Script: /JayJayDean/blog/cat/general/page/4
Owner:
Subdir: jayjaydean
    Starter

    Why research comes in handy

    Saturday, September 13, 2008, 02:36 PM EST [General]

    ESPN.com is running a fantastic series call Ancient Chaseology, where they went through the seasons from 1975-2003 to see what impact the Chase format would have had on the championship.  Unfortunately (IMO) they minimized the amount of time they spent looking at the actual seasons.  (This makes sense because as NASCAR's broadcast partner it wouldn't exactly be smart business to show NASCAR in a poor light.)  It did get me curious to see how their final "Chase-d up" standings looked with the actual ones.

    Now, for the purposes of this comparison it's important to note that the point of the Chase was to put drama in the last race of the season.  Therefore, really a 100-point difference isn't a whole lot different than a 400-pont difference, because there is very little chance a driver is going to make up a 100-point difference in the final race (it's mever happened).  For example, in 1975 Richard Petty won the Winston Cup by 722 points, while using the scoring reset from the Chase he won by over 200 points, anyway.  That's not really doing what NASCAR wanted with the Chase when the last race of the season is irrelevant, is it?  That gets a "same".


         ACTUAL  CHASE
    1975   -722   -219   SAME
    1976   -195   -125   SAME
    1977   -386   -179   SAME
    1978   -474    -55   BETTER

    NASCAR gets their first "better" here.  Cale Yarborough had a 173-point reduced to ten points over Darrell Waltrip at the start of the Chase.  Cale won five races to take the championship, while DW won only one but had nine top-fives in ten races to finish second.  Bobby Allison won three Chase races to finish third by 81 points, he finished second in reality, almost 500 points behind Yarborough.

    1979    -11    -13   SAME
    1980    -19    -14   SAME
    1981    -53   -153   WORSE
    1982    -72   -202   WORSE
    1983    -47    -24   SAME
    1984    -65    -25   SAME

    People, this is SIX years in a row of finishes that came down to the last race.  No Chase necessary here, right?  Not only that, two of these years were made MUCH worse by the Chase, with DW winning five Chase races in 1981 (including four in a row) and 1982.

    1985   -101    -62   BETTER
    1986   -288   -129   SAME
    1987   -489    -41   BETTER

    I struggled to give NASCAR a "better" in 1985, but at least at 60 points there is more hope that at 101 points.  Dale Earnhardt's 1987 gets a lot closer when Bill Elliott wins three of the last four races, only to come up short in the Chase a la Jimmie Johnson in 2004.

    1988    -24    -65   SAME
    1989    -12    -97   WORSE
    1990    -26   -114   WORSE
    1991   -195   -162   SAME
    1992    -10    -79   WORSE
    1993    -80   -234   WORSE

    Five times in six years NASCAR's championship is separated by 80 points, including four by 26 or less.  Note that in all those seasons the Chase would have made the gap to second WIDER.

    1994   -444   -156   SAME
    1995    -34   -106   WORSE
    1996    -37    -69   SAME
    1997    -14   -104   WORSE
    1998   -364   -329   SAME
    1999   -201   -119   SAME

    I'm starting to question how far back NASCAR went with these numbers...

    2000   -265    -79   BETTER
    2001   -349    -12   BETTER
    2002    -38    -64   SAME
    2003    -90    -48   BETTER

    Oh.

    All-in-all, I came up with three "better"-s before 2000.  THREE!  Did anyone - you know - LOOK at this stuff before creating the Chase?  I know the last four championships have been pretty close, but every year from 1979 to 1984 had a close championship finish, and the same thing happened eight times from 1988 to 1997.

    I think the biggest indictment of the obvious lack of thought NASCAR put into the Chase is this stat.

    FINISHES SEPARATED BY 100 POINTS OR MORE (1975-1999)
    No Chase:  11
    With Chase:  14

    Um - HELLO?!  That's MORE wide finishes, not less!  I mean, how long would it have taken to figure THAT out?  I got six better Chase seasons than actual seasons out of 29.  And NINE worse ones.  So, I think we can safely dispel any myth that NASCAR created a method more likely to get a close championship than they had in place already.  (What I would give to see Kyle Busch win the championship by 329 points THIS year.)

    I give NASCAR due credit where they've earned it on the Chase.  Richmond and the races leading up to it seem a LOT more important than they used to be.  People are more in tune with the top-15 or so drivers duirng the season than they used to, IMO.  Those are GOOD things.

