surge of top-5s to become the hottest driver in NASCAR, and thus take over the ratings lead. Drivers making a run up the standings include Jeff Burton Bobby Labonte, and Sterling Marlin; those who should be glad there’s still 27 races left are Mark Martin, Dave Blaney, and Jamie McMurray.
1. (2) DALE EARNHARDT JR
I thought Dale did a decent job of handling the incident with Craven, at least in the post-race interview. Too bad I can’t say the same thing for his “fans” and pit crew.
2. (1) MATT KENSETH
The team never got the car dialed in. He was a lap down most of the race. All in all, it was a bad day. And if 22nd is a bad day, that doesn’t bode well for the field.
3. (4) JEFF GORDON
Welcome back to Victory Lane, Gordo, and congratulations on breaking the Martinsville winner streak.
4. (6) JIMMIE JOHNSON
This is the exact same way Jimmie contended for the title last year – rarely finishing in the top-5, but consistently finishing in the top-10.
5. (3) KURT BUSCH
Inconsistency, inconsistency. It has been the downfall of many title contenders, and it may bite Kurt if he’s not careful.
6. (14) BOBBY LABONTE
For the 2nd straight year, a two-tire call in the pits paid off – only this time, he came up a spot short of the win.
7. (7) KEVIN HARVICK
Don’t look now, but Kevin’s up to 6th in the points. And he’s been doing it with quiet consistency, not flashy top finishes (except at plate tracks).
8. (10) ELLIOTT SADLER
Another career best – consecutive top-5 finishes. I’ll take my crow roasted with a side of mashed potatoes, thank you.
9. (5) RICKY CRAVEN
It’s kind of sad, really. He was the highest finishing Pontiac again – but he only finished 27th. And yet, it was the same as last spring at Martinsville – run strong early, fall apart late.
10. (15) STERLING MARLIN
It looks like Sterling’s beginning to get it together again. A few top-5 finishes could be the tonic to get him into another title chase.
11. (T11) TONY STEWART
Don’t you love it when a team takes a junk car, makes a whole mess of changes without knowing what will happen, and then ends up contending for the win?
12. (8) MICHAEL WALTRIP
It looks like the freefall may be underway – then again, last year California was the start of what may have been the finest two months of his career.
13. (9) RYAN NEWMAN
Okay, so it looks like Ryan doesn’t much enjoy half-mile bullrings, either. Add four more races to list of those that he wants removed from the schedule.
14. (18) RUSTY WALLACE
It was almost the same song that Rusty’s been playing all season – but this time, Rusty was able to hold on to the top-10.
15. (13) DALE JARRETT
Sue, Dale’s still ahead of where he was last year. But you can tell that this half of the Yates organization just isn’t clicking – sort of like the Havoline bunch last year.
16. (25) JEFF BURTON
Boy, he sure came out of nowhere! I didn’t see Jeff at all until the final 50 laps, and suddenly, he’s up finishing in the top-5. Don’t you just love the element of surprise?
17. (T11) MARK MARTIN
It just isn’t happening for Mark this year, either. Sure he’s got several top-10s, but even in Mark’s off year of 2001, he was consistent.
18. (19) RICKY RUDD
Ricky is performing a lot like he did last year (last year’s line: 12 top-10s, 30 top-20s). But this year, it may not be enough to necessitate a banquet speech.
19. (16) ROBBY GORDON
Last year at this time, Robby was struggling to make the top-30 in points – and still ended the year 20th. This year, he’s currently 14th. Looks like we’ve got another potential sleeper for the top-10 in points.
20. (17) GREG BIFFLE
Greg’s still the lowest Roush car in the points – but in terms of points-per-race-started, he’s 3rd (111 per). So he’s still got a chance of not being the runt of the herd.
21. (24) TERRY LABONTE
What has gotten into Terry these last few weeks? I’m not going to talk about points, because I think I jinxed him after the 1st half of last year, but still…
22. (20) JOE NEMECHEK
How do you know Hendrick had a good day? Joe finished 15th, and yet he was the worst of the team.
23. (26) KENNY WALLACE
Unlike Ryan Newman, Kenny likes plate tracks and half-mile bullrings (no worse than 17th this year) – he probably wouldn’t mind running the entire schedule at them.
24. (23) WARD BURTON
25th in the race, 25th in points. I’m sure he’d rather be 1st and 1st, but that’s already looking pretty unlikely – at least for the latter.
25. (28) BILL ELLIOT
He was one of the first cars to go a lap down. But he got stronger, and ended up winning “that other race”. And it gained him a few spots in points to boot.
26. (21) JAMIE McMURRAY
A failed engine spoiled a fine run for any rookie at Martinsville. As soon as the team gets it’s problems sorted out, I think Jamie will actually finish the deal on those runs.
27. (30) JIMMY SPENCER
Mongo got a little greedy while getting a drink. He wanted to take the dish with him. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, Mongo.
