Ron Thornton – Page 42 – Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Author: Ron Thornton

Hot 20 over the Chase six – Past 10 matters little to Johnson, as it is all about the 6 since Richmond and the 4 to come

The Final Word – Talladega may have been smokin’, but expect Johnson to smoke the field at Martinsville

Hot 20 over the past 10, the past 5, and how Talladega could change everything

The Final Word – Thank God we have Talladega coming up on Sunday

Hot 20 over the past 10 – The junior circuit needs a rejig, while our Cup leaders hope to avoid a bad day in Charlotte

The Final Word – Kansas leaves us with just two contenders…or does it?

Hot 20 over the past 10 – Kenseth is hot but NASCAR is not as Kansas hosts this Sunday

The Final Word – Dover is over, now off to Kansas where Kyle’s dreams go to die

Hot 20 over the past 10 – The Gibbs boys might lead the way, but Dover is Jimmie’s kind of track

Grading the Sprint Cup Rides – 2013 Third Term Report

Usually, one gets a general perspective on how a driver has been performing recently by taking a look at his past ten efforts. Ten, a nice round number that just so happens to also be the exact number of races in the Chase. You would think, barring adjustments for pre-Chase bonuses, it might give you an idea how things are going for those chasing a championship. You would think.

That was before Jimmie Johnson sandbagged the final four pre-Chase events. In those races, Johnson picked up a whopping 33 points. That is the same as he got last week finishing 13^th at Talladega. Matt Kenseth, in those same four races, earned 148 points. Then they leveled the playing field. However, before anyone moans how unfair the Chase is to the season’s best, it actually has penalized Johnson and benefited Kenseth. Remember, before the re-jig, Kenseth was in fifth place, 35 points behind Carl Edwards and 34 in arrears of Johnson, who was still second despite his pre-Chase problems. If not for the Chase, the standings would have Johnson leading Harvick by 33, with Kenseth third 41 back. So, the right guy is leading the way, albeit by 4 Chase points.

As for being hot or not with four races to go in the season, it comes down to room for growth. As we replace the results from Michigan, Bristol, Atlanta, and Richmond with those coming from Martinsville, Fort Worth, Phoenix, and Homestead, Kenseth can better his total by no more than 44 points. Johnson can better his by 159.

What that does, however, is make the hot 20 over the past ten races rather meaningless, with Kenseth presently 108 points better than the 15^th ranked Johnson. Compress it down to the six Chase races to date and it becomes clear who indeed leads the way. The ten race average will again become meaningful, but not before Homestead. Thanks a bunch, Jimmie.

Here is a look at our hottest 20 drivers over the course of the Chase…

	Driver	Wins	T-5	T-10		Points	Rank
1	Jimmie Johnson	1	4	5	242		1
2	Matt Kenseth	2	3	4	235		2
3	Kevin Harvick	1	2	4	222		3
4	Jeff Gordon	0	2	4	220		5
5	Kyle Busch	0	5	5	216		4
6	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	0	2	4	202		6
7	Jamie McMurray	1	2	2	198		14
8	Greg Biffle	0	1	2	198		7
9	Clint Bowyer	0	0	3	197		8
10	Kurt Busch	0	2	2	193		9
11	Ryan Newman	0	0	4	182		11
12	Carl Edwards	0	1	3	180		10
13	Jeff Burton	0	0	1	176		20
14	Joey Logano	0	2	2	176		12
15	Martin Truex, Jr.	0	0	2	173		17
16	Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.	0	1	2	170		19
17	Brad Keselowski	1	1	2	169		15
18	Paul Menard	0	1	2	167		16
19	Aric Almirola	0	0	1	155		18
20	Kasey Kahne	0	1	1	153		13

October 22, 2013

We waited with anticipation for the action, and Talladega once again delivered. Once again, we watched the cars (and trucks for those watching on Saturday) go flying around inches apart in aircraft formation, in wonder that they could pull this off lap after lap without it all going up in smoke and torn sheet metal. In the end, they could not avoid the unavoidable.

Dale Earnhardt Jr was pondering his final lap move to get by leader Jamie McMurray when the third running Austin Dillon got spun, then rear ended into the sky in what he described as “a cool roller coaster ride.” That allowed Ole Dimples to keep Junior behind him when the caution came out to claim his first win in more than three years.