    However, NASCAR hasn't had a driver lose the championship in the last race since 1992.  Before that it had only happened ONCE before - in 1979.  The common denominator through all those seasons has been the general points system used from race-to-race.  Maybe NASCAR should have considered THAT before they decided the Chase was the way to try to guarantee close championship finishes?

    0 (0 Ratings)

    A note from your friends at AT&T

    Thursday, August 14, 2008, 08:00 AM EST [General]

    Although I am an AT&T customer, I'm posting this e-mail I received for a couple of different reasons.

    1.  I was curious to see if anyone else got it - though I suspect I'm in the minority since my e-mail is in my "about me" sidebar.

    2.  Although it is possible every e-mail she sends starts out that way, I was very impressed that she at least acknowledged that this would look kind of weird on my blog.  Very nice, I thought - much better that your typical spam.

    (This is unedited.)

    Hi Jay Jay-

    Might be too consumer focused for your blog - but could be a nice bit of info for your readers. NASCAR fans can now be part of the action without being at the track, thanks to AT&T. Race fans can now watch live video coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the Sprint Cup Series on their mobile phones using ESPN's Mobile TV.

    Upcoming races include (all times Eastern on ESPN Mobile TV):

    0 (0 Ratings)

    JJD's updated points standings after Watkins Glen

    Monday, August 11, 2008, 06:51 PM EST [General]

    Dear ESPN commentator guys,

    You generally do a swell job.  Honestly.  I mean it.  DJ is a HUGE improvement over Rusty Wallace - maybe the biggest upgrade in NASCAR since Kyle Busch replaced J.J. Yeley.  Love all of the pit lane reporters.  AB does a great job, especially since he's dealing with Mutt and Jeff in the studio spot.

    Having said all that - WHAT was with you guys Sunday?  Specifically, why didn't ONE person on the ENTIRE broadcast, see fit to mention that, in reality, what happened to Dale Earnhardt Jr. WASN'T SO BAD?  Do you realize that there was ONE place for Junior to finish that would have made his Sunday REALLY matter?  (That would be FIRST-place, btw.)  Junior is basically IN the Chase - it's time for him to go checkers-or-wreckers, baby!  Is there NO ONE on TV who gets that?

    I mean, *I* get it.  Junior and Tony Eury Jr. seemed to get it based on their strategy.  They were going for the WIN.  Period.  You guys seemed to get that when Jimmie Johnson was in the Nationwide race Saturday.  Where was that thinking Sunday?  Does NASCAR muzzle you guys so you won't write-off the top few drivers?  What's the deal?  It's not like it's a BAD thing - you could have revisited the point when Kyle Busch was trying to hold off Tony Stewart - Tony needed the POINTS because he was ninth in the standings, but Kyle needed the WIN because that's all that matters for him until the Chase.

    Of course, since you didn't *visit* the point, I suppose *revisiting* it was impossible, then.

    Head-scratchingly yours,
    JJD

    SPRINT CUP (DRIVERS)

    Rank                         Points   LW

     1 Kyle Busch                   263    1
     2 Carl Edwards                 204    2
     3 Jimmie Johnson               174    3
     4 Dale Earnhardt Jr.           147    4
     5 Tony Stewart                 135    7
     6 Denny Hamlin                 128    6
     7 Jeff Gordon                  126    5
     8 Kasey Kahne                  114    8
     9 Greg Biffle                  108    9
    10 Matt Kenseth                 107   10
    11 Jeff Burton                  106   10
    12 Clint Bowyer                  96   12
    13 Kevin Harvick                 87   13
    14 Kurt Busch                    66   16
    15 David Ragan                   65   14
    16 Ryan Newman                   64   15
    17 Martin Truex Jr.              62   18
       Brian Vickers                 62   17
    19 Mark Martin                   50   19
    20 Elliott Sadler                45   20

    Last week, I casually mentioned that the Woo Brothers had finally led a lap in 2008, scoring their first JJD point of the season.  Well, that must have made them hungry for more, because incredibly Marcos Ambrose finished third in the Wood Brothers Ford Sunday.  It was a parity-filled finishing order, with nine teams in the top-eleven finishing spots.  Only Joe Gibbs Racing, with their cars finishing 1-2-8, broke through with a good day across the board.

    Also, A.J. Allemndinger finished 11th to put his #84 Red Bull Toyota into the top-35 for the first time, an incredible accomplishment given how difficult it is to get out of GOGH-land.

