TweetBubble Breakdown : Little Changes in Top 35 Picture as Gap Widens to 225 Points
Tracking The Top 35 In Nextel Cup Owner Points · Mike Lovecchio · Sunday July 15, 2007
With the Daytona debacle now in the rearview mirror, the battle for the Top 35 in car owner points continued this week in Chicagoland; but after an uneventful day for the majority of the cars on the bubble, little changed as far as positions go. In fact, the gap between 35th and 36th place is now the widest the margin has been all season long.
For more on what happened with those teams on the bubble this weekend at Chicagoland, as well as an update on the potential changes to the Top 35 rule next season, check out this week's edition of the Bubble Breakdown:
Biggest Mover(s)
The Wood Brothers decision to put Bill Elliott in the No. 21 car in an effort to propel the team into the Top 35 in owner points has paid dividends so far. This week, a 28th place run hit the spot, enough to move Elliott and the No. 21 team up and into the 36th spot in owner points. His problem? The same team he’s driving for is now a season-high 225 points behind Johnny Sauter and the No. 70 for a “locked-in” spot in the field each week.
Elliott (No. 21) – Moved from 36th to 35th in car owner points.
Honorable Mention
Andretti (No. 45) – With a new driver in the No. 45 this week, Petty Enterprises got a strong showing from John Andretti. Andretti's Top 20 finish (18th) moved the team one spot further from 35th; the team now ranks 33rd.
Biggest Loser
When Dave Blaney cut a tire on lap 202 and received major damage, any hope he had of becoming the first Toyota to crack the Top 35 vanished, at least for this race. A DNF resulted in a dismal 40th place finish for the Caterpillar Camry, and now, Blaney finds himself yet another spot away from the bubble.
Blaney (No. 22) – Fell from 36th to 37th in car owner points.
Tracking Toyota
With Dave Blaney's hopes of a decent finish literally shredded away, Toyota had little representation in the top half of the leaderboard. Jeremy Mayfield wound up the top Toyota, but still finished a mediocre 26th place while Michael Waltrip made the race this weekend and finished 30th. David Reutimann was the fourth and final Camry in the race, but mechanical problems forced him to retire on lap 43, eventually leaving him helpless and finishing 43rd.
Top 3 Finishing Toyotas:
Jeremy Mayfield (No. 36) – Finished 26th
Michael Waltrip (No. 55) – Finished 30th
Dave Blaney (No. 22) – Finished 40th
Breaking Down the Bubble
| Pos | Owner | Car # | Driver | Points | Points +/- of 35th Place |
| 31 | Robert Yates Racing | 88 | Ricky Rudd | 1,597 | +69 |
| 32 | Haas CNC Racing | 66 | Jeff Green | 1,584 | +56 |
| 33 | Petty Enterprises | 45 | John Andretti / Kyle Petty | 1,567 | +39 |
| 34 | Ginn Racing | 13 | Joe Nemechek | 1,547 | +19 |
| 35 | Haas CNC Racing | 70 | Johnny Sauter | 1,528 | 0 |
| 36 | Glen Wood | 21 | Bill Elliott / Ken Schrader | 1,303 | -225 |
| 37 | Bill Davis Racing | 22 | Dave Blaney | 1,296 | -232 |
| 38 | Evernham Motorsports | 10 | Scott Riggs | 1,236 | -292 |
| 39 | Teresa Earnhardt | 15 | Paul Menard | 1,209 | -319 |
| 40 | Team Red Bull | 83 | Brian Vickers | 1,085 | -443 |
| 41 | Michael Waltrip Racing | 00 | David Reutimann | 1,066 | -462 |
| 42 | Michael Waltrip Racing | 44 | Dale Jarrett | 973 | -555 |
| 43 | Furniture Row Racing | 78 | Kenny Wallace | 854 | -674 |
| 44 | James Finch / Morgan-McClure Motorsports | 4 | Ward Burton | 837 | -691 |
| 45 | Bill Davis Racing | 36 | Jeremy Mayfield | 827 | -720 |
| 46 | BAM Racing | 49 | Chad Chaffin | 694 | -834 |
| 47 | Team Red Bull | 84 | A.J. Allmendinger | 676 | -852 |
| 48 | Michael Waltrip Racing | 55 | Michael Waltrip | 675 | -853 |
| 49 | Front Row Motorsports | 37 | Kevin LePage | 472 | -1,056 |
Possible Rule Changes Update
Nextel Cup director John Darby said this week that he would not change the current Top 35 rule that guarantees those teams in car owner points a spot in the field each week. He admitted that he was speaking for himself and not NASCAR, but he also said there has been talks of grouping each of the cars that would need to qualify their way into the field on time together on qualifying day. This would allow each of the "go-or-go-homers" to qualify under the same conditions, preventing certain drivers from having an advantage based on their draw on temperature sensitive tracks.
This Weekend on the Frontstretch:
Mirror Driving: Correcting Mistakes, Moving Forward With Charlotte And Dramatic Returns
Charlotte’s Four Burning Questions: Translating Success And McMurray’s Time To Shine
Frontstretch Foto Funnies: Cleaning Out The Vintage Vault
Brendan Gaughan Driver Diary: Race Day, Sharks, And A Fast Fix
That Sound You Heard? Hall Of Fame Standards Dropping A Notch
IndyCar In-Depth: Indianapolis 500
Formula 1 Friday: Two Questions
Voices From the Cheapseats: Discussing The Need For Diversity’
Nuts for Nationwide: Jack Ingram’s Moment To Shine
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