NASCAR Driver Rankings & Championship Odds- Michigan

Michigan International Speedway -- 06/15/08

Author: Jeremy Dunn

Published: Monday Jun 16 2008 1:43pm

Finally, the 76-race winless streak is history. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finally crossed the finish in the lead at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Kyle Busch settled for a thirteenth place finish.

1. (1) 18-Kyle Busch: 7-2 Sprint cup Championship Odds

Kyle Busch encountered another difficult three-for-one weekend. In the Craftsman Truck Series race, Busch spun out Ron Hornaday, prompting a confrontation following the race as Hornaday and truck owner Kevin Harvick had some choice words for Busch. In the Nationwide Series event in Kentucky, Busch was running second when he lost control of the car and hit the wall. In the Sprint Cup race, he spent most of the afternoon in the top five, but his car lost the handling late the race, and fuel strategy relegated him to a thirteenth place finish. Busch is still the Sprint Cup championship leader, as he owns a 32 point lead over Jeff Burton.

After fifteen races, Kyle Busch has four wins, nine top five finishes, and ten top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 108.7.

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

Does anyone else find it ironic that Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s winless streak ended at 76, which is the exact number of career wins for his fatherΔ The myriads of Earnhardt, Jr. fans were thrilled to see their favorite driver end the agonizing losing streak. It was Earnhardt, Jr.’s eighteenth career victory, and first at Michigan. Earnhardt, Jr. did not have the fastest car, but he spent the majority of the afternoon around or in the top five. He was able to conserve enough fuel to hold on for the win. It was only the second win for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008. He is third in the Sprint Cup standings, 84 points behind Busch.

After fifteen races, Earnhardt, Jr. has a win, seven top five finishes, and eleven top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 105.5.

3. (2) 99-Carl Edwards: 6-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Has Carl Edwards lost his edge on the intermediate tracksΔ He did not dominate the race as some may have expected him to, but he had a top five run going for most of the event. In the first quarter of the season, Edwards flat-out dominated tracks like Michigan, but it seems as if other drivers and teams have caught up. Still, Edwards is a threat to win every week. He is fourth in the Sprint Cup standings, 206 points behind Kyle Busch.

After fifteen races, Edwards has three wins, six top five finishes, and eleven top ten finishes. He as a driver rating of 105.2.

4. (5) 48-Jimmie Johnson: 6-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

After leading the most laps, Jimmie Johnson finished sixth, and has yet to win at Michigan. Johnson has continued to prove that the handful of mediocre performances early in the season is far behind him and this team. They continue to solidify their spot in the Chase for the Championship field. He is currently fifth in the championship standings, 254 points behind Kyle Busch.

After fifteen races, Johnson has one victory, four top ten finishes, and seven top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 100.1.

5. (3) 31-Jeff Burton: 15-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

It was a surprisingly disappointing day for Jeff Burton after starting second for the LifeLock 400. Burton, as well as his two other Richard Childress Racing teammates, appeared to be off the pace. Still, Burton managed to bring home a fifteenth place finish, which by the way, is his worst finish of the year. Burton is second in the Sprint Cup standings, but performance-wise, he is way behind Busch, Earnhardt, Jr., and Edwards.

After fifteen races, Burton has one win, four top five finishes, and ten top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 93.4.

6. (6) 11-Denny Hamlin: 10-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Denny Hamlin was nearly undetectable at Michigan as he quickly faded after the green flag. They just seemed to miss the setup. Hamlin had a respectable fourteenth finish, but the performance was off the mark. Hamlin’s strength is the shorter tracks, but with as much horsepower as Joe Gibbs Racing has produced, he should have been more of a factor. He is currently sixth in the championship standings, 287 points behind Kyle Busch.

After fifteen races, Hamlin has one victory, five top five finishes, and eight top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 95.9.

7. (8) 9-Kasey Kahne: 10-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Fuel mileage played a huge role in Kasey Kahne’s second place finish, as he continues his summer surge through the standings. He spent most of the day near the bottom half of the top ten, and eventually faded out of the top ten. The team topped off for fuel with some forty laps to go, and he salvaged a second place finish. His third top five in four races now jumps him up to seventh in the Sprint Cup standings, 135 points ahead of thirteenth place David Ragan.

After fifteen races, Kahne has two victories, three top five finishes, and eight top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 88.8.

8. (7) 16-Greg Biffle: 10-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Last month, mechanical woes kept Greg Biffle out of victory lane. This month, pit road blunders have ailed Biffle and the 16 team. At Pocono, NASCAR penalized Biffle for speeding on pit road, and at Michigan, he ran over the air hose while exiting his pit stall. Once again, a potential top five finish tossed out the window. Biffle spent most of the afternoon in the bottom half of the top ten, but he was in the top five when the penalty occurred. He drops to eight in the championship standings, 130 points ahead of thirteenth place David Ragan.

After fifteen races, Biffle has yet to win, but he has posted five top five finishes, and seven top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 94.7.

9. (10) 17-Matt Kenseth: 12-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Reminiscent of the 2005 season, Matt Kenseth is soaring through the Sprint Cup standings. Kenseth was 22nd in the standings a month ago, but he has rapidly closed in on the 12th place cutoff for the Chase for the Championship. He finished third at Michigan, which is his best finish of the 2008 season. He moves up to fourteenth in the Sprint Cup standings, just a mere fourteen points behind 12th place Clint Bowyer.

After fifteen races, Kenseth has yet to win, but he has scored three top five finishes, and nine top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 87.3.

10. (NR) 83-Brian Vickers: 50-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

One of the pleasant surprises of 2008 is Red Bull Racing and their top driver Brian Vickers. Last year, Vickers looked like a fool for leaving the established Hendrick Motorsports for the upstart Red Bull Racing. Now, he is performing better than half of his former team. Vickers scored his second consecutive top five finish, and had one of best cars all afternoon. After starting the race in the 18th position, he quickly made his way into the top five. Vickers moves up to 16th in the Sprint Cup standings, just 97 points behind 12th place Clint Bowyer.

After fifteen races, Vickers is still searching for his first win, but he has three top five finishes, and four top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 78.6.

On the rise: Tony Stewart (8-1 nascar odds), David Ragan (50-1 nascar odds), Elliott Sadler (100-1 nascar odds), Jamie McMurray (50-1 championship nascar odds), and Paul Menard (100-1 nascar odds)

On the decline: Ryan Newman (100-1 nascar odds), Clint Bowyer (40-1 nascar odds), Kurt Busch (50-1 nascar odds), Jeff Gordon (10-1 nascar odds), and Mark Martin (none)