Nextel Cup Standings as of 2007-08-21
[photopress:Standings.2007_08_21.GIF,full,alignright]After a long soggy wait, including red flags for rain and even fog, the Michigan race was finally completed today.
Kurt Busch, who lead the most laps, took the checkered flag along with 195 points. However, as Martin Truex Jr., 11th in the standings, finished second, this limited Kurt Busch to only a 25 point gain to Truex, leaving Kurt 33 points out of 11th place.
Third place finisher Jimmy Johnson was able to leapfrog Jeff Burton into the sixth in the standings after Burton’s 14th place finish.
Other than than Johnson and Burton swapping places, all top 12 drivers remained in the same position as last week.
Ryan Newman, fell a lap down late in the race due pit road issues related to fixing of his “shark fin.” However, while his pit crew were a bit slow, Newman’s car wasn’t. He quickly passed six other lap down cars to gain the “Lucky Dog” spot and returned to lead lap just in the nick of time due to a yellow flag at lap 190 (remember, with less than 10 laps remaining, no lucky dog is given). But due to a “quickie yellow” (where all cars pit including lap down cards), Ryan was still in turn three was the rest of the field took the green with six laps remaining leaving him stranded in 20th position, despite logging speeds as fast or faster than the leaders. Biffle spun at lap 199 of 200, bringing out another yellow, allowing Ryan to catch up to the field. After the restart for a green-white-checkered finish, Newman gained six spots, salvaging a 14th place finish.
However this still dropped Newman in the standings from 13th to 14th, 8 points behind now 13th placed Dale Earnhart Jr., but more devastatingly, 171 points behind Michigan winner Kurt Busch who is in 12th place after starting the day less than 100 points behind Kurt.
As Jeff Gordon is the only driver ahead of 12th place Kurt Busch by 483 points (the maximum possible point differential one driver could receive), those in second place to nineteenth are mathematically contenders. However, it was be unlikely for a driver to gain more than 80 points a race therefore those within 240 points of Kurt Busch are in “the Bubble.” Those are, Jimmie Johnson (6th), Jeff Burton (7th), Kyle Busch (8th), Clint Bowyer (9th), Kevin Harvick (10th), Martin Truex Jr. (11th), Kurt Busch (12th), and two drivers on the outside looking in, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (13th) and Ryan Newman (14th), leaving nine drivers in the “hunt” with only three races to the Chase left.
Junior and Newman are respectively 163 and 171 points out of 12th place and both need three consecutively outstanding races to get into the Chase.
The next race is Saturday night at Bristol. The Jackhole assumes that this race will narrow the Bubble to six drivers or so. But as he thought we’d be down to eight and have nine still remaining you’ll have to check in next week!
Key for the above picture
Green = Clinched for the Chase (assuming they start every race)
Yellow = Eligible for the Chase (assuming they start every race)
Red = Out of the Chase
