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Category: Hot 20

Thornton’s Hot 20 in NASCAR

Hot 20 – How bad did you have it, and wouldn’t NASCAR fans love to have it again?

Where is the passion? That is one area I have heard presented as to why NASCAR is not as red hot as it once was. There was a time a few members of my family would gather for some of the big races, or any race, to cheer and sneer at our favorites. A half dozen of us were in Daytona to see Kevin Harvick claim the race in 2007. Now, we do not gather, or even speak much of the race that was, or the one coming up. Some do not even watch that much anymore. What happened to the passion?

Sadly, that lack of passion might go way beyond my family or yours. Do you remember those old “How bad have you got it” promos? Where did they go? What happened to those great commercials that featured NAPA and UPS and Allstate? Even one of those Enterprise commercials with Junior would be a welcome step back in time, and they once were the poor sisters of those classic productions. Did we all get bored with it, the fans, the sponsors, NASCAR itself and just said to hell with it?

There has been change. The cars are not what they once were. We replaced what was with the Car of Tomorrow in March of 2007 and then the Gen 6 model last season. They were supposed to be safer and less costly, but also provide even better racing. The last model looks better, but I still do not think they got a handle on improving the racing and drumming up the drama. We so often hear how track position means everything, when we want it to be the better driver with the better car with the better team that determines the outcome.

Obviously, the cars had to change. We lost Dale Earnhardt in 2001, and not a single driver since in Cup. However, without the changes, I firmly believe that would not have been the case. Sometimes change is good. Like the points system, where 43rd gets a point and first gets 43, plus one for leading, plus another for leading the most laps, and 3 more for winning. I prefer 25 for winning, but improvement is good as we seek perfection.

The Chase is good. As a traditionalist, I would prefer to reward the best team, and I am sure the 2007 New England Patriots would agree with me. The New York Giants? Probably not so much. Things happen in the playoffs. A change I would make would be to reduce the regular season to 31 races, as it has been in the past, the last time in 1998. Then, I would institute a five race playoff, inviting only the best 20 in points, all starting fresh while everyone else goes home. One to 20 points for the contenders each race, with the winner getting a 12 point bonus, with the best after five races wining the title. If nothing else, it is a proposal that should provide somebody with something to argue about. Maybe even a spark of passion.

By the way, the good old days were not always so great. Ned Jarrett winning the 1965 Southern 500 by 14 laps might be part of NASCAR lore, but imagine the nightmare that would be today. Rookie Buren Skeen died that day, one of 28 who we lost in the top tier in the fifty years from 1952 to 2001. Thank God and some engineering we have gone more than 13 years without another such tragedy in the division.

In the end, it is up to NASCAR and its partners to return the passion. If fans can go berserk over watching a basketball game or a soccer match, surely they can present cars racing in close quarters up to and over 200 miles per hour in such a fashion that passion is rekindled. Where is the fun that was Inside Winston Cup, where three good ole boys invited us to listen to their views on the latest race, to tell their stories, to inform us, and make us laugh. Where is the successor to Ken Squier up in the broadcast booth painting a narrative of the action, almost allowing us to smell the smoke and the fuel? Where are the commercials that defied a fan to reach for the remote and not laugh at the twentieth time as the collector dumped the pieces of the 1990 Bristol car before Mikey’s wide eyes for signing? How bad did I have it? Bad enough to want it again.

Even our little experiment of bumping the win bonus from three to 25 points would fail to keep us all gaping at the tube through to Homestead without some kind of reset. For example, Brad Keselowski has the same number of wins as Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr, but would sit a good 80 points back. While that might be indicative as to who is running the best this season, it might leave something to be desired if Gordon or Junior are not exactly your cup of tea. A real playoff for only playoff contenders might prove to be one of the solutions we seek.

