NASCAR Driver Rankings & Odds- All-Star

Lowe's Motor Speedway -- 05/17/08

Author: Jeremy Dunn

Published: Monday May 19 2008 9:21am

1. (1) 18-Kyle Busch: 9-2 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

The engine failure notwithstanding, Kyle Busch had the dominant car on Saturday evening. It would have been interesting to see if he could have beaten Kasey Kahne’s tire strategy if he were still on the racetrack. Fortunately, for Busch, the engine woes occurred in the All-Star race as opposed to a points-paying race. Busch should be one of the favorites to win the Coca Cola 600 next weekend.

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

After winning the second segment of the All-Star race, it appeared as if Carl Edwards was going to be the driver to beat. However, a handling issue presented itself right from the start of the third segment. Edwards quickly faded and was unable to recover in the fourth and final segment. Edwards surprisingly finished tenth in the All-Star event. They seemed to have temporarily lost their 1.5-mile swagger.

3. (3) 88-Dale Earnhardt Jr: 4-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

The four-tire pit strategy failed to pay dividends for Dale Earnhardt Jr in the final segment. He was able to muster up a decent eighth place finish, but he had a faster car than the results show. Still, you had to be impressed with Earnhardt Jr and the 88 team. Once again, they were the fastest of the Hendrick Motorsports group.

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

After slapping the wall early in the event, Jeff Burton was never a factor. In fact, none of the three Richard Childress Racing drivers spent much time near the top ten. Whatever setup they experienced with, throw it away for the Coca Cola 600 next weekend. Burton started near the front, but he just could not hang on. Look for this team to do their homework this week in preparation for the 600-mile marathon next Sunday.

5. (5) 11-Denny Hamlin: 7-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Denny Hamlin was leading in the fourth segment when he discovered that his engine was malfunctioning. Like his teammate Kyle Busch, Hamlin pulled into the garage prematurely, and would not contend for the All-Star victory. Though Hamlin may not have been able to hold on for the vicotry, he would have collected a top five finish. The Joe Gibbs Racing team looked strong, if only their engines could have held up.

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

Jimmie Johnson’s no-tire gamble did not catapult him into victory lane, but it assured this team that track position is crucial. Johnson spent the majority of the evening near the bottom-half of the top ten, so a tire gamble was the only option. As Johnson, and especially Kasey Kahne proved, track position will play a huge role in next weekend’s race.

7. (8) 20-Tony Stewart: 6-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

It was another unusually quiet race for Tony Stewart. The two-time Sprint Cup champion drove another smart race, as he had to come from the back of the pack after an engine change. Perhaps his two younger teammates could have used an engine swap. Stewart steadily worked his way to the front and eventually a top-five finish. The 600-mile race favors Stewart next week based on his All-Star performance.

8. (6) 07-Clint Bowyer: 12-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

After losing to Greg Biffle in the All-Star Burnout competition, many expected Clint Bowyer to perform better than he did in the All-Star race. This type of race suits young drivers who are accustomed to the short features. Bowyer seemed to struggle with the handling right from the drop of the green flag. He quickly dropped from ninth to 21st in a matter of ten laps. This team should perform better in the Coca Cola 600.

9. (9) 29-Kevin Harvick: 18-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

It simply was not a memorable night for Richard Childress Racing. Kevin Harvick’s eleventh place finish was the best of the RCR trio. The defending winner of the race never made his way to the front as many anticipated. It will be interesting to see how the RCR organization responds to the less than stellar All-Star showing.

10. ( - ) 16-Greg Biffle: 30-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Greg Biffle nearly locked himself into the All-Star race until 2018. After winning the inaugural burnout contenst, Biffle seemed to have the second fastest car behind Kyle Busch. When Busch’s engine expired, Biffle was supposed to take over as the dominant car. He pulled away in the third segment, which was supposed to set up a fourth segment domination; however, no one expected Kasey Kahne to pull away after taking no tires. Biffle was as surprised as anyone. His second place finish gives this team some momentum following their depressing 43rd place finish at Darlington.

On the rise- Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth, and Sam Hornish Jr

On the decline- Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, and Casey Mears