Chase Points Tally
The 2006 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup is now 3 races old. Jeff Burton extended his slim point lead a little with another strong top-five finish in Kansas last week.
Now The Chase enters it’s two most interesting, and challenging, races as Talladega Superspeedway and Martinsville Speedway will challenge the Chasers with NASCAR’s longest and shortest race tracks in back-to-back weeks. How do the ten Chase For The Cup contenders stack up as the series heads to Talladega?
1) Jeff Burton
Jeff Burton has an average finish of 4.3 through the first three Chase races of 2006. If he can avoid a disaster this weekend in Talladega he will be well on his way to the 2006 Championship.
In 2004 and 2005 Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart had average finishes of 8.9 and 8.7 during The Chase. Burton is well above that average right now as The 2006 Chase heads to race number four.
2) Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin stumbled a bit in Kansas and finished eighteenth. However his top ten runs in New Hampshire and Dover have him sitting in second place. Hamlin is getting the job done with such poise and confidence that it is hard to remember that he is just a rookie in NEXTEL Cup racing.
3) Mark Martin
Mark Martin is still on track for what he needs to do to keep his Chase hopes alive. Mark is now in third, just one point out of second place and seventy points behind Burton.
In 2005 Martin was in a similar situation. However, bad finishes in Talladega and Martinsville dashed his NEXTEL Cup dreams for last season. Mark is here again facing the same two tracks back-to-back. If Mark can escape the next two races with top ten finishes then he will be a force all the way to the end.
4) Matt Kenseth
Matt Kenseth just couldn’t find the handle in Kansas this week and even spun at one point during the race. Embarrasing for a team that was my pick to win it all this year.
That was unusual for Kenseth’s Roush Racing team. They are normally on top of every detail. For them to be that far off the mark just isn’t like them. Was Kansas a fluke? Or was that race the beginning of the unraveling for a team that has been solid the entire second half of the season.
5) Kevin Harvick
After posting a big win in New Hampshire Kevin Harvick blew the motor in Dover and fell back to fifth in the points. Then in Kansas this week Harvick was again not a factor as he limped home to finish 15th.
Harvick is now fifth in points 96 points out of the lead. Kevin Harvick will need to regain some of his magic from September if he is going to climb back to the top.
6) Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon started out his 2006 Chase with back-to-back third place runs in New Hampshire and Dover. However Gordon’s fuel pump failure in Kansas caused him to finish 39th in the race. Gordon dropped four places in the standings.
Jeff is currently 120 points out of first. He still has a shot at the title but he will need to start clicking off great finishes and collecting bonus points. Jeff Gordon is fully capable of winning every remaining 2006 race and taking the title.
7) Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted his best finish of this 2006 Chase with a tenth place effort in Kansas. Only 123 points behind Junior is still in this battle but he’ll need to continue to improve on his finishes. A big win in Talladega would be a great start to his title run.
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson has surprised everyone with his lackluster performance in this 2006 Chase For The Cup. He started out The Chase with an unfortunate 39th place run in New Hampshire. Since then his best effort was a 13th place run in Dover. Johnson dominated most of 2006 but he just hasn’t been able to keep his momentum up during The Chase.
Johnson’s 165 point deficit isn’t fatal yet. However, it is time for Johnson to go on a tear if he wants to get himself back into this title hunt.
9) Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch is 233 points out of first place. Kyle has a boatload of talent but 2006 will not be the year that he wins his first NEXTEL Cup Championship.
10) Kasey Kahne
With yet another terrible finish in Kansas Kasey Kahne’s Chase dreams have been thoroughly dashed.