Your thoughts?
1 – Jeff Gordon – 3 Wins – 881 Points
2 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 3 – 879
3 – Brad Keselowski – 3 – 799
4 – Joey Logano – 2 – 758
5 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 752
6 – Kevin Harvick – 2 – 731
7 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 723
8 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 709
9 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 679
10 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 672
11 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 660
12 – Kasey Kahne – 0 – 651
13 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 642
14 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 638
15 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 636
16 – Marcos Ambrose – 0 – 616
17 – Paul Menard – 0 – 614
18 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 611
19 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 598
20 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 596

August 21, 2014
Hot 20 – After the Week We’ve Had, We Could Use a Little Good News From Michigan

The news of late has been enough to make a clown cry. In fact, we just lost one of our most treasured entertainers, by his own hand. We have the tragedy involving Kevin Ward Jr. and Tony Stewart still on our minds. We have Martin Truex Jr.’s girlfriend facing health challenges.

This has not been the best of weeks. You turn on your televison or check out Youtube and it does not get much better. Police lobbing tear gas at news crews in Missouri. One nation protecting its people with missiles while the other side protects its missiles with people. A tyrant threatening a neighboring country because he can. People streaming into another like it is “no pay and stay day” at Disneyland because some think that allowing them to do so is the right thing to do.

I even sought escape in reality shows, with no luck. “America” just tossed out the best dancer on “So You Think You Can Dance” and I cannot begin to describe the talent tossed aside for crap on “America’s Got Talent.” It is enough to make Lewis Black go nuclear. Good Lord, we sure could use some positive diversions from all this damn reality.

Just maybe Michigan will provide it for us. Might four time winner Greg Biffle lay claim to another and a Chase berth? Jack Roush’s organization could use a little good news today, an organization that will see a major sponsor and its best driver both fly away next season. Maybe Matt Kenseth could lock his way in with a third Michigan victory, even though a berth by points alone seems likely. Then again, one of those Hendrick boys might claim this thing again. Even Kasey Kahne has won there before. At least it would make some folks happier.

Good news is that there will not be a single Cup driver in the Nationwide race. The bad news is that only 37 cars are entered to compete in the Ohio event. Only 28 trucks will run in the Camping World race at Michigan on Saturday. Kyle Busch will be competing, for you can never have enough races involving Kyle Busch.

Maybe he just loves to race. Like Tony. Tony has won at Michigan before, but he will not be racing there on Sunday. With that, we’ve come full circle.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has returned to where he was, a decade ago. In these standings, where we bump up the victor’s bonus from 3 to 25 points, he leads. In the official standings, he leads. Twice before at Michigan, at the end, he has led. Maybe a win by Junior, or Jeff, or Brad, or Jimmie, Joey, Matt, Carl or Kevin might help put a big ole smile back on this face. I sure hope so. It has been one hell of a week.

1 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 839 Points – 3 Wins
2 – Jeff Gordon – 812 – 2
3 – Brad Keselowski – 762 – 3
4 – Jimmie Johnson – 716 – 3
5 – Joey Logano – 715 – 2
6 – Matt Kenseth – 703 – 0
7 – Carl Edwards – 702 – 2
8 – Kevin Harvick – 689 – 2
9 – Ryan Newman – 645 – 0
10 – Kyle Busch – 637 – 1
11 – Kyle Larson – 635 – 0
12 – Clint Bowyer – 634 – 0
13 – Greg Biffle – 626 – 0
14 – Kasey Kahne – 622 – 0
15 – Austin Dillon – 616 – 0
16 – Marcos Ambrose – 584 – 0
17 – Denny Hamlin – 574 – 1
18 – Paul Menard – 574 – 0
19 – Brian Vickers – 573 – 0
20 – Jamie McMurray – 566 – 0

August 14, 2014
Hot 20 – Chase Races Should be Reserved for Only Championship Contenders

On the track, everything is just hunky dory for Dale Earnhardt Jr. For our money, he sits as the best on the season to this point, but there are a couple of storm clouds just over the horizon. Steve Letarte moves from crew chief to a pretty face on television next season, and the National Guard might be heading into the sunset with him. To be honest, we have long known about one, and have had suspicions about the other. Still, for you and I, these questions marks do not need to bother us until next year. We got a championship run to cheer on.

