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

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…