If that was not wild enough for you, Saturday saw Matt Crafton solidify his strangle hold in the Camping World series while pushing team mate Johnny Sauter to victory. Sauter crossed the line all by his lonesome as our top eight became a top five which became Mr. Sauter doing a solo by the time they all quit wrecking coming to the line. What was left of Crafton’s truck backed across the line in ninth, leaving him an entire race and a bit ahead of Ty Dillon in their standings.

As for the Cup boys, neither Jimmie Johnson or Matt Kenseth finished in the Top Ten. Yet, by finishing seven spots ahead of his rival (13th vs 20th) and by leading the most laps, Johnson earned enough to vault ahead to take over by four points going into Martinsville. Their company got slightly closer, but by finishing fifth the best Kyle Busch could do is tie Kevin Harvick for third in the standings, both still 26 points away. They remain close should disaster hit the leaders, but until such time disaster strikes both will remain simply interested observers.

Rating Talladega – 9/10 – The action kept you on the edge of your seats, drivers could move from the back to the front, and you even had your dose of carnage. What else could you ask for?

So, the track on steroids is now behind us as we return to “normal” racing. With his seven career wins at Martinsville, Jeff Gordon might look good but for two small facts. One, he trails Johnson by 34 points. Second, Jimmie has won eight times himself at this venue.

Five Time won there in the spring, and he won there last fall. His worst finish was on his first attempt in 2002, when he came home 35th. Since then, his worst finish is 12th, to go with an 11th, to go with 16 Top Fives, 20 Top Tens, in 23 Martinsville starts. As for Kenseth, he goes in 0 for 27, with just eight Top Tens in his career.

Game four of the World Series goes Sunday night as St. Louis hosts Boston. That could wind up a closer contest than what we might see out of Virginia. It is not over, but I think somebody just knocked on the Fat Lady’s dressing room door. Enjoy the week, for it appears the odds favor Johnson enjoying his Sunday afternoon.

October 21, 2013

A Top Ten finish for ten straight races, and a driver would accumulate a minimum of 340 points. That is hot. Kevin Harvick, and the Busch boys are that hot, but Matt Kenseth has been nearly 40 points hotter, so a bad day at Talladega on Sunday would mean he would make his championship dreams more of a challenge. The others go down and so do their hopes.

Jimmie Johnson is still rated as cool over the past ten, but remains second in the Chase. His is a case of earning just 69 points in the five pre-Chase races that do not count toward the title and the 209 he has claimed in the five that do. Kenseth, with his two wins in the Chase, has accumulated 210 over the last five, as this chart would sport a slightly different look if we took into account only what has happened since Chicago instead of Watkins Glen.

	Driver	Win	T5	T10	Points
1	Matt Kenseth	2	3	4	210
2	Jimmie Johnson	1	4	5	209
3	Kevin Harvick	1	2	4	190
4	Jeff Gordon	0	2	4	189
5	Kyle Busch	0	4	4	176

But then, I would have to change the title of this column. Barring misfortune, we should see Johnson charging up these standings over the final four events. Barring misfortune, we should see Kenseth maintaining his hold on the point position. Barring misfortune, we should see Harvick, Jeff Gordon, and Kyle Busch battling it out to see who finishes third. Barring the Big One at Talladega, there are a lot of things we might be expected to see, but what we have come to expect from the big track could change the fortunes of more than a few by the end of Sunday. It was just one year ago when we had a massive 25 car demolition on the final lap at Talladega. Kenseth was ahead of the pack and won that day. Can he be so fortunate in 2013?

Here is a look at the hottest 20 drivers over the past 10 events.

	Driver	Win	T5	T10	Points	LW	Rank
1	Matt Kenseth	3	4	6	379	1	1
2	Kevin Harvick	1	3	6	343	6	3
3	Kyle Busch	2	6	6	341	5	5
4	Kurt Busch	0	5	6	340	2	7
5	Jeff Gordon	0	2	7	337	4	4
6	Joey Logano	1	5	6	337	3	11
7	Greg Biffle	0	1	4	324	7	6
8	Ryan Newman	0	2	5	313	8	12
9	Jamie McMurray	0	2	2	306	9	15
10	Carl Edwards	1	3	6	306	10	10
11	Juan Pablo Montoya	0	2	3	296	14	22
12	Paul Menard	0	2	4	293	12	17
13	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	0	1	5	284	11	9
14	Marcos Ambrose	0	0	3	283	12	19
15	Brad Keselowski	1	2	3	282	16	14
16	Jimmie Johnson	1	4	6	278	17	2
17	Jeff Burton	0	0	2	273	18	20
18	Kasey Kahne	0	2	3	271	15	13
19	Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.	0	0	2	267	21	21
20	Clint Bowyer	0	1	4	246	22	8
21	Martin Truex, Jr.	0	2	4	244	19	16
22	Aric Almirola	0	0	1	242	20	18

October 17, 2013

Charlotte has come and gone for another season, so what can one say about the race that was. Well, “thank God that is behind us” comes to mind. I can not remember if it was sponsored by Nyquil or was simply the To Hell With A Cure for Insomnia 500, for me it turned out to be NASCAR’s version of English Premier League soccer. That is, best watched with PVR in hand.

Lap after lap of whatever and who cares. It was like watching a NBA game in the end, with the final few minutes about as exciting as it gets. Brad Keselowski wins, Kasey Kahne runs second, and Matt Kenseth extended his lead over Jimmie Johnson to four big points in the Chase standings. Did anything else much matter? I expected more from Charlotte, I expect nothing from ABC/ESPN, and not a single new fan was captured from what was presented in the television version of the contest. Thank God we have Talladega coming up this Sunday.

Talladega is coming up, Martin Truex Jr. is off seeking a new ride after Michael Waltrip Racing officially announced its contraction due to NAPA fleeing the scene. Brian Vickers is gone for the rest of the year as he deals with a re-occurrence of blood clots in his leg, but should be good to go in the seat of the MWR #55 for 2014.

NASCAR continues to seek the answers needed to make the racing more exciting. They returned to Charlotte a couple of days after the Saturday night race to see if the advent of more rear down force or more turbulent air might help shake things up. If the announce team can not make things more exciting, then the product itself has to improve.

Rating Charlotte – 5.5/10 – Something has to change, or those not true fanatics are going to continue wandering off to other stimulants or reducing their NASCAR experience to Daytona, Talladega, and Bristol.

If you do not like NASCAR, I understand. If you do not like Talladega, you really are a soccer fan. 40 plus cars sweeping by in aircraft formation three wide with just inches separating any of them in any direction at 200 miles per hour. One sneeze away from disaster. We will be watching this Sunday to see if such a sneeze might hamper the runaway bid of Kenseth and Johnson. Call your friends, call all those who usually do not watch, tell them this is what NASCAR produces each and every week. If we are lucky, Martinsville might actually keep them watching.

You can’t blame a guy for dreaming. Enjoy the week.

October 15, 2013

As we head into Charlotte, there is a birthday to note and a milestone to recognize. Dale Earnhardt Jr has celebrated his 39^th birthday, and on Saturday night he will run in his 500^th Cup start. It is a track he has yet to win on, a track that launched his Cup career back in 1999.

Of course, by that time Junior had already won his first of two junior circuit titles. In doing so, in 1998 and 1999, he claimed 13 victories. Imagine that, the champion of what, for now at least, is known as the Nationwide series actually winning races. Regan Smith has won two and sits in second place. Sam Hornish Jr and the eighth place Trevor Bayne each has one. Austin Dillon leads Smith by eight points, and he has not yet won a blessed thing. I wonder why?

Four Nationwide drivers have won just four of 29 events. Maybe it is a good thing that Kyle Busch missed seven of those races, for he has won 10 of those he has run. Brad Keselowski has five, Joey Logano has three, and two more claimed by Matt Kenseth. After fellow Cup drivers Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick get credit for their wins, that leaves only the one to youngster Ryan Blaney and the two for two run of A.J. Allmendinger when he found the time when not running Cup or IndyCar. So, exactly what is the purpose of the Nationwide series?

If it is to develop future Cup drivers, rather than providing Chasers or former Cup champions yet another opportunity to showcase their talents against lesser lights, then just maybe we have undermined the purpose of the series. Maybe we have turned the exercise into something of a joke. I do understand why they run there, why the track owners want to see them there, but as much as I would love to see such names as Cabrera, Ellsbury, and Scherzer on the field should I take in a game in Winnipeg, it would be wrong for them to be there in a regular American Association game. It is just as wrong for Kyle, Joey, Matt, et al to take the place of drivers who have hopes of climbing the ladder. There is nothing to be gained by having established stars simply dropping down to the bushes, as it were.

