This Saturday we are off to Kentucky, a day early and an entry short. Well, early if you think of Sunday as the usual race day, and short as we will have 42 entries instead of the usual 43. Michael McDowell, who was 24th at Sonoma last Sunday, won’t be joining us.
No start and park entries this year, which I am pleased to see. However, of the 43 cars out there most weeks, only 24 drivers representing nine teams have the pedigree to actually compete. Even that is debatable, but I include everyone from Hendrick, Gibbs, Penske, Ganassi, Roush, Stewart-Haas, Childress, Waltrip, and Petty. It is more than just talent and experience, but cash and equipment that separate the wheat from the chaff. That chaff, going by last week’s grid, would include 19 drivers from 13 companies. That is not to say they will never compete, but rather they can not run with the big boys at the moment.
NASCAR deems a driver in the Top 30 in points as worthy of contending for a place in the Chase, via a victory. Taking that into consideration, A.J. Allmendinger, Casey Mears, Martin Truex Jr, Justin Allgaier, and Michael Annett might not be so much chaff, but more like Grade B grain. Time will tell what winds up in the hopper.
No, I do not think we will lose much sleep having the field down one, or a dozen, as long as they do not include anyone from among our hottest 20 drivers.
(By points, with race winners given 25 instead of just 3 bonus points)
1 – Jimmie Johnson – 622 POINTS – 3 WINS
2 – Jeff Gordon – 602 – 1
3 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 599 – 2
4 – Carl Edwards – 553 – 2
5 – Brad Keselowski – 534 – 1
6 – Joey Logano – 525 – 2
7 – Matt Kenseth – 515 – 0
8 – Kevin Harvick – 514 – 2
9 – Kyle Busch – 487 – 1
10 – Denny Hamlin – 475 – 1
11 – Ryan Newman – 473 – 0
12 – Kyle Larson – 470 – 0
13 – Paul Menard – 459 – 0
14 – Clint Bowyer – 452 – 0
15 – Greg Biffle – 444 – 0
16 – Kasey Kahne – 429 – 0
17 – Tony Stewart – 427 – 0
18 – Austin Dillon – 427 – 0
19 – Jamie McMurray – 425 – 0
20 – Brian Vickers – 424 – 0
