Contenders and Pretenders

      Anybody ready to crown the 2011 Sprint Cup Champion?  I hope not.  While there is no one driver that is the stand out to win it all, there is one thing that is apparent, this may well be one of the tightest races in the history of NASCAR.  When the circus roles into Homestead next month, chances are that there will be more than one driver that will be in contention to hoist the Cup at the end of the day.  Heck, there could be a whole gaggle of drivers that think they can take the Cup home that weekend.

      There are a lot of people, motorsports journalists included, that have already coronated King James the Sixth.  Methinks that such a pronouncement, may be just a bit premature.  Sure Jimmie et al have won the championship the last five years, with seasons that resembled this year.  Sure they have run strong in the Chase, basically stinking up the field in Kansas and pulling to within four points of the lead.  Sure Prince Chad still calls the shots from his throne atop the pitbox.  There is one difference this year.  This has been the year that a bunch of other teams finally caught up to the 48.  Yes they are running strong and in championship form, but there are too many are teams out there that have the potential to dethrone them this year.

      The most obvious contenders to dethrone the JJ Express at this point, (it seems to change after every Chase race, which should delight NASCAR fans), is Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick.  Edwards, through some determined driving, turned a disastrous situation at Kansas into an excellent points day, snatching the lead from Harvick by one point.  The 99 team has had the most consistent finishes of any of the contenders in the Chase.  Harvick has been spectacularly unspectacular all season.  Not a lot of flash, but a whole lot of results.  He has been at or the top of the standings all season.  His sixth place finish at Kansas was just enough to keep him in the super elites of the Chasers.

      Two of the hottest racers in the Chase have been Brad Kesolowski and Matt Kenseth.  Being eleven and twelve points, respectively, out of the lead, either one could play the part of the spoiler, and walk out of Victory Lane as the Champion in Homestead.  For as much as the 29 has been unspectacular, Kesolowski has been ultra-spectacular the last two months.  Had he broken his leg a little earlier in the year, he could well be walking away with the points lead.  Kenseth has been a low flying rocket lately, pretty much flying under everyone’s radar.  His fourth place finish last week has cemented his place as a serious championship threat.  Oh yeah, this week they’re running at one of those mile-and-half tracks that the Roush Fenway Fords just really seem to love.

      At the outer reaches of contention are Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch.  Needing to gain four points a race on first place over the next six races, which is a very attainable goal, they are the final Chasers with a real chance of winning the Cup.  In order for either to be the 2011 Champion, they would have to go on a tear and finish the season mistake free.  This would be a tall order for most teams, but both of theses drivers have proven in the past that they are more than capable of pulling this off.

      Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon are two drivers that while numerically in contention, they are out of contention.  Busch may be the older of the Busch brothers, but as of late has not been acting the part.  His history of bashing his team in public really hurts his chances of being champion.  After all, it is a team sport, remember.  At only sixteen points back, Busch should be right in the thick of the Chase, not trying to patch up his relationship with his team.  The rumors, this week, of Steve Addington leaving surely do not help the situation.  Gordon on the other hand, has conceded defeat, stating in a NASCAR.com interview that the Chase is a three man race between Johnson, Edwards, and Harvick.  As long as Gordon thinks he is out of contention, no miracle in the world will be big enough to help him finish as the Champion.

      NASCAR hit a home run with the new points system.  That, with the race teams being so equal, are making this one of the most exciting Sprint Cup seasons ever.  The Chase could very well arrive in Homestead with no clear-cut favorite to be the Champion.  With Talladega looming next week, and the new asphalt at Phoenix, an already tight points race, may get even tighter.

Kwestion 4 Kyle:

Tie..RT @ArmChairPitBox: @kylepetty What will be a bigger crapshoot, plate racing in 'Dega, or new asphalt at Phoenix?

We Got Us A Race

      Holy Shmoley!!!  What a Chase this has been.  In three weeks time what was up is down and what was down is up, and things in the middle are just kind of strewn around.

      While none of the Chasers are mathematically eliminated, only the top nine have a realistic chance of hoisting the Cup come November.  Nineteen point separate first and ninth.  With seven races remaining, that is a paltry sum that can quickly be overcome.

      They say that the cream will rise to the top, and no where was this more evident than at Dover.  Seven of the top nine chase contenders finished in the top ten, with Kurt Busch leading the way for the win.  At nine points out, Busch is now tied for third place with Tony Stewart, who as he himself anticipated, had a less than spectacular day finishing 25^th.

      At the top of the heap and tied no less are Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards.  Edwards had a good weekend at Dover, dominating the Nationwide race on Saturday, and finishing third on Sunday.  Harvick just continued on in an efficiently style, doing what he had to do to stay on top by finishing tenth.

      From here on out, no one can have a bad day.  Even a mediocre day could cost a driver the championship.  Perfection is the plan on race day.  No mistakes, and capitalizing on other chase drivers miscues will be the trademarks of this year’s champion.

      Who’s it going to be?  Beats me, I don’t have a nine sided coin, but it sure is going to be fun to watch.

      This week, congratulations goes out to Ron Hornaday, for holding off a hard charging Austin Dillon at the Kentucky NCWTS race, and winning his 50^th truck race.  Chalk one up for the old guys.

Kwestion 4 Kyle:

All of them...RT @ArmChairPitBox: @kylepetty What are your favorite tracks for racing, reporting, and spectating?