NASCAR Rankings and Championship Odds- Martinsville

Martinsville Speedway -- 03/29/2009

Author: Jeremy Dunn

Published: Monday Mar 30 2009 1:45pm

1. (1) 24-Jeff Gordon: 9-2 Sprint Cup championship odds

It was another race and another top five finish for Jeff Gordon. Despite the lack of wins in his last 47 attempts, Gordon is enjoying another consistent start to the season, one similar to 2007 when he ended up with six wins. Gordon led 147 laps, but he did not lead the most important lap. Still, Gordon fans should be excited, as the four-time champion is back to his championship contending ways.

After six races, Gordon leads the Sprint Cup championship standings by 89 points over Clint Bowyer. He has scored four top five finishes and five top ten finishes.

He leads all Sprint Cup drivers with a driver rating of 119.6, and an average running position of 5.444.

Quote: “It is great to run in the top five but if we are going to contend for the championship, especially in those final ten races, we’ve got to start winning races.”

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

From the jubilance of victory to the disgruntlement of losing, it was a completely different race weekend for Kyle Busch. He did not have much to say following his dreadful 24th place finish. Busch tangled with rookie Scott Speed early in the race as they were duking it out for the ninth position. Busch had more trouble in the Camping World Truck Series race on Monday, so he could not wait to cross the Virginia state line.

After six races, Kyle Busch is sixth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 159 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has scored two wins, three top five finishes, and three top ten finishes.

He has a driver rating of 107.0, and an average running position of 12.240.

3. (4) 33-Clint Bowyer: 30-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Clint Bowyer is, as of now, the top performing driver in the Richard Childress Racing stables. It is rather ironic considering that he is on the newly-formed fourth team. In fact, the switch could have provided Bowyer the motivation he needed to contend for his first Sprint Cup title. Bowyer was stout again at Martinsville, spending practically the entire day among the top five. He finished fifth.

After six races, Bowyer is second in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 89 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has scored three top five finishes and four top ten finishes.

He has a driver rating of 89.4, and an average running position of 14.331.

Quote: “There’s just no room (on the track) and that’s part of it. They (lapped cars) belong out there just like we do.”

4. (5) 48-Jimmie Johnson: 9-2 Sprint Cup championship odds

He led forty-two laps en route to his seventh victory at the storied Martinsville Speedway. With just over fifteen laps remaining, Jimmie Johnson nudged Denny Hamlin out of the groove, giving him clearance to take over the lead, and ultimately, the checkered flag. Johnson is just as good as he has been the last three years he won the Sprint Cup championship. His win just served notice to the rest of the field that he is not ready to hand the championship torch to another driver.

After six races, Johnson has one victory, two top five finishes, and four top ten finishes. He is fourth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 142 points behind his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon.

He has a driver rating of 110.3, and an average running position of 7.364.

Quote: “I assume that he (Denny Hamlin) knew he ran me down because he didn’t come back down in turn one and dump me.”

5. (3) 2-Kurt Busch: 8-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Kurt Busch started the day running towards the front, he is car seemed to lose the handle as they race progressed. Additionally, he lost ground when some of the faster cars that started near the back worked their way to the front. Still, Busch and his Penske Racing team are on solid footing, as they salvaged an eighteenth place finish. The Sprint Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway next weekend, which should bode well for Kurt Busch’s chances.

After six races, Kurt Busch has one win, two top five finishes, and three top ten finishes. He is third in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 132 points behind Jeff Gordon.

He has a driver rating of 101.1 and an average running position of 10.148.

Quote: “We wrestled it all we could without crashing. I know we took a hit in the points.”

6. (10) 11-Denny Hamlin: 25-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Denny Hamlin has to be growing tired of finishing in the runner-up position. At Bristol last weekend, he was unable to challenge his teammate Kyle Busch for the win. This weekend at Martinsville, he led a race-high 296 laps, only to watch his chances of winning diminish as Johnson knocked him out of the way, and then pulled away in the closing laps. Hamlin thrives on the shorter tracks, so he must be looking forward to the upcoming races at Phoenix and Richmond.

After six races, Hamlin has two top five finishes, and three top ten finishes. He is fifth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 148 points behind Jeff Gordon.

He has a driver rating of 103.4 and an average running position of 8.867.

“I would’ve done the same (bump) to (Jimmie Johnson), and if it comes back around, I will do the same. You can count on that.”

7. (8) 14-Tony Stewart: 14-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Things are falling into place for Stewart Haas Racing. Co-owner Tony Stewart posted his best finish of the season, third, which was the first top five finish for the organization as a whole. His teammate Ryan Newman scored a solid sixth place finish after starting the race in the 27th position. Stewart was pleased with the team’s performance, and he is fairing much better than many projected during the preseason.

After six races, Stewart has one top five finish, and four top ten finishes. He is seventh in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 161 points behind Jeff Gordon.

He has a driver rating of 96.8 and an average running position of 11.651.

Quote : “I felt like we has an awesome day as an organization (Ryan Newman finished sixth), I was really proud of our guys.”

8. (7) 99-Carl Edwards: 6-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Carl Edwards finished two laps down in the 26th position. He cut a tire while on the lead lap, forcing him to make an unscheduled green flag pit stop.

After six races, Edwards has one top five finish and two top ten finishes. He is eighth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 209 points behind Jeff Gordon.

He has a driver rating of 98.9 and an average running position of 11.084.

9. (9) 9-Kasey Kahne: 20-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Kasey Kahne was unable to duplicate his short track success from last week at Bristol. He started in the top ten, but quickly faded. He finished in the nineteenth position.

After six races, Kahne has one top five finish and two top ten finishes. He is ninth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 214 points behind Jeff Gordon.

He has a driver rating of 81.4 and an average running position of 15.672.

10. (6) 17-Matt Kenseth: 15-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

After winning the first two races, Matt Kenseth’s season has begun to all apart. Never count out Kenseth, however.

After six races, Kenseth has two wins, two top five finishes, and two top ten finishes. He is tenth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 255 points behind Jeff Gordon.

He has a driver rating of 75.1 and an average running position of 22.038.

On the rise: Ryan Newman (100-1 odds), Mark Martin (25-1 odds), Dale Earnhardt Jr (25-1 odds), A.J. Allmendinger, and Jamie McMurray (75-1 odds)

On the decline: Scott Speed, Brian Vickers (40-1 odds), Elliott Sadler, Greg Biffle (15-1 odds), and David Ragan (100-1 odds)

Comment on this article.

(255 chars max)

Username:
(No HTML)

Captcha:

User	Comment
Cal	I am not fully sure where my money is right now, but Gordy is doing better than expected so I might have to change things up a bit here. Still the points lead is insane when you think about it.
jamming	I`m not a big Gordon fan whatsoever but I must admit that he`s having a pretty darn good season so far. I would like to see Bowyer pull ahead and I think he has a good chance of pulling it off.
Karlee	I was really hoping Carl Edwards would be doing better, he has such a go-get-`em attitude. Perhaps he can start qualifying at better positions, don`t know if that will help, but I`m hoping.
Jasper	Jeff Gordon may be first by a nice lead but Chris Bowyer is in second and could still show us some stuff. Kurt Busch can still pull ahead as well...my money is on Gordon.
JJFan48	Although Jimmie Johnson is 142 points behind Jeff Gordon, he showed in Martinsville that he still has that championship spirit. If I had to bet right now, it would be that the Championship will come down to the wire between Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordan.