NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Bristol
Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
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[/media-credit]1. Kyle Busch: Busch faded late at Bristol, hitting the wall with 87 laps to go, and finished 14th, behind his three closest challengers for the Sprint Cup points lead, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards, who came home fourth, sixth, and ninth, respectively. Busch and Johnson are now tied for the points lead, 32 up on Kenseth.
“I take pride in leading the point standings,” Busch said, “especially when my fellow leader is Johnson. As of driver with no Cup championships aspiring to be compared to one with five, this may be my only chance to be ‘like’ Jimmie.
“But let’s be honest. Win or lose, people love to talk about me. I’m like the Danica Patrick of NASCAR, but with less balls.”
2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished fourth at Bristol, earning his 10th top-5 result of the year, and moved into a tied in the point standings with Kyle Busch, who finished 14th.
“I feel like I’m flying under the radar,” Johnson said, “despite being the points leader and the five-time defending champion. It just goes to show that in NASCAR circles, memories are short and title reigns are long.
“Last week, you heard me question Kyle Busch’s ability to handle the pressure of being the so-called favorite. It took only a week for me to be proven right. After winning at Michigan, Busch went to Bristol as not only the Cup favorite, but the favorite to win at Bristol. It’s clear he can’t handle the pressure of the Chase if he can’t even handle the pressure of being chased.”
3. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski remained NASCAR’s hottest driver, taking the win at Bristol for his third win of the year and second in the last four races. He is now 11th in the point standings, and a spot in the Chase For The Cup is all but guaranteed.
“Don’t call this a ‘Cinderella’ story,” Keselowski said. “Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has dibs on that, because he’s the one with the evil stepmother.
“Am I the biggest threat to Jimmie Johnson’s reign? It was merely a week ago that everyone was heralding another driver as Johnson’s biggest threat, but it appears that now, Kyle Busch is an ‘as been. As a favor to me, please send your condolences to Kyle via his Twitter address ‘@ssKyleBusch.’”
4. Jeff Gordon: Gordon led a race-high 206 laps in the Irwin Tools Night Race, but took four tires during the race’s final caution, falling behind Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex, Jr., who both took two tires. Gordon finished third and remained sixth in the point standings, 48 out of first.
“I’m not happy with the way NASCAR times pit road speeds,” Gordon said. “Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth clearly got away with speeding. I feel that they’re monitored under a completely different set of rules. Of course, who am I to complain? I, of all people, should know that ‘two-timing’ is okay as long as you don’t get caught.”
5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick struggled after a strong start at Bristol, falling two laps down just after the half-way point, and finished 22nd, one lap down. He has only one top-10 result since a seventh at Daytona in July, and is down to fifth in the point standings, 48 out of first.
“Luckily, things aren’t all bad,” Harvick said. “I won the Camping World Trucks race on Wednesday, then I called Kyle Busch a ‘crybaby’ after he complained about his fate in the Truck race last Wednesday. In both cases, it’s ‘bitchin.’
“Like some others, I clinched at least a wildcard spot in the Chase by virtue of my three wins. That means I could do nothing from now until the Chase starts, and I’m still in. My lackluster results since my third win at Charlotte indicate that’s the philosophy I’ve been living by since late May.”
6. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth led 110 laps at Bristol, second only to Jeff Gordon’s 206, and finished sixth, as he and teammate Carl Edwards, who finished ninth, clinched berths in the Chase For The Cup. Kenseth improved three spots in the point standings to third, and trails Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson by 32.
“Carl and I are in,” Kenseth said. “I’m quite relieved, that the thing Carl threatened to ‘punch’ was a ticket to the Chase and not me.”
7. Carl Edwards: Edwards posted his first top-10 finish in three weeks, coming home ninth in the Irwin Tools Night Race. Edwards remained fourth in the point standings, and is 35 out of first.
“I certainly haven’t been performing up to my standards,” Edwards said. “My teammates have asked this question for awhile now, but now, everyone wants to know, ‘What’s wrong with Carl Edwards?’