28. (22) DAVE BLANEY
I said the same basic thing last week, but it’s still true this week – he has fallen off the face of the earth ever since Darlington.
29. (27) JEFF GREEN
So what’s happened to Jeff. He was the highest Childress driver last year, why isn’t he sharing in the wealth this year?
30. (29) JOHNNY BENSON
Johnny’s gone into a pretty good tale spin himself. Even his better tracks are failing him this time around.
31. (31) STEVE PARK
It doesn’t look that great, to have two DEI cars in the top-8 in points, and the third back in 27th. DEI’s given him 41 races to show he’s still got it (37 more than Hendrick gave Craven in 1998), and I bet their patience is running out.
32. (35) JOHN ANDRETTI
Do you think he still feels so great about staying on at PE? After the potential flashed last year, it’s been right back to the same old back-marker status.
33. (38) KEN SCHRADER
Wooooowwwww. Kenny Schrader in the top-10. BAM Racing in the top-10. Carrot Top in the top-10. Hell has frozen over, and CT says it’s cold in there.
34. (T32) JERRY NADEAU
He’s an Army of One, all right – an Army that seems to spend more time in the garage than on the track. Sad, but true.
35. (T32) JEREMY MAYFIELD
**Silence**
36. (34) KYLE PETTY/FTTIPALDI
Where’s Kyle? Where’s the top-20 points run so many people had him pegged for? If you have information on their disappearance, call 1-888-45-IS-MIA.
37. (36) TODD BODINE
The National Guard is now in Iraq, and seems to be running into every barricade and soldier in sight. Oh, wait – that’s not the Guard, that’s Todd in a Winston Cup race.
38. (37) CASEY MEARS
36th in points. One finish in the top-20. And a lot of torn up race cars. That actually used to be a typical rookie season, not so long ago.
39. (40) JACK SPRAGUE
See Casey Mears, and change the points position to 39th.
40. (39) MIKE SKINNER
Another race, another roll of film that deserves to be thrown out. I think Mike’s very talented, but this team is in the 5th year of a tale spin that isn’t showing many signs of letting up.
41. (41) TONY RAINES
On nascar.com, Tony has Staff America listed as the primary sponsor. Based on the size of the logo, it must be a very low-buck sponsorship.
42. (42) LARRY FOYT
Now A.J. is blaming NASCAR for the fact that he’s not making races. If you put half the effort into NASCAR that you did into open-wheel racing, A.J., you wouldn’t need to blame anybody, because you’d be making all the races.
43. (43) BRETT BODINE
This week’s poll question: How much time do YOU think Brett actually spends at Hooter’s? Send your answers to [email protected].
1. (2) DALE EARNHARDT JR
I thought Dale did a decent job of handling the incident with Craven, at least in the post-race interview. Too bad I can’t say the same thing for his “fans” and pit crew.
2. (1) MATT KENSETH
The team never got the car dialed in. He was a lap down most of the race. All in all, it was a bad day. And if 22nd is a bad day, that doesn’t bode well for the field.
3. (4) JEFF GORDON
Welcome back to Victory Lane, Gordo, and congratulations on breaking the Martinsville winner streak.
4. (6) JIMMIE JOHNSON
This is the exact same way Jimmie contended for the title last year – rarely finishing in the top-5, but consistently finishing in the top-10.
5. (3) KURT BUSCH
Inconsistency, inconsistency. It has been the downfall of many title contenders, and it may bite Kurt if he’s not careful.
6. (14) BOBBY LABONTE
For the 2nd straight year, a two-tire call in the pits paid off – only this time, he came up a spot short of the win.
7. (7) KEVIN HARVICK
Don’t look now, but Kevin’s up to 6th in the points. And he’s been doing it with quiet consistency, not flashy top finishes (except at plate tracks).
8. (10) ELLIOTT SADLER
Another career best – consecutive top-5 finishes. I’ll take my crow roasted with a side of mashed potatoes, thank you.
9. (5) RICKY CRAVEN
It’s kind of sad, really. He was the highest finishing Pontiac again – but he only finished 27th. And yet, it was the same as last spring at Martinsville – run strong early, fall apart late.
10. (15) STERLING MARLIN
It looks like Sterling’s beginning to get it together again. A few top-5 finishes could be the tonic to get him into another title chase.
11. (T11) TONY STEWART
Don’t you love it when a team takes a junk car, makes a whole mess of changes without knowing what will happen, and then ends up contending for the win?
12. (8) MICHAEL WALTRIP
It looks like the freefall may be underway – then again, last year California was the start of what may have been the finest two months of his career.
13. (9) RYAN NEWMAN
Okay, so it looks like Ryan doesn’t much enjoy half-mile bullrings, either. Add four more races to list of those that he wants removed from the schedule.
14. (18) RUSTY WALLACE
It was almost the same song that Rusty’s been playing all season – but this time, Rusty was able to hold on to the top-10.