    SPRINT CUP (TEAMS)
    Rank                           Points
     1 Joe Gibbs Racing               378
     2 Hendrick Motorsports           313
     3 Roush Fenway Racing            286
     4 Richard Childress Racing       200
     5 Gillett Evernham Motorsports   136
     6 Penske Racing                  113
     7 Dale Earnhardt Inc.            107
     8 Red Bull Racing Team            68
     9 Chip Ganassi Racing             66
    10 Yates Racing                    49
    11 Michael Waltrip Racing          28
    12 Robby Gordon Motorsports        18
    13 Hall of Fame Racing             15
       Wood Brothers Racing            15
    15 Petty Enterprises               13
       Bill Davis Racing               13
    17 Haas CNC Racing                  5
    18 Furniture Row Racing             2
    19 Front Row Motorsports            1
       No Fear Racing                   1

    It's kind of funny that Marcos Ambrose finally got his first Nationwide Series win at the Glen, since he had fairly dominated two races at Montreal only to lose victory on both occasions.  Marcos pitted five laps later than Jeff Burton and Jimmie Johnson, who both ran out of fuel clearing the way for Marcos to nab that elusive victory.

    For those of you keeping track, that puts Ambrose in company with Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, and Scott Wimmer as Nationwide-only drivers (though Ambrose does have those two pesky Cup starts) to win in 2008.  And we need to change the series, why, exactly?

    Also, Kyle Busch got into a car that had never seen the track for a team making their series debut Saturday.  Naturally, he finished second, extending his JJD points lead.

    NATIONWIDE SERIES

    Rank                         Points   LW

     1 Kyle Busch                   249    1
     2 Clint Bowyer                 189    2
     3 Carl Edwards                 166    3
     4 Brad Keselowski              156    4
     5 Denny Hamlin                 143    5
     6 Tony Stewart                 124    6
     7 David Reutimann              114    7
     8 Kevin Harvick                105   10
     9 David Ragan                  100    9
    10 David Stremme                 98    8
    11 Scott Wimmer                  91   11
    12 Mike Bliss                    80   12
    13 Joey Logano                   77   13
    14 Marcos Ambrose                71   18
    15 Jason Leffler                 66   15
    16 Dale Earnhardt Jr.            64   14
    17 Greg Biffle                   57   16
    18 Jeff Burton                   54   17
    19 Brian Vickers                 47   19
       Matt Kenseth                  47   23

    Kudos to Carl Edwards, btw.  If you had to take someone out of the race Saturday, Clint Bowyer was as good as anyone.  Anything to tighten up the points-race.

    NATIONWIDE SERIES (TEAMS)
    Rank  Car#  Owner                         Points

     1    20    Joe Gibbs Racing                 305
                Drivers:  T. Stewart (8 starts), J. Logano (8), D. Hamlin (5), Ky. Busch (3)

     2     2    Richard Childress Racing         189
                Driver:  C. Bowyer (24 starts)
     3    18    Joe Gibbs Racing                 171
                Driver:  Ky. Busch (10 starts), D. Hamlin (1)
     4
       60    Roush Fenway Racing              166
                Driver:  C. Edwards (24 starts)

     5    88    JR Motorsports                   156
                Driver:  B. Keselowski (24 starts)

     6    29    Richard Childress Racing         145
                Drivers:  S. Wimmer (14 starts), J. Burton (10)
     7    33    Kevin Harvick Inc.               133
                Drivers:  K. Harvick (15 starts), C. Gale (7), R. Hornaday (2)
     8     5    JR Motorsports                   124
                Drivers: 
    L. Cassill (11 starts), D. Earnhardt Jr. (7), M. Martin (2), M. Truex Jr. (1), A. Fernandez (1),
                          J. Johnson (1), R. Fellows (1)

     9    32    Braun Racing                     118
                Drivers:  Ky. Busch (7 starts), D. Hamlin (6)
    , J. Buescher (5), B. Vickers (4), M. Jourdain (1),                       J. Villeneuve (1)
    10    99    Michael Waltrip Racing           114
                Driver:  D. Reutimann (24 starts)
    11     6    Roush Fenway Racing              100
                Driver:  D. Ragan (24 starts)
          64   
    Rusty Wallace Inc.               100
                Driver:  D. Stremme (21 starts), M. Papis (3)