“Many think I became complacent after signing my huge contract extension with Roush Fenway, and as a result, my performance has been lacking. Is that the case? I’m not at liberty to answer. I can say this: ‘Money talks, and it also speaks volumes.”
8. Ryan Newman: Newman posted his second consecutive top-10 finish and fifth in the last seven races with an eighth at Bristol, leading four laps on the night. While teammate Tony Stewart has struggled lately, Newman has solidified his place in the standings, and is seventh with two races until the Chase.
“I won the pole for Bristol,” Newman said, “while Stewart started 43rd. Personally, I haven’t felt that much distance between teammates since Rusty Wallace and I drove for Penske.
“Tony’s at a disadvantage to some other drivers hovering on the Chase bubble. While Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Paul Menard have one or more victories, Tony has none. That’s okay. I’ve told Tony the wins will come. Right now, he just needs to concentrate on making the Chase. Therefore, his mantra for the next two races is ‘Just in, baby.’”
9. Kurt Busch: Busch, traditionally a force at Bristol, finished 17th in the Irwin Tools Night Race as Penske teammate Brad Keselowski took the victory. Busch remained eighth in the point standings, 81 out of the lead.
“Brad’s taking the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge to heights I only dreamed about,” Busch said. “It appears he ‘has my number,’ and everyone else’s for that matter.
“Brad is on an incredible tear as of late. Can anyone stop him? The results of a recent survey suggest the answer is ‘no.’ Drivers were asked, ‘If Brad Keselowski were ‘on fire,’ would you put him out? Most replied ‘no,’ and it looks as though they weren’t lying.”
10. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin kept his Chase hopes alive with a hard-earned seventh at Bristol, overcoming damage suffered on lap 297 when he was collected in a David Stremme-David Reutimann wreck. Hamlin moved up one spot to 13th in the standings, and is currently in position to earn a wildcard spot.
“Many drivers on the Chase bubble struggled,” Hamlin said, “including Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, and Paul Menard. That’s good news for me. I normally don’t delight in the misery of others, but being a teammate of Kyle Busch’s has taught me that it’s okay.
“My Chase situation is good, yet precarious. I have to be at the top of my game, otherwise I could be out. If I ‘mail it in,’ I’ll be sure to ‘Fed Ex-it.’”
The New Simpler Point System…Or Not
NASCAR tied very hard to make the point system easier to understand for Joe Fan. Apparently, it didn’t work with the revelation today that Jeff Gordon qualified for at least a wild card entry into the almighty Chase for the championship. Huh? The one point difference in positions was supposed to simplify the standings so that fans could understand where their favorite driver was during the season. Then, NASCAR threw in a curve ball with the wildcard. I guess it sounded like the NFL and MLB, so it had to be good, right?
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[/media-credit]It has now become so complicated that even those that have followed the sport for years cannot tell you who will be the 11th and 12th qualifiers or even the leaders for those positions right now. It appears that Brad Keselowski will make the short list, but who is the leading candidate for that 12th man? The question usually follows with an answer that it takes algebra, calculus, and solid geometry to solve. Not much different than the old system? Well, at least that system was based on who had the highest points and positions 1-12 were easy to determine. Now? Not so much.
The powers that be meant no harm. They wanted to reward winning and get away from the consistency tag that the point system has always had. They started a few years ago when they created the Chase and watched it become a monster before their eyes. From the first race at Daytona, the Chase talk began and has continued. The final ten races are all that matter. Trying to add a bonus for winning made sense until so many first-timers won. Just like it appeared that the Chase was an answer to Matt Kenseth’s one-win championship, this appeared to be an answer to Jamie McMurray’s dream season of last year. McMurray won three big races and did not make the Chase, so the rules were changed. My guess is that no one will admit that, but it’s pretty clear that NASCAR wanted to include the guys who won races since the Chase had taken most of that emphasis on winning away. And now we have the new system with its confusing wild card addition. Look for more changes next year. Someday, they’ll get it right. Or they’ll go back to Bob Latford’s original system and say the heck with it.
