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| Jimmie Johnson; The reigning 5-time Champ |
So you see the picture don't you? Don't you? I think you do. The Chase officially begins this Sunday at, my home track, Chicagoland Motor Speedway, as the quest to dethrone "Ol' 5-Time" takes its course for ten races.
Its been since the year 2006, to be exact, since anyone has touched the championship trophy in the Sprint Cup Series. In fact, the last do so was Tony Stewart.
Some may argue that Johnson's reign should have came to an end last year at the hands of Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Toyota. Instead, in the season finale race at Homestead, Hamlin had a little incident with Greg Biffle. Ultimately, his accident caused damage to the front splitter. His car never drove the same as he finished 14th while Johnson finished 2nd en route to his fifth straight championship. Kevin Harvick would just say that product of Johnson's reign is his acclaimed "Golden Horseshoe." So will Johnson's reign finally to an end? Well, lets break it down shall we?
Kyle Busch
Well, "Wild Thing" certainly has his best chance thus far to deliver his first Sprint Cup Championship since 2008 when he finished 10th in the final standings. He's done a great job up this point, but can he finally put the pieces together? I say he can. If Johnson, or anyone else, wants the trophy, I'm sure Kyle would have something to say about that.
Kevin Harvick
Harvick has picked up right where he left off last year. He is one of the more consistent drivers in the Sprint Cup Series. My only concern is that he often comes out of nowhere with his finishes and, sometimes, wins. If Harvick can have races in the Chase like he did at Richmond, he'll be a factor. But then again, he really didn't do that last year, and he battled to the season finale.
Jeff Gordon
This guy is no stranger to championships as he has four of them. He's been on quite a roll with nine of his last 11 races resulting in top 10 finishes. I hope the #24 team didn't peak to soon. Quite frankly, if anyone can stop Johnson, it's him. Besides, he was the dominating driver before Johnson came along and now, he wants it back. If he continues this momentum, Jeff Gordon will be the one that becomes a five-time champion.
Matt Kenseth
Matt prides himself on consistency. In fact, that's how he won his 2003 Championship. He only finished with one win. Amazing isn't it? But since we're not under the old points system anymore, he can't get away with that.
What he is going to have to do is win in the Chase. The thing is, he isn't that type of driver. That's why Matt will fall short of his bid for a Second Sprint Cup Championship.
Carl Edwards
Once the Sprint Cup Series point leader now has gone to a team and driver looking for some momentum. Well, throughout the last three races, he's been trending the right direction. He has a 9th, 5th, and a 2nd to back it up with. Looks to me as if he's peaking at the appropriate time. Now can he rack up some wins like he did in 2008? He"ll definitely be in the mix.
Jimmie Johnson
There's no need for an introduction. Instead of pointing out the obvious, here's some interesting numbers of "Ol' Five-Time". He has the best average finish at these ten tracks: 9.7; his closest competitor is Jeff Gordon: 11.6. He has 29 wins combined between the ten tracks. He's second behind Jeff Gordon, who has 31. With that being said, Jimmie has never been this low to start the Chase, which is sixth. Believe it or not, if he doesn't pick up more wins, his reign is over. But then again, how many wins does Jimmie have in the Chase?
Kurt Busch
Kurt is the inaugural winner of the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2004. Since then it has been a struggle. All I recall hearing about him is his constant feuding with rival Jimmie Johnson. But has this been a tactic to get Five-time off his game? If so, it has been working. Instead, Kurt should "Just Do It" on the race track. He's coming off back-to-back top five efforts. Like Carl, maybe he's catching fire in a timely manner.
Ryan Newman
"Rocketman" is having one of his best seasons on his career, and his best season with Stewart Haas Racing. You can basically say he's been the No. 1 guy instead of Tony Stewart. But like I've previously stated, you need to win races and be consistent to beat Jimmie Johnson. Ryan Newman, since 2003, has won six races in the last eight seasons. To me, he will just be another driver in the Chase till he wins on a more consistent basis.
Tony Stewart
Smoke is one of the sleepers in this Chase. It's hard to fathom that he will continue to struggle like he has thus far. The #14 team is showing signs of progress, as he is has three top 10's in the last four. If he doesn't make any noise in the Chase, he has another goal: continue to earn a win in every season of his Sprint Cup Career.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
To say that Junior "limped" into the Chase is an understatement. After being involved in an early caution involving Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, and several others, Junior was hanging on for dear life in the mid 20s to 30s. He finished 16th after all he went through - and primarily because Brad K couldn't put together a race he has had as of late. Astonishingly, Junior has the best average of 7.5 at the Chase tracks raced at so far this season. Junior and Co. should use that as confidence going into race one.
Brad Keselowski
The "New Kid on the Block" has been a stunning surprise with three wins on the season. What makes those wins even more impressive is he won them injured. If that's the case, I wonder what an injured left foot would do for him? Ha; I kid, I kid. Anyway, he'll have a nice little run, but his novice experience in the Chase will eventually catch up to him.
Denny Hamlin
Once upon a time in 2010, Hamlin had Jimmie Johnson by the ropes going into Homestead, but then he choked his title dreams away thanks to an early race incident. He, and his #11 team, have yet to recover from the devastating defeat. Outside of Stewart, he is the other Chase Sleeper who could sneak up from nowhere and make noise. Hamlin seems to be having more confidence heading into the Chase, which is ironic because confidence has been the issue this year.
Final Standings
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Kyle Busch
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Denny Hamlin
6. Carl Edwards
7. Tony Stewart
8. Brad Keselowski
9. Ryan Newman
10. Matt Kenseth
11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
12. Kurt Busch
We will have a new "5-time" champion this year in Jeff Gordon. It'll be a reverse of the 2007 season. Jeff even says he has more confidence since 2007.
Before I wrap this up, we have to have a Favorites and Darkhorses preview for Chicagoland.
Favorites
Kevin Harvick
After winning the controversial Richmond race, Harvick comes in as tied for the top seed in the Chase. He has a great record at Chicagoland. He won the first two races here with an average finish of 11.2. He was very pleased with the car after the two practices held on friday. Look for Harvick to throw out the first punch of the 2011 Chase.
Tony Stewart
Despite being in the Chase, it feels as though he doesn't belong. The team's performance hasn't been up to the par that Tony is used. Chicagoland is a great track for him. He has won twice with a 9.5 average finish. Expect a surprise out of Smoke Sunday afternoon.
Darkhorses
Jeff Gordon
Like Harvick, he comes in with momentum. But his momentum has being going on for quite awhile (since June as a matter of fact). He has the best average finish of all drivers in the field with an 8.6 as well as a 2006 win.
David Reutimann
The winner of last year's event, leading 52 of 267 laps; Reutimann's race win was legit. He hasn't had the best of seasons and after Friday's practice sessions, I think he'll likely pick up right where he left off.
My race winner, although, will be the #18 of Kyle Busch. He needs to throw the first punch in order to demonstrate he is ready to perform when it counts. Despite being low in the second practice charts, the #18 team showed no signs of panic. No panic= a race winning car. But that's just one man's opinion.
NOTE: I do NOT take credit for any of these photos.
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