NASCAR Driver Rankings & Championship Odds- Dover

Dover International Speedway -- 06/01/08

Author: Jeremy Dunn

Published: Monday Jun 2 2008 2:48pm

Kyle Busch wins his fourth race of the 2008 Sprint Cup season by dominating the second half of the race. Greg Biffle led most of the first half of the race, 164 laps to be exact, before alternator issues set him back. A huge pileup collected a bevy of big name drivers such as Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, and Denny Hamlin. It was a flashback to the 1980’s as only six cars finished on the lead lap.

In Nationwide Series race, the much over-hyped debut of Joey Logano captivated high interest. Logano finished sixth in his debut race- glad that is out of the way. Now, the kid needs to go earn his glory.

1. (1) 18-Kyle Busch: 3-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

In convincing fashion, Kyle Busch made Dover International Raceway his playground, much to the dismay of the fans. Reviled by many, Busch continues to take care of business. He capitalized on Greg Biffle’s misfortune and fast pit stops by his crew, and simply pulled away from Carl Edwards to win by over five seconds. He led 158 of the 400 laps paced around the Monster Mile. It was his Sprint Cup series-high fourth victory of the season, and he has opened up a 142-point lead over Jeff Burton in the championship standings.

In addition to his four wins, Kyle Busch has scored nine top five finishes, and ten top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 115.2.

2. (3) 99-Carl Edwards: 5-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Carl Edwards led 64 laps in his second place effort on Sunday. He was unable to slice through lap traffic in the closing laps as swiftly as Kyle Busch, therefore, Busch pulled away. It was another solid day for Edwards and the entire Roush Fenway Racing contingent. In addition to the top five finishes of Edwards, Biffle, and Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray finished tenth and David Ragan finished fifteenth. Edwards jumped up to fourth in the Sprint Cup championship standings.

He has three wins, six top five finishes, and nine top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 103.9.

3. (4) 31-Jeff Burton: 15-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

For the first time in 2008, Jeff Burton failed to finish on the lead lap. Despite that fact, he finished in the eighth position. Burton’s season is unspectacular, but he is in the mix because he evades disaster and is always running at the completion of each race. After qualifying 38th on Friday, he completed his signature rally and finished in the top ten. Burton maintains his second position in the championship standings.

Burton has one victory (at Bristol), three top five finishes, and nine top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 94.4.

4. (2) 88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: 5-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

It is difficult to gage how Dale Earnhardt, Jr. would have performed if not for the lap 16 pileup, which involved at least ten cars. After qualifying 25th, Earnhardt, Jr. had cracked the top 20 and was on his way to the front. Unfortunately, he was unable to avoid the carnage. The damage to Earnhardt, Jr’s car forced him to the pits for repairs, and he settled for a 35th place finish. However, he maintained the third position in the championship standings.

Earnhardt, Jr. has yet to win, but he has produced five top five finishes, and nine top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 105.0, second only to Kyle Busch.

5. (8) 16-Greg Biffle: 10-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Three years ago, Greg Biffle did what Kyle Busch is doing in 2008. Like Busch, he won his fourth race of the year at Dover, and appeared unstoppable. Biffle won two additional races in 2005, and finishes second in the championship standings, which is his best year to date. He is starting to look like the same driver that led the Sprint Cup series in victories in 2005. Including the All-Star race, it was Biffle’s third consecutive top three finish. He jumps up six spots in the championship standings, and it currently fifth.

He has five top five finishes, seven top ten finishes, and a driver rating of 95.0. Biffle is still searching for that first win of the season.

6. (7) 48-Jimmie Johnson: 6-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Jimmie Johnson and the 48 team bounced back from their 39th place finish at Charlotte to score a top ten at Dover. Although his seventh place finish was uneventful, this team showed resilience as they had to battle back from a pit road speeding penalty. This team seems to be a sixth or seventh place team at this juncture of the season. Expect them to improve throughout the summer months. He is seventh in the Sprint Cup standings.

Johnson has one victory (at Phoenix), four top five finishes, and five top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 96.5.

7. (10) 24-Jeff Gordon: 8-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

It is rare that a driver finishes fifth, barely on the lead lap. That is exactly the case with Jeff Gordon on Sunday at Dover. Gordon was solid throughout the afternoon, though he never seemed to have a race-winning car. Nevertheless, this team seems to be solid on the shorter tracks, and struggle at the speedways. The race at Pocono next weekend will be an accurate test for Gordon and company. He moves up to sixth in the standings.

Gordon has yet to win a race in 2007, but he has scored six top five finishes, and nine top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 95.5.

8. (5) 11-Denny Hamlin: 10-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Denny Hamlin was quickly moving toward the front when it appeared as if his break pedal stopped working. Hamlin quickly approached the pileup, and was unable to slow down in time. It seemed to be a gaffe by his spotter. Other drivers were able to slow down, and some even came to a complete stop. Hamlin finished 43rd at Dover, and looks to recover with a victory at Pocono, the site of his first Cup victory. He drops to ninth in the Sprint Cup standings.

Hamlin has one victory (Martinsville), four top five finishes, and seven top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 95.5.

9. (6) 20-Tony Stewart: 6-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

The dark cloud continues to trail Tony Stewart. He seems to be taking it all in stride, however. Stewart is not accustomed to sub par finishes, and he has some favorable tracks on the schedule such as Michigan, Infineon, and Daytona. With his 41st place finish, Stewart drops to eleventh in the championship standings.

He has four top five finishes, six top ten finishes, and a driver rating of 90.7. He is still searching for his first victory of the season.

10. (NR) 17-Matt Kenseth: 15-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Matt Kenseth scored his third consecutive top ten finish, and he is fast approaching the cutoff for the Chase for the Championship. After his fourth place finish, Kenseth moves up to 16th in the standings, just 95 points behind Kasey Kahne, who is currently in the twelfth position.

Kenseth has two top five finishes, seven top ten finishes, and a driver rating of 82.9.

On the rise: Martin Truex, Jr. (40-1), Dave Blaney (100-1), Travis Kvapil (100-1), Jamie McMurray (100-1), and Brian Vickers (100-1)

On the decline: Kevin Harvick (30-1), Clint Bowyer (20-1), Kasey Kahne (30-1), Elliott Sadler, and Kurt Busch (50-1)