NASCAR Rankings and Championship Odds- Bristol

Bristol Motor Speedway -- 03/22/2009

Author: Jeremy Dunn

Published: Monday Mar 23 2009 1:56pm

1. (1) 24-Jeff Gordon: 4-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

It was another top five finish for Jeff Gordon, fourth to be exact. Gordon should feel pretty good, as for most of the race, he did not have a top five car. On the longer runs, he would fade back to eighth or ninth. The team put together rapid pit stops, gaining position in the pits almost every stop. Gordon is looking like the same driver that nearly won his fifth championship two years ago, which is a scary thought for the rest of the field.

After five races, Jeff Gordon leads the Sprint Cup championship standings by 76 points over Kurt Busch. He has yet to win, but he has posted three top five finishes, and four top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 118.2 and an average running position of 6.086, which also leads the Sprint Cup Series.

2. (4) 18-Kyle Busch: 5-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Kyle Busch led 378 laps of the 503 laps paced around the Bristol Motor Speedway. He was in a league of his own on Sunday afternoon. He won his fourteenth career race, moving him only one win shy of the record of fifteen wins before the age of 25, a record that Jeff Gordon currently owns. It is just a matter of time before ‘Rowdy’ owns that record.

After five races, Kyle Busch is fourth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 85 points behind Gordon. He has two wins, three top five finishes, and three top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 113.0, and an average running position of 9.691.

3. (3) 2-Kurt Busch: 12-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Kurt Busch was involved in an accident early in the race. Fortunately, his car did not sustain any significant damage. He was able to rally from a 32nd place starting position to finish in the twelfth position. Track position was Kurt Busch’s major issue of the day. The Busch family owns the last three wins in the Sprint Cup Series. Can they make it four in a row next weekend? Stay tuned.

After five races, Kurt Busch is second in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 76 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has a win, two top five finishes, and three top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 103.1 and an average running position of 10.445.

4. (5) 33-Clint Bowyer: 30-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Like Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer had to battle from a terrible qualifying effort. Bowyer started the race in the 31st position. He was able to work his way into the top fifteen but he could not seem to place his car in the top ten. Ultimately, he finished in the thirteenth position. Track position proved to be crucial on Sunday. It will be even more crucial at Martinsville next week.

After five races, Bowyer is third in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 79 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has yet to win, but he has scored two top five finishes and three top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 84.8 and an average running position of 16.149.

5. (9) 48-Jimmie Johnson: 5-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Bristol is arguably Jimmie Johnson’s chink in his armor, though he turned in an impressive performance on Sunday. Johnson qualified third and remained in the top two or three for most of the day. On longer runs throughout the day, Johnson could gain some ground on Kyle Busch once they were in lap traffic. The No. 48 team lost ground on the final pit stop, and Johnson finished in the third position.

After five races, Johnson is ninth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 167 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has posted one top five finish, and three top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 108.1 and an average running position of 7.236.

6. (2) 17-Matt Kenseth: 10-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Wow…what a day for Matt Kenseth. It was a terrible day. After winning the season’s first two events, Kenseth has fallen off the radar. At Bristol, Kenseth qualified thirty-third, which is where he finished. He smacked the wall at one point in the race, which could have played a role in his abysmal result. It gets even worse for Kenseth, as the series heads to Martinsville, a track that has been a thorn in Kenseth’s side throughout his career.

After five races, Kenseth is tenth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 184 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has two wins, two top five finishes, and two top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 78.2 and an average running position of 20.880.

7. (7) 99-Carl Edwards: 5-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

After winning two of the previous three races at Bristol coming into the weekend, it was a surprise when Carl Edwards qualified 38th and finished in the fifteenth position, which is about where he ran for most of the afternoon. Edwards and his crew chief struggled from the time they unloaded on Friday, and they were unable to completely fix the balance issues.

After five races, Edwards is fifth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 129 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has one top five finish and two top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 100.1 and an average running position of 9.790

8. (6) 14-Tony Stewart: 8-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Like Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart was relatively quiet for most of the race. He finished in the seventeenth position after qualifying in the fifteenth position. He simply could not find a compatible balance. His teammate Ryan Newman did, and scored his first top ten of the 2009 season, which kept Stewart in a decent mood as he left the track.

After five races, Stewart is seventh in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 161 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has three top ten finishes, a driver rating of 92.7, and an average running position of 13.098.

9. (NR) 9-Kasey Kahne: 30-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Quietly but surely, Kasey Kahne produced his first top ten of the season. He qualified fifth and faded once the green flag waved, but he crept back into the thick of things by mid-race. He did not have a car that could win, but he was solid for the first time this season. Up until this weekend, Kahne was consistently among the top fifteen. On Sunday, he ran with the big boys.

After five races, Kahne is sixth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 155 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has one top five finish and two top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 84.3 and an average running position of 15.079.

10. (NR) 11-Denny Hamlin: 25-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Denny Hamlin was visibly frustrated after finishing bridesmaid at Bristol. Since Kyle Busch signed with Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin has one win to Busch’s ten. Despite the runner-up finish, it was a superb day for Hamlin after qualifying twenty-fourth. If Hamlin could have reached the bumper of Busch, you better believe that he would be the one celebrating in victory with Joe Gibbs.

After five races, Denny Hamlin is eighth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 163 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has one top five finish and two top ten finishes. He has a driver rating of 95.8 and an average running position of 10.234.

On the rise: Mark Martin (20-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), Ryan Newman (100-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), Juan Pablo Montoya (100-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), Marcos Ambrose, Jeff Burtno (30-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), and David Reutimann

On the decline: Greg Biffle (8-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), Kevin Harvick (25-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), Jamie McMurray (40-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), Brian Vickers (30-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), and Joey Logano (100-1 Sprint Cup championship odds)

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User	Comment
Karlee	What is up with Carl Edwards!? He can do better than this. Looks like Gordon`s doing well and might just continue not only in the top five, but for future wins.
RIRmama	If someone had asked me before the season began who would win the early races of the year I would not have picked Kyle Busch! He is surprising a lot of people this year.
Perdy	I have money on Jimmie Johnson winning the whole shebang this season. It`s not looking too good right now. I`d like to see him move up in the rankings sometime soon.
junkyard	The points spread is impressive considering both the Busch boys and Bowyer are so close behind Gordon. I`m not sure who is the lesser of two evils. Ha! On to next week.
brix12	It`s surprising that Hamlin ended up as a runner up. At least he got credited with such impressive record as a Nascar driver. He could be the next Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing.
jade06	Something or someone must have inspired Kyle to win, I wonder what or who is it. But I hope he`s not competing against his older brother Kurt for the sake of their grandmother, their family feud has ended a long time ago.
Tetchie	Jimmie Johnson finally is making progression at the race. This is a good signal. I hope one of these days he`ll be the one to step at the finish lane.
ryder_29	What`s wrong with Matt Kenseth`s car? Is he having engine issues again? Or he`s not concentrating well at the race? Maybe Bristol isn`t his favorite race track.
brownlee59	It looks like Kyle Busch just might have a chance at the championship. If he keeps driving like he has been doing this year he`s gonna get it. He has one fast car, ands knows how to drive it too.