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  • Hot 20 – Four of the Season’s Top Eight Could be Eliminated after Talladega

    Hot 20 – Four of the Season’s Top Eight Could be Eliminated after Talladega

    When the smoke clears at Talladega, and I mean that literally, four of our top eight drivers throughout the course of the season, might no longer be contenders for the championship. With four races to follow, five time winner Brad Keselowski could be toast, along with three time winners Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jimmie Johnson, as well as the winless yet resilient Matt Kenseth. If the 2007 New England Patriots and 1968 Baltimore Colts can fall short, if the 2001 New York Yankees can be denied, then why not? Welcome to the playoffs, where someone will get eliminated and voted off the island (for fans of the Amazing Race and Survivor).

    For Junior to advance, he has to win. He has said so himself. Same goes for Johnson, while Keselowski has a bit more wiggle room, but do not expect him to have many friends out there, outside of teammate Joey Logano. Kenseth can do it, as he is just a point behind Kasey Kahne in those standings. However, this is Talladega, where a contender could kick open the door for someone else with a finish somewhere beyond 30th due to circumstances beyond his control.

    Keselowski was a tad out of control at Kansas. His view that everyone else started it when they tried to pay him back was laughable. His observation of events was faulty, his hit on an unbuckled Kenseth and burn out in the garage after the race were both nothing short of reckless. His $50,000 fine was warranted. Tony Stewart’s $25,000 fine for bashing in the front of Brad’s car was warranted, too, but it was sure a joy to watch.

    It might not be the same for those out on the track, but for you and me, Talladega should also be a joy to watch. If only every race could be like the one we will be viewing on Sunday.

    *Race winners awarded 25 (rather than 3) bonus points
    Bold = Current Chase contenders

    Hot 20

    1 – Jeff Gordon – 4 WINS – 1184 POINTS
    2 – Joey Logano – 5 – 1154
    3 – Brad Keselowski – 5 – 1106
    4 – Dale Earnhardt Jr – 3 – 1075
    5 – Kevin Harvick – 3 – 1052
    6 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 1011
    7 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 982
    8 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 950
    9 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 950
    10 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 940
    11 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 899
    12 – Kasey Kahne – 1 – 890
    13 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 880
    14 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 867
    15 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 847
    16 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 844
    17 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 832
    18 – Paul Menard – 0 – 818
    19 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 806
    20 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 779

  • Hot 20 – With the Chase Beginning in Chicago, Let us ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive

    Hot 20 – With the Chase Beginning in Chicago, Let us ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive

    Ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive. If it was good enough for Johnny, Bing, and Perry, well, gosh darn it, it is good enough for me. I will not even breath a mention of the snore-fest that was Richmond.

    Wins trump points. I like it. I was not so sure to start with, but I do like the wild card aspect of it to get one into the Chase. Along with the present points system instituted in 2011, where the range is now between 1 and 43 awarded per race, NASCAR can get things right. Yet another positive.

    The Chase format, I have grown used to it. Just as some won races by laps, not seconds, in times past, having a champion pretty much decided early by a season long points race might be a truer way of deciding, but more often there is not a speck of excitement, drama, or surprise left. Too soon to tell if the final result of the elimination system will give us a champ we might agree with, but I think it will. The New England Patriots went 18-0 in 2007 before losing that final game, but we recognize the New York Giants as the NFL champs that season. Same will be the case in NASCAR. That is, unless it is Junior who gets screwed over, then all bets are off.

    Can we make the Chase better? Sure, and it can be done in a way that might actually be implemented. Is the season too long, does it need to be reduced? If so, just let them run a 31-race schedule like they did in 1996. Then everybody gets time off, except for the Top 20 who would partake in a real five race playoff for all the marbles. Week in and week out, there are only 25 or so quality rides circling the track anyway, so this is just another example of ac-cent-tchu-ating the positive.

    Sixteen Nations? I thought only Junior had his own Nation, but I guess if it is good enough for him, it should be good enough for the other sovereign rulers. There is King Kurt and King Kyle, for example, and thankfully they both can be kings. No Game of Thrones-like tension here.

    After three races, four of those nations will join the Ming Dynasty and the Mongol, Roman, and Ottoman Empires and fade from view. Only four will be in the running for the crown at Homestead, and only one will join the girl on the bow of the Titanic when it is all over. The Titanic, a prime example of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge going too far, but I digress.

    Sixteen drivers and teams, along with nine owners, begin the adventure Sunday at Chicago. As for the best over the course of the season, with winners awarded 25 rather than three bonus points, fourteen of our Hot 20 remain in the Chase. The fact that even our leaders could find themselves eliminated along the Chase way, some see as a positive to be ac-cent-tchu-ated. Just like those ‘07 Patriots. Time will tell.

    BOLD = Active Chaser

    Hot 20
    1 – Jeff Gordon – 3 Wins – 980 Points
    2 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 3 – 949
    3 – Brad Keselowski – 4 – 918
    4 – Joey Logano – 3 – 895
    5 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 868
    6 – Kevin Harvick – 2 – 832
    7 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 821
    8 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 797
    9 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 782
    10 – Kasey Kahne – 1 – 757
    11 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 753
    12 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 746
    13 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 737
    14 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 709
    15 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 706
    16 – Paul Menard – 0 – 701
    17 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 698
    18 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 681
    19 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 681
    20 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 673