NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Daytona
Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson was dominant at Daytona and held on after several late restarts to win the Coke Zero 400. Johnson became the first driver to sweep both Daytona races since Bobby Allison in 1982.
“I did something Allison did at Daytona,” Johnson said, “but instead of Cale Yarborough, I punched the accelerator. Just call it a 2.5 milestone.
“I’ve apparently overcome my problems with restarts. Now I know that if you can’t restart, you can’t finish.”
2. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth’s race ended on lap 149 when he swerved to avoid Denny Hamlin’s spinning No. 11 only to be hammered by Jeff Gordon’s No. 24. Kenseth finished 33rd and fell one spot to sixth in the point standings, 118 out of first.
“I’m not sure what caused Hamlin to spin,” Kenseth said, “but he’s seen more walls than China. What’s Hamlin’s favorite concept album? Pink Floyd’s The Wall. His favorite Clint Eastwood movie? Sudden Impact. His favorite mixed drink? A Harvey Wallbanger.”
3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick seemed to be primed for a late flourish at Daytona, lined up with Tony Stewart with race leader Jimmie Johnson in his sights. However, late cautions prevented Harvick from challenging, and he settled for third in the Coke Zero 400.
“One would think more restarts would be to Johnson’s disadvantage,” Harvick said. “However, much like he did to my No. 29 car, he put his problems with restarts behind him.
“Johnson’s car was just too strong. The No. 48 Lowe’s Chevy seemed to have an extra gear. And judging by his lead in the points, I can understand why Johnson calls it ‘sixth.’”
4. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer charged late at Daytona to take fourth in the Coke Zero 400, earning his seventh top-5 result of the year. He assumed second in the point standings, only 49 behind Jimmie Johnson.
“Several cars, all three Michael Waltrip Racing cars included, “Bowyer said, “failed inspection last Thursday for having illegal roof flaps. You could say NASCAR ‘razed’ the roof.”
5. Kyle Busch: Busch survived two crashes, one on lap 98 and one on the final lap, to salvage a 12th at Daytona. He is seventh in the Sprint Cup point standings, 125 out of first.
“After that first wreck,” Busch said, “my car was held together with duct tapes and prayers, much like A.J. Allmendinger’s career.
“Shaquille O’Neal, Adam Sandler, and Kevin James gave the command to ‘start your engines. I ‘acted’ excited, which probably makes me more of an actor than either one of them.”
6. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt finished eighth at Daytona but was never a factor to win at one of his favorite tracks. He improved one spot in the point standings to fifth, and now trails Jimmie Johnson by 110.
“How about that post-race fireworks show?” Earnhardt said. “It was awesome! And speaking of things that were ‘lit’ in the infield on Saturday, the fans of Junior Nation were in rare form. They are the most patriotic fans in NASCAR; not only do they show ‘spirit,’ they drink it.”
7. Carl Edwards: Edwards was snagged in a final-lap pileup at Daytona and finished a disappointing 29th, the lowest finish among Roush Fenway Racing drivers. Edwards is now third in the Sprint Cup point standings, 71 out of first.
“The No. 99 Subway Ford just got tore up at the end,” Edwards said. “And speaking of Subway, they missed a heck of an opportunity to promote the World War Z movie. Zombies and Subway? That’s ready-made for a ‘Subway-Eat Flesh’ advertising campaign.”
8. Tony Stewart: Stewart’s late run to the front resulted in the runner-up finish at Daytona, a result that shot him up six places in the point standings and into the top 10. He is tenth in the standings, nine ahead of Kasey Kahne in 12th.
“Kurt Busch and I made huge strides to enter the top 10 of the point standings,” Stewart said. “And that’s reason to celebrate. Kurt and I high-fived; I missed, and hit Kurt in the face.”
9. Greg Biffle: Biffle finished 17th at Daytona after getting caught in a late-race accident on the 2.5 mile circuit. He is now eighth in the point standings, 142 out of first.
“I’m disappointed,” Biffle said, “but encouraged that our second trip to Pocono is less than one month away. That race will be called the ‘GoBowling.com 400.’ I’m guessing there will be a lot of spare tires there. Who talked the sport of bowling into sponsoring a stock car race? I’d pin it on the NASCAR marketing department. Groan if you must, but it takes big balls to find the nerve to offer such bad jokes.”
10. Kurt Busch: Busch was strong all night at Daytona, racing to a sixth in the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet. Busch moved up five places to ninth in the point standings, 157 out of first.
“Five places is a big leap in the standings,” Busch said. “I guess I was feeling froggy, and for once, it seems, I jumped.”
Halfway Awards: 2013 Sprint Cup Season
Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway was race 18 of the 36 race Sprint Cup Series season. In other words: halfway.
