Top 5 and 5 to watch: Charlotte

Top 5 and 5 to watch: Charlotte


By Bill Marx
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

Here's a look at the top five drivers in the Sprint Cup Series standings and five drivers to watch in Saturday's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. All statistical references are for Sprint Cup races at Charlotte unless otherwise indicated. Driver rating is based on the past 11 races at the track.

1. Jimmie Johnson, 115.3 driver rating. Johnson won this race last year and leads all active drivers with six wins. Although most of his success came before 2007 and he finished 37th in May, he has led laps in 17 straight races since crashing out in his Cup debut in 2001. He has finished in the top three in five of the past six weeks. Only something unforeseen should keep Johnson out of the top five.
2. Denny Hamlin, 81.5. Hamlin trails Johnson by 36 points and needs to keep him close as Hamlin's better tracks approach. Hamlin's three top 10s came in his first four starts. In his six starts since he has an average finish of 21.8. That won't cut it Saturday night.
3. Kevin Harvick, 67.1. Every driver has signature stats—good and bad—and one of Harvick's pops up every time the Cup series pulls into Charlotte . In 19 starts, he has led two laps. That's hard to fathom from a driver with Harvick's skill. His 20.7 average finish is his worst at a Cup track, and he has one top five in 19 starts. He trails Johnson by 54 points. More of the same from Harvick, and his deficit might reach triple digits.
4. Jeff Gordon, 89.1. Gordon has a great record at Charlotte , including a win and five top 10s in his past six starts. But he has a great record at pretty much every Cup track, yet has been unable to translate that experience into a victory, much less top fives of late (one in the past 11 weeks). Gordon is 85 points back and is battling for second unless the Gordon of old suddenly appears.
5. Tony Stewart, 84.5. Smoke won last week to keep his faint Chase hopes alive. At 107 points back, he needs to keep winning, and even that is no guarantee for success if Johnson continues to finish in the top five. Stewart has 11 top 10s, but most came early in his career—only two since 2005. And the last of his six top fives was his victory eight years ago. Charlotte is another all or nothing race for Stewart.

Five to watch:
6. Kurt Busch, 87.6. Busch won the Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 in May to bring him some rare success at Charlotte . He does have three top 10s in his past four starts, but he has only two other top 10s. He has seven finishes 30th or worse in his 20 starts. Busch is 140 points back but still has a lot to drive for—a sweep would be sweet.
7. Carl Edwards, 84.0. Ignition troubles last week ended Edwards' great run of 10 top 10s in 12 races with the other two finishes 11th and 12th (he finished 34th at Fontana). Edwards is winless at Charlotte but has seven top 10s in 11 starts. He is more than capable of having a bounce-back race.
9. Kyle Busch, 104.9. Busch suffered a blown engine last week, finished 35th, and declared his championship hopes "over." Perhaps. But his season isn't, and Busch isn't a driver who packs it in. Busch has an interesting record at Charlotte : One top 10 and a 29.1 average finish in his first seven races; six top 10s in the next six races with a 4.5 average finish. Expect more of the latter Saturday night.
12. Clint Bowyer, 79.6. Bowyer is a motivated driver. He more than proved it last week with his runner-up finish. Next stop on the Bowyer In Your Face Tour is Charlotte , where two of his three top 10s have come in the previous two races. Bowyer needs one more top 10 to equal his career high of 17, which he has hit twice.
13. Ryan Newman, 81.3. While all the pub has been focused on the Chasers, Newman has put together a nifty hot streak of his own. He finished fifth last week for his fourth consecutive top 10 and his sixth in seven races (finishing 11th in the other). Newman's one pole this year was at Charlotte , and he went on to finish ninth in the Coca-Cola 600. He is beginning to pull away from 14th-place Jamie McMurray for the top spot outside the Chase.