    13    16    Roush Fenway Racing               87
                Drivers:  G. Biffle (10 starts),
    C. Braun (5), J. McMurray (3)
    14     9    Gillett Evernham Motorsports      80
                Drivers:  K. Kahne (8 starts)
    ,
    C. Miller (8), P. Carpentier (6), E. Sadler (2)
    15    59    JTG Racing                        71
                Driver:  M. Ambrose (24 starts)


    NATIONWIDE SERIES POINTS RESET ELIMINATING SPRINT CUP RACE WINNERS
    Rank                         Points

     1 Brad Keselowski             3743
     2 David Ragan                 3626
     3 David Reutimann             3589
     4 Mike Bliss                  3480
     5 Mike Wallace                3249
     6 Jason Leffler               3213
     7 Marcos Ambrose              3176
     8 Jason Keller                3136
     9 Steve Wallace               3049
    10 David Stremme               2990
    11 Kelly Bires                 2908
    12 Bobby Hamilton Jr.          2849
    13 Brad Coleman                2728
    14 Kenny Wallace               2586
    15 Scott Wimmer                2296

    OFFICIAL JACK INGRAM CUP PRESENTED BY JJD STANDINGS
    Rank                         Points

     1 Brad Keselowski              272
     2 David Ragan                  234
     3 David Reutimann              231
     4 Mike Bliss                   190
     5 David Stremme                176
     6 Scott Wimmer                 151
     7 Jason Leffler                134
     8 Marcos Ambrose               112
     9 Joey Logano                  104
    10 Mike Wallace                  98
    11 Jason Keller                  95
    12 Steve Wallace                 85
    13 Kelly Bires                   78
    14 Dario Franchitti              73
    15 Bobby Hamilton Jr.            66

    There was a Craftsman Truck Series race Saturday at Nashville?  Why would NASCAR put a Truck Series race the same day as a Nationwide race?  How am I supposed to remember that?  Johnny Benson won, making it three-in-a-row and extending his JJD points lead over Ron Hornaday, who finished fifth.

    CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
    Rank                         Points   LW

     1 Johnny Benson                178    1
     2 Ron Hornaday                 165    2
     3 Matt Crafton                 125    3
     4 Todd Bodine                  116    5
     5 Erik Darnell                 113    6
     6 Kyle Busch                   109    4
     7 Jack Sprague                  84    8
     8 Mike Skinner                  83    7
     9 David Starr                   72    9
    10 Rick Crawford                 66   10

    While Toyotas won two of the three races this weekend, Ford had a surprisingly good all-around weekend themselves, with Marcos Ambrose finishing first and third and Erik Darnell finishing second in the Truck race.  In fact, it was a pretty parity-filled weekend (paritous?), as even Dodge put a finisher in the top-seven all weekend.

    MANUFACTURERS
    Rank                         Points   LW

     1 Toyota                      1142    1
     2 Chevrolet                   1007    2
     3 Ford                         810    3
     4 Dodge                        452    4
    0 (0 Ratings)

    Is this year's Race to the Chase better?

    Friday, August 8, 2008, 08:49 AM EST [General]

    I got a comment on my post the other day to the effect of "finally we have a good Race to the Chase", and I thought, really? I felt like I remembered all of the Richmond races having SOME level of drama, and we've had big-time drivers miss the Chase nearly every year. This year's Race to the Chase SEEMS really close, but is it any closer than in previous years? I thought I'd break it down.

    Note: I think Jeff Gordon is IN the Chase, and he is 166 points above 12th-place right now, so I'm making the cut-off for Chase spots that appeared to be clinched at 150 points above the cut-off for that season.

    2004 - after 21 races
    Chase spots "clinched": 6 out of 10
    Drivers <150 points ABOVE the cut-off: 4
    Drivers <150 points BELOW the cut-off: 5


    The first Chase for the Nextel Cup. Nobody really knew going in what to expect, including NASCAR, who had that silly 400-point cut-off built as though it was even possible. (Over the last five seasons, being 400 points behind the leader would put you no worse than NINTH in the standings with five races to go.) At this point, there was major star-power locked into the Chase, with Jimmie Johnson (seeking his first title), Jeff Gordon (looking for #5 and coming off Indy win #4), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (in his finest season), Tony Stewart (the '02 champ), and Matt Kenseth (the defending champ) in the top-five in the standings. Elliott Sadler, fresh off a third-place run at the Brickyard, was sixth in points and 163 points clear of 11th.