The championship. Once, the best at the end of the year was given the crown. Then we got the Chase, and it was a race between ten to a dozen contenders as it evolved, with more than 30 without a ghost of a shot still out there over the final ten weeks. Now, we go with 16 drivers, whittle them down by four every three weeks, until only four of the 43 who will take to the track at Homestead are still in contention, with winner (or the best of the four that day) take all.

We have not quite reached perfection just yet, though the change in the points system itself is about as close as it gets. Start, you get a point, and win you get 43 plus one for leading the last lap, one for leading the most laps and three as an extra bonus for winning. Not bad, but as I suggest in these rankings I would bump that bonus from three to 25.

As we have seen, a win and you are in gives teams an immunity for bad behavior as long as they retain credit for the victory and stay amongst the Top 30 in the standings. This season, that means compiling an average of just 16.5 points per race, or being somewhere between 26th and 27th each week. Teams that can not do that simply do not matter. A win has put Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, and Kurt Busch into a shot at contention, even though all sit outside the Top 20 in points. They would slip in, forcing the likes of Kasey Kahne, Austin Dillon, and Paul Menard out into the cold. Personally, I would rather give a larger points bonus, and not a free pass to single race winners, so I might see real contenders vie for the title rather than pretenders who had good fortune just for one day.

Why quit there? The Cup series has run 36 points races per season only since 2001. It was between 28 and 33 events between 1972 and 1998. So, let us cut it off at 31, then let the top 20 vie for the championship in a five race playoff. A real post-season, just like all those other big boy leagues, with just twenty contenders on the track and the rest stay home. So, what happens if one driver runs away with it over the final five? Give him or her the damn title and celebrate. Sometimes those other kids see their championships decided in four game sweeps. They seem to survive it.

*Win bonus expanded from 3 to 25

1 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 806 Points – 3 Wins
2 – Jeff Gordon – 801 – 2
3 – Brad Keselowski – 753 – 3
4 – Jimmie Johnson – 699 – 3
5 – Joey Logano – 677 – 2
6 – Matt Kenseth – 668 – 0
7 – Carl Edwards – 662 – 2
8 – Kevin Harvick – 652 – 2
9 – Ryan Newman – 642 – 0
10 – Kyle Busch – 633 – 1
11 – Clint Bowyer – 617 – 0
12 – Kyle Larson – 595 – 0
13 – Greg Biffle – 590 – 0
14 – Kasey Kahne – 589 – 0
15 – Austin Dillon – 588 – 0
16 – Paul Menard – 562 – 0
17 – Denny Hamlin – 554 – 1
18 – Marcos Ambrose – 541 – 0
19 – Brian Vickers – 539 – 0
20 – Tony Stewart – 537 – 0

August 8, 2014
Hot 20 – Hamlin Penalty Shows the Downside of Win and You’re In

Seventy five point penalty and nothing. No meaningful consequences, not even a dip in the standings. When Denny Hamlin’s car got tagged for leaving the covers on the rear firewall loose in order to leak high pressure air from under the car into the cockpit, something they were told not to do going into Indianapolis, NASCAR came down hard. Well, sort of.

Darian Grubb’s wallet is $125,000 lighter and the crew chief is gone until after Richmond. The same penalty was given to car chief Wesley Sherrill. A 75 point penalty would be crippling if not for that win in Talladega and his lock inside the Top 30 in points. With standings based first on wins, and then points, Hamlin was ninth and remains ninth, if only by just a point up on Aric Almirola and still 41 ahead of Kurt Busch. For a car that was running so slow in practice Grubb said he did not have enough air time to list its ailments, its sudden emergence to finish third on Sunday was a revelation. Sometimes, NASCAR is not big on revelations, especially after mandating that the one in this case had been specifically outlawed. It is enough to make Michael Waltrip wave his finger in admonishment.

Now, I love the win and you are in format. I like that someone like Aric Almirola can make it with just one great day, or that Kurt Busch can spin silk from an otherwise crap season. Sadly, now if you win, it seems you can also sin. Take the risk, and if it goes south just make sure you can afford the cash and the downtime.

