NASCAR Driver Rankings & Championship Odds- Charlotte

Lowe's Motor Speedway -- 10/11/08

Author: Jeremy Dunn

Published: Monday Oct 13 2008 1:46pm

1. (1) 48-Jimmie Johnson: 4-7 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

The good news for Jimmie Johnson is that he gained points on his two Roush Fenway Racing rivals, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle; however, the bad news is he lost a bundle of points to Richard Childress Racing’s Jeff Burton. Johnson led a race-high 67 laps, but his car faltered down the stretch. In the final 30 laps, Johnson went from nascar racing for the lead, to barely holding on to a sixth place finish. He was clearly frustrated after the race, but considering the luck opposing championship chasers have encountered (see Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.), he is building up some debt with the ‘luck bank’. He leads Jeff Burton by 69 points in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings.

After 31 races, Johnson has won five races, scored twelve top five finishes, and nineteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 105.8, which is best among Sprint Cup drivers. Kyle Busch has the same driver rating.

2. (2) 16-Greg Biffle: 5-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

For a moment, it appeared as if things were falling into place for Greg Biffle to capture his third win in five races. However, like Johnson, his handling issues surfaced on the final run of the 500-mile event. Biffle led 16 laps en route to his seventh place finish, but he lost ground to Johnson in the process. In fact, with Johnson leading the most laps, Biffle surrendered nine points, and every point counts. He is currently third in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, 86 points behind Johnson.

After 31 races, Biffle has two wins, eleven top five finishes, and fifteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 93.7.

3. (4) 31-Jeff Burton: 5-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Okay, where did this come fromΔ Just a couple of weeks ago, Jeff Burton was not even in the championship contending radar, now he is the driver gaining on Jimmie Johnson. Burton has quietly put together a string of solid finishes leading up to his win at Charlotte on Saturday night. Following his victory, Burton has scored a top ten finish in each of the last six races. Throughout the evening, Burton remained close to the top five, but his car peaked late in the race when he opted for no tires on the final pit stop. He led 58 laps en route to his second victory of the season. Burton is 69 points behind Jimmie Johnson in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings.

After 31 races, Jeff Burton has two wins, seven top five finishes, and seven top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 91.1.

4. (3) 99-Carl Edwards: 11-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

It was a rough week for Carl Edwards, both on the track and off. On Thursday, he and fellow championship chaser Kevin Harvick engaged in a heated conversation, which led to Edwards grabbing Harvick, Harvick shoving Edwards, and then Edwards putting his hands on Harvick’s throat in choke formation. The two supposedly patched things up, that remains to be seen; however, Edwards’ race at Charlotte was catastrophic to say the least. He had a loose wheel early in the race and lost a lap. Laps later, he had electrical issues that dropped him sixteen laps off the pace. He ended the evening in the 33rd position, and his championship chances are dwindling. He is currently fourth in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, 168 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 31 races, Edwards has six wins, fourteen top five finishes, and a series-high 22 top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 104.9.

5. (5) 29-Kevin Harvick: 100-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Kevin Harvick made the headlines this weekend at Charlotte, but not for the reasons he intended. As mentioned earlier, he and Carl Edwards had a physical confrontation on Thursday. On the racetrack, Harvick did not get the result he wanted. While his Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton won his second race of 2008, Harvick finished 13th, and is still searching for his first win in 2008. He lost several positions early in the race, as his balance was off, but he gradually improved as the race progressed. He was unable to crack the top ten on a non-restrictor plate track since Indianapolis in July. He is sixth in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, 207 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 31 races, Harvick has six top five finishes, and fifteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 89.5.

6. (7) 20-Tony Stewart: 50-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

In the first segment of the 500-mile race, Tony Stewart had the car to beat. As the track conditions changed, Stewart and his 20 team had difficulties adjusting the car properly. Eventually, Stewart would fade back towards the bottom half of the top ten. After leading 42 laps, Stewart finished the race in the eleventh position, far below their expectations. His performance was solid, but the finish does not quite reflect that. He is currently seventh in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, 228 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 31 races, Stewart has one victory, ten top five finishes, and fifteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 94.4.

7. (6) 07-Clint Bowyer: 50-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

It was a nondescript evening for Clint Bowyer, who at times, had a top five car. In the end, he was unable to hold on to a top ten finish, as he placed twelfth. Still, Bowyer had a respectable race. If he intends to make a late run at Jimmie Johnson, he must hit his stride, similar to how Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle have stepped up over the past month. He is currently fifth in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, 185 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 31 races, Bowyer has one win, five top five finishes, and fourteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 81.6.

8. (8) 18-Kyle Busch: 100-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

For the first time since Bristol in August, Kyle Busch placed a top five finish. He led fourteen laps en route to his fourth place finish. Busch is trying to salvage what has been a rollercoaster of a season. His performance was stout at Charlotte, and he spent most of the day in the top five. He simply did not have a car that could contend for the win late in the race, but he was solid. He moves up to ninth in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, 326 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 31 races, Kyle Busch has eight wins, sixteen top five finishes, and eighteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 105.8.

9. (NR) 24-Jeff Gordon: 50-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Are things finally starting to fall into place for Jeff GordonΔ Throughout the season, Gordon has struggled on tracks such as Charlotte, but if this past weekend, and Kansas two weeks ago are any indication, they might have things figured out. Gordon smacked the wall twice in the first four laps; therefore, he lost a lap in the pits. He was able to fight back and lead 47 laps before fading to an eighth place finish. Obviously, he would prefer a victory, but with his performance picking up on the 1.5-mile tracks, he is looking forward to the upcoming races at Texas, Atlanta, and Homestead. He is eighth in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, 245 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 31 races, Jeff Gordon has yet to win, but he has posted ten top five finishes, and fifteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 95.2.

10. (9) 17-Matt Kenseth: 200-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Matt Kenseth’s night seemed to go sour as soon as the green flag waved. His car was off-balance, and he was caught up in a scary crash with fellow Ford driver Travis Kvapil. Kenseth did not finish the race, and NASCAR credited with a 41st place finish. Overall, there were few positives for Kenseth this weekend. He is currently eleventh in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, 360 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 31 races, Kenseth has yet to win, but he has scored eight top five finishes, seventeen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 87.6.

One the rise: Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Kurt Busch, David Ragan, and Mark Martin

On the decline: Dale Earnhardt, Jr (200-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds), Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, David Reutimann, and Juan Pablo Montoya