A solution? Allow Cup drivers five, and no more than five, opportunities to compete in any lower series than the one they are competing for points in. If Kyle Busch wishes to race in five Nationwide races and five truck events, let him do so. The fans would love it…but no more than five in each. Up and coming drivers would love the opportunity to compete, and to do so against their peers. They deserve no less. You can discuss.

While the others await a stumble from Kenseth as we head toward the fifth of the ten Chase events, our points leader remains the hottest driver over the past ten events. While Jimmie Johnson sits three points back in the standings, he is buried in 17^th place over the past ten starts. So, what if there is no stumble, what if these drivers average a tenth place finish the rest of the way?

With the advent of the Chase, whomever is the best over the final ten races of the season should be the champion. Obviously, making the Chase is necessary as well as taking into consideration the bonus advantage the leader takes in. Three points is what Kenseth had over Johnson going in, and three points is what he has today.

As we replace the results from Pocono, Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol, Atlanta and Richmond by those of Charlotte, Talladega, Martinsville, Fort Worth, Phoenix, and Homestead, let us assume both Kenseth and Johnson will average 34 points, a 10^th place finish, from this point onward. If that were the case, Kenseth would end with a ten race total of 372 points, a dozen better than what he has today. If Jimmie Johnson replaces those results (13^th, 8^th, 40^th, 36^th, 28^th, and 40^th) in similar fashion, he also would wind up with 372 points, jumping his total by 103.

While Five Time is not among our hottest today, he will be in six weeks if he hopes to make it six. As hot as the Busch boys, Logano, Gordon, and Harvick might be right now, they will need better than a series of 10^th place finishes to get back into the picture. That said, a bad day for two could equate into a great one for a few others.

TW	Driver	Win	T5	T10	Points	LW	Rank
1	Matt Kenseth	3	3	5	360	1	1
2	Kurt Busch	0	6	7	352	5	7
3	Joey Logano	1	5	7	348	4	10
4	Jeff Gordon	0	3	7	342	6	4
5	Kyle Busch	2	5	6	337	2	5
6	Kevin Harvick	1	3	5	332	9	3
7	Greg Biffle	0	1	5	330	7	6
8	Ryan Newman	0	3	5	317	3	12
9	Jamie McMurray	0	2	2	310	8	14
10	Carl Edwards	1	3	5	304	10	11
11	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	0	2	6	294	11	8
12	Marcos Ambrose	0	0	3	288	15	20
13	Paul Menard	0	2	4	285	14	17
14	Juan Pablo Montoya	0	2	3	280	12	22
15	Kasey Kahne	1	2	3	275	13	13
16	Brad Keselowski	0	1	3	274	17	15
17	Jimmie Johnson	1	3	5	269	16	2
18	Jeff Burton	0	0	2	258	22	19
19	Martin Truex, Jr.	0	2	4	252	18	16
20	Aric Almirola	0	0	1	246	20	18
21	Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.	0	0	2	246	19	21
22	Clint Bowyer	0	1	4	242	21	9

October 9, 2013

Sometimes I like surprises. You tune in a race hoping to be entertained, but not always expecting it. Kansas turned out to be that kind of race.

Not everyone enjoys surprises. Danica Patrick, I am sure, did not expect to win last Sunday, but she probably had hopes of lasting more than a lap. Kyle Busch has rarely done well at Kansas, but he was hoping. He took some slings and arrows throughout, at least until he got spun to tear the front end off his car to put an end to his day early. He then slipped down to fifth in points behind race winner Kevin Harvick and the third place Jeff Gordon.

Harvick’s third win of the season, and 22^nd of his career, moved him to within 25 points of Matt Kenseth. Kenseth got a pit penalty early that dropped him from first to 30^th at the time, only to recover to wrap the day up in 11^th, just five spots behind Jimmie Johnson to retain a 3 point advantage. Kurt Busch was second best on the day, but he sits 47 out, leaving Kenseth and Johnson in a two way fight, barring bad things going their way over the next six events.

