NASCAR Driver Rankings & Championship Odds- Texas

Texas Motor Speedway -- 11/02/08

Author: Jeremy Dunn

Published: Monday Nov 3 2008 11:58am

1. (1) 48-Jimmie Johnson: 1-10 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

It is difficult to decipher which was a bigger surprise, Jimmie Johnson’s lull of mediocrity, or Carl Edwards being able to go 63 laps on one tank of fuel. Because of those circumstances, Edwards chopped off a vast portion of Johnson’s lead. Johnson qualified in the seventh position, and began to lose positions immediately. Less than 100 laps into the event, he found himself as low as 31st, one lap down. Chad Knaus made some adjustments, and the car’s performance improved, but there was simply too much ground to make up. Johnson ended the day with a 15th place finish. His lead in the Sprint Cup championship standings, which was 183 prior to the race at Texas, is now 106 points.

After 34 races, Johnson has six wins, fourteen top five finishes, and 21 top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 106.5.

2. (2) 99-Carl Edwards: 6-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Carl Edwards did the only he could do in order to gain ground on Jimmie Johnson. By winning the race and leading the most laps, he scored 195 points, which is the maximum amount of points you can score in a Sprint Cup race. Edwards flat-out dominated the Dickies 500 at Texas by leading 212 of the 334 laps paced. His astonishing fuel mileage strategy added drama to his victory. After qualifying the race in the 16th position, Edwards quickly made his way to the front, which is where he spent much of the day. He shaved 77 points off Johnson’s lead in the Sprint Cup championship standings, as he is 106 points behind heading into Phoenix.

After 34 races, Edwards has eight wins, seventeen top five finishes, and 25 top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 107.7, which leads all Sprint Cup drivers.

3. (3) 16-Greg Biffle: 20-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

It was another fine effort by Greg Biffle and the 16 group at Texas, but they seem to be a step or two behind their Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Carl Edwards. After qualifying 19th, Biffle spent the majority of the afternoon chasing Edwards. He lost some track position while trying to pit under green when he missed the pit road entrance. While he lost ground to Edwards in the championship battle, he gained on Jimmie Johnson. He is third in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 143 points behind Johnson. He was 185 points behind prior to the race.

After 34 races, Biffle has two wins, twelve top five finishes, and seventeen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 94.0.

4. (5) 29-Kevin Harvick:

It was another understated top ten effort for Kevin Harvick and the 29 team. Once again, he did not have a car that could contend for the victory, but he fought his way to a solid seventh place finish. Time is rapidly running out for Harvick to avoid his second winless season of his career. His best remaining opportunity will be next weekend when the Sprint Cup circuit visits Phoenix, Arizona. Harvick is seventh in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 279 points behind Johnson.

After 34 races, he has yet to win, but he has scored six top five finishes, and seventeen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 90.1.

5. (6) 24-Jeff Gordon:

Even though Jeff Gordon’s performance was far below second place, fuel mileage guided him to a runner-up finish, and his career best finish at the Texas Motor Speedway. After winning the pole, Gordon progressively faded, and spent the majority of the afternoon in mid pack. However, with nothing to lose and everything to gain, Gordon opted to stay on the track, hoping Carl Edwards would run out of fuel. Unfortunately, for Gordon and his throng of fans, he is still searching for that elusive first win of the 2008 season, and has only two more opportunities to avoid his first winless season since 1993. He moves up to fifth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 255 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 34 races, Jeff Gordon has twelve top five finishes, and eighteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 96.6.

6. (4) 31-Jeff Burton: 50-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Jeff Burton was hardly a factor in Sunday’s race at Texas. Nevertheless, he managed a respectable 13th place finish after starting the race 38th on the grid. It appears as if Burton’s championship run ended soon after it began with his win at Charlotte. As of now, Burton is racing just to maintain a spot in the top five in the Sprint Cup championship standings. He is currently fourth in the standings, 212 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 34 races, Burton has two wins, seven top five finishes, and seventeen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 89.9.

7. (7) 07-Clint Bowyer:

Clint Bowyer would be the first to admit that qualifying is not his forte, so he had to be a little giddy with his third place qualifying effort at Texas on Friday. Having the preferred track position allowed Bowyer an opportunity to lead some laps early in the race, 36 to be exact. Bowyer was a fixture in the top five for the early part of the race. He faded a bit in the latter stages, but a two-tire pit stop late in the race allowed him to regain some lost track position. It appeared as if the race was going to come down to a duel between him and McMurray, but of course, there was the staggering fuel mileage win by Carl Edwards. Bowyer ended the day in the fourth position. He is sixth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 267 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 34 races, Bowyer has one win, six top five finishes, and sixteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 82.7.

8. (9) 17-Matt Kenseth:

Matt Kenseth finished in the ninth position at Texas, which is about where he spent most of the race. He was unable to repeat his dominating performance at Atlanta, and settled for a top ten finish. Like Harvick and Jeff Gordon, time is running out for Kenseth to score that first win of 2008. He is eighth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 393 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 34 races, Kenseth has nine top five finishes, and twenty top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 89.1.

9. (10) 18-Kyle Busch:

Kyle Busch is not quite where he was from February to August, but he is on his way back up the performance charts. After qualifying in the 29th position, Busch sliced his way through the field and became a fixture in the top five for the second half of the race. Busch’s sixth place finish was his second consecutive top ten finish. He moves up to tenth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 428 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 34 races, Kyle Busch has eight wins, seventeen top five finishes, and twenty top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 104.7.

10. (NR) 26-Jamie McMurray:

If not for some gutsy pit strategy by Bob Osborne and Steve Letarte, Jamie McMurray would be celebrating his first win of the season. It was a strong performance by a team that continues to rapidly improve with each passing week. McMurray should be a factor at Phoenix and Homestead. He qualified in the fourth position, and was among the top four all afternoon. He is 18th in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 600 points behind 13th place driver David Ragan.

After 34 races, McMurray has two top five finishes, and nine top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 74.8.

On the rise: Martin Truex, Jr., David Reutimann, David Ragan, Mark Martin, and Casey Mears

On the decline: Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, and Juan Pablo Montoya