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Category: Hot 20

Thornton’s Hot 20 in NASCAR

  • NASCAR’s Hot 20 of All-Time

    NASCAR’s Hot 20 of All-Time

    The best of the best, a legacy that has given us 70 championships since 1949. 33 individuals have been able to lay claim to the crown. Three men have won it seven times.

    To be a champion immortalizes you, but so does excellent performance. A driver can win, but fail to grab a title. He can also rack up Top Fives and Top Tens, even if he fell a tad short in claiming the checkered flags earned by his competitors.

    A few names might surprise you, at first. Yet, when ranked for most championships, wins, Top Fives, and Top Tens, these are the 20 best NASCAR has had to offer in the driver’s seat over 70 seasons of motor mayhem.

    I bet there is no argument that the King leads the parade.

    1. RICHARD PETTY – Born July 2, 1937
      7 Championships, 200 Wins, 555 Top Fives, 712 Top Tens
    2. JEFF GORDON – Born August 4, 1971
      4 Championships, 93 Wins, 325 Top Tens, 477 Top Tens
    3. DALE EARNHARDT – (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001)
      7 Championships, 76 Wins, 281 Top Fives, 428 Top Tens
    4. DAVID PEARSON – (December 22, 1934 – November 12, 2018)
      3 Championships, 105 Wins, 301 Top Fives, 366 Top Tens
    5. DARRELL WALTRIP – Born February 5, 1947
      3 Championships, 84 Wins, 276 Top Fives, 390 Top Tens
    6. JIMMIE JOHNSON – Born September 17, 1975
      7 Championships, 83 Wins, 224 Top Fives, 352 Top Tens
    7. BOBBY ALLISON – Born December 3, 1937
      1 Championship, 84 Wins, 336 Top Fives, 446 Top Tens
    8. CALE YARBOROUGH – Born March 27, 1939
      3 Championships, 83 Wins, 255 Top Fives, 319 Top Tens
    9. LEE PETTY – (March 14, 1914 – April 5, 2000)
      3 Championships, 54 Wins, 231 Top Fives, 332 Top Tens
    10. BUCK BAKER – (March 4, 1919 – April 14, 2002)
      2 Championships, 46 Wins, 246 Top Fives, 372 Tens
    11. MARK MARTIN (Born January 9, 1959)
      40 Wins, 271 Top Fives, 453 Top Tens
    12. RUSTY WALLACE – (Born August 14, 1956)
      1 Championship, 55 Wins, 202 Top Fives, 349 Top Tens
    13. TONY STEWART – (Born May 20, 1971)
      3 Championships, 49 Wins, 187 Top Fives, 308 Top Tens
    14. TERRY LABONTE – (Born November 16, 1956)
      2 Championships, 22 Wins, 182 Top Fives, 361 Top Tens
    15. NED JARRETT – (Born October 12, 1932)
      2 Championships, 50 Wins, 185 Top Fives, 239 Top Tens
    16. RICKY RUDD – (Born September 12, 1956)
      23 Wins, 194 Top Fives, 374 Top Tens
    17. KEVIN HARVICK – (Born December 8, 1975)
      1 Championship, 45 Wins, 191 Top Fives, 336 Top Tens
    18. HERB THOMAS – (April 6, 1923 – August 9, 2000)
      2 Championships, 48 Wins, 122 Top Fives, 156 Top Tens
    19. KYLE BUSCH – (Born May 2, 1985)
      1 Championship, 51 Wins, 183 Top Fives, 269 Top Tens
    20. BUDDY BAKER – (January 25, 1941 – August 10, 2015)
      19 Wins, 202 Top Fives, 311 Top Tens

    Three of those boys will be out to add to their accomplishments this weekend. The Daytona 500 is coming up this Sunday, a time for new beginnings and a time for bringing things to an end. After 15 years and over a thousand columns of various incarnations, this edition represents my final regular contribution to this site.

    I want to thank Barry Albert for providing a writing home for me back in 2004. My thanks to Angie Campbell for her editing prowess and her encouragement. I would like to give a shout out to Racing Reference, a website that helps a fellow make sense of it all, a great aid to such scribes as myself. Finally, thanks to you for joining me on this journey.

  • Hot 20 of the NASCAR season that was

    Hot 20 of the NASCAR season that was

    Another season has come and gone, along with a few more drivers and fans, to be honest. However, there are some things I have noticed that are on the positive side, though not all would agree.

    I like stage racing. I was not sure to start with, but I like it now. It helps chronicle who mattered early and it informs us as to who mattered throughout. It even tells us who won, and it rewards that winner is a meaningful way.

    As a traditionalist, I was dead set against the playoffs. I have changed my mind. Logically, it makes no sense to have the pretenders still on the same competitive field as the contenders. Yet, it has not much affected the action, other than for one understandably upset Matt Kenseth. In this snowflake influenced world of ours, sometimes vengeance can still be had.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. was not missed on the track due to his excellence in the NBC broadcast booth alongside Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Rick Allen and a very stout track-side team. They were entertaining, informative, and sounded like they were excited being there. That is all it takes, but it took a long, long time for some to figure that out. I am not sure FOX has yet.

    NASCAR boss man Brian France left the scene in August after being tagged with charges of aggravated driving while intoxicated and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Replaced by his uncle, I think most think that was a positive step. At least Jim France bothers to show up at the track every week.