No surprise that Chasers Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, and Dale Earnhardt Jr finished in the top ten last weekend. It also should come as no surprise to see that matters little until the two leaders falter. Ryan Newman got a surprise when he got clipped to pretty much skin his ride, leaving him 35^th, a spot behind Rowdy. The junior Busch is 35 back, Newman is 38 behind even him. Say goodnight, Irene.

Rating Kansas – 9/10 – Some races need the assistance of an announce team to keep us entertained. Some are entertaining on their own, and the ESPN trio were more than good enough to keep folks watching this time out. The track was slick and treacherous, providing more than a few unexpected surprises.

Traditionally, Charlotte and Talladega tend to be rather entertaining and those are our next two stops on the tour. Jimmie Johnson has six previous victories in North Carolina and is tied for second among active drivers with the best average finish. If I were a betting man, I would not be surprised to see Five Time taking over the Chase standings when they are done this Saturday night, but I would also bet Mr. Kenseth to pick up a Top Ten to remain close.

Jeff Gordon could win. He has five at Charlotte. Kasey Kahne has four, and could do well. Carl Edwards has yet to be victorious there, but he seems to have decent finishes. Still, until the top two slip, it all does not mean that much. That is, unless Harvick repeats his spring performance and wins another this weekend. That could cause us to rethink things when they venture to Alabama, a place where surprises are totally expected. In the meantime, enjoy the week.

October 8, 2013

Earlier today, I happened to read an article by John Dick outlining what he thinks is a cause for NASCAR’s lower attendance and dropping television audiences. Primarily, the article pointed out that the problem might have something to do with a fan base consisting of predominately gun loving white older Republican rural males of faith from the south or Midwest. Basically, it was pointing out that the demographics that make up the heart and soul of the sport no longer represents a majority of what is America. In short, you can build it but most really could not care less. Talk about having it hail on one’s field of dreams.

It is hard to deny that some folks are not well represented among the most successful in NASCAR. Add up all the wins by Latinos, blacks, and women in 65 years of Cup competition and you have fewer victories than Matt Kenseth alone has claimed this season. However, how important is it to have role models or favorites who have similarities to those you might find at a family reunion?

As a kid I followed Cale Yarborough and as an adult the man I watched was Dale Earnhardt. As the damn chilly winds of today reminds me, it is some distance from the Carolinas to Alberta, Canada. These boys loved working on cars but, as my father can attest, my mechanical ability isn’t worth spit. A lot of good ole boys love to hunt, but I do not. I doubt I would have ever had a chance to hang with these guys even if I lived just down the road from them.

The reason I came to love NASCAR had nothing to due with a shared heritage and everything to do with the spectacle that I saw at Daytona, at Talladega, at Charlotte, and even at Bristol. I tune in Australian Football for the same reason. It is just fun to watch, and if you watch such things long enough you actually come to know enough to become a fan. Economics might be keeping some away from the tracks, but for them to not watch from their living rooms can only be blamed on the action no longer being fun to watch.

It does not matter what your cultural background is, your race, your gender, or who you blame for shutting down the U.S. government, the action at Talladega is something anyone who has ever been behind the wheel of a car can truly appreciate and wonder at. I can not say the same about Kansas. It takes more than just aiming a camera toward the track. Without a skilled broadcast team that can weave a narrative, to keep viewers hooked, who can turn a pig’s ear into a silk purse, the bleeding will continue.

The reason those of us who care will be watching on Sunday will be to discover if Matt Kenseth can continue his hot hand, if Jimmie Johnson can be hotter over his final ten than he was coming into the Chase, and to see if Kyle Busch can avoid the pitfalls Kansas usually tosses his way. With all the focus on that trio, I wonder if anyone has noticed how warm Ryan Newman, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, and Jeff Gordon have been as of late? I didn’t think so.