    Behind those six guys was a real dogfight. Kurt Busch was seventh in points, 104 ahead of rookie Kasey Kahne in 11th. Between them were Bobby Labonte driving a Joe Gibbs Chevrolet, Kevin Harvick, and Ryan Newman in the last Chase spot. Right behind Kasey (and I mean RIGHT behind) was his Evernham Motorsports teammate, Jeremy Mayfield, just one point back. 1999 series champion Dale Jarrett was 55 points out of the Chase in his Robert Yates Racing Ford, and he had just finished second at the Brickyard. Jamie McMurray was 109 points out of the Chase in his Ganassi Dodge, and Mark Martin sat 15th, 123 points out of the Chase.

    2005 - after 21 races
    Chase spots "clinched":
    6 out of 10
    Drivers <150 points ABOVE the cut-off: 4
    Drivers <150 points BELOW the cut-off: 4


    After 2004's extremely close fight to make the Chase, 2005 brought a different sort of wild lead-up to Richmond. A couple of familiar names were atop the standings - Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson, but Greg Biffle's breakout season had him in third-place, and Rusty Wallace had a rebound year that saw him move from 17th in the standings after Indy '04 to fourth in '05. Kurt Busch was well-positioned to defend his '04 title from fifth-place, and Mark Martin was sixth.

    The next group of drivers was an interesting mix of younger drivers and veterans. Ryan Newman was seventh, followed by Jeremy Mayfield, Dale Jarrett, and Carl Edwards, who was in his first full season for Roush Racing. The guys trying to get from the outside-in were led by Jamie McMurray in 11th, Elliott Sadler in 12th, and Kevin Harvick in 13th.

    However, none of the drivers I've mentioned were the REAL story of the RttC '05. Notice who I HAVEN'T mentioned yet? Jeff Gordon was mired in 14th in points, 87 behind Edwards, but he was in MUCH better shape than Matt Kenseth, who was 158 points out of the Chase. And if Kenseth barely had a pulse, what did that say for Dale Earnhardt Jr., himself 23 points behind Kenseth?

    2006 - after 21 races
    Chase spots "clinched":
    5 out of 10
    Drivers <150 points ABOVE the cut-off: 5
    Drivers <150 points BELOW the cut-off: 2


    I should put an asterisk of something by the "clinched" drivers for 2006. Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth were WAY out in front in points, but third-place Jeff Burton was only 174 points above 11th, and Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick were tied for fourth, 158 points above 11th. Behind them were five drivers separated by 100 points - Mark Martin, rookie Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gordon and Junior were trying to make the Chase after failing to qualify in 2005, and Stewart found himself just 44 points above the cut-off to make the Chase while trying to defend his 2005 championship.

    They were not lacking for talented drivers trying to Chase them down, either. Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle, each trying to make their second Chase, were 11th and 12th in points, with Kasey only 37 points behind Junior for 10th. However, there were no other drivers within shouting distance of the Chase - Kurt Busch was next in 13th, 164 points back, and Carl Edwards was 14th, out by 232 points.

    Of course, we all remember what happened - Kasey finished third at Richmond and knocked Tony out of the Chase. In response to seeing Gordon, Junior, and Smoke all miss the Chase in a two-year span, NASCAR expanded the Chase to twelve drivers, and in response to Tony's three race wins during the Chase, NASCAR changed the seeding in the Chase as well.

    2007 - after 21 races
    Chase spots "clinched": 10 out of 12
    Drivers <150 points ABOVE the cut-off: 2
    Drivers <150 points BELOW the cut-off: 2


    Last year's RttC? Not an all-timer, let's just put it that way. Jeff Gordon was out in front by a country-mile (366 points!) and the top group of drivers had pulled away, leaving essentially a three-man race for two Chase spots. The only redeeming thing about the '07 RttC was that the third guy in line was Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose repeated expired motors placed him 13th in points after Pocono, seven behind Kurt Busch and 45 points behind his Dale Earnhardt Inc.-teammate Martin Truex Jr. Junior's pending move from DEI made it more interesting, but it didn't make the competition any better and ultimately, and fittingly, Junior's motor blew up again at Richmond, putting Bowyer and Busch in the Chase.