    The France family is looking to fold its 13 track International Speedway Corp., which includes Darlington, Daytona, Martinsville and Talladega, into a merger with NASCAR itself. One can speculate as to the reasons, be it to lay out “a more unified strategic approach”, as Jim France says, or to package it all up for sale. Time will tell.

    Sometime over the past decade, the “How bad have you got it” mantra went out the window, along with the fans they were asking. Most of the races this season had a dip in ratings, with at least 26 being seen as having their worst of the past decade, if not of all time. Most of the celebrities are gone, we produce fewer gear heads these days, and the good ole boys and girls like Bo, Luke, and Daisy have been replaced in society by those who know more about tissues than issues.

    It appears Jamie McMurray is leaving the driver’s seat, at least on a full-time basis. Kurt Busch could be his replacement with Chip Ganassi. Kenseth is set to step back from even doing that after spelling off Trevor Bayne. Ryan Newman will take their place at Roush-Fenway, with newcomer Daniel Hemric taking his former ride with Richard Childress. Furniture Row is now gone, as Martin Truex Jr. heads over to Joe Gibbs, bumping Daniel Suarez possibly over to replace the elder Busch at Stewart-Haas. A.J. Allmendinger will be without a ride, giving up his seat to rookie Ryan Preece. Kasey Kahne has called it a career, and the 17-year combination of Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus comes to an end.

    Changes. Some we like, some we will not, at least to start with. Will fans come back in droves? Nope. Why should they? Give them a reason, give them entertainment, give them a reason to care.

    All they have to do is figure out what that is. Over the course of the past decade, they have not.

    1. JOEY LOGANO – 5040 POINTS (3 Wins)
    This is not “fake news.” Logano is a deserving, even if not an overly popular, champion.

    2. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 5035 POINTS (4 Wins)
    If we could ignore the facts for our own biases…but we can not. Now he is off to join the Coach.

    3. KEVIN HARVICK – 5034 POINTS (8 Wins)
    If he could win all those he dominated for a period of time, he would have gone double figures.

    4. KYLE BUSCH – 5033 POINTS (8 Wins)
    Great seasons can be spoiled by the uncertainty of a playoff. Case in point…

    5. ARIC ALMIROLA – 2354 POINTS (1 Win)
    Not everyone is moving on. Then again, he was one of those movers not so long ago.

    6. CHASE ELLIOTT – 2350 POINTS (3 Wins)
    The future of Hendrick has already arrived.

    7. KURT BUSCH – 2350 POINTS (1 Win)
    If he wants to race Indy, his rumored new boss might have a few options open to him.

    8. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2343 POINTS (3 Wins)
    “I’m going to say it again. I did not intentionally spin out that driver, Mr. Suarez.”

    9. KYLE LARSON – 2299 POINTS
    If your business is named “Hi-Line”, I have a marketing opportunity for you.

    10. RYAN BLANEY – 2298 POINTS (1 Win)
    Like Chase, he is one of the positives NASCAR can showcase for the future.

    11. DENNY HAMLIN – 2285 POINTS
    As with Johnson, a years-long streak of wins in a season comes to an end.

    12. CLINT BOWYER – 2272 POINTS (2 Wins)
    Light-hearted and funny. Plus, if you ever find yourself in a ditch, he has connections.

    13. AUSTIN DILLON – 2245 POINTS (1 Win)
    That win was nice, but the iconic number was not so iconic after Daytona.

    14. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2242 POINTS
    The marriage with Chad lasted longer than a vast majority of Hollywood relationships.

    15. ERIK JONES – 2220 POINTS (1 Win)
    At 22, That Jones Boy is making Joe Gibbs feel pretty good about the future.

    16. ALEX BOWMAN – 2204 POINTS
    Driving a car once driven by an Earnhardt is not an easy act to follow.

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 769 POINTS
    Off to become one of the guys over at the House that Jack built. Maybe even his bodyguard.

    18. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 701 POINTS
    After five years, the storyline changed in 2018, along with a downturn in performance

    19. PAUL MENARD – 692 POINTS
    Will be around as long as a certain home improvement company markets its wares on a stock car.

    20. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 683 POINTS
    If this marks the end of the line, he finishes it up among those who mattered.

  • Hot 20 – At win at Homestead could move one of the boys closer to legendary status

    Hot 20 – At win at Homestead could move one of the boys closer to legendary status

    Legends are rare. Many get an honorary title, no doubt stars in their own right at one time long ago or a pioneer of some description. However, to be a true legend, an icon, it takes a lot to make the grade. In NASCAR, David Pearson was an undisputed legendary driver, one of the best all-time, a true giant of the sport.

    The Silver Fox passed away this week at the age of 83. His 105 career Cup victories have him placed only behind the 200 accumulated by the King, Richard Petty. Sixty-three times the pair finished one-two on the track, an amazing statistic showcasing what is unarguably the greatest rivalry in the sport. It stretched from the 1963 Sandlapper 200 in Columbia, South Carolina through to the 1977 World 600.