This season I have been tinkering with an alternative system that erases win and you are in by simply inflating the win bonus from three to 25 points. It pays big to take the checkered flag, but without handing one immunity. Under that system, Hamlin would have dropped from 11th to 19th and under the Chase format he would now be 31 points out of the Top 16. That would have hurt. Instead, he will get back a well rested, albeit poorer and wiser, crew chief when they hit Chicago in mid-September. Oh, the humanity.

*Win bonus expanded from 3 to 25 points

1 – Jeff Gordon – 761 Points – 2 Wins
2 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 737 – 2
3 – Brad Keselowski – 732 – 3
4 – Jimmie Johnson – 694 – 3
5 – Matt Kenseth – 661 – 0
6 – Carl Edwards – 647 – 2
7 – Joey Logano – 635 – 2
8 – Kyle Busch – 631 – 1
9 – Kevin Harvick – 609 – 2
10 – Ryan Newman – 606 – 0
11 – Clint Bowyer – 577 – 0
12 – Kyle Larson – 562 – 0
13 – Austin Dillon – 559 – 0
14 – Kasey Kahne – 555 – 0
15 – Paul Menard – 551 – 0
16 – Greg Biffle – 550 – 0
17 – Brian Vickers – 532 – 0
18 – Tony Stewart – 529 – 0
19 – Denny Hamlin – 519 – 1
20 – Aric Almirola – 518 – 1

July 31, 2014
Hot 20 – To be Canadian is Like Dealing with the Soup Nazi…No NASCAR for Me!

How can you tell if you are a foreigner? Okay, even that might be getting rather difficult these days of open borders and botched security. However, if you want to watch an American truck race on an American track on an American channel, you might be S.O.L. if you are a Canadian boy watching via a Canadian provider.

You see, a while back my provider dumped SPEED over some nonsense that SPEED was about to go out of business. I mentioned to them that the broadcaster was going to become FOX 1, but I was told I did not know what I was talking about. I usually get that reaction when I marry someone, but I do not remember the nuptials in this instance. So, SPEED went away, my bill remained the same, but my NASCAR opportunities were reduced. Now, if I wished to watch an international soccer game Wednesday night, I would have been in luck. Unfortunately for me, I view soccer as less of a sport than I do poker, though I admit it provides a dandy cardio exercise. Yet, if I wanted to see men run around in short pants, I would go with the Australian Football League. You know, watching real men playing a real sport who suffer real injuries. So, while someone from Nicaragua might have been able to watch the race thanks to your president’s largess, this foreigner could not.

Thankfully, I will get to watch this weekend’s action from Indianapolis. Sure, it is on ESPN and that is like hearing soccer, rather than seeing it, but I do have the option of lowering the volume when it gets to be too much. It does make me wonder when 2015 rolls around how much NASCAR I am going to get up our way. Sure, I could watch the Canadian Tire series, but have you ever watched our Canadian version of NASCAR? I would rather listen to Allen, Rusty, and Brad than subject myself to that unappealing fare if it came down to a choice…and that is saying a lot.

You will not find a Brad Keselowski, a Dale Earnhardt Jr, a Jeff Gordon, or a Jimmie Johnson in the lower tiered circuit. You will find them among the drivers who have made the most impact to date in Cup action. After giving drivers an additional 22 point bonus for winning, we find Keselowski and Junior tied in points, with the former champion given the nod for his additional victory. While the advent of the Chase expands the relevant to a dozen other drivers, this quartet have dominated the scene thus far in 2014. In 19 events this season, the four have combined to take nine of them.

As for this weekend, 20 times they have raced at the Brickyard and eight times the win has gone to someone named either Gordon or Johnson. Maybe a two-time Indianapolis winner, like Tony Stewart, or last year’s victor, Ryan Newman, can break the monopoly. Hey, you could always cheer for a foreigner. Juan Pablo Montoya won there before…just without fenders.