15. (13) DALE JARRETT
Sue, Dale’s still ahead of where he was last year. But you can tell that this half of the Yates organization just isn’t clicking – sort of like the Havoline bunch last year.
16. (25) JEFF BURTON
Boy, he sure came out of nowhere! I didn’t see Jeff at all until the final 50 laps, and suddenly, he’s up finishing in the top-5. Don’t you just love the element of surprise?
17. (T11) MARK MARTIN
It just isn’t happening for Mark this year, either. Sure he’s got several top-10s, but even in Mark’s off year of 2001, he was consistent.
18. (19) RICKY RUDD
Ricky is performing a lot like he did last year (last year’s line: 12 top-10s, 30 top-20s). But this year, it may not be enough to necessitate a banquet speech.
19. (16) ROBBY GORDON
Last year at this time, Robby was struggling to make the top-30 in points – and still ended the year 20th. This year, he’s currently 14th. Looks like we’ve got another potential sleeper for the top-10 in points.
20. (17) GREG BIFFLE
Greg’s still the lowest Roush car in the points – but in terms of points-per-race-started, he’s 3rd (111 per). So he’s still got a chance of not being the runt of the herd.
21. (24) TERRY LABONTE
What has gotten into Terry these last few weeks? I’m not going to talk about points, because I think I jinxed him after the 1st half of last year, but still…
22. (20) JOE NEMECHEK
How do you know Hendrick had a good day? Joe finished 15th, and yet he was the worst of the team.
23. (26) KENNY WALLACE
Unlike Ryan Newman, Kenny likes plate tracks and half-mile bullrings (no worse than 17th this year) – he probably wouldn’t mind running the entire schedule at them.
24. (23) WARD BURTON
25th in the race, 25th in points. I’m sure he’d rather be 1st and 1st, but that’s already looking pretty unlikely – at least for the latter.
25. (28) BILL ELLIOT
He was one of the first cars to go a lap down. But he got stronger, and ended up winning “that other race”. And it gained him a few spots in points to boot.
26. (21) JAMIE McMURRAY
A failed engine spoiled a fine run for any rookie at Martinsville. As soon as the team gets it’s problems sorted out, I think Jamie will actually finish the deal on those runs.
27. (30) JIMMY SPENCER
Mongo got a little greedy while getting a drink. He wanted to take the dish with him. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, Mongo.
28. (22) DAVE BLANEY
I said the same basic thing last week, but it’s still true this week – he has fallen off the face of the earth ever since Darlington.
29. (27) JEFF GREEN
So what’s happened to Jeff. He was the highest Childress driver last year, why isn’t he sharing in the wealth this year?
30. (29) JOHNNY BENSON
Johnny’s gone into a pretty good tale spin himself. Even his better tracks are failing him this time around.
31. (31) STEVE PARK
It doesn’t look that great, to have two DEI cars in the top-8 in points, and the third back in 27th. DEI’s given him 41 races to show he’s still got it (37 more than Hendrick gave Craven in 1998), and I bet their patience is running out.
32. (35) JOHN ANDRETTI
Do you think he still feels so great about staying on at PE? After the potential flashed last year, it’s been right back to the same old back-marker status.
33. (38) KEN SCHRADER
Wooooowwwww. Kenny Schrader in the top-10. BAM Racing in the top-10. Carrot Top in the top-10. Hell has frozen over, and CT says it’s cold in there.
34. (T32) JERRY NADEAU
He’s an Army of One, all right – an Army that seems to spend more time in the garage than on the track. Sad, but true.
35. (T32) JEREMY MAYFIELD
**Silence**
36. (34) KYLE PETTY/FTTIPALDI
Where’s Kyle? Where’s the top-20 points run so many people had him pegged for? If you have information on their disappearance, call 1-888-45-IS-MIA.
37. (36) TODD BODINE
The National Guard is now in Iraq, and seems to be running into every barricade and soldier in sight. Oh, wait – that’s not the Guard, that’s Todd in a Winston Cup race.
38. (37) CASEY MEARS
36th in points. One finish in the top-20. And a lot of torn up race cars. That actually used to be a typical rookie season, not so long ago.
39. (40) JACK SPRAGUE
See Casey Mears, and change the points position to 39th.
40. (39) MIKE SKINNER
Another race, another roll of film that deserves to be thrown out. I think Mike’s very talented, but this team is in the 5th year of a tale spin that isn’t showing many signs of letting up.
41. (41) TONY RAINES
On nascar.com, Tony has Staff America listed as the primary sponsor. Based on the size of the logo, it must be a very low-buck sponsorship.
42. (42) LARRY FOYT
Now A.J. is blaming NASCAR for the fact that he’s not making races. If you put half the effort into NASCAR that you did into open-wheel racing, A.J., you wouldn’t need to blame anybody, because you’d be making all the races.
43. (43) BRETT BODINE
This week’s poll question: How much time do YOU think Brett actually spends at Hooter’s? Send your answers to [email protected].
