Race Weekend Central

Bubble Breakdown: David Reutimann Muscles His Way Into the Top 35… Again

The big news for the week from bubble land involved the No. 70 Haas Automation Chevrolet previously driven by Jeremy Mayfield. On Monday, Haas CNC Racing announced that the team and Mayfield agreed to part ways after the No. 70 car fell out of the Top 35 in owner points. According to team General Manager Joe Custer, “Jeremy stepped into the seat and did everything we asked him to… and more. Ultimately, we were unable to provide him with the right balance, handling, and speed he needed to be successful.”

With that, the team was off to roll the dice at Phoenix, bringing back 2007 driver Johnny Sauter in an attempt to revitalize the program. But apparently they couldn’t provide those things for Sauter either, as he was only able to qualify the car in 42nd position and finish a disappointing 37th. The deal was for Sauter to drive at Phoenix only, meaning the team now has two weeks to decide on a driver before the next race at Talladega; but with speed, not skill, the deciding factor in that qualifying session, who the organization will pick is anyone’s guess.

But one thing we don’t have to guess about these days is who will need to qualify on speed for that race, as the Top 35 drivers are all locked in for ‘Dega. Here’s a look at this week’s biggest winners and losers from the bubble, as well as the part of the field who’ll be fighting a larger-than-expected entry list at stock car racing’s fastest track.

Biggest Winners

This week’s biggest winner is David Reutimann. Reut posted an 18th-place finish at Phoenix to move up four spots in the owner standings with his No. 44 Toyota; as a result, he’s locking himself into the field at Talladega. This is the second time this year David has raced his way into the Top 35; he’d previously raced the No. 00 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing into that position over the year’s first five races. He then moved over to the No. 44 UPS Toyota, also for MWR, once Dale Jarrett retired; Reutimann now sits 34th in owner points as his permanent replacement.

One spot ahead of the No. 44, Sam Hornish Jr. moved up to 33rd in points after posting a 20th-place finish this past week. With his solid performance at Phoenix (in part due to a fuel-mileage gamble), Hornish increased his lead over the 35th position from six points after Texas to 51 heading to Talladega.

See also
Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Sam Hornish Jr. Carries Banner for Penske Racing

Michael Waltrip rounds out this week’s winners. While Mikey’s 24th-place finish didn’t move him up at all in the standings, it was good enough to almost double the point cushion over Regan Smith‘s No. 01 team, who sits in 35th in owner points, from 34 to 67.

Biggest Losers

This week’s list of losers is headed by JJ Yeley. Last year at this time, the No. 96 DLP Chevrolet sat comfortably in 21st in points with Tony Raines at the helm. Boy, what a difference a year makes! Yeley has taken the No. 96 DLP Toyota and dropped all the way to 36th in owner points following a disappointing 39th-place finish at his hometown track; now, he’s put in the unfamiliar position of having to qualify on time in two weeks at Talladega.

How close was it for Yeley’s team? Just one more position would have made the difference; after a wreck caused by Ryan Newman‘s blown engine sent them behind the wall for repairs, the team dropped just three points behind the No. 01 driven by Smith.

The driver change at Haas CNC Racing did little to help the organization the first week afterwards, as Sauter could only come home to being in the wrong place in the wrong time; wrecking due to Newman’s spin on the backstretch, the car was damaged to the point it needed repairs. The poor outing for the No. 70 team drops them two spots in the owner standings to 38th, 12 points behind the No. 01. That means they, too, will need to find speed on qualifying day in Alabama… or the No. 70 Chevrolet be heading home early.

Finally, I’d like to formally welcome Reed Sorenson to the bubble. After another dismal performance due to an accident not of his making (42nd at Phoenix), Sorenson fell two spots to 31st in owner points with the No. 41. And with Talladega, home of the Big One looming next on the schedule, the 90-point cushion Sorenson has over the 35th position doesn’t seem so big. Team owner Chip Ganassi has hinted at changes coming to the No. 41 Target Dodge team, but hasn’t said yet who would get the axe.

Perhaps they would go with a young driver such as Brad Keselowski or Kelly Bires to replace Sorenson, both in the top 10 in the Nationwide Series. If not, there are several veteran options such as Mayfield, Ward Burton, Sterling Marlin or maybe even a second tour of duty at Ganassi Racing for David Stremme.

A Look Ahead

The Sprint Cup Series takes a week off, but returns in two weeks at Talladega Superspeedway. Last year, Reutimann in particular looked strong until suffering an engine failure 184 laps into the event. I like him to once again run well, this time without the blown motor, and post a top-15 finish. Bill Davis Racing also seems to have a good restrictor-plate program, and if he can avoid the Big One, Dave Blaney also seems poised to have a good run.

On the other end of the spectrum, based on his finishes, Dario Franchitti seems to spend a lot of time running in the back of the field; at ‘Dega, that’ll get you caught up the the wreck everyone knows is coming. So, the crystal ball says Dario, Hornish and Kyle Petty all make the race… only to wind up wadded up on the Talladega backstretch.

Until next week, so long from the bubble.

Breaking Down the Bubble

Pos Owner Car # Driver Points Points +/- of 35th Place
31 Chip Ganassi Racing 41 Reed Sorenson 644 +90
32 Michael Waltrip Racing 55 Michael Waltrip 621 +67
33 Penske Racing 77 Sam Hornish Jr. 605 +51
34 Michael Waltrip Racing 44 David Reutimann 567 +13
35 Dale Earnhardt Inc. 01 Regan Smith 554 0
36 Hall of Fame Racing 96 JJ Yeley 551 -3
37 Bill Davis Racing 22 Dave Blaney 546 -8
38 Haas CNC Racing 70 Johnny Sauter 542 -12
39 Chip Ganassi Racing 40 Dario Franchitti 514 -40
40 Team Red Bull 84 Mike Skinner 443 -111
41 Gillett Evernham Motorsports 10 Patrick Carpentier 389 -165
42 Wood Brothers Racing 21 Bill Elliott 386 -168
43 Petty Enterprises 45 Kyle Petty 386 -168
44 Furniture Row Racing 78 Joe Nemechek 359 -195
45 Front Row Motorsports 34 John Andretti 277 -277

 

About the author

The Frontstretch Staff is made up of a group of talented men and women spread out all over the United States and Canada. Residing in 15 states throughout the country, plus Ontario, and widely ranging in age, the staff showcases a wide variety of diverse opinions that will keep you coming back for more week in and week out.

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