The Frontstretch: Who's Hot / Who's Not In The Chase : Talladega Edition by Thomas Bowles -- Monday October 8, 2007

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Who's Hot / Who's Not In The Chase : Talladega Edition

Thomas Bowles · Monday October 8, 2007

 

It's the one wreck all year that leaves everyone at risk, from championship contenders to field-fillers alike: The Big One. You never know when it's going to happen at Talladega, and you never quite know how many cars - or carnage - it'll cause.

Sunday, its damage was quite extensive.

A handful of Chasers, including Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch, got dragged into a Fall mess of mangled machinery coming out of turn four, all caused when Bobby Labonte simply lost control and spun out in front of the field. The results really jumbled up the Chase standings; for when the smoke cleared, all title contenders figured out just two men had left the rest of them eating their own dust. It was all par for the course in another restrictor plate roller coaster ride that left engines burning up, Chasers on life support, and fans sitting on the edge of their seats for a last lap shootout to the finish.

So, which Chasers head to Lowe's on an Alabama High, and which ones are getting busy preparing for next year at this point? Find out in this week's Chase Edition of Who's Hot / Who's Not in Nextel Cup.

Hot

Jeff Gordon – Last week, we discussed in this space how Gordon had to end a 15-race winless streak in order to truly establish himself as a title favorite. Well, mission accomplished. Going with the tried and true strategy of just running at the back and avoiding wrecks for the first 450 miles, it's not as if you could say the Rainbow Warrior had the strongest car all day at Talladega. But late in the going, Gordon fell in with the right cars and the right line, making masterful moves to dart by teammate Jimmie Johnson and lead his only lap all day - the last one. Now, he's got a nine point lead in points to go along with his win, but don't expect this team to breathe easy yet; Lowe's has proven an Achilles' Heel for the Rainbow Warrior, as in his last five starts, he has yet to finish higher than 24th.

Jimmie Johnson – At least Johnson can look on the bright side after his runner-up finish; he didn't wreck like last year! Still, placing second to your main contender in the title Chase can't help but sting for a No. 48 bunch that will be battling it out with their car owner, of all people, the rest of the way. That battle should tilt Johnson's way at Lowe's this weekend; he absolutely owns the place, with five wins and eleven Top 10 finishes in twelve career starts. It goes without saying this man is the Chaser to watch on Saturday night; and keep in mind, a win gives him back the point lead over his closest challenger.

Clint Bowyer – How Bowyer's engine held together on Sunday, we may never know; out of seven RCR / DEI engine combinations, his was the only one to cross the finish line running on all eight cylinders. But that stroke of luck couldn't have come at a better time for a man that never seemed to have it at Talladega; an 11th place run is a far cry from his previous three starts here, all of which wound up with him not even cracking the Top 30. As a result, Bowyer remains within striking distance of the top three, adding onto his streak of five straight finishes of 12th or better.

Tony Stewart – For a second straight week, Stewart left the track without comment Sunday; but this time, he'll be far more pleased at the results when he looks back on the race he jetted out of. A Top 10 finish gives him ten in the last twelve races, a streak unmatched by anyone as he does his best to keep himself within range of both Johnson and Gordon. Now 154 back with six races left, that's a long way to go; but if there's any team whose experience and resiliency could peel back a deficit like that, it's Stewart.

Warm

Kurt Busch – The popular darkhorse pick for the title hasn't made much of a sound…and that's a good thing for a team that needs to do everything right to have a chance at that championship trophy. Sunday, they came close - a car that ran up front a good portion of the day just seemed to fade late, relegating him to a mere 7th place finish. Looking ahead, this week is critical as to whether Kurt will have a shot at completing a possible climb back into contention; he's never done well at Lowe's, but needs a boost in the worst way with Gordon and Johnson running like they are.

Carl Edwards – Can you say, "inconsistency?" Cousin Carl goes from the penthouse to the outhouse every race, it seems, as last week's devastating unlucky crash was followed up with a 14th place finish on Sunday. Clearly, the No. 99 car ran better than that all day long - he just didn't have the right drafting partners at the end, an issue that's not all that uncommon for plate tracks. Now, though, it's time to get serious for Edwards if he wants that title; the gap between 1st and 6th in points is now a growing 205.

Cool

Kevin Harvick – Harvick woes? Engine blows? I don't know. Whatever the reasoning, the No. 29 car continues to be off all season long, and there's no on-track performance out there to indicate something's going to change anytime soon. With eight straight Top 20 finishes under his belt, that's little solace for a team that found itself on seven cylinders at Talladega - and now a likely insurmountable 202 points out of the championship lead.

Denny Hamlin – Now that title dreams are all but over for Hamlin this year - he's 262 behind the leaders – it doesn't mean he's still not giving it all he's got. After being involved in a savage wreck, the No. 11 car not only fixed the problem, but kept Hamlin on the lead lap in the process. The final results? Hamlin's team pulled out a miracle and wound up 4th. A Top 10 points finish is likely the best this team's going to have, but it's a valiant
effort by Hamlin to fight off a late-blooming sophomore slump.

Cold

Matt Kenseth – When it's not your year, it's not your year…and it's as simple as that. All throughout the Chase, Kenseth has finally been blessed with the cars he wanted; the only problem is, now he's having trouble simply holding them together for 400 or 500 miles. If it's not mechanical failure, it's wrecks (see : Talladega) which have doomed this team. The question now is, how long can the momentum from "leading laps only to wind up in the garage myself" methodology keep going before the whole thing is deflated for good.