Here are our hottest 20 drivers over the past 10 races…

	*Driver*	*Win*	T5	*T10*	*Points*	LW	*Rank*
1	Matt Kenseth	3	4	6	365	1	1
2	Kyle Busch	2	5	7	360	2	3
3	Ryan Newman	1	4	6	355	6	7
4	Joey Logano	1	4	7	344	10	12
5	Kurt Busch	0	5	6	340	3	9
6	Jeff Gordon	0	2	7	339	4	4
7	Greg Biffle	0	1	5	319	7	6
8	Jamie McMurray	0	2	2	312	8	14
9	Kevin Harvick	0	2	4	310	9	5
10	Carl Edwards	1	2	4	297	5	11
11	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	0	2	6	295	14	10
12	Juan Pablo Montoya	0	2	4	290	13	22
13	Kasey Kahne	1	3	4	287	12	13
14	Paul Menard	0	2	3	281	15	17
15	Marcos Ambrose	0	0	2	281	17	21
16	Jimmie Johnson	1	4	5	274	16	2
17	Brad Keselowski	0	1	3	270	11	15
18	Martin Truex, Jr.	0	2	4	260	18	16
19	Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.	0	0	2	251	21	19
20	Aric Almirola	0	0	0	239	19	18
21	Clint Bowyer	0	1	4	237	22	8
22	Jeff Burton	0	0	2	226	20	20

October 2, 2013

Dover in a nutshell? Well, Jimmie won, Matt did not, and Kyle had to settle for a mere Top Five. What has not changed is that the trio remain the only relevant drivers as they head to Kansas for Sunday’s fourth round of the Chase.

Johnson made it a record eight wins at that track in just 24 starts in Delaware. By claiming his fifth of the season, and 65th of his career, the five-time former champ is just 8 points behind Kenseth, who finished 7th at Dover. Busch was fifth last Sunday and is a dozen points off the pace. Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick are next, 39 points away. So, until each and every one of the three leaders cough and sputter to somewhere beyond a Top Ten, at least, the rest of them remain just members of the supporting cast.

Dale Earnhardt Jr started from the pole and finished just behind Johnson. A win would have meant more to him than a great points day, as he sits 57 back in the waiting room. Most of the Chasers did well, taking all Top Ten spots, while Kasey Kahne (13th), Kurt Busch (21st after a loose wheel green flag stop), and Carl Edwards (35th after a broken wheel hub) were the outsiders.

As NASCAR no longer releases attendance figures, we are left guessing as to what those big bare patches in the grandstands meant in way of numbers. Considering Dover is a track situated within a hundred miles of Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, somebody does not give a damn. A bunch of somebodies. Maybe stellar television coverage might entice them out to take a look at the real deal.

Rating Dover – 5.5/10 – Too bad, as the visuals of this track, with the dive down the hill into the corners before swooping up on the other side, can be rather breathtaking. I did enjoy watching Race Day, but unfortunately none of the SPEED announcers would later appear on the ESPN broadcast. Good reporting from the pits, but the main crew were, well, the pits. Same old, same old.

After 31-years, ESPN fired Marty Reid for mistaking the white flag for the checkered flag, and for one second declaring Ryan Blaney the Nationwide winner at Kentucky a lap early. Considering it did not detract in the least from the broadcast, that Blaney was leading by a large margin, or considering the amateur hour that is ESPN’s Cup coverage, you would have figured he might have got a bit of slack from the clowns in the suits. Then again, they might have done him a favor. Reid’s replacement? That would be Allan Bestwick. Good grief.

Kansas Speedway is next on the schedule. Matt Kenseth won the last two run there and has been in the Top Ten in each of his past six attempts.

Kansas Speedway, where Jimmie Johnson has a pair, including the fall of 2011. Where he has six Top Fives in 14 attempts, along with 10 Top Tens, and leads all active drivers with an average finish of 7.6.

Kansas Speedway, where Kyle Busch sucks. Sorry, but two Top Tens in a dozen starts does not cut it. Seven times he has failed to crack even the Top Twenty. This is where his Chase hopes go to die, unless this is the year he avoids his Chase jinx.

Congratulations to my mother-in-law, who turns 80 years old today. She will not be part of the broadcast of this race. To be fair, Fran doesn’t know a damn thing about NASCAR, but she would be a hell of a lot more entertaining than what we will hear this Sunday. Maybe she could fill in for Marty. Enjoy the week!

September 30, 2013

They are the top two in the Chase, the top two in the standings, and they are the two hottest drivers over the past ten events. Sweet timing. Matt Kenseth, the 2003 champion, is truly having a career year. His seven victories sets a new season mark for him, the last two being needed just to keep Joe Gibbs Racing team mate Kyle Busch at bay. Both have won at Dover, which comes as good news considering that Jimmie Johnson has seven there. Two Top 5’s in the Chase keeps the former five-time king in contention, but he might need a bit more this Sunday to keep close.