1 – Brad Keselowski – 700 POINTS – 3 Wins
2 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 700 – 2
3 – Jeff Gordon – 692 – 1
4 – Jimmie Johnson – 664 – 3
5 – Matt Kenseth – 621 – 0
6 – Carl Edwards – 618 – 2
7 – Joey Logano – 595 – 2
8 – Kyle Busch – 589 – 1
9 – Ryan Newman – 573 – 0
10 – Kevin Harvick – 572 – 2
11 – Denny Hamlin – 552 – 1
12 – Clint Bowyer – 548 – 0
13 – Paul Menard – 541 – 0
14 – Kyle Larson – 524 – 0
15 – Austin Dillon – 524 – 0
16 – Greg Biffle – 519 – 0
17 – Kasey Kahne – 515 – 0
18 – Brian Vickers – 507 – 0
19 – Tony Stewart – 502 – 0
20 – Aric Almirola – 495 – 1

July 24, 2014
The Hot 20 – Elder Gents and Past Winners Lead the Way to New Hampshire

If you want to make the Chase, maybe one should win at New Hampshire. Out of 43 drivers entered and scheduled to make up the field at Loudon this Sunday, a whopping 16 of them have won at New Hampshire. They include the only four-time winner, 47-year old Jeff Burton, slated to drive the 66 Toyota of Jay Robinson. Along side will be his team mate, 50-year-old Joe Nemechek and a winner there in 1999, driving the 87. Kids. The oldest driver at Loudon has never won there in 14 attempts, going back to 1993. At the age of 72, Morgan Shepherd will be there in Joe Falk’s 33 Chevy.

Among our hot 20, based on points and super-sizing the winner’s bonus from 3 to 25 points, a dozen have had the post-race bubbly shower here before. Jeff Gordon is our king of the hill and while both he and Jimmie Johnson both have three wins at Loudon, neither really do not need another one. In reality, a win means a Chase spot, and they are both in. Same goes for Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin. Matt Kenseth probably does not need one and Ryan Newman is still sitting pretty, but the same can not be said for Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Brian Vickers or Kasey Kahne. Kurt Busch is not even in out Hot 20 but he has a win, though the same cannot be said for Tony Stewart.

As much as I think this system best showcases which drivers have actually been the most relevant during the season, I doubt NASCAR will adopt it. If I thought I had that much influence, you would never see ESPN’s current crew call another race, but I do not. Plus, giving a Chase spot to a New Hampshire winner would mean adios to the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr, Brad Keselowski, and Carl Edwards, none of whom have won there. The kids, Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson, obviously have not. Take the free pass for last Sunday’s Daytona win, and Aric Almirola drops from 10th in the official rankings, drops from 19th on my list, down to 21st and with little hope of making the Chase. Of course, my method eliminates the Chase, and I have a feeling that Brian France would not be terribly receptive to that argument.

I think it a shame that wins put Almirola and Kurt Busch into a Chase place at the expense of Biffle and Vickers. Still, you cannot ignore the excitement that a single victory can bring to the driver, his team, or the fans. Winning is not easy, so maybe the reward is justified. Maybe.

That said, here is a look at my Hot 20 as they prepare for battle in New Hampshire this Sunday.

Ps – Driver – Pts – Wins
1 – Jeff Gordon – 673 – 1
2 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 668 – 2
3 – Jimmie Johnson – 662 – 3
4 – Brad Keselowski – 630 – 2
5 – Joey Logano – 590 – 2
6 – Carl Edwards – 587 – 2
7 – Matt Kenseth – 580 – 0
8 – Kevin Harvick – 558 – 2
9 – Kyle Busch – 546 – 1
10 – Ryan Newman – 534 – 0
11 – Paul Menard – 516 – 0
12 – Denny Hamlin – 515 – 1
13 – Clint Bowyer – 509 – 0
14 – Austin Dillon – 494 – 0
15 – Greg Biffle – 490 – 0
16 – Brian Vickers – 484 – 0
17 – Kyle Larson – 482 – 0
18 – Kasey Kahne – 482 – 0
19 – Aric Almirola – 474 – 1
20 – Marcos Ambrose – 472 – 0

July 10, 2014
Hot 20 – Pepsi and Coke be Damned…It is the Firecracker 400

It is the Firecracker 400, stupid.

