NASCAR Driver Rankings & Championship Odds- New Hampshire

New Hampshire International Speedway -- 06/29/08

Author: Jeremy Dunn

Published: Monday Jun 30 2008 1:14pm

1. (1) 18-Kyle Busch: 5-2 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

It was a surprisingly sluggish day for the Sprint Cup Championship leader at New Hampshire. Kyle Busch qualified 27th, and never posed a threat to the leaders. Busch made his way into the top 15 on several occasions, but the handling was clearly off. Add to the listless performance, Juan Pablo Montoya spun Busch during the final caution. Apparently, the two antagonistic drivers engaged in a heated on-track duel prior to and during the caution. Busch finished 25th and Montoya finished 32nd. He still leads the championship standings by 64 points over Jeff Burton.

After seventeen races, Kyle Busch has five wins, ten top five finishes, and eleven top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 108.7.

2. (2) 99-Carl Edwards: 7-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Like Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and his team simply missed the mark with their setup. Edwards qualified 17th, and many expected him to quickly work his way into the top ten. Consequently, he drifted back. Overall, it was a difficult day for the Ford teams. Edwards was the highest finishing Ford driver, and he finished seventeenth. Hardly a banner day for the blue oval brigade. Edwards is fourth in the championship standings, 234 points behind Kyle Busch.

After seventeen races, Edwards has three wins, six top five finishes, and twelve top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 103.0

3. (3) 88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: 5-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was enjoying a relatively solid day when Jamie McMurray abruptly ran into the back of his Chevrolet. It appeared as if McMurray’s spotter failed to inform his driver that Earnhardt, Jr. had slowed to make a green flag pit stop. Anyway, Earnhardt, Jr. suffered damage to the rear of his car, and he settled for a disappointing 24th place finish. Earnhardt, Jr. qualified fifth, and quickly took the lead early in the race. After leading 29 laps, he began to fade. He is third in the Sprint Cup standings, 144 points behind Kyle Busch.

After seventeen races, Earnhardt, Jr. has one victory, seven top five finishes, and eleven top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 103.7.

4. (4) 48-Jimmie Johnson: 6-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Jimmie Johnson was one of the leaders bitten by the weather conditions. Johnson was running second when he pitted with Tony Stewart and the rest of the leaders. Johnson was tenth on the final restart, but only picked up one position. After qualifying a dismal 23rd, Johnson rapidly worked his way to the front of the pack. Although he never led a lap, he arguably had one of the fastest cars throughout the race. He is fifth in the championship standings, 276 points behind Kyle Busch.

After seventeen races, Johnson has one win, four top five finishes, and eight top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 100.3.

5. (5) 31-Jeff Burton: 15-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Veteran Jeff Burton finished twelfth after qualifying 31st for the LENOX Industrial Tools 301. The LENOX brand happened to be the primary sponsor for Burton, so a victory would have been sweet, but he posted another solid showing. Burton spent much of the afternoon in the top ten. He is second in the Sprint Cup standings, 64 points behind Kyle Busch.

After seventeen races, Burton has one win, four top five finishes, and ten top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 92.9.

6. (7) 11-Denny Hamlin: 12-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

The driver I predicted to win the race finished eighth, but he was first among the leaders that had to pit on lap 274. Denny Hamlin spent most of the afternoon among the top five. It is doubtful that he could have outrun his teammate Tony Stewart, but he had a top five run going. On the final pit stop, Hamlin’s crew opted for fuel only and he restarted the race in ninth. He only moved up one spot, and settled for an eighth place finish. He moves up to seventh in the championship standings, 149 ahead of thirteenth place driver Matt Kenseth.

After seventeen races, Hamlin has one win, five top five finishes, and nine top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 95.2.

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

For the first time in nearly three months, Jeff Gordon looked like he could go out there and win a race. He passed cars, and battled the leaders with the same intensity that carried him through the 2007 season. Unfortunately, he was one of the drivers bitten by the late-afternoon storm. Gordon finished eleventh, but considering his third place finish last week at Sonoma with an eleventh place car, things seemed to even themselves out. Gordon is sixth in the Sprint Cup standings, 325 points behind Kyle Busch.

After seventeen races, Gordon is still winless. However, he has posted seven top five finishes, and eight top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 94.4.

8. (6) 17-Matt Kenseth: 12-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Even though Matt Kenseth dropped out of the top twelve in the championship standings following his eighteenth place finish at New Hampshire, he is still one of the hottest drivers in the Sprint Cup Series. It was an off day for all Roush Fenway Racing drivers, including Kenseth, Edwards, and Greg Biffle. Look for Kenseth to rebound from the middle of the pack finish. He is thirteen in the Sprint Cup standings, fifteen points behind twelfth place driver Kevin Harvick.

After seventeen races, Kenseth has yet to win, but he has scored three top five finishes, and ten top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 85.9.

9. (NR) 20-Tony Stewart: 8-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Chalk it up as another disappointing finish for the two-time champion. Tony Stewart appeared crestfallen after another race slipped through his fingers. Stewart led a race-high 132 laps, and was leading when he pitted on lap 274. Unfortunately, other drivers had enough fuel to go the distance, and Stewart was mired back in traffic on the restart. He finished in the thirteenth position. Stewart’s performance has been impressive, but the finishes have not reflected their effort. He is ninth in the championship standings, 41 points ahead of Matt Kenseth.

After seventeen races, Stewart is winless, but he has posted five top five finishes, and eight top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 93.9.

10. (9) 16-Greg Biffle: 12-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

The race at New Hampshire is a day that Greg Biffle was like to forget. However, he and his team must figure out what ailed them considering that the 1.058-mile oval is the first race in the Chase for the Championship. Biffle, Edwards, and Kenseth could very well qualify for the Chase for the Championship so it is vital for them to figure out what went wrong. Biffle was fifteenth on the starting grid, but he spent most of the afternoon in the sub-twenties. He falls to eighth in the Sprint Cup standings, 118 points ahead of Matt Kenseth.

After seventeen races, Biffle has yet to find victory lane, but he has five top five finishes, and seven top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 91.5.

On the rise: Kurt Busch (80-1), Michael Waltrip, J.J. Yeley, Casey Mears (100-1), and Martin Truex, Jr. (40-1)

On the decline: Kasey Kahne (15-1), Juan Pablo Montoya (100-1), David Ragan, Jamie McMurray (100-1), and Clint Bowyer (35-1)