    Pearson’s career covered the years of 1960 through to his final start in 1986, yet he managed to race in more than half the schedule just a dozen times. Running 90 percent of the schedule? Just thrice. That does not even include his 1966 championship year, one of his three titles, when he won 15, competed in 42, skipped out on seven others. In 1973, he won 11 of the 18 he competed in. While Petty drove in everything, Pearson drove when he wanted. It appears that when he wanted, he wanted to win. Pearson’s first victory was the 1961 World 600. His last was Darlington’s Rebel 500 in 1980, one of the nine he competed in that season. In total, 574 starts, 105 wins.

    David Pearson is truly among NASCAR’s racing gods residing atop its Mount Olympus. Truth be told, he has had a reservation up there for a very long time.

    At Homestead, one of four hope to add to their own legacy, to maybe establish themselves as one of the sport’s future legends.

    1. KYLE BUSCH – 5000 POINTS (8 Wins – 1388 Season Points)
    Will the best on the season be the championship winner?

    2. KEVIN HARVICK – 5000 POINTS (8 Wins – 1333 Season Points)
    Back in the old days, this championship would have already been decided.

    3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 5000 POINTS (4 Wins – 1212 Season Points)
    One final race for the boys and girls from Colorado.

    4. JOEY LOGANO – 5000 POINTS (2 Wins – 1192 Season Points)
    Believes he is the favorite going in. All he has to do now is prove it.

    5. CHASE ELLIOTT – 2320 POINTS (3 Wins)
    With one shot, Denny managed to burst the bubble of not one, but two rivals.

    6. KURT BUSCH – 2318 POINTS (1 Win)
    Too much gas cost him the lead, too much Hamlin kept him from taking it back.

    7. ARIC ALMIROLA – 2316 POINTS (1 Win)
    For a moment he must have believed, but the hamster under the hood was not big enough.

    8. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2309 POINTS (3 Wins)
    Penske teams are out…but they won’t let themselves be forgotten.

    9. RYAN BLANEY – 2278 POINTS (1 Win)
    In fact, no one would be terribly surprised if either Brad or Ryan wins this weekend.

    10. KYLE LARSON – 2256 POINTS
    Too late for this year, but he keeps reminding us that there is more than one Kyle out there.

    11. DENNY HAMLIN – 2252 POINTS
    His final shot to keep his yearly win streak alive, and he can not be counted out.

    12. CLINT BOWYER – 2242 POINTS (2 Wins)
    Went from rating among the top eight to hanging on as a member of the dirty dozen.

    13. AUSTIN DILLON – 2219 POINTS (1 Win)
    Might not win this one, but he has done well in the next one.

    14. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2217 POINTS
    The beginning of the end or just a blip on the radar?

    15. ERIK JONES – 2207 POINTS (1 Win)
    NASCAR has two guys with the same name, kind of. Is there room for an Eric one day?

    16. ALEX BOWMAN – 2196 POINTS
    Though he has done well, he still hasn’t made us forgot the name of the guy he replaced.

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 747 POINTS
    No playoff run this year, but he still is the Hot Dog Eating Champion in four states.

    18. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 680 POINTS
    If you thought he was fired up at Phoenix, you should have seen his car.

    19. PAUL MENARD – 680 POINTS
    Last week at Phoenix he reminded me of the Arizona Cardinals. 29th place.

    20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 667 POINTS
    McMurray is just three points back. Neither has a ride for next season.

  • Hot 20 – Smokey just tagged the Bandit to make Phoenix a lot more interesting

    Hot 20 – Smokey just tagged the Bandit to make Phoenix a lot more interesting

    If NASCAR was a certain 1977 hit movie, you could say that Sheriff Buford T. Justice finally got his hands on the Bandit. It might not have derailed the adventure, but there is a danger the Snowman might not be able to deliver that truckload of suds to their destination on time.

    That quest could be spoiled by spoilers. Specifically, NASCAR tagged the team of Kevin Harvick with a top drawer penalty violating the rules that explicitly points out that spoilers must be used exactly as supplied from the manufacturer and not altered. Instead of getting that free pass to contend at Homestead, the boys are just three points in.

    Gone are all the benefits of the win at Texas. No free pass, though Harvick does keep the guns and the hat. Gone are 40 of the sixty points he picked up in that race. Gone is crew chief Rodney Childers for the rest of the season. Gone is $75,000 from Childers’ pocket. Gone is car chief Robert Smith until the campaign is over. Stewart-Haas Racing will not appeal the penalties, as production manager Tony Gibson returns to the box he last sat atop a year ago, when he directed Kurt Busch to the 2017 Daytona 500 victory. With the decision, Busch now finds himself just three points out of the Homestead final four.

    Post-race tear downs at the NASCAR Research and Development Center can be a real bitch. Ryan Blaney lost 20 points from Texas, along with crew chief Jeremy Bullins, who was fined $50,000, and car chief Kirk Almquist for the rest of the season. Same goes for Erik Jones, as crew chief Chris Gayle coughs up the same amount of cash and he joins car chief Jason Overstreet on the sidelines until the smoke clears in Florida.

    Of course, neither of those rulings have anywhere close to the same impact as the hit taken by the No. 4 crew. It could all still end the same way most expect, with Logano joined by the Big Three at the big dance. Now, however, it will take a little more action before this movie runs the final credits.

    In the words of Sheriff Justice, “What we’re dealing with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.” Well, message delivered.

    Now it is time for the Bandit to keep his foot hard on the peddle, son, never mind them brakes. Let it all hang out ’cause you’ve got a run to make. Phoenix just got a lot more interesting.

