NASCAR Rankings and Championship Odds

Darlington Raceway -- 05/9/2009

Author: Jeremy Dunn

Published: Tuesday May 12 2009 1:59pm

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

Jeff Gordon continues his solid 2009 campaign with a come from behind top five finish. After qualifying in the second position, Gordon led six laps before he lost a lap due to a loose wheel. Gordon rallied to finish in the fifth position, and dodged a few bullets along the way. Even though Kyle Busch and Mark Martin seem to be winning the races these days, they are all chasing Jeff Gordon.

After eleven races, Gordon has a win, six top five finishes, and eight top ten finishes. He leads the Sprint Cup championship standings by 29 points over Tony Stewart. He leads the Sprint Cup Series with a driver rating of 109.8, and an average running position 9.440.

2. (3) 14-Tony Stewart: 9-2 Sprint Cup championship odds

Tony Stewart’s continues to dazzle his fans with his remarkable performances with his new. He was not supposed to be this good this soon into his ownership venture. Nevertheless, Stewart and the entire Stewart Haas Racing organization is perhaps the biggest surprise in 2009. Stewart finished in the third position after qualifying in the eighteenth position.

After eleven races, Stewart has yet to win, but he has scored five top five finishes, and eight top ten finishes. He is second in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 29 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has a driver rating of 100.7, and an average running position 10.406.

3. (2) 2-Kurt Busch: 6-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Surprisingly, Kurt Busch struggled for most of the evening at Darlington. Not only did lose control of his car in a single car incident, but he never really emerged as one of the frontrunners. Despite his spin coming off turn four, Kurt Busch was able to post a respectable sixteenth place finish.

After eleven races, Kurt Busch has one win, three top five finishes, and six top ten finishes. He is third in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 55 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has a driver rating of 100.7, and an average running position of 9.787.

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

After consecutive finishes in the sub-thirties, Jimmie Johnson rebounded in a huge way at Darlington. Johnson seemed to be headed to another disastrous finish after losing a lap due to a green flag pit stop. However, once again, Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus worked their magic and challenged for the win. They finished in the second position after starting in the 42nd position.

After eleven races, Jimmie Johnson has one win, five top five finishes, and seven top ten finishes. He is fourth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 136 points behind his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon. He has a driver rating of 100.7, and an average running position of 10.484.

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

The weekend for Kyle Busch at Darlington was the polar opposite to the one he enjoyed at Richmond when he won both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races. He dominated the Nationwide Series event at Darlington before a cut tire sent him to the pits with just a couple of laps remaining. In the Sprint Cup Series race, he was running in the top ten when he cut a tire and hit the wall, resulting in a 34th finish.

After eleven races, Kyle Busch has three wins, which leads all Sprint Cup drivers. He also has four top five finishes, and four top ten finishes. He is seventh in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 221 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has a driver rating of 104.1, and an average running position of 12.093.

6. (9) 39-Ryan Newman: 20-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

By finishing in the fourth position, Ryan Newman has now posted three consecutive top five finishes for the first time since 2005. Prior to the race at Talladega, Newman was in the seventeenth position in the Sprint Cup championship standings. He is nine spot higher after his recent surge. Like Stewart, Newman has found new life with the upstart Stewart Haas Racing organization. A win is right around the corner.

After eleven races, Ryan Newman is still searching for his first win, but he has recorded three top five finishes, and five top ten finishes. He is eighth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 238 points behind Jeff Gordon, and 99 points ahead of thirteenth place driver Clint Bowyer. He has a driver rating of 81.7, and an average running position of 17.492.

7. (6) 11-Denny Hamlin: 15-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Like Kurt Busch, many expected Denny Hamlin to be a frontrunner at Darlington. For some reason or another, he never surfaced in the top ten. He was involved in a couple of on-track altercations, most notably with David Ragan (FedEx vs UPS). Despite his troubles, Hamlin salvaged a thirteenth place finish after starting the race in the twenty-third position.

After eleven races, Hamlin is winless, but he has scored two top five finishes, and four top ten finishes. He is fifth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 156 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has a driver rating of 100.3, and an average running position of 10.277

8. (8) 31-Jeff Burton: 30-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Jeff Burton quietly enjoyed another solid showing at Darlington. After qualifying in the sixth position, Burton spent the majority of the race in or near the top ten before settling for a twelfth place finish. Burton continues his climb up the Sprint Cup championship standings.

After eleven races, Jeff Burton is yet to win, but he has scored two top five finishes, and five top ten finishes. He is sixth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 217 points behind Jeff Gordon. He has a driver rating of 84.9, and an average running position of 15.510.

9. (10) 16-Greg Biffle: 15-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Greg Biffle unarguably had the car to beat for most of the Southern 500. He led a race-high 117 laps before a spin coming off turn four set him back. Despite the damage to his car, Biffle was able to rally for an eighth place finish. That is the third time this season in which Biffle had the car to beat only to watch someone else sip the celebratory champagne. Biffle tangled with his teammate Carl Edwards just laps before he spun out on his own.

After eleven races, Greg Biffle is winless, but he has posted three top five finishes, and six top ten finishes. He is ninth in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 256 points behind Jeff Gordon, and 81 points ahead of thirteenth place driver Clint Bowyer. He has a driver rating of 90.7, and an average running position of 15.283.

10. (NR) 5-Mark Martin: 10-1 Sprint Cup championship odds

Martin wins for the second time in four races. It was his second Southern 500 victory. He started the race in the twelfth position, and in vintage fashion, he paced himself for most of the race. Eventually, when it was go-time, Martin was out in front. He led 46 laps en route to his popular victory. Following a dreadful start to the season, Martin has scored six top ten finishes in seven races.

After eleven races, Martin has two wins, three top five finishes, and six top ten finishes. He is eleventh in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 285 points behind his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon, and 52 points ahead of thirteenth place driver Clint Bowyer. He has a driver rating of 97.1, and an average running position of 14.205.

On the rise: Martin Truex Jr (100-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano (100-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), Kevin Harvick (100-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), and Paul Menard

On the decline: Clint Bowyer (25-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), David Reutimann (80-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), David Ragan (100-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), Casey Mears (100-1 Sprint Cup championship odds), and Carl Edwards (7-1 Sprint Cup championship odds)

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