The distance run and the sponsors may have changed, but for thirty years the gateway to summer race at Daytona was known as the Firecracker 400 (250 for its first four runs). It might not be as big as the 500 or have the glamour of the Southern 500, but winning this one means something. Its name should mean something as well.

This was a race won five times by David Pearson. Four times by Cale Yarborough. Multiple winners included Fireball Roberts, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison and A.J. Foyt long before NASCAR and the race track (pretty much one and the same) sold out to Pepsi. They dropped the Firecracker brand and then, less than 20 years later, we discovered why it is so stupid to re-brand a race to please a sponsor. Pepsi was gone, Coca Cola replaced it, and now we have the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola. What bovine excrement that is, and I’m drinking a damn Diet Coke as I type this. Love the taste but I wonder how much it would take me to sell out to become Coke Zero Thornton, Esq., powered by Coca-Cola.

Then again, unless my wife or my mother gets paid off, I am guessing they would continue calling me by the name they have always done so. As Coke has not paid me a dime, forgive me for being a traditionalist. The Firecracker 400 it is.

I do not mind change if it betters tradition. I think points earned over an entire season still best recognizes the best over the course of that season, not through a contrived playoff. I think wins should be worth more than they are, like 70 points instead of a maximum of 48. I think this Saturday night’s Coke Zero Firecracker 400 will be one hell of a good race to watch. I think someone working for Rick Hendrick is going to win it. As that is what has happened over the past three events raced there, I see no reason to think it is going to change this weekend.

Yes, I guess tradition can be a bit of a pain sometimes, especially if you happen to be driving a Ford or a Toyota this Saturday night at Daytona.

(Based on points, with winners awarded 25 bonus points, rather than 3)

Pos – Driver – Points – Wins
1 – Jimmie Johnson – 660 – 3
2 – Jeff Gordon – 640 – 1
3 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 638 – 2
4 – Brad Keselowski – 604 – 2
5 – Carl Edwards – 580 – 2
6 – Joey Logano – 563 – 2
7 – Matt Kenseth – 555 – 0
8 – Kevin Harvick – 553 – 2
9 – Kyle Busch – 530 – 1
10 – Ryan Newman – 514 – 0
11 – Paul Menard – 488 – 0
12 – Denny Hamlin – 477 – 1
13 – Kyle Larson – 474 – 0
14 – Greg Biffle – 474 – 0
15 – Clint Bowyer – 473 – 0
16 – Kasey Kahne – 465 – 0
17 – Tony Stewart – 460 – 0
18 – Austin Dillon – 455 – 0
19 – Brian Vickers – 442 – 0
20 – Marcos Ambrose – 438 – 0

July 3, 2014
Hot 20 – Remove a dozen from the field and we could still have good racing in Kentucky

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

June 27, 2014
Hot 20 – NASCAR Still Needs to Award More Points to Race Winners

There is no doubt about it; winning is big in the Cup series this year. Race enough to be deemed a regular, sit among the top 30 in points, and a win pretty much gives one a pass to the promised land. It is exciting and has that all-important unpredictability factor we love. Just as we celebrate the possibility of a Buster Douglas knocking out a Mike Tyson for the heavyweight boxing title, we relish in the hope that just maybe a Danica Patrick, Justin Allgaier, or Michael Annett might steal one at Talladega and wind up with a berth to challenge for a championship.

Kurt Busch has no problem with that. As long as the list of winners remains no higher than sixteen as they leave Richmond, Busch would be in. This is despite the fact he currently sits 26th in points, 15 behind Martin Truex Jr. Still, to be honest, I rather like this “win and you’re in” concept, but are race winners given their just due for taking the checkered flag and being consistently up front, where it matters?

I cannot see how anyone could fail to see that Jimmie Johnson is currently having the best season in Cup to date. He has run consistent and has won three times. Yet, he ranks second in points, 15 behind Jeff Gordon. Do not get me wrong, Gordon is having a great season. I just argue that Johnson has been better.

