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Chase field might not change over last 5 races
Published Monday, August 3, 2009
Five races remain before the field for the 2009 version of the Chase for the Championship is set. And there are some surprises on both sides of the fence, from the good side and the bad side.
The sport’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., currently sitting in 22nd position in the points standings before Tuesday’s race, has been out of Chase contention since about the fifth race of the year. In other words, after the green flag dropped at Daytona to begin the season, he was out of the Chase.
Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Jamie McMurray will all miss the chance to compete for the championship. David Ragan, after a solid sophomore season in which he barely missed making the top 12, has flopped and is floundering in 30th position.
To me, only two drivers currently outside the top 12 have a legitimate chance of taking a spot in the Chase. David Reutimann and Kyle Busch are in 13th and 14th positions, respectively, 68 and 82 points behind Matt Kenseth in the 12th position.
But it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the current top 12 remain the same after the race in Richmond, the final race to set the Chase field. Reutimann has been hanging around the top 12 all season, but I think he might come up short.
Kyle Busch is better as the hunted rather than the hunter, so I wouldn’t be shocked if he went into panic mode and missed the Chase field. That would be a huge upset if in fact he fails to become eligible to compete for the championship.
Roush Fenway Racing finally made official that Jamie McMurray would be the odd man out as the organization trims down to four teams next season. In making the announcement that Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, David Ragan and Matt Kenseth would comprise Roush’s drivers next season, it was also announced that McMurray’s current sponsor, Crown Royal, would move to Kenseth’s car next season. DeWalt Tools had earlier announced it would not be back as Kenseth’s backer in 2010.
Now the question is where McMurray ends up. The most obvious destination would seem to be Yates Racing, a satellite team of Roush’s, using Roush equipment. But I don’t think that move is so cut and dry.
That a team would move to Yates unsponsored, in today’s economy, is a big deal. Who would be willing to pony up the funds to sponsor McMurray with a second-tier Yates operation? I would venture to say the line would be short.
McMurray’s former boss, Chip Ganassi, has an opening in the No. 1 Earnhardt Ganassi ride with supposed sponsorship from Bass Pro Shops. That could be an option for McMurray. But I am not convinced that Bass Pro will remain with EGR next season and, again, sponsorship will play a huge part in where McMurray ends up.
– Findley is a guest columnist for The Clanton Advertiser. His column appears each Weekend.
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Comments
Posted by REK1138 (anonymous) on August 4, 2009 at 10:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I hate to say it, but Mark Martin, despite winning four races, can't seem to generate the kind of consistency necessary to win the championship. Two of his Hendrick teammates have it dialed and both are chase locks. He's teetering on the bubble, just inside the top 12 and with Brian Vickers and Clint Bowyer showing dramatic improvement he'll be pressed to finish in the chase. The same goes for Biffle and Kenseth - a couple of great drivers suffering from a medicore season. Look for one of these, likely Biffle, to be on the outside looking in after Richmond.
The top six are a lock and have been since Charlotte and now Juan Montoya seems destined to not only make his first chase but actually contend for the championship.
Bottom line - 2009 is the Stewart/Johnson year. I don't see anyone else even coming close to contending with these two future hall of famers.
Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on August 4, 2009 at 9:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Juan Pablo will never win the championship. NASCAR will NEVER allow it. That was obvious at the Brickyard. Disheartening as it was it was obvious. I, personally, like the 2 car and Penske. Not Busch, necessarily. He is not consistant enough to win his second championship just yet. Ironically the top 4 drivers, right now, are all past champions. While the younger Busch is a talented driver, maybe missing the chase is the dose of humility he NEEDS.
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