    2008 - after 21 races
    Chase spots "clinched": 6 out of 12
    Drivers <150 points ABOVE the cut-off: 6
    Drivers <150 points BELOW the cut-off: 2


    The 2008 RttC at this point most closely resembles the 2006 version, with six drivers bunched tightly above the cut-line and only two drivers really within striking distance. None of the drivers currently in the top-12 would be in their first Chase if they qualify, so it is a fairly veteran group. Tony Stewart is in ninth, just as he was with five races remaining in 2006 when he (cue ominous music) missed the Chase. Matt Kenseth is 13th, 11 points out of the Chase in his bid to join Jimmie Johnson as the only drivers to qualify for all five Chases. And David Ragan is 14th, quietly lurking only 56 points out of the Chase. Drivers have come from further back to make the Chase twice, and Ragan has put together a very Clint Bowyer-in-'07-ish season, with only four top-five finishes and seven top-tens, but only two DNFs.

    I guess after looking at it, I'd say we're not looking at the BEST Race to the Chase EVER or anything, but at least we seem to have some serious potential for drama over the next five weeks. Of course, after the nearly foregone conclusion of last season, it was going to be hard NOT to improve the Race to the Chase in 2008.
    0 (0 Ratings)

    JJD's updated points standings after Pocono

    Wednesday, August 6, 2008, 06:47 PM EST [General]

    The second Pocono weekend has finally come-and-gone - man, that race is interminably long.  I realize the track owners are looking to make as much money as possible, but with both races so close and rain delays seemingly every year, they REALLY should make those races 400 miles long.  Count me in with everyone who is thinking that way.

    With five races remaining until the Chase for the Sprint Cup, it looks like eight drivers are battling for six spots.  The standings 1-14 are as follows:

     1  Kyle Busch               3059
     2  Dale Earnhardt, Jr.   2883   -176
     3  Carl Edwards            2874   -185
     4  Jimmie Johnson        2859   -200
     5  Jeff Burton               2833   -226
     6  Jeff Gordon              2678   -381
     7  Kasey Kahne            2592   -467
     8  Greg Biffle               2589   -470
     9  Tony Stewart           2569   -490
    10  Denny Hamlin         2547   -512
    11  Kevin Harvick          2520   -539
    12  Clint Bowyer            2512   -547
    13  Matt Kenseth           2501   -558
    14  David Ragan           2466   -593


    The top-5 drivers are most certainly IN the Chase, and I'm reasonable sure Jeff Gordon is not going to lose his 177-point cushion over 13th-place.  What is interesting is looking at where the eight battling drivers are in point over the last five races.

     7  Kasey Kahne    2592   -467  Last 5 races:  634 points (6th)
     8  Greg Biffle        2589   -470  Last 5 races:  570 points (14th)

     9  Tony Stewart    2569   -490
      Last 5 races:  661 points (3rd)
    10  Denny Hamlin  2547   -512  Last 5 races:  539 points (16th)
    11  Kevin Harvick   2520   -539  Last 5 races:  630 points (7th)
    12  Clint Bowyer    2512   -547  Last 5 races:  588 points (12th)
    13  Matt Kenseth    2501   -558  Last 5 races:  609 points (11th)
    14  David Ragan    2466   -593  Last 5 races:  621 points (10th)

    ALL of those drivers have been VERY close, with none slumping too badly.  What that means is while you would tend to follow the drivers up-front - check to see if any of these eight guys experience misfortune and end up near the back.  One 40th-place finish could be enough to knock a driver out of the Chase.

    Incidentally, a guy who should be REALLY hacked off is Martin Truex Jr.  Without the 150-point penalty he would be 52 points behind David Ragan, and he has scored the eighth-most points over the last five races, so he would be poised to capitalize on misfortune instead of 17th in points.

    In JJD points news, Carl Edwards has finished second and first the last two weeks, and with Kyle Busch's two subpar results (15th at Indy and a bad-luck 36th at Pocono) he has closed right up on Busch.  Kyle and Carl each have a series-leading eight top-two finishes in 2008.  (Jimmie Johnson is next with five top-twos, and Kasey Kahne is the only other driver with more than two.)