When it comes to winning Chase races, there is nobody better than Johnson. Of the 92 he has run since 2004, Jimmie has won 22 of them. That is double the count of the man closest to him in that category, Tony Stewart. His average finish over those Chase events is 9.8. Nobody is even close. In just Chase events alone, the fall runs, he has five at Martinsville, three each at Dover, Charlotte, and Phoenix and two at both Kansas and Texas. Of the tracks still coming up, he has not won at Talladega or Homestead.

Dover should give us an indication if Johnson will make a challenge, as it has for the previous nine years. In nine Chase races there, Jimmie has 3 wins, 6 Top Fives, 7 Top 10’s, and has never finished worse than 14^th. He might be far down on our list of the hot hands, but that will probably change over the course of the next eight weeks. Game on, boys.

Here is a look at our hottest 20 drivers over the past 10 events…

	*Driver*	*Win*	T5	*T10*	*Points*	LW	*Rank*
1	Matt Kenseth	3	4	6	363	4	1
2	Kyle Busch	2	5	7	363	1	2
3	Kurt Busch	0	5	6	332	2	7
4	Jeff Gordon	0	1	7	332	6	8
5	Carl Edwards	1	2	5	324	8	4
6	Ryan Newman	1	4	5	323	3	9
7	Greg Biffle	0	1	4	313	9	5
8	Jamie McMurray	0	2	2	311	7	15
9	Kevin Harvick	0	2	4	309	5	6
10	Joey Logano	1	3	6	307	12	12
11	Brad Keselowski	0	2	4	304	11	14
12	Kasey Kahne	1	3	4	289	10	13
13	Juan Pablo Montoya	0	2	4	289	15	22
14	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	0	1	5	282	13	11
15	Paul Menard	0	2	3	282	16	17
16	Jimmie Johnson	0	3	5	264	14	3
17	Marcos Ambrose	0	0	2	264	17	21
18	Martin Truex, Jr.	0	2	4	259	22	16
19	Aric Almirola	0	1	1	256	20	18
20	Jeff Burton	0	1	3	237	21	20
21	Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.	0	0	2	234	18	19
22	Clint Bowyer	0	1	3	233	19	10

September 25, 2013

This grading system is pretty basic. Top 10’s, with extra consideration given for wins and Top 5’s, can help you earn an A+. Keep it in the Top 20 each race and that is worth a B. Just by finishing 30^th each time out and that would still get you a C-. Less than that is a failure; a failure to compete, a failure to get noticed.

Grade: A

The top students have been to joy to have in class, even though Jimmie did cost himself an A+ by playing hookey in the weeks leading to the Chase. We are hopeful Kyle continues his stellar work through the final part of the year, though he has had trouble in the past. Matt has really hit the books as of late, and could wind up class valedictorian if he continues his progress. Carl once again is near the head of the class, but time will tell if can charge to the front to finally be number one.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
48	Jimmie JOHNSON	4	11	17	21	25
18	Kyle BUSCH	4	13	17	20	22
20	Matt KENSETH	7	8	15	21	24
99	Carl EDWARDS	2	8	14	24	26

Grade: A-

Kevin has been in the top half of the class pretty much the entire year and only twice has the dog eaten his homework. Clint is usually a very popular boy, but for some reason I detect that many of his classmates do not want him to wind up at the head of the class this year.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
29	Kevin HARVICK	2	7	14	25	25
15	Clint BOWYER	0	8	14	24	26

Grade: B+

Kurt, who usually does not play well with others, has some cheering for him. It will be interesting how he works with his new friends when class resumes next year. Kasey had some trouble last week, as did little Joey a week earlier. Dale is once again a very popular boy while Ryan has had some issues to work through, but seems to have replaced former friends with some new ones for next year. Martin has had some problems as well due to the company he keeps, and I am not sure how that will work out. Greg remains a solid student, with Mark helping Tony since he hurt his leg. Meanwhile, Jeff needed some help near the end of the term, though I am not sure it will be enough for him to realize his dreams by the end of the school year.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
78	Kurt BUSCH	0	9	14	20	23
5	Kasey KAHNE	2	8	11	18	20
22	Joey LOGANO	1	8	14	19	23
88	Dale EARNHARDT, Jr	0	5	15	21	24
39	Ryan NEWMAN	1	6	13	21	22
56	Martin TRUEX, Jr	1	6	12	21	23
16	Greg BIFFLE	1	4	11	23	24
14	Tony STEWART	1	5	10	19	27
24	Jeff GORDON	0	5	13	21	22

