NASCAR Driver Rankings & Championship Odds- Indianapolis

Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- 07/27/08

Author: Jeremy Dunn

Published: Tuesday Jul 29 2008 7:51am

1. (1) 18-Kyle Busch: 11-8 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

The 2008 All State 400 at the Brickyard was bizarre, and not only because of the outlandish tire catastrophe. It was strange in the fact that Kyle Busch did not contend for the victory. Busch led fourteen laps, and spent some time in the top five, but he did not have a car capable of winning the race. That is only the second or third time that has been the case to my recollection. He ended the afternoon with a middling 15th place finish. Still, Kyle Busch is NASCAR’s top driver in every sense of the word. He should bounce back at Pocono next weekend. Busch is still the Sprint Cup championship leader, as he owns a 253 point lead over Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

After twenty races, Kyle Busch has a series-high seven wins, twelve top five finishes, and thirteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 110.7, which is the highest rating of all Sprint Cup drivers.

2. (2) 48-Jimmie Johnson: 4-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

It is becoming more and more apparent that Jimmie Johnson is the driver that can overtake Kyle Busch for the 2008 Sprint Cup championship. Johnson and the 48 team proved on Sunday why they are still one of the elite teams in NASCAR. They just get the job done. Johnson had the fastest car on the short runs, which was what the drivers dealt with all afternoon; as NASCAR threw a competition caution ever 10 to 12 laps. He held off a hard charging Carl Edwards to win his second race at Indianapolis. Johnson was one of the few drivers that did not encounter tire woes. He moves up to fourth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 315 points behind Kyle Busch.

After twenty races, Johnson has two wins, six top five finishes, and ten top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 102.9, which is second among Sprint Cup drivers.

3. (3) 99-Carl Edwards: 7-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Carl Edwards may have had the faster car on the long runs, but due to the tire issues, a competition cautions was displayed every 10 laps or so. For that reason, Edwards was unable to track down Johnson in the final laps. You could see the discontent on Edwards’ face after he climbed out of his Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Second place is not what he wanted, and he lost a spot in the Sprint Cup standings. Edwards is now fifth in the standings, 320 points behind Kyle Busch.

After twenty races, Edwards has three wins, eight top five finishes, and a series-high fourteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 102.4.

4. (4) 88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: 13-2 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. appeared to have a stout car, but an early pit stop under green cost him a lap, and valuable track position. He rallied to post a decent twelfth place finish, but it was not indicative of how fast his car was. On one occasion, he passed Jeff Gordon and other leaders as he was battling to regain his lap. Earnhardt, Jr.’s results have fallen off a bit since his win at Michigan, while Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have picked up the pace. It will be interesting to see if Earnhardt, Jr. can reclaim some of his early season magic. He is still second in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 253 points behind Kyle Busch.

After twenty races, Dale Earnhardt Jr., has one victory, seven top five finishes, and twelve top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 102.6, which is third overall among Sprint Cup drivers.

5. (6) 31-Jeff Burton: 22-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Jeff Burton and the 31 notched another solid performance. After starting near the back, Burton patiently worked his way towards the front of the pack, and eventually into the top five. He even led ten laps. Between tire conservation and strategy, Burton found himself ninth when the checkered flag waved. He is currently third in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 271 points behind Kyle Busch.

After twenty races, Burton has one win, four top five finishes, and eleven top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 90.4.

6. (7) 24-Jeff Gordon: 9-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

The bad news is that Jeff Gordon is still winless. The good news is that the performance of the 24 team is promising as we edge closer to the 26th race of the season. After qualifying fifth, Gordon arguably had the second or third best car throughout the day. His car handled so well, that he consistently asked for four tires instead of two during the pit stops. Many of his competitors were opting for the two-tire pit stop in order to gain track position. Gordon ended the race where he started, in the fifth position. He should be one of the favorite next weekend at Pocono. He is currently sixth in the Sprint Cup standings, 184 points ahead of thirteenth place driver Kevin Harvick.

After twenty races, Jeff Gordon is still searching for that elusive first win of 2008. However, he has recorded eight top five finishes, and nine top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 96.4.

7. (9) 16-Greg Biffle: 16-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

It was a good effort for Greg Biffle and the 16 team as they posted their second consecutive top ten finish. Throughout the afternoon, Biffle and his team opted for two tires, and every time, they lost the track position they gained. However, Biffle was fast on four tires. Perhaps they should have stuck with the same strategy as Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Overall, it was a strong day for Roush Fenway Racing contingent, with the exception of Matt Kenseth. Jamie McMurray posted a sixth place finish. Greg Biffle is seventh in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 100 points ahead of thirteenth place driver Kevin Harvick.

After twenty races, Biffle is winless, but he has scored six top five finishes, and nine top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 89.9.

8. (5) 17-Matt Kenseth: 14-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

One of the casualties of the Goodyear tire debacle was Matt Kenseth. After moving up to eighth in the Sprint Cup standings, the last thing Kenseth needed was a poor finish. His tire blew early in the race, and he never recovered. The 17 team had to spend sixteen laps in the garage for repairs. Kenseth finished 38th, his worst finish since the race in Richmond over two and half months ago. He drops to eleventh in the Sprint Cup championship standings, only six points ahead of thirteenth place driver Kevin Harvick.

After twenty races, Kenseth has yet to win, but he has posted four top five finishes, and twelve top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 86.4.

9. (NR) 11-Denny Hamlin: 12-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Denny Hamlin proved just how fast his car was in clean air when he pulled away from Jimmie Johnson despite only having two fresh tires. He led 26 laps late in the race, but Johnson and Carl Edwards beat him out of the pits on the final pit stop. Hamlin posted a third place finish, which is exactly what this team needed after they plummeted to twelfth in the standings. His third place showing moves him up to eighth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 97 points ahead of thirteenth place driver Kevin Harvick.

After twenty races, Hamlin has one win, six top five finishes, and ten top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 94.4.

10. (8) 20-Tony Stewart: 14-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

It was a surprisingly quiet day for Tony Stewart after high expectations at one of his best tracks. Stewart dominated the All State 400 at the Brickyard last year, but struggled in mid pack for most of the event this year. After he lambasted Goodyear following the race in Atlanta in March, Stewart was rather serene on the matter at Indianapolis. Stewart is still on the Chase for the Championship bubble, and needs a strong finish at Pocono next week. He is tenth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 39 points ahead of thirteenth place driver Kevin Harvick.

After twenty races, Stewart has yet to win, but he has six top five finishes, and nine top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 94.2.

On the rise: Kasey Kahne (14-1 nascar odds), Elliott Sadler (100-1 nascar odds), Jamie McMurray (100-1 nascar odds), A.J. Allmendinger, and Ryan Newman (100-1 nascar odds)

On the decline: Kevin Harvick (40-1 nascar odds), Kurt Busch (100-1 nascar odds), Martin Truex, Jr. (100-1 nascar odds), Brian Vickers (66-1 nascar odds), and Juan Pablo Montoya (200-1 nascar odds)