    SPRINT CUP (DRIVERS)

    Rank                         Points   LW

     1 Kyle Busch                   240    1
     2 Carl Edwards                 200    2
     3 Jimmie Johnson               167    3
     4 Dale Earnhardt Jr.           146    4
     5 Jeff Gordon                  126    5
     6 Denny Hamlin                 123    5
     7 Tony Stewart                 118   11
     8 Kasey Kahne                  114    7
     9 Greg Biffle                  108    7
    10 Jeff Burton                  106    9
       Matt Kenseth                 106   10
    12 Clint Bowyer                  96   12
    13 Kevin Harvick                 79   13
    14 David Ragan                   65   17
    15 Ryan Newman                   64   14
    16 Kurt Busch                    63   15
    17 Brian Vickers                 62   15
    18 Martin Truex Jr.              52   18
    19 Mark Martin                   50   20
    20 Elliott Sadler                45   19

    JGR continues to lead the owners points as Hendrick and Roush continue to chase.  The last two weeks have seen top-three finishes of HMS-RFR-JGR at Indy and RFR-JRG-HMS at Pocono.  And - a big shout-out goes out to the Wood Brothers, who scored their first JJD point of the season when Bill Elliott led lap 170 Sunday.

    SPRINT CUP (TEAMS)
    Rank                           Points
     1 Joe Gibbs Racing               355
     2 Hendrick Motorsports           306
     3 Roush Fenway Racing            282
     4 Richard Childress Racing       192
     5 Gillett Evernham Motorsports   136
     6 Penske Racing                  110
     7 Dale Earnhardt Inc.             97
     8 Red Bull Racing Team            66
     9 Yates Racing                    49
    10 Chip Ganassi Racing             47
    11 Michael Waltrip Racing          28
    12 Robby Gordon Motorsports        18
    13 Hall of Fame Racing             15
    14 Petty Enterprises               13
       Bill Davis Racing               13
    16 Haas CNC Racing                  5
    17 Furniture Row Racing             2
    18 Front Row Motorsports            1
       No Fear Racing                   1
       Wood Brothers Racing             1

    I thought Saturday's Montreal Nationwide race was equal parts cool and ridiculous.  If you KNOW there might be rain, and you are going to allow rain tires, have the cars pit and make the adjustments and GO BACK RACING!  There didn't NEED to be a three-minute caution, let alone a nearly one-hour delay!  The teams that practiced prepping their cars for rain racing would have had the advantage coming out of the pits - as they should have.  Guys would have found a racing line around the big puddles if necessary, too.  The whole thing smacked of the seats-of-our-pants-thinking that NASCAR does that drives me crazy.

    However, Ron Fellows winning in Canada?  Cool.  Same with the overall experience of watching a rain race.  Now, just put some REAL headlights in the cars next time (like ALMS cars) and have a REAL rain race.

    NATIONWIDE SERIES

    Rank                         Points   LW

     1 Kyle Busch                   232    1
     2 Clint Bowyer                 189    2
     3 Carl Edwards                 166    3
     4 Brad Keselowski              148    4
     5 Denny Hamlin                 143    5
     6 Tony Stewart                 124    6
     7 David Reutimann              113    7
     8 David Stremme                 98    8
     9 David Ragan                   96    9
    10 Kevin Harvick                 93   10
    11 Scott Wimmer                  91   11
    12 Mike Bliss                    80   12
    13 Joey Logano                   71   13
    14 Dale Earnhardt Jr.            64   14
    15 Jason Leffler                 60   15
    16 Greg Biffle                   57   16
    17 Jeff Burton                   51   17
    18 Marcos Ambrose                50   21
    19 Brian Vickers                 47   18
    20 Mike Wallace                  46   19

    Despite Joey Logano's unfortunate crash at the race's end Saturday, the 20 team continues to be way out in front.  Interestingly for this week's race at the Glen, we'll get to see Kyle Busch in probably the worst car he's driven all season (at least on paper) - the #92 D'Hondt Motorsports Camry making its maiden appearance of 2008.  Kyle's win at ORP (less 15 or so HP, as you know), amazingly bumped the part-time #18 Camry up to third in the JJD owners standings.

    Random aside:  I wonder why Jack Roush doesn't run a full season with three cars?  He's got the #60 and the #6 full-time, but he's got the #16 in 18 races and the #17 in 8 so far in 2008.  I don't think the world would end if Matt Kenseth drive the #16 or Greg Biffle the #17 (Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin drive the #20 and we survive OK).  Seems like Roush is just sacrificing some spots in the owners standings for no reason.  The #16 is 23rd and they would probably be sniffing the top-10 if they were a full-time team.  Jack must get a lot of cheddar to have the #17 out there sometimes when the #16 is parked.