Throughout this season, we have seen what the standings would have been like had we left the points system as it is, with one change. Instead of just awarding a race winner with a bonus three points, we give him 25. No automatic free pass, but a significant points recognition for the accomplishment. The only change among the Sweet Sixteen for the Chase at this time would see Kurt out and his boss Tony Stewart in, via points.

The whole idea behind the Chase, and the institution this year of having wins trump points, an expanded Chase, and elimination rounds are all geared to keeping the possible championship outcome unpredictable until the final laps at Homestead. This could still happen with just one more tinker to the tabulations. I guess it all comes down to who do you think is the most deserving of a Chase place, Kurt Busch or Tony Stewart (or those closely behind him), and who you think has been the best thus far this season, Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson.

(Points reflect race winners receiving 25 bonus points, rather than 3)

Pos – Driver – Points – Wins
1 – Jimmie Johnson – 588 – 3
2 – Jeff Gordon – 559 – 1
3 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 558 – 2
4 – Matt Kenseth – 513 – 0
5 – Brad Keselowski – 512 – 1
6 – Joey Logano – 498 – 2
7 – Kevin Harvick – 491 – 2
8 – Carl Edwards – 484 – 1
9 – Kyle Busch – 468 – 1
10 – Denny Hamlin – 457 – 1
11 – Kyle Larson – 454
12 – Ryan Newman – 440
13 – Paul Menard – 420
14 – Clint Bowyer – 417
15 – Greg Biffle – 409
16 – Tony Stewart – 402
17 – Austin Dillon – 400
18 – Brian Vickers – 394
19 – Kasey Kahne – 391
20 – Jamie McMurray – 384

June 19, 2014
Hot 20 heading into Michigan are led by the hot trio from Hendrick

Free enterprise is a great concept, though in the presence of a monopoly it does not work worth crap. If one outfit gains near total dominance over any industry, there is no competition. Standard Oil, AT&T, Microsoft, U.S. Steel, and even Western Union have been accused of holding monopolies at some point in their history. Maybe you could add Hendrick Motorsports to that list.

Actually, such an accusation would be ridiculous. The company has just four entries in any 43 car field each week. However, the results they manage to compile certainly illustrates their dominance in the Cup series. The top three drivers to this point in the season, using our system of determining excellence, are all from Hendrick. Two of those drivers have ten season championships already to their credit. Jimmie Johnson has led higher than 21% of the laps run over the first 14 events, with the trio combining to take more than a third of those races.

Very dominant, but not a monopoly. SHR’s Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski of Penske Racing have both had their time in front, and combined with Johnson the trio has led more than half of the laps run to date. When you include Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth, and Kyle Busch in the mix, you have eight drivers with four organizations who have led more than 83% of the laps this season. Now, that is dominance. It kind of makes you wonder what the other 35 folks are doing. My guess is that they are busy looking at the back bumpers of those other fellows.

Sunday might bring more of the same, as Earnhardt, Gordon, Kenseth, Ky. Busch, and Logano have all won there before. Interestingly, while Jimmie Johnson has not in 24 attempts, Greg Biffle has four on that track, including the race last spring. Maybe it is time for the Biff to join in the fun, running closer to the headlights than their tail lights.

(No chase, and wins are worth 25 points instead of 3)

Driver – Points – Wins
1 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 520 – 2
2 – Jeff Gordon – 520 – 1
3 – Jimmie Johnson – 519 – 2
4 – Matt Kenseth – 482
5 – Brad Keselowski – 470 – 1
6 – Kyle Busch – 465 – 1
7 – Carl Edwards – 463 – 1
8 – Joey Logano – 462 – 2
9 – Kevin Harvick – 447 – 2
10 – Denny Hamlin – 444 – 1
11 – Kyle Larson – 417
12 – Ryan Newman – 411
13 – Brian Vickers – 392
14 – Greg Biffle – 385
15 – Austin Dillon – 385
16 – Clint Bowyer – 383
17 – Paul Menard – 380
18 – Tony Stewart – 368
19 – Aric Almirola – 366
20 – A.J. Allmendinger – 360

June 12, 2014