Grade: B

It has been a disappointing year for some students. Brad has stumbled a bit since being last year’s valedictorian. Juan Pablo plans to transfer out of our school next year, returning to where he had previously enjoyed very good grades. His friend Jamie will remain with us, and has hopes of improving his status next year. Mark has been busy, first helping Brian earlier this year and now Tony. I am expecting good things when Brian returns full-time next year. Along with Paul, they might not make the honor roll this year, but these boys have done enough work to show they belong here.

Grade: B-

Aric has shown signs that we might expect better things ahead for him. Jeff, as always, was expecting more. As he leaves us a year early, we will miss this well spoken young man.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
43	Aric ALMIROLA	0	1	5	22	24
31	Jeff BURTON	0	2	6	17	23

Grade: C+

Marcos and Ricky have been okay, though not great. They both manage to get their work done, but I still would like to see better things from them before the year is out.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
9	Marcos AMBROSE	0	0	5	19	23
17	Ricky STENHOUSE, Jr	0	0	2	20	25

Grade: C

I do not know what to say about Denny. I know he was hurt earlier in the year, but he has not been his old self since he returned. It appears he would just as soon end the year, go on vacation, and start afresh next year.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
11	Denny HAMLIN	0	3	6	12	19

Grade: C-

Casey is not quite ready to compete with the big boys just yet, but I have been pleased with his progress. I am interested to see how he might do next year. I will miss Bobby, though he has had another disappointing year. Some seem happy with Danica’s progress, but I feel we should expect more by this time. She is blessed with so much more than a lot of the other students. David did succeed on the subject of Alabama geography, with some help from his close friend, the other David, but neither are quite there yet. As for A.J., who sometimes goes by Regan or Austin or, just last week, by Michael, might make some real progress once he figures out who he really is.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
13	Casey MEARS	0	0	1	9	23
47	Bobby LABONTE	0	0	1	8	21
10	Danica PATRICK	0	0	1	6	23
34	David RAGAN	1	1	1	4	21
38	David GILLILAND	0	1	1	5	20
51	A.J. ALLMENDINGER	0	0	2	7	18

Grade: F

To be honest, I am not sure why these boys are even in my class. Both Dave and Travis, I am sure, would do so much better at Nationwide High. What can you say about J.J. (other than he enjoyed Daytona seven months ago), David S. (who just isn’t the same boy the past two weeks), David R. or Timmy? No, really. What can you say about them? Well, I’ve seen worse. I feel bad for Trevor, as I think if he would attend class more often he might be able to pull in a better grade than this. However, to be fair, of the nine assignments he has done, none have been much to write home about. As for Landon, things just don’t seem to work out. He and Tony R. have done most of the assignments for Austin, which is too bad as the young fellow has done so much better on the two he has written on his own. There are other students who drop in from time to time, but I have reserved my remarks for those who have tried to attend class at least nine times this year. God bless Scott, Michael, Joe, and Mike, but if the school board ever considers reducing class size, they make a good argument. To be honest, they usually do not stick around long enough to become a nuisance. The sad thing is, all four have ability but you never get to see it.

CAR	DRIVER	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10	TOP 20	TOP 30
7	Dave BLANEY	0	0	0	2	18
93	Travis KVAPIL	0	0	0	4	15
36	J.J. YELEY	0	0	1	2	14
30	David STREMME	0	0	0	4	13
83	David REUTIMANN	0	0	0	1	14
32	Timmy HILL	0	0	0	2	12
21	Trevor BAYNE	0	0	0	4	8
40	Landon CASSILL	0	0	0	4	8
33	Austin DILLON	0	0	0	2	12
95	Scott SPEED	0	0	1	1	3
98	Michael MCDOWELL	0	0	1	1	2
87	Joe NEMECHEK	0	0	0	0	3
19	Mike BLISS	0	0	0	0	1

September 24, 2013

Brad KESELOWSKI

Juan Pablo MONTOYA

Jamie MCMURRAY

Brian VICKERS

Paul MENARD