    1. JOEY LOGANO – ROUND VICTORY – 4119 Pts (7 Wins)
    Shell Pennzoil is his Phoenix sponsor. At Homestead, maybe it should be Target.

    2. KYLE BUSCH – 4128 POINTS (7 Wins)
    Nothing has changed for him, other than there are now three opens spots instead of just two.

    3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 4125 POINTS (4 Wins)
    Do not expect him to go down this week without having vengeance in his heart for the next.

    4. KEVIN HARVICK – 4103 Pts (8 Wins)
    A nine-time Phoenix winner suddenly could sure use a 10th about now.

    5. KURT BUSCH – 4100 POINTS (1 Win)
    Would hate to break his brother’s heart but as for those other two…

    6. CHASE ELLIOTT – 4086 POINTS (3 Wins)
    Phoenix has been kind to him in the past. She needs to be downright romantic on Sunday.

    7. ARIC ALMIROLA – 4068 POINTS (1 Win)
    His schedule reads, “Win this week or destroy Logano next week.” Not sure about the word “or.”

    8. CLINT BOWYER – 4052 POINTS (2 Wins)
    If anyone needed a tinkered spoiler last week, it was him.

    9. RYAN BLANEY – 2263 POINTS (1 Win)
    I am not sure if being in danger of dropping to 10th in the standings is that big a deal.

    10. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2259 POINTS (3 Wins)
    The Miller Lite Ford will look a lot like a giant pysanka this weekend.

    11. DENNY HAMLIN – 2220 POINTS
    Well, Texas sure sucked.

    12. KYLE LARSON – 2211 POINTS
    Tires. If Fred Flintstone ran Goodyear things might have gone differently.

    13. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2195 POINTS
    Sometimes Jimmie screws up. Sometimes it is Chad. In Texas, it was all NASCAR.

    14. ALEX BOWMAN – 2187 POINTS
    A Tucson boy returns to Arizona.

    15. ERIK JONES – 2184 POINTS (1 Win)
    He probably would prefer to lose those 20 points rather than $50,000.

    16. AUSTIN DILLON – 2184 POINTS (1 Win)
    The winless streak has now reached 34.

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 721 POINTS
    Are we done yet?

    18. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 676 POINTS
    You could say that Stenhouse was in the eighth fastest unpenalized car at Texas.

    19. PAUL MENARD – 672 POINTS
    Does not exactly have the biggest social media footprint.

    20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 666 POINTS
    Still nothing set for 2019.

  • Hot 20 – For some it comes down to a Texas sized win or hoping for a Big Three free fall

    Hot 20 – For some it comes down to a Texas sized win or hoping for a Big Three free fall

    We have our Big Four. Finally. Joey Logano will join Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr. racing for the championship at Homestead. That is, unless someone takes one of those spots away either this weekend or next. To be frank (and who wouldn’t want to be Frank?), unless one of the latter trio decides to give it away, one of those four boys below them in the standings is in adios country without a victory.

    Texas will be the first of just two opportunities to do just that. Based on past history, Chase Elliott might have a shot. No wins, but four Top Tens in five attempts must mean something. Busch has won three, Harvick one, while Truex might be winless but like Elliott, he shows up to be one of the best on race day. The sibling, Kurt Busch, can be a threat and even has a win on the track. Maybe it is his time to rise and shine in Texas. Maybe. Clint Bowyer is decent there, but he will need to be more than just a pretty face on Sunday coming in with just three Top Fives in 25 outings. As for Aric Almirola, forget about it. That is not happening.

    Maybe none of the principles will win on Sunday. Jimmie Johnson has seven wins on that track. Does the team of Jimmie and Chad have one more magic moment left between them? Denny Hamlin is another driver hoping to keep a yearly win string going, and the two-time Texas troubadour has been strong lately.

    Not that any among our Big Four would mind too terribly if Texas was taken by one of those boys. Just as long as they are close and the pretenders are far behind coming to the checkered flag. That would give them all a Yosemite Sam-like moment for celebration.

    Now, who wants a set of six-guns?

    1. JOEY LOGANO – 1 ROUND WIN (4074 Pts, 2 Wins)
    Will he find a championship at Homestead or a Truex inspired heartbreak?

    2. KYLE BUSCH – 4104 POINTS (7 Wins)
    Just needs a really good day at Texas, not even a great one, to get his ticket punched.

    3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 4083 POINTS (4 Wins)
    Do not allow the guy you are racing to do the hitting…do the hitting yourself.

    4. KEVIN HARVICK – 4083 POINTS (7 Wins)
    When Newman started driving his car as wide as his neck, Harvick could not find room past him.

    5. KURT BUSCH – 4058 POINTS (1 Win)
    Needs to drive Sunday like it is 2009.

    6. CHASE ELLIOTT – 4052 POINTS (3 Wins)
    Prior to Watkins Glen, he had not won anywhere. Why not add Texas to his newly growing list?

    7. CLINT BOWYER – 4041 POINTS (2 Wins)
    Might not have dressed like Rowdy for Halloween, but driving like him at Texas isn’t a bad idea.

