NASCAR Rankings and Championship odds- Richmond

Richmond International Raceway -- 05/2/2009

Author: Jeremy Dunn

Published: Tuesday May 5 2009 9:22am

After starting the race in the second position, Jeff Gordon quickly grabbed the lead from pole sitter Brian Vickers. Gordon led for a total of 96 laps before fading to an eighth place finish. Gordon had a decent performance, but when it counted, he did not have a race winning car. He did, however, reclaim the top spot in the Sprint Cup championship standings.

After ten races, Gordon has one win, five top five finishes, and seven top ten finishes. He leads the Sprint Cup championship standings by ten points over Kurt Busch. He leads the Sprint Cup Series with a driver rating of 109.6, and an average running position of 9.004.

Quote: “He’s (Kyle Busch) the guy to beat. We started (the race) so good, and I really thought we were going to have something for them...but it wasn’t the case.”

2. (2) 2-Kurt Busch: 13-2- Sprint Cup championship odds

After qualifying in the seventeenth position, Kurt Busch quickly worked his way into the top three before leading eight laps. After losing track position due to pit strategy, Kurt Busch was unable to work his way back to the front. In fact, he lost ground on the final green flag run when several drivers behind him pitted for fresh tires.

After ten races, Kurt Busch has one win, three top five finishes, and six top ten finishes. He is second in the Sprint Cup championship standings, ten points behind Jeff Gordon. He has a driver rating of 103.7, and an average running position of 9.093.

Quote: “We were a solid top five car with the Miller Lite Dodge until we messed with the track bar during a stop with just over 100 laps to go.”

3. (4) 14-Tony Stewart: 7-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

It was yet another impressive performance from Tony Stewart and his Stewart Haas Racing operation. Stewart started the race in the sixteenth position, and lingered around the bottom half of the top ten. With some fifty laps remaining in the race, Stewart pitted for four fresh tires, and rapidly maneuvered his way through the traffic en route to his second place finish. He simply did not have enough time to run down Kyle Busch.

After ten races, Stewart has yet to win, but he has scored four top five finishes, and seven top ten finishes. He is third in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 39 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has a driver rating of 99.8, and an average running position of 10.811.

Quote: “I can’t wait to get to the shop Monday and see the smiles on the guy’s faces. That’s payoff for me.”

4. (5) 18-Kyle Busch: 9-2 Sprint Cup championship odds

It was another victory for Kyle Busch after winning not only the Sprint Cup race, but the Nationwide Series event as well. Busch qualified fourteenth, and seemed to consistently have a fifth or sixth place car. However, he was quick on the restarts, and after passing Jeff Gordon late in the race, there was no turning back for Busch, who now owns fifteen career wins. Busch, now 24 years old, became the second driver to win on his birthday.

After ten races, Kyle Busch leads the Sprint Cup series with three wins. He also has four top five finishes, and four top ten finishes. He is fifth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 127 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has a driver rating of 106.0, and an average running position of 11.868.

Quote: “The Combos Toyota wasn’t great, but it was good enough to matter most when we needed to win here…I hope the team enjoys it (the win) as much as I do.”

5. (3) 48-Jimmie Johnson: 4-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Jimmie Johnson’s feast or famine results at Richmond continued. After qualifying in the fifteenth position, Johnson made his way into the top ten before brake issues marred his evening. Johnson was penalized for a pit road violation before the bottom fell out. He ended up finishing in the 36th position, his worst finish of the 2009 Sprint Cup campaign.

After ten races, Johnson has one win, four top five finishes, and six top ten finishes. He is sixth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 151 points behind his teammate Jeff Gordon. He has a driver rating of 101.2, and an average running position of 10.001.

Quote: “We had a brake problem with the left front and lost some laps trying to get the brakes back on the car, and then I got caught up in a wreck.”

6. (6) 11-Denny Hamlin: 15-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

For the second year in a row at Richmond, Denny Hamlin seemingly had the car to beat, only to watch someone else celebrate in victory lane. Hamlin led a race-high 148 laps before fading to a middling fourteenth place finish. Clearly, no driver left the Richmond International Raceway as peeved as the Chesterfield native. Hamlin hopes to rebound this weekend at Darlington.

After ten races, Hamlin has scored two top five finishes, and four top ten finishes. He is fourth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 120 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has a driver rating of 103.0, and an average running position of 9.082.

7. (7) 99-Carl Edwards: 15-2 Sprint Cup championship odds

Carl Edwards underwent another disappointing finish at Richmond. He finished in the 26th position after qualifying in the 37th position. Edwards had to rally from a lap down, and used pit strategy to get to the front. Unfortunately, he could not keep pace with the leaders. Edwards’ sluggish start to the season is rather surprising, and we expected things to turn around by now.

After ten races, Edwards has scored one top five finish, and four top ten finishes. He is ninth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 237 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has a driver rating of 90.7, and an average running position of 13.238.

8. (10) 31-Jeff Burton: 40-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

After his little run-in with Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Burton’s car seemed to fly. Prior to the incident, he was mired in mid-pack. After pitting for four fresh tires, Burton quickly made his way to the front in the final fifty laps. He ended up finishing in the third position, his best finish of the 2009 season.

After ten races, Burton has scored two top five finishes, and five top ten finishes. He is seventh in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 184 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has a driver rating of 84.9, and an average running position of 15.482.

Quote: “You know (Dale Earnhardt) Junior and I got together and after that, my car took off. We got into the wall, and I don’t know what happened to make it better.”

9. (NR) 39-Ryan Newman: 40-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Ryan Newman scored back to back top ten finishes for the first time since October of 2007. Newman led 45 laps en route to his fourth place finish. After a faltering start to the season, Newman and his Stewart Haas Racing team have emerged as a solid threat to qualify for the Chase for the Championship.

After ten races, Newman owns two top five finishes, and four top ten finishes. He is tenth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 243 points behind Jeff Gordon and 42 points ahead of thirteenth place David Reutimann. He has a driver rating of 78.3, and an average running position of 18.661.

Quote: “I told the guys if we keep doing this, we’ll get what we want, and obviously we want to be in Victory Lane.”

10. (8) 16-Greg Biffe: 18-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

The Roush Fenway Racing organization is struggling to find their balance on the short tracks. Other than Jamie McMurray’s seventh place finish, it was a nondescript race for the Roush Fenway Racing group, including Greg Biffle, who rallied from an accident to finish in the seventeenth position.

After ten races, Biffle has three top five finishes, and five top ten finishes. He is eleventh in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 248 points behind Jeff Gordon, and 37 points ahead of thirteenth placed David Reutimann. He has a driver rating of 86.9, and an average running position of 16.174.

On the rise: Mark Martin (16-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), Sam Hornish Jr, Jamie McMurray (150-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), Casey Mears (150-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), and Juan Pablo Montoya (125-1 Sprint Cup championship odds)

On the decine: Kevin Harvick (60-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), Kasey Kahne (66-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), Dale Earnhardt Jr (30-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), David Reutimann (100-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), and David Stremme

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