One more comment or two on last week’s races in Bristol. Attendance was light for the Nationwide Series on Friday night, but attendance was good for Saturday night’s Cup race, though not a sellout. There were plenty of empty seats. I think of lot of the reason for this is that the media continues to make comments about how Bristol will be a knock them out race and tempers will flare and all that. That used to be the case, but Bristol is now more like Charlotte. Passing is available on the inside and the outside these days and the one groove track that used to be is gone. That means less beating and banging and less excitement for the fans. That kind of racing is now only found in Martinsville, Virginia. The drivers love the new Bristol and the media is quick to say how much better the racing is on the new surface. They apparently haven’t convinced the fans who pay admission. Just listening to the crowd after the race said it all. They’re not impressed, and that is the bottom line.
Finally, all the talk about Carl Edwards getting his contract with Roush-Fenway behind him and being able to race better isn’t working out. Edwards has been a non-factor in the races since he decided to re-up with RFR, dropping from first in the standings to fourth with fifth-place nipping at his heels. Just goes to show you that these are machines they are piloting and anything can happen in a race. Just ask Brad Keselowski.
SOME COMMENTS DESERVE TO BE REPEATED
A surprise resurrection of the Harvick vs Busch feud, under strange circumstances, led to a lot of observations from the recent NASCAR visit to the Bristol Motor Speedway. Many of those observations produced some comments that deserve to be repeated.
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[/media-credit]Highlighting the string of NASCAR night races at Bristol was the Camping World Truck Series event. That’s where the on track dust up between Kyle Busch and Elliott Sadler turned into three days of comments that somehow involved Kevin Harvick. Busch, in an effort pass Sadler ran into the front of his truck and slammed into the wall. He made a quick recovery and no caution flag was thrown. However Busch slowly moved around the track and, when Sadler arrived at full speed, he spun him out with a move that was clearly intentional.
An understandably livid Sadler came over his radio and said “that son of a b***h pulled in front of me. I don’t know what he’s mad about. It ain’t my ******* fault. He ran up into me. If he wants to talk about it after the race, I’ll be glad to. If I could I would break his jaw in four spots. It’s what I’d like to do right now.” It was later reported that the two drivers did talk things over and basically agreed to disagree and it appears to be over and done with at least for now.
Apparently Kyle Busch wasn’t quite ready to let it go and actually found a way to involve Kevin Harvick his season long Sprint Cup rival. Busch felt Sadler was acting on Harvick’s behalf when he caused him to hit the wall. In a post wreck interview Busch was asked for an explanation and replied: “the guy, (Sadler), is paid by KHI, (Kevin Harvick Inc), so what do you think? He ran into me three times prior in the race and then spun me down the backstretch. He hooked me so I wrecked him.”
It’s true that Elliott Sadler is an employee of KHI. But Sadler’s contract with Harvick is for his full time services as their team driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. While he has on occasion driven a KHI truck in the NASCAR Camping World Series, on this particular night at Bristol he was driving a truck for Joe Denette Motorsports. The other important aspect here is the fact that Kevin Harvick simply doesn’t need help from one of his drivers to deal with Kyle Busch.
By the way, where was Kevin Harvick when all of the Busch-Sadler action was taking place? He was in front of the race field in the process of winning this third, consecutive, truck series race. One of the interesting issues here was the lead for the coveted owner’s points championship. Prior to the Bristol truck race, Kevin Harvick Inc and Kyle Busch Motorsports were tied in the standings. Following the Bristol race KHI now holds a 34 point lead in the new standings and that’s something else that may have rubbed Busch the wrong way.
On the Friday morning, prior to the first Sprint up practice session, it was reported that Harvick hailed Busch and asked if he had “seen the replay from Wednesday’s truck race.” Busch reportedly kept walking through the garage and didn’t respond.
