NASCAR Driver Rankings & Championship Odds- Atlanta

Atlanta Motor Speedway -- 10/26/08

Author: Jeremy Dunn

Published: Monday Oct 27 2008 12:51pm

1. (1) 48-Jimmie Johnson: 1-40 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Once again, Jimmie Johnson and his team expanded the gap to second place in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings. The fat lady has yet to sing, but she is indeed warming up her vocal cords. It is probably too exigent of a task for Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle to overcome Johnson’s increasing points lead unless Johnson has a Kyle Busch-like collapse. At Atlanta, Johnson sat on the pole, thanks to Mother Nature, and led 28 laps before a pit road penalty dropped him a lap off the pace. Nevertheless, the 48 team rallied, and when the final caution waved with just over ten laps to go, the opted for four fresh tires. The moved from 11th and second in just eight laps. Johnson is 183 points ahead of Edwards in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings.

After 33 races, Johnson has six wins, fourteen top five finishes, and 21 top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 107.2, which is best among all Sprint Cup drivers.

2. (3) 99-Carl Edwards: 8-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Carl Edwards won the race, but gained little ground on Jimmie Johnson in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings. Johnson finished in the second position, and lost only 15 points to Edwards. After starting the race in the fourth position, Edwards quickly worked his way into the second position before he approached Johnson. He led 98 laps en route to his seventh win of the 2008 season. He passed Denny Hamlin with 16 laps to go following a restart, and held on for the victory. He moves up to second in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, but is a distant 183 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 33 races, Edwards has seven wins, sixteen top five finishes, and 24 top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 106.5.

3. (2) 16-Greg Biffle: 8-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Greg Biffle was full of confidence as he entered the Pep Boys 500 at Atlanta. However, his weekend results fell far below his expectations. Biffle was a legitimate favorite to win at Atlanta on Sunday, but he and his team had difficulties ailing the ill-handling Ford Fusion. At one point in the race, Biffle was a lap down, but he rallied to finish in the tenth position. He led one lap under caution in order to collect bonus points. Overall, considering the performances of Johnson and Edwards, it was a disappointing showing for Biffle and the 16 team. He drops to third in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, 185 points behind Johnson.

After 33 races, Biffle has two wins, eleven top five finishes, and sixteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 93.4.

4. (4) 31-Jeff Burton: 30-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

After winning at Lowe’s Motor Speedway two weekends ago, conventional wisdom would have led you to believe that Jeff Burton would be a force to be reckoned with at Atlanta. Unfortunately, that was far from the case. Burton never seemed to have a handle on his car, and he fell off the lead lap midway through the 500-mile event. Late in the race, he was involved in a multi-car incident triggered when he got into the back of Dave Blaney. Despite the damage, Burton salvaged an 18th place finish, but he lost quite a bit of ground in the championship chase. He is now 218 points behind Johnson in the championship nascar standings.

After 33 races, Burton has two wins, seven top five finishes, and seventeen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 90.4.

5. (5) 29-Kevin Harvick: 200-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Kevin Harvick placed thirteenth in the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta, which means that he is still searching for that elusive first win of the 2008 Sprint Cup campaign. Harvick ran in the top ten for much of the day; however, he was shuffled back due to pit strategy on the last two cautions. He has three more opportunities left to avoid his second winless season in the five years. The race in Phoenix in two weeks is likely his best shot. Harvick is fifth in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, 307 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 33 races, Harvick has six top five finishes, and sixteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 89.9.

6. (7) 24-Jeff Gordon: 200-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

For a while, it appeared as if Jeff Gordon might vie for his first victory in 2008. His car seemed to fade late in the runs, and pit strategy dropped him back to ninth when the checkered flag waved. Gordon has displayed an abundance of improvement on the intermediate speedways as the season has progressed, so this bodes well for the 2009 season. Nonetheless, his fans yearn for a win, and the clock is ticking as the 2008 season draws to a conclusion. Gordon moves up to sixth in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, 312 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 33 races, Jeff Gordon has eleven top five finishes, and seventeen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 96.5.

7. (6) 07-Clint Bowyer: 200-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

It was a unremarkable afternoon for Clint Bowyer, who ended the day with a 20th place finish. Bowyer, like his teammate Jeff Burton, fought handling issues for most of the race. Unfortunately, they never found a comfortable balance within the car. Bowyer spent most of the race battling for the lucky dog position. He hopes to turn things around at Texas next week. He fell from fifth to seventh in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, and now trails Jimmie Johnson by 314 points.

After 33 races, Bowyer has one win, five top five finishes, and fifteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 81.6.

8. (10) 11-Denny Hamlin: 500-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

It had to be piercing feeling for Denny Hamlin as Carl Edwards jumped passed him on the outside on the restart with 16 laps to go. Hamlin had led the previous 56 laps, and appeared well on his way to his second win of the season. After Johnson took four tires on the final pit stop, Hamlin faded to third before the checkered flag waved. As heartbreaking as the defeat was for Hamlin, it was a positive outing for the 11 team since they tend to struggle at the 1.5-mile venues. Hamlin should have another solid weekend at Texas. He is eleventh in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, 425 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 33 races, Hamlin has one win, eleven top five finishes, and seventeen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 94.4.

9. (NR) 17-Matt Kenseth: 500-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Judging from his performance at Atlanta on Sunday, Matt Kenseth may win one of the next three races, likely at Texas or Homestead. He led a race-high 128 laps en route to his fourth place finish. Usually, when Kenseth dominates a race as he did at Atlanta, he closes the deal with a win. It did not happen on Sunday, but Kenseth will emerge as a solid bet next week at Texas. He is ninth in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, 413 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 33 races, Kenseth has nine top five finishes, and nineteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 88.7.

10. (NR) 18-Kyle Busch: 500-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds

Kyle Busch scored his second top five in three races with his fifth place showing at Atlanta. Busch did not have a race-winning car, but it was a solid day for the former championship favorite turned also-ran. He is still twelfth in the Sprint Cup championship nascar standings, 465 points behind Jimmie Johnson.

After 33 races, Kyle Busch has a series-high eight wins, seventeen top five finishes, and nineteen top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 104.7.

On the rise: Kurt Busch, Jamie McMurray, David Ragan, Casey Mears, and A.J. Allmendinger

On the decline: Tony Stewart (500-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (300-1 Sprint Cup Championship Odds), Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, and Brian Vickers