    8. ARIC ALMIROLA – 4033 POINTS (1 Win)
    A win. Anything less is just losing at this point.

    9. RYAN BLANEY – 2232 POINTS (1 Win)
    Popular driver with a popular NASCAR sanctioned podcast.

    10. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2227 POINTS (3 Wins)
    One unsecured lug nut and Paul Wolfe is $10,000 lighter. As for the tire changer…

    11. DENNY HAMLIN – 2213 POINTS
    Was wishing Logano and Truex would have hit a lot harder last week.

    12. KYLE LARSON – 2179 POINTS
    Has Larson replaced Danica and Jeff Gordon as NASCAR’s prettiest Cup driver?

    13. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2173 POINTS
    Lowe’s is about to leave, but Ally’s Financial is preparing to arrive in a big way.

    14. ALEX BOWMAN – 2164 POINTS
    Might be soon able to drive the Jimmy himself all the way to Cow Town.

    15. ERIK JONES – 2159 POINTS (1 Win)
    At Atlanta, while brother was testing, sister Lindsey was taping for a school project.

    16. AUSTIN DILLON – 2157 POINTS (1 Win)
    The highlight of the season was eight months ago.

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 702 POINTS
    A wide neck? I guess he has one. Here I thought he had to wear his ties dangling from his chin.

    18. DANIEL SUAREZ – 655 POINTS
    Hoy es un gran día para agradecer a los fans !!

    19. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 650 POINTS
    Like the rest of us, he discovered that a World Series game could turn out to be an all-nighter.

    20. PAUL MENARD – 645 POINTS
    Had as many Top Fives in 2014 as he has enjoyed since. He does have a reliable sponsor, though.

  • Hot 20 – Martinsville and it is getting late, as those who matter are now down to eight

    Hot 20 – Martinsville and it is getting late, as those who matter are now down to eight

    Then there were eight, as the surviving championship contenders take to the track this weekend at Martinsville. It is damn near over, but that overweight soprano has yet to warble, so we have a few notes to wait for between now and Homestead.

    First, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are bound to be among the final four. Probably. Maybe. If they manage to record Top Ten finishes this Sunday, as well as at Texas and Phoenix, add a few stage points, then all will be fine. If. A blown engine. A failed part. A wreck. Now, that could change everything. Not much wiggle room, but those two boys have more than anyone.

    Martin Truex Jr. is our defending champion on a team about to become a ghost after this season. He is 23 points to the good. That is almost enough for a free pass…for one race…almost.

    We have been waiting to see which of the new generation would firmly put his foot down and emerge as a true star of the future. Chase Elliott has provided us with the answer. In claiming two of the past three, he is the gent in that final transfer spot. It is not by much. Three points. Three points can come and go in a lap.

    Three hounds are chasing the fox. Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, and Kurt Busch are tied for fifth. For them, everything will be a big thing. Qualifying. Stage points. Finishes. Everything.

    Finally, there is Aric Almirola. There are no more Talladega experiences coming up. No teammates to take him down the yellow brick road. This week, especially, he is on his own. As he comes in nine points out, he has to prove he belongs in this company. This week. Next week. The following week. If he can do that, he will truly deserve to be in the hunt in mid-November at Homestead.

    The third round of the playoffs begins this Sunday at Martinsville with eight men out to lay a claim on a championship.

    1. KYLE BUSCH – 4055 POINTS (7 Wins)
    The Big Three…

    2. KEVIN HARVICK – 4054 POINTS (7 Wins)
    …remain the Top Three…

    3. MARTIN TRUEX, JR. – 4038 POINTS (4 Wins)
    …but will there be room for all three when they arrive at Homestead?

    4. CHASE ELLIOTT – 4018 POINTS (3 Wins)
    Three wins in his last 11 starts mean the lad has finally arrived and is a contender.

    5. CLINT BOWYER – 4015 POINTS (2 Wins)
    Just four spots remain to be in that final run for the championship…

    6. JOEY LOGANO – 4015 POINTS (1 Win)
    …but should a couple of the boys down here claim a win…

    7. KURT BUSCH – 4015 POINTS (1 Win)
    …then all bets are off.

    8. ARIC ALMIROLA – 4006 POINTS (1 Win)
    Almirola will not be among them. I love Talladega, but it is not a true indicator of what is to come.

    9. RYAN BLANEY – 2212 POINTS (1 Win)
    Had a good day last week, but as things turned out he needed to sweep the stages or win.

    10. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2194 POINTS (3 Wins)
    To be a Top Ten ranked driver these days one has to win, though sometimes three is not enough.

    11. KYLE LARSON – 2178 POINTS
    Even a Top Three finish proved too little too late for some.

    12. DENNY HAMLIN – 2159 POINTS
    A Fistful of Dollars and a Handful of Martinsville wins. It is never too late to be a winner.

    13. AUSTIN DILLON – 2150 POINTS (1 Win)
    Do you remember Daytona in February? Me neither.

    14. ERIK JONES – 2148 POINTS (1 Win)
    Jones is in a Toyota, one of the few who are. How does that bode for 2019?

    15. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2148 POINTS
    Here is hoping for a 10th and final Jimmie-Chad Martinsville celebration.

    16. ALEX BOWMAN – 2144 POINTS
    Bowman drives a bowtie. Am I the only one seeing the advertising potential of this?

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 663 POINTS
    Newman drives a bowtie. Next season, it will be a blue oval. At least it is not a Toyota.