    NATIONWIDE SERIES (TEAMS)
    Rank  Car#  Owner                         Points

     1    20    Joe Gibbs Racing                 299
                Drivers:  T. Stewart (8 starts), J. Logano (7), D. Hamlin (5), Ky. Busch (3)

     2     2    Richard Childress Racing         189
                Driver:  C. Bowyer (23 starts)
     3    18    Joe Gibbs Racing                 171
                Driver:  Ky. Busch (10 starts), D. Hamlin (1)
     4
       60    Roush Fenway Racing              166
                Driver:  C. Edwards (23 starts)

     5    88    JR Motorsports                   148
                Driver:  B. Keselowski (23 starts)

     6    29    Richard Childress Racing         142
                Drivers:  S. Wimmer (14 starts), S. Wimmer (9)
     7     5    JR Motorsports                   124
                Drivers: 
    L. Cassill (11 starts), D. Earnhardt Jr. (6), M. Martin (2), M. Truex Jr. (1), A. Fernandez (1),
                          J. Johnson (1), R. Fellows (1)

     8    33    Kevin Harvick Inc.               121
                Drivers:  K. Harvick (14 starts), C. Gale (7), R. Hornaday (2)

     9    32    Braun Racing                     118
                Drivers:  Ky. Busch (7 starts), D. Hamlin (5)
    , J. Buescher (5), B. Vickers (4), M. Jourdain (1),                       J. Villeneuve (1)
    10    99    Michael Waltrip Racing           113
                Driver:  D. Reutimann (23 starts)
    11    64   
    Rusty Wallace Inc.                98
                Driver:  D. Stremme (21 starts), M. Papis (2)

    12     6    Roush Fenway Racing               96
                Driver:  D. Ragan (23 starts)

    13    16    Roush Fenway Racing               87
                Drivers:  G. Biffle (10 starts),
    C. Braun (5), J. McMurray (3)
    14     9    Gillett Evernham Motorsports      80
                Drivers:  K. Kahne (8 starts)
    ,
    C. Miller (8), P. Carpentier (5), E. Sadler (2)
    15     1    Phoenix Racing                    62
                Drivers:  M. Bliss (17 starts), J. Sauter (5), S. Marlin (1)


    NATIONWIDE SERIES POINTS RESET ELIMINATING SPRINT CUP RACE WINNERS
    Rank                         Points

     1 Brad Keselowski             3578
     2 David Ragan                 3476
     3 David Reutimann             3450
     4 Mike Bliss                  3342
     5 Mike Wallace                3125
     6 Jason Leffler               3053
     7 Jason Keller                3036
     8 David Stremme               2990
     9 Marcos Ambrose              2986
    10 Steve Wallace               2943
    11 Kelly Bires                 2781
    12 Bobby Hamilton Jr.          2719
    13 Brad Coleman                2582
    14 Kenny Wallace               2468
    15 Scott Wimmer                2296

    OFFICIAL JACK INGRAM CUP PRESENTED BY JJD STANDINGS
    Rank                         Points

     1 Brad Keselowski              258
     2 David Reutimann              227
     3 David Ragan                  226
     4 Mike Bliss                   186
     5 David Stremme                176
     6 Scott Wimmer                 151
     7 Jason Leffler                123
     8 Mike Wallace                  98
     9 Jason Keller                  95
    10 Joey Logano                   92
    11 Marcos Ambrose                91
    12 Steve Wallace                 85
    13 Kelly Bires                   77
    14 Bobby Hamilton Jr.            64
    15 Dario Franchitti              53

    Johnny Benson and Ron Hornaday continue their death struggle in the Craftsman Truck Series, finishing 1-2 last week at ORP.  Benson's win ties Hornaday for the series lead with three in 2008.

    CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
    Rank                         Points   LW

     1 Johnny Benson                157    1
     2 Ron Hornaday                 154    2
     3 Matt Crafton                 123    3
     4 Kyle Busch                   109    4
     5 Todd Bodine                   98    5
     6 Erik Darnell                  96    6
     7 Mike Skinner                  83    7
     8 Jack Sprague                  71    8
     9 David Starr                   68    9
    10 Rick Crawford                 66   10

    Two weeks after the much-ballyhooed horsepower reduction of Toyota's Nationwide engine, the results have been inconclusive at best.  Kyle Busch won immediately at ORP, but no Toyota finished higher than 15th in the wacky Montreal event.  However, Jacques Villeneuve and Joey Logano were among the leaders before accidents on the final lap cost them good finishes.

    MANUFACTURERS
    Rank                         Points   LW

     1 Toyota                      1079    1
     2 Chevrolet                    968    2
     3 Ford                         758    3
     4 Dodge                        420    4
    0 (0 Ratings)