Later in the day Harvick was conducting a press conference, in the speedway media center, and it was only inevitable that the truck race was going to become a topic for discussion. Responding, Harvick said “the first thing that happened was Kyle Busch shoved him up the race track and then he got mad because Elliott ran into the back of him, and then he, (Busch), drove over the front of him and wrecked himself. “It’s just like old Kyle, I guess, showed up last week and really laid into the fact that he was kind of pouting because he was getting his butt whipped. If he keeps running his mouth he might get it whipped off of the track.”
From all of this drama came a genuine funny moment from SPEED Channel reporter Hermie Sadler, the older brother of the truck race victim, and Kurt Busch, the older brother of the truck race instigator. At the beginning of a live interview Sadler asked: “your brother seems to have a problem with my brother, does that mean you have a problem with me?” Kurt Busch had a little problem answering the question. Then again, it’s difficult to speak when you’re laughing that hard.
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I just wanted you to know that this week’s “comment” column was never intended to become a bash Kyle Busch festival. Somehow the circumstances of the Bristol weekend just turned it that way. I actually respect his talent as a driver and I’m quite impressed with his NASCAR numbers such as becoming the winiest driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series after winning his 50th race at Bristol. I just felt like you needed to know this.
Now let’s get back to some more Kyle Busch bashing.
A part of the NASCAR Sprint Cup tradition at the Bristol Motor Speedway is the driver introduction process. The drivers get to select their walk on music and introduce themselves over the track’s PA system. Last year Brad Keselowski, yet another alumni member of a Kyle Busch feud, walked out on the stage and announced “Kyle Busch is an ass !”
Prior to this year’s Bristol race it was only natural that someone would ask Keselowski if he was planning some special announcements. Responding, he said “every autograph signing that I go to, there are two comments that are always made: one, wreck Kyle Busch and two, Kyle Busch is still an ass. It’s very interesting. I want to have a fan base that likes me for who I am and what I do performance wise. But I understand that there is more to this sport than that.”
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Kevin Harvick, and his #29 Budweiser/Richard Childress Racing team, officially clinched a berth in the 2011 Sprint Cup Chase For The Championship following the Bristol race. He actually made quick work of that process with his three wins earlier in the season. But here lately he has felt some frustration with some team performance anxiety. That frustration showed during the course of a 22nd place finish, one lap down, at Bristol. Harvick came over his radio and said: “we haven’t run (good) in four f*****g months. We’ve got to get it figured out. We keep doing the same s**t every week.”
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Right after the Bristol race, Goodyear conducted a two day tire test to determine what tire compound was going to be needed for the Sprint Cup teams to race on a brand new surface recently completed at the Phoenix International Raceway. Kurt Busch was one of five drivers participating in that test. Unfortunately, on the first day, Busch cut down a tire and hit the wall hard. The team had to roll out a back up car.
That prompted Jimmie Johnson, who had a pit road problem with Busch after the Pocono race earlier this month, to send a “Twitter” message to Busch’s Penske Racing team mate Brad Keselowski. That message read: “the boys back in the shop are looking for pictures of Kurt’s wrecked car from Phoenix. Any help?”
It’s not exactly clear if the #48 team received the pictures of what they planned to do with them.
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There were of course a lot of comments regarding Danica Patrick’s plans to come to NASCAR full time in 2012. One of the more honest ones, via “Twitter”, came from the always candid Kyle Petty who wrote “there are drivers out there who can win weekly, but Danica brings a lot of fans and fans means MONEY and NASCAR loves money!”
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The final comment of the week belongs to NASCAR Hall Of Fame member Darrell Waltrip who recently commented, also on “Twitter”, on the difference between modern day race drivers and those from the past. In his message Waltrip wrote: “one of my driving buddies once said, the difference between drivers today and in the past, we had wine FOR dinner, they have wine WITH dinner.”
Now there’s a comment that deserves to be repeated.