    18. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 632 POINTS
    No sweat working with Stenhouse, but driving is an entirely different matter for Kasey Kahne.

    19. PAUL MENARD – 630 POINTS
    There was a Menard sighting at Kansas, but that ended in the middle of the second stage.

    20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 627 POINTS
    Former crew chief Scott Graves will join Newman with Roush next season.

  • Hot 20 – Not everyone loves Talladega, but not everyone is normal

    Hot 20 – Not everyone loves Talladega, but not everyone is normal

    Talladega. Do you need any more incentive to watch the action this Sunday? It is Talladega, dammit!

    Flying around in aircraft formation inches apart at 200 mph. That would be good enough to force me into the Depends, especially if I were in the passenger seat. It is a track that causes skid marks to appear everywhere. One wobble, one mistake, and a whole bunch of folks find themselves in a world of hurt. It does not have to happen. Just the threat that it could, on each and every lap, is enough to watch, to wonder, and to marvel at the skills of the boys going round and round.

    Just the nature of the beast allows almost all to hold out hope that victory could be their own, legends and no frill competitors alike. Many of the greatest names in the sport have won at least three times there. Bobby Allison. Brad Keselowski. Buddy Baker. Cale Yarborough, Dale Earnhardt. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Darrell Waltrip. Davey Allison. David Pearson. Jeff Gordon. Joey Logano. How sweet it would be to be included among those names.

    More than a few have had that honor over the past 50 years. The big names boycotted the first race in 1969. Too dangerous, they said. It gave Richard Brickhouse his lone Cup victory. Peter Hamilton had four career wins, two with his sweep in 1970. James Hylton won twice during his career, including the summer of 1972. Dick Brooks claimed his one and only a year later. Same track, same solitary milestone for Lonnie Pond, Ron Bouchard and Phil Parsons.

    Talladega is a track that plays no favorites. A legend or a no name can claim victory, and both can expect one hell of a ride at any time on any corner for any reason. To you, an Elliott could just mean a boy who once played with a funny looking alien fellow and ate Reese’s Pieces. Or a Busch is just a cold beer. Or someone named Kyle must mean a chap who does rap (never heard of the guy, personally). None of that would detract from your Talladega experience.

    If you base your television viewing on how many times it causes you to exclaim “Holy Crap!”, might I suggest Talladega.

    1. CHASE ELLIOTT – 1 ROUND WIN (3056 Pts – 2 Wins)
    It is time for Bill to remove the training wheels. The boy no longer needs them.

    2. KEVIN HARVICK – 3101 POINTS (7 Wins)
    Harvick just hired my 85-year old mother-in-law to join his pit crew. She starts Sunday.

    3. KYLE BUSCH – 3096 POINTS (7 Wins)
    The knob is gone next year and, no, I am not referring to the driver.

    4. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 3069 POINTS (4 Wins)
    Along with Blaney, the Most Popular Driver contenders include him and the names listed above.

    5. JOEY LOGANO – 3064 POINTS (1 Win)
    Lately, he has been a Top Five guy at Talladega, and that is something he would like to continue.

    6. KURT BUSCH – 3054 POINTS (1 Win)
    Surviving the Roval and Talladega is not an easy thing to do, but here is hoping.

    7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 3054 POINTS (3 Wins)
    Almirola’s drive to Victory Lane took a detour into Keselowski…and stopped there.

    8. RYAN BLANEY – 3043 POINTS (1 Win)
    Blaney’s Roval win was no accident, but it sure was assisted by one.

    9. ARIC ALMIROLA – 3033 POINTS
    Can he bounce back after Dover wreck? Sure, he bounced off Keselowski, didn’t he?

    10. CLINT BOWYER – 3033 POINTS (2 Wins)
    Feels sick about ruining the day for Almirola. Feels even sicker about ruining his own.

    11. KYLE LARSON – 3031 POINTS
    Good luck and determination got him here, but he will need more than that to continue.

    12. ALEX BOWMAN – 3009 POINTS
    Sometimes you do not want anything to do with Aric and Brad. Not a damn thing.

    13. AUSTIN DILLON – 2101 POINTS (1 Win)
    Avoid a wreck and he just might finish…but that has not happened at Talladega for a while.

    14. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2098 POINTS
    I am loaning Jimmie my 2008 Chrysler Pacifica so he can at least get his parade laps in.

    15. DENNY HAMLIN – 2094 POINTS
    The way he is driving he obviously does not know he has been eliminated from contention.

    16. ERIK JONES – 2079 POINTS (1 Win)
    “How cool would it be to own this cardboard cutout of me in your house?” Not for a grown man.

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 629 POINTS
    Just killin’ time.

    18. DANIEL SUAREZ – 593 POINTS
    About losing his ride, “When you don’t have anything good to say, it’s better not to say anything.”

    19. PAUL MENARD – 591 POINTS
    Some drivers worry about such things as sponsorship. I wonder if Paul understands why?

    20. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 581 POINTS
    At the moment, he is having a better season than McMurray. Hey, at least it is something.

  • Hot 20 – The Big Three still remain the biggest obstacles for the rest as they hit Dover

    Hot 20 – The Big Three still remain the biggest obstacles for the rest as they hit Dover

    On to Dover this Sunday, and down to a dozen championship contenders. Once again, as we enter the second round of eliminations, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick look solid. So does Martin Truex Jr. Not so for everyone else.