It has been quite the season thus far. With great hype surrounding the new year of racing in the winter months leading to Daytona Speedweeks and the ups and downs of 2013 as a whole, it has been interesting to watch the year unfold as it has. Still, the end is nowhere in sight. There is still a long way to go.
As the NASCAR circus gears up for another half, which includes the coveted Chase for the Sprint Cup, it is a good time to review what has taken place so far. And there is no better way to do this than by handing out meaningless awards.
Best Race: Auto Club 400
With the generation-6 racecar giving people hope for better racing, fans got what they wanted on a Sunday in March at Auto Club Speedway. Typically, this two-mile speedway is not much of a thriller. Many fans have complained for years about the track even being on the schedule and attendance there has been falling. Yet, for some reason, this race on the worn-out pavement out west produced an exciting finish. Tight battling between Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin in the final laps and a last lap incident between the former teammates gave Kyle Busch the victory.
While Denny Hamlin was hurt and forced to sit out of the car for about a month, which surely is never something that people want to see, there is no denying that the race provided entertainment. After 18 races, some good and some not as popular, this one takes the cake.
Worst Race: Daytona 500
Okay, so maybe this was not the worst race in terms of competition, but what gives this race the award is that it did not meet the hype.
Millions of fans – and even some not as familiar to the sport – tuned into the Great American Race in February to see what all the talk was about. With Danica Patrick winning the pole position and the gen-6 car providing great excitement within the fan base, there was a lot of anticipation.
Unfortunately, single file racing dominated the day. Not until near the end of the 500 miles did cars seem to race closer together. For many, there was a feeling of letdown.
The racing may not have been that bad in comparison to other races this season, but if you compare it to the hype, it was. But that comes with the territory of a new car. There were many unknowns with the gen-6 and one could argue many teams were not as prepared. Certainly, NASCAR and the teams know much more now.
Biggest Threat: Matt Kenseth
Matt Kenseth currently has the same number of wins as Jimmie Johnson after 18 races and he certainly does not have the consistency of Johnson at this stage, but Matt Kenseth has been the biggest threat so far this season.
After making the move to Joe Gibbs Racing for 2013, Kenseth hit it off quickly, winning the third race of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He went on to win three more to this point, making his total an impressive four wins by halfway.
Kenseth could have easily won more, too. Incidents, such as blowing a tire at Bristol and blowing an engine in the Daytona 500, have cost him from adding to that total.
Yes, Johnson could have won more races as well – the restarts have been costly to the five-time champ lately. However, Kenseth has been a consistent threat mostly at tracks where it seems to count the most, intermediate circuits – the most common type of racetrack on the tour.
When the Chase rolls around, Kenseth will be one of the players to beat. He has been so far. He better watch out though because that 48 car is getting stronger.
Biggest Improvement: Joey Logano
After leaving Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of last season to go to Penske Racing, many thought Joey Logano had ruined his opportunity in the Sprint Cup Series. The driver, who many termed as the greatest thing since sliced bread, had been nothing but a disappointment at Joe Gibbs Racing on the Cup Series side, winning only two races.
After resetting with Penkse Racing, Logano has proven that he can contend up front. While Penske Racing has had an off year with no wins so far, Logano has been right there with his defending champion teammate, matching Brad Keselowski’s performance and even outperforming him on several occasions. Last week, the driver was looking good for a Chase birth, even ahead of his own teammate in points. After an incident in Daytona, where the driver blew a tire, he fell to 15th, but is still within a close shot of the playoffs.
He may or may not make it into the Chase in 2013, but he has shown he is a legitimate threat to do so – it is only year one at Penske Racing.
Biggest Surprise: David Ragan Wins at Talladega
When talking about surprises, it is hard to go against the upset win by David Ragan in the spring race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Getting a push from Front Row Motorsports teammate David Gilliland in the final laps, Ragan powered his underfunded car around the big money teams to capture his second career Sprint Cup Series win.
There seemed to be no complainers of the outcome of that race within the garage – well, except maybe Brad Keselowski on Twitter. It was truly a good story and it proved that these kinds of situations can still unfold in NASCAR, even today.
Not many had Ragan on their fantasy team, that’s for sure.
Biggest Disappointment: Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 Penske Racing team was impressive last season in the Chase, going head to head with Jimmie Johnson to capture the Sprint Cup championship. This season: not so much.
For whatever reason, the defending champion has not hit a stride. Starting out strong, the champ only faded after losing his crew chief through a penalty for an inspection violation – just weeks later the team faced another inspection issue, which cost the champ more points.
After 18 races, Keselowski has no wins and is outside of the Chase in 13th place. Time is running out for the driver, whose mouth has made more noise than his performance this season – his outspoken nature is not a bad thing for NASCAR by any means though.
Brad is still within distance of jumping up into the top ten and he certainly can become a threat to win races anytime. The question is: will he do it?
