the Chase Update - Week 6
#1 - Jeff Burton (+3) – Another chance to win the race, and another top-five finish puts Jeff Burton at the top of the Sprint Cup standings for the first time since the Fall of 2006. He’s got 3 top-five’s in the last four races, but more importantly, he has yet to record a finish this year outside of the top-fifteen. He’s been a model of consistency so far, but this weekend he’ll certainly be looking to become the first driver to win twice at Texas.
#2 – Kevin Harvick (+1) – I’ve made mention of it almost every week, but I’m going to say it again – Harvick continues to creep up the standings without making much noise. His 12th place finish at Martinsville last weekend was the first time since the series opened in Daytona that Harvick failed to record a top-ten finish, and just like Burton, Harvick has also not finished outside the top-fifteen this year. With three top-ten’s in his last four Texas races, this could be the week that Harvick gets to the top of the standings.
#3 – Greg Biffle (-1) – After jumping out to a great start to open up the season and recording three consecutive top-five finishes, the Series headed to Martinsville where Biffle has been less-than stellar during his career, and his 20th place finish backed that up. This weekend, the Biff could be in for another long day. He’s a previous winner at the track, but in 8 tries he has only 2 top-ten’s.
#4 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+1) – Junior had a chance to record four consecutive top-five’s for the first time in his career, but his 6th place run at Martinsville brought him up one spot short. Still, the “fresh start” for Little E seems to be paying off this year, as he continues to get out front and lead some laps while crossing the line with some pretty decent finishes. He’s a former Texas winner and has 7 top-ten’s at the track, so he’ll definitely be looking to gain another spot or two this weekend.
#5 – Kyle Busch (-4) – Through the first four races this year, it was unclear whether the younger Busch would ever slow down and let the rest of the field catch up, but it seems now that mediocrity has finally seeped inside the no. 18 car. He’s currently coming off of finishes of 17th and 38th at two tracks that he’s typically done well at in the past, and now heads to Texas where he’s been hit or miss in the past. This weekend could go either way for Busch.
#6 – Tony Stewart (+1) – In a very rare feat, Smoke is currently the only driver at Joe Gibbs Racing without a win this year in the Sprint Cup Series, but Stewart fans know better than to panic about a little thing like that. This is the time of season that Stewart typically only runs average, but this year he’s been able to string together some pretty impressive finishes. His 5th place finish at Martinsville was his fourth finish of 7th or better, and he’s been pretty stout at Texas, where he’s won once and has 7 top-ten’s. Look for Stewart to pick up a spot or two in the standings.
#7 – Kasey Kahne (-1) – Kasey continues to hang tough in the standings despite not really competing for wins. His best finish of the season was 6th at Vegas, but his worst finishes have only been his 28th place run in Atlanta, and 17th last week. Kahne fans could be in for a hurtin’ this weekend, though. He finished 2nd at Texas in 2004, and he won the Spring race in ’06. Other than those two races, however, his next best finish in the Lonestar State has been 18th. This is very likely to be a bad week for the no. 9 Dodge, and it’s problematic that he’ll drop a few spots.
#8 - Denny Hamlin (+7) – There’s absolutely no denying that Denny is the man on the move right now. After getting off to a pretty rocky start through the first couple of races, he’s posted solid finishes at Las Vegas and Atlanta, and then flexed the JGR short-track muscle by nearly winning at Bristol, and then pulling down the checkers at Martinsville. His Texas numbers are just as solid with 4 top-ten’s in only five tries, so expect the Fed-Ex car to continue to zip up the standings after this week.
#9 – Jeff Gordon (+5) – JG finally appears as though he may have things back on track by running 2nd last week, and putting together a string of finishes of 11th or better, putting him inside of the top-12 for the first time this year. This would be a great week for the backbone of the Hendrick organization to break the HMS slump by winning at Texas – one of the few tracks that he’s never pulled into victory lane.
#10 – Jimmie Johnson (+3) – The defending Cup Series champion posted only his second top-five finish of the season by running 4th at Martinsville, though he was able to lead a bunch of laps, which is great news for the Lowe’s team. He won the Fall race last year in Texas, and also has the best average finish amongst all drivers at the track. He’s a favorite to win this weekend, but even if he doesn’t, he should still gain a few more positions in the standings.
#11 – Ryan Newman (-3) – Flyin’ Ryan hasn’t competed for a victory since winning the Daytona 500, and he hasn’t posted a top-ten since California. This isn’t likely to be the week that he ends that streak, either. He did finish 5th at Texas in the Fall of last year, but that was the first time he’d recorded a top-ten at the track since he won there back in 2003. This could be the last time Newman has a spot in the Chase field for awhile.
#12 – Clint Bowyer (-3) – Clint’s season started off slow, as he failed to get a top-fifteen finish through the first three races. Since then, though, he’s been solid. He’s currently riding the streak of three top-ten’s and feeling the momentum of the Childress crowd. He’s been about middle-of-the-pack at Texas, so it should be interesting to see what this weekend brings for the 07 team.
*Reminder – Sleeper Pick cannot be anyone currently in the top-15 in points or anyone who made the Chase field last year. Steer Clear of pick must be a driver currently in the top-15
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