NASCAR Driver Rankings & Championship Odds- Chicago

Chicagoland Speedway -- 07/12/08

Author: Jeremy Dunn

Published: Tuesday Jul 15 2008 12:32pm

1. (1) 18-Kyle Busch: 7-4 Sprint Cup championship nascar odds

Another week, another race, another win for Kyle Busch. With seven wins in the season’s first nineteen races, Busch is on pace to match or perhaps outstrip Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon’s modern era record for 13 wins in a single season. It will be interesting to see how close Busch will come to making history. On Saturday night, Busch led 165 of the 267 laps paced around Chicagoland Speedway. He continues to open up his lead in the championship standings. He now owns a commanding 262-point lead over Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

After nineteen races, Kyle Busch has seven wins, twelve top five finishes, and thirteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 111.2, which leads all Sprint Cup drivers.

2. (4) 48-Jimmie Johnson: 6-1 Sprint Cup championship nascar odds

After Kyle Busch juked him on the final restart, Jimmie Johnson could not mask his frustration. Johnson passed Busch with seventeen laps to go, and appeared to have the faster car. However, Busch was indomitable as he slightly jostled Johnson on the final restart. Johnson is beginning to look like the same driver that won ten races in 2007. As the Chase for the Championship approaches, his recent surge could not come at a better time. He is one of the drivers with the potential to spoil Kyle Busch’s dream season. He is fifth in the Sprint Cup standings, 387 points behind Busch.

After nineteen races, Johnson has one win, five top five finishes, and nine top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 100.5.

3. (2) 99-Carl Edwards: 7-1 Sprint Cup championship nascar odds

Carl Edwards would have been a contender if not for an issue that cause forced him to the pits while the race was under green flag conditions. Edwards lost two laps in the process and ended up with a disappointing 32nd place finish. Edwards led 15 laps before the problem occurred. Other than the below par finish, the performance was impressive for the 99 team. They may be the only team that comes close to Busch and the 18 team in total wins in 2008. He is fourth in the championship standings, 372 points behind Busch.

After nineteen races, Edwards has three wins, seven top five finishes, and thirteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 101.4.

4. (3) 88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: 7-1 Sprint Cup championship nascar odds

Once Dale Earnhardt, Jr. lost track position, he seemed to stay mired back in traffic. Clearly, his car was a handful. After starting second on the grid, Earnhardt, Jr. spent the majority of the early portion of the race among the top five. However, a four-tire pit stop dropped him back into the sub-twenties, and he was never able to recover from the lack of track position. Earnhardt, Jr. finished the LifeLock 400 in the 16th position. He is second in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 262 points behind Kyle Busch.

After nineteen races, Earnhardt, Jr. has one win, seven top five finishes, and twelve top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 103.3, second only to Kyle Busch.

5. (6) 17-Matt Kenseth: 10-1 Sprint Cup championship nascar odds

Matt Kenseth continues his steady climb up the Sprint Cup championship standings. After starting the race in the ninth position, Kenseth quickly began to move towards the front. However, a cut tire forced him into the pits during green flag conditions. Kenseth lost a lap in the process, but rallied back to post a respectable seventh place finish. Rallying back seems to be the story of Kenseth’s 2008 season, as he has climbed up to eighth in the championship standings, 61 points ahead of thirteenth place driver Clint Bowyer.

After nineteen races, Kenseth is still searching for his first win of the season. Nevertheless, he has scored four top five finishes, and twelve top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 87.3.

6. (5) 31-Jeff Burton: 20-1 Sprint Cup championship nascar odds

After scoring top fifteen finishes in each of the season’s first seventeen races, Jeff Burton has possibly encountered a mid-season slump. After his exasperating outing at Daytona, Burton finished 19th at Chicagoland. His car never seemed to handle favorably. His teammate Clint Bowyer seemed to have similar issues. Burton is still NASCAR’s most consistent driver, and it is just a matter of time before they get their program pointed in the right direction. Burton is third in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 291 points behind Kyle Busch.

After nineteen races, Burton has one victory, four top five finishes, and ten top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 89.6.

7. (7) 24-Jeff Gordon: 10-1 Sprint Cup championship nascar odds

While the 24 team is gradually improving on the intermediate tracks, they have yet to prove that they can contend for wins on tracks such as Chicagoland. However, Saturday night’s performance was a step in the right direction for Jeff Gordon and company. He spent most of the evening in the bottom half of the top ten. His eleventh place showing was accurately indicative of how the team performed for much of the race. Gordon seems to be improving at the perfect time as the Sprint Cup series edges closer and closer to the Chase for the Championship. Gordon is sixth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 128 points ahead of thirteenth place driver Clint Bowyer.

After nineteen races, Gordon is surprisingly winless, but he has scored seven top five finishes, and eight top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 95.2.

8. (9) 20-Tony Stewart: 12-1 Sprint Cup championship nascar odds

Most of the news surrounding Tony Stewart is regarding his plans as a team owner at Stewart Haas Racing. However, Stewart enjoyed a solid race at Chicagoland, and there were times throughout the evening when it appeared as if Stewart could win. He finished the race in the fifth position and led 11 laps. Overall, it was a positive weekend for Stewart and the 20 team. He moves up to tenth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 49 points ahead of thirteenth place driver Clint Bowyer.

After nineteen races, Stewart has a doughnut in the win column, but he has scored six top five finishes, and nine top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 94.9.

9. (NR) 16-Greg Biffle: 12-1 Sprint Cup championship nascar odds

After a dismal 43rd place finish at Daytona last weekend, Greg Biffle needed a breakthrough performance. Well, he did not win, but he posted a much-needed fourth place finish. Like Stewart, Biffle flexed some muscle throughout the race, and there were times when it appeared as if he was the driver to beat. Eventually, slow pit stops and track position set him back, but he rallied to finish in the top five for the first time since Dover in June. He moves up to seventh in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 62 points ahead of thirteenth place driver Clint Bowyer.

After nineteen races, Biffle is searching for his first win of the season. He has scored six top five finishes, eight top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 89.7.

10. (NR) 29-Kevin Harvick: 25-1 Sprint Cup championship nascar odds

It seems like an eternity has passed since Kevin Harvick appeared in the top ten charts. Once the green flag waved on Satruday night, Harvick, the driver that won this race in 2001 and 2002, quickly flexed some muscle. He became a fixture in the top five throughout the evening and was within striking distance of the Kyle Busch / Jimmie Johnson battle. Harvick posted a third place finish, which was also his first top ten finish since the race at Richmond two months ago. He jumps up to ninth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 52 points ahead of thirteenth place driver Clint Bowyer.

After nineteen races, Harvick has yet to win, but he has scored three top five finishes, and six top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 88.1.

On the rise: Brian Vickers (50-1), David Ragan (50-1), Martin Truex, Jr. (75-1), A.J.Allmendinger, and Ryan Newman (75-1)

On the decline: Denny Hamlin (15-1), Kurt Busch (100-1), Clint Bowyer (50-1), Kasey Kahne (12-1), and Michael Waltrip