    Just ask Aric Almirola and Kyle Larson. If Jimmie Johnson had not wrecked coming to the line and if Jeffrey Earnhardt did not sit idle for as long as he did just shy of it, one of them would have been out. Both lads came into Charlotte between 17 and 23 points to the good, and it almost was not enough.

    As for Johnson, he said that, after sleeping on it, he still thought he made the right decision to try to challenge Truex for the win last Sunday. I might disagree, but I am not a well decorated former race car championship winner, so what do I know? Well, if you research why George Custer did what he did at the Little Big Horn, you can see the logic behind his actions. Sadly, the result is all we remember, both for ole George and Jimmie.

    The Monster Mile is not exactly one of my favorite venues. On the positive side, the NBC crew is my absolute favorite broadcast team. I do believe those boys and girls can make me watch a soccer game. Okay, as Maury would say, “that was a lie.” Still, it should make for an entertaining broadcast as we begin the round that takes us from Dover, to Talladega, to Kansas.

    Let the fun continue.

    1. KYLE BUSCH – 3055 POINTS (7 Wins)
    “I guess all of us are just stupid” when it came to that late wreck. He was far from alone.

    2. KEVIN HARVICK – 3050 POINTS (7 Wins)
    If having a dud day means finishing ninth, being a dud sometimes is not bad at all.

    3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 3038 POINTS (4 Wins)
    Sure, he lost his bid for a win, but Johnson lost his bid for a championship.

    4. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 3025 POINTS (3 Wins)
    Believes the 2019 rules package will equate into closer racing. We shall see. We shall see.

    5. CLINT BOWYER – 3015 POINTS (2 Wins)
    One outsider who moved to the inside was not tempted to gamble it all away for a win.

    6. JOEY LOGANO – 3014 POINTS (1 Win)
    Todd Gordon to his driver, “Brad led the army off the cliff” after the late race pileup in Turn 1.

    7. KURT BUSCH – 3014 POINTS (1 Win)
    Took the pole, finished fifth, avoided being part of Brad’s army. A good day, all in all.

    8. RYAN BLANEY – 3013 POINTS (1 Win)
    I want to thank Jimmie Johnson for all he did FOR me…and TO Martin Truex Jr.

    9. CHASE ELLIOTT – 3008 POINTS (1 Win)
    If the new rules package allows the cream to rise, he should like the changes just fine.

    10. KYLE LARSON – 3006 POINTS
    Next, his pit crew will turn water into wine after just raising that car from the dead.

    11. ARIC ALMIROLA – 3001 POINTS
    Thanks, Jimmie. I might not have gotten here without you.

    12. ALEX BOWMAN – 3000 POINTS
    Started last Sunday a point above the bubble, only to now sit 13 points under the bubble.

    13. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2097 POINTS
    A bridge…or maybe a chicane…too far.

    14. AUSTIN DILLON – 2066 POINTS (1 Win)
    Literally went to the wall to keep his playoff hopes alive…but that is what ended them.

    15. DENNY HAMLIN – 2053 POINTS
    Super sorry I ran into the back of your car, Erik.

    16. ERIK JONES – 2041 POINTS (1 Win)
    “What the [expletive] are teammates even for?”

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 609 POINTS
    Meanwhile, at the kiddie’s table…

    18. PAUL MENARD – 570 POINTS
    Has not had a good past couple of weeks, and it is doubtful things will get any better at Dover.

    19. DANIEL SUAREZ – 566 POINTS
    Still searching for a landing spot and Dover has so far been very, very good to him.

    20. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 553 POINTS
    Anyone want to hire a Top 20 NASCAR driver for next season?

    21. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 553 POINTS
    I guess this is the week for tie-breakers.

  • Hot 20 – Charlotte’s roval goes left, it goes right, and possibly where everything will go wrong

    Hot 20 – Charlotte’s roval goes left, it goes right, and possibly where everything will go wrong

    They thought Talladega was a wild card. Boy, something tells me that Charlotte’s Roval is going to test them like never before. This one makes the World 600 nothing more than a nice test, a rest in some ways, before the storm coming their way on Sunday.

    When your first danger spot is identified as Turn 1, you got to think that the excrement is about to hit the ventilation system. A tire barrier, a safer barrier, and a concrete barrier all await those who fate decides to screw with. Imagine the potential for carnage for the start and any re-starts that follow.

    The next most treacherous part of the track? According to some, the entire rest of the track can claim that honor. Sounds interesting. Sounds more like a demolition derby. Sounds like a race I am not going to miss.

    Prepare for some hearts to be broken, along with a few auto body parts. It is the Roval at Charlotte this Sunday.

    1. KYLE BUSCH – 1 ROUND WIN (2125 Pts – 7 Wins)
    Best on the season, the best at Richmond, so who cares about the Roval?

    2. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 ROUND WIN (2111 Pts – 3 Wins)
    I guess you could say he has entered a one race slump.

    3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 2141 POINTS (4 Wins)
    Another member of the family will be leading the pack…at least prior to the green flag.