Martin Truex, Jr. – What a time for DEI / RCR engine woes to finally catch up with Truex. At a track where he could have easily won, Truex did have a handling package on his Chevrolet capable of doing damage - but his car got damaged by parts and pieces instead. Now, arguably the best four tracks that were on the Chase schedule are behind him, and he's left with a 300-point deficit and six races to cut that to zero. Sorry, but it just doesn't seem like that's going to have a ghost of a chance.

Kyle Busch – Two races, two straight wrecks for the No. 5 car. No question about it, stick a fork in this team - they're done, especially with Tony Eury, Jr. about to enter the Hendrick building this week. The resulting distraction should be more than enough to lead the Kellogg's Chevy astray for the final six races of the season.

Jeff Burton – No question about it, Burton is a bitterly disappointed man after a Chase that began with so much promise has now completely unraveled. For the second straight week, the car suffered mechanical failure - this time, it was the engine that went south on the A T & T Chevy, the first casualty on a day when DEI / RCR engines began dropping like flies on lap 95.

Don't expect Lowe's to stop the bleeding, either; it's a track that the team finished a ho-hum 24th at this Spring.

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Derrick
10/09/2007 12:18 AM
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I hope Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson a.k.a. “Bratman & Sobbin” are satisfied with the results of talledega 2 after Jaque Villineuve forefitted his quallifying position by starting near the rear in the Cup race to appease them. If my memory serves me correctly Kyle Bush a.k.a. “The Boy Blunder” also freaked out in an interview about Villineuve’s participation in this past race. #27(hot);#‘s 5,24 and 48(not).The first and second place finishes were in my oppinion a fluke!

Brooke
10/09/2007 06:02 AM
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Something needs to be done as far as adjusting when a driver doesn’t qualify but then gets in on owner points. Boris Said Qualified 10th and was knocked out of the race totally because of the drivers that got in on owner points. Gordon, Harvick, and Kyle Busch should have been put into slots 41, 42, and 43 and NOT shuffled into the pack like that. It should have never affected the top 10 qualifiers in any way!!! That was completely unfair!!!

Roo
10/09/2007 07:41 AM
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Did Bobby Labonte fall asleep? I am pretty sure he fell asleep.

Steve M.
10/09/2007 07:50 AM
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Well, I haven’t been able to find anything in writing about Kurt Busch’s mishap over the weekend, so I thought I’d ask the Frontstretch readers. Kurt was sent to the back of the pack for failing post-qualifying inspection. My question is, will he be penalized? It was my understanding after the Jr./Gordon/Johnson fiasco’s that ANY tampering with the CoT would result in hefty fines, crew chief suspension and most notably, points deduction. However, this doesn’t seem to be the issue. Is it reality to say that NASCAR will not place any further penalties on drivers for the rest of the season? Kyle (Shrub) Busch was “driving aggressively” and I heard on tv at least 3 times that he was “warned” to stop. How many more warnings would he have received had he not gotten involved in the big one? Please, someone explain this to me. On a lighter note, who else had to giggle during pre-race interviews when Jr. said something about his anticipation to racing today at “Daytona”; only to be corrected and reminded that he was indeed racing at Talladega. I just had to laugh.

Mike 24
10/09/2007 08:37 AM
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All the whining about qualifying sounds as if Gordon himself told NASCAR to set up the top 35 go or go home for his self interest. First off if Gordon wanted to qualify better than he did trust me he wouldve, check the stats, how many poles has he under his belt?

Lets say we did put the 24,5 and 48 in the back of the pack. When it come time to go they would have made their way to the front. These drivers arent just lucky they are good! Gordon is the best out there and his record is undeniable. So cry if you like blame it all on Gordon but until NASCAR changes the rules it is what it is.

Steve M.
10/09/2007 09:22 AM
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Mike 24….you da man!!!

Maria
10/09/2007 09:58 AM
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WOOOHOOO JEFF WON and the haters are crying like 5 year old little girls!! I LOVE it! Nothing makes a Gordon win sweeter then knowing how much it Pi*&& the harers off! I love watching them make fools of themselves crying their eyes out over it! I LMAO at them. They just look so stupid, makiing stuff in their heads, then pretending it’s real! Thanks haters for making the win 100% better!

Brooke
10/09/2007 10:03 AM
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Now you are not seeing my point. OK, so maybe they would have made it back to the front anyway, but don’t knock out someone who qualified really good…10th for that matter…just to shuffle qualifying around to fit them in. Put them in the back and let the ones that actually qualified race!!!!!

Mike 24
10/09/2007 10:38 AM
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Brooke,
Jeff Gordon knocked know one out qualifying, NASCAR set up the rules. If you have a problem with the rules take it up with those that write them aka NASCAR not the qualifers. Thank You (-:

Mike C
10/09/2007 04:34 PM
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Brooke , just remember that for some people , Jeff Gordon can do no wrong . Everything is always someone elses fault , even the fact that he can’t go fast enough to qualify on time . Gordon and Johnson were certainly right about a certain rookie driver causing havoc in the race . We should consider those two to be the experts on everything .
You’re right . The current system is wrong . The fastest 43 cars should be in the race . PERIOD . As you see , any other system sure doesn’t make much sense .

 

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