    4. KEVIN HARVICK – 2113 POINTS (7 Wins)
    Name a scenario where he does not advance. There isn’t one.

    5. JOEY LOGANO – 2081 POINTS (1 Win)
    Not totally out of the woods, but he sees prairie just ahead.

    6. ARIC ALMIROLA – 2079 POINTS
    No wins but lots of speed, and that might be enough for round one.

    7. KYLE LARSON – 2073 POINTS
    Charlotte should be easy until he comes across all those curvy parts.

    8. KURT BUSCH – 2071 POINTS (1 Win)
    He has the talent. He has the equipment. Now all he needs is good fortune.

    9. CHASE ELLIOTT – 2066 POINTS (1 Win)
    This whole Roval thing should have a lot of folks nervous, including Bill’s boy.

    10. AUSTIN DILLON – 2066 POINTS (1 Win)
    The smart money had him out after this round, but now he has to clear just one more hurdle.

    11. ALEX BOWMAN – 2061 POINTS
    Sitting five to seven points to the good, and that can’t be good.

    12. RYAN BLANEY – 2060 POINTS
    If Bowman is nervous, imagine how this guy feels.

    13. CLINT BOWYER – 2056 POINTS (2 Wins)
    Finish four or five points better than the two ahead of him, and all will be fine.

    14. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2054 POINTS
    If Bowyer does well, it would be smart to stay close to him, though ahead would be even better.

    15. ERIK JONES – 2039 POINTS (1 Win)
    Has a win this season, but now he needs another one.

    16. DENNY HAMLIN – 2031 POINTS
    It is either win it all or nothing.

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 583 POINTS
    A Chevy is nice, but the offer from Ford was nicer…but that is next year.

    18. PAUL MENARD – 566 POINTS
    As long as he has a sponsor with deep pockets he shall remain safe.

    19. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 552 POINTS
    He might not have Danica, but he has something McMurray and Allmendinger do not.

    20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 550 POINTS
    Does leaving Gibbs mean leaving all hope behind?

  • Hot 20 – Richmond’s good ole rock and roll road show, gotta go, Saturday night, Saturday night

    Hot 20 – Richmond’s good ole rock and roll road show, gotta go, Saturday night, Saturday night

    We know some things. In these times, some folks do not seem to know anything, but we do. Brad Keselowski is advancing to the next round. After Saturday night in Richmond, it should be confirmed that Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch will be joining him. I feel pretty confident about Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano about now.

    Some I am almost sure of. Some I am not. Based on how they are running and how they have run, I am pretty sure that anyone behind Aric Almirola, seven of them in total, are fighting for the final three transfer spots in the Chase.

    I am not sure nine points is enough for Austin Dillon, for example. I am not ready to bury the likes of Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott, or Denny Hamlin just yet. I think there is still hope for Erik Jones.

    However, they need to get it done this Saturday night in Richmond. The short track is normal. The next one is not. A week later at Charlotte, the Bermuda Triangle, the Black Hole, the darkness of Mordor possibly awaits with the inaugural running of the Roval. I mean, if Joey Gase winds up being the winner of that race of mystery I would not be the least bit surprised.

    1. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 CHALLENGER ROUND WIN (2069 Pts – 3 W)
    Is the boy trying to run the table?

    2. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 2087 POINTS (4 W)
    Nothing to lose and everything to win…again.

    3. KYLE BUSCH – 2085 POINTS (6 W)
    Easily cut through the grass at Las Vegas. Imagine if he had been sponsored by Caterpillar.

    4. KEVIN HARVICK – 2060 POINTS (7 W)
    Damn pit crew. Damn tires. Damn Las Vegas.

    5. JOEY LOGANO – 2056 POINTS (1 W)
    As long as his next Richmond win is not as encumbered as his last one was, he’ll be fine.

    6. KURT BUSCH – 2046 POINTS (1 W)
    When a car shoots up toward you at a 90-degree angle, a good day is about to go bad.

    7. RYAN BLANEY – 2042 POINTS
    A Top Five gives the lad some breathing room.

    8. KYLE LARSON – 2041 POINTS
    The Rail Rider.

    9. ARIC ALMIROLA – 2034 POINTS
    How could he scrape the wall? Scrape Blaney, sure, but the wall?

    10. AUSTIN DILLON – 2031 POINTS (1 W)
    If he gets a decent finish on Saturday night, I will start believing he will advance..but not before.

    11. CLINT BOWYER – 2029 POINTS (2 W)
    Another Top Ten at Richmond this year might be all he needs.

    12. ALEX BOWMAN – 2028 POINTS
    Three Hendrick cars in the hunt, but that could be down to one…or none…after the Roval.

    13. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2022 POINTS
    Things were going so well until the final dozen or so laps.

    14. CHASE ELLIOTT – 2019 POINTS (1 W)
    McMurray was doing so well, and then he became a contender collector.

    15. ERIK JONES – 2009 POINTS (1 W)
    Mr. Harvick, I presume.

    16. DENNY HAMLIN – 2008 POINTS
    Obviously did not have the same earth moving capability as Rowdy.

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 561 POINTS
    A decent run last weekend…not that it matters anymore.

    18. PAUL MENARD – 551 POINTS
    The top three guys out of the Chase recorded Top Tens last Sunday. I should care, but I do not.

    19. DANIEL SUAREZ – 530 POINTS
    Will fate be kinder to him next season than it was to Kasey Kahne this year?

    20. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 528 POINTS
    Jamie McMurray is 26 points behind him. He damn near moved ahead until Lady Luck left town.