Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson are not in the 12-man Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup yet, but both could leave Michigan this weekend with their Chase tickets punched.
Stewart, who leads the championship points standings and only needs to start the race to lock up his spot in the Chase, has the much easier road to clinching, while Johnson has a much tougher, but not impossible, task at hand.
In order for Johnson to lock up his spot this weekend, he will need to increase his 496-point lead over 13th-place Kyle Busch by 90 points, which is not impossible but may be highly improbable.
Any driver leaving Michigan with a 586-point or more lead over the 13th-place driver in the points standings will qualify for the Chase.
For points leader Stewart, clinching a spot, so far the top spot, in the Chase, is nothing short of a surprise. He is in his first year as a driver/owner and would become the first driver/owner to ever make the Chase.
But Stewart is not just your average driver/owner, he’s Tony Stewart for God’s sake. He does nothing unless it’s 100 percent, and he’s just adding to that belief this season as he leads the pack coming down the final four-race stretch to the Chase.
For all intents and purposes, Stewart should have been a couple of years away from being competitive, but he isn’t just your average driver, and isn’t just another guy looking to make a name for himself as more than just one of those guys.
ON THE OTHER HAND
Matt Kenseth has a death grip on 12th-place in the points standings, but holding onto that spot may be tougher than anyone can think.
Currently, four drivers are hot on Kenseth’s heels for the final spot in the 10-race Chase with Busch (13th-place, 58 points behind Kenseth), Brian Vickers (14th, 96 back), Clint Bowyer (15th, 99 back) and David Reutimann (16th, 155 back) all in the mix.
It’s pretty safe to say there’s going to be some great racing over the next four races as setting the 12-driver Chase field should come right down to the final laps on Sept. 12 in Richmond.
RUMOR HAS IT
With all the talk each year of Pocono Raceway losing one of its Sprint Cup races, it should come as no surprise that it is being reported that a change to the racing schedule is coming in 2010.
What may be a surprise, though, is that the reports aren’t claiming that Pocono will lose one of its Sprint Cup races, but instead, will be a new stop on the 2010 Truck Series schedule.
Pete Pistone of racing Web site www.racingone.com reported earlier this week that reports have been circulating of a Truck Series move to Pocono, as well as a Spring return to Darlington. This would be huge for Pocono, which has a less-than-stellar Saturday offering by way of the ARCA/REMAX Series race and could definitely give Pocono’s finances an immediate shot in the arm.
The Truck Series is great racing — there’s no question about that — and it definitely provides for more entertainment than the current Saturday show, other than the sometimes hellacious wrecks associated with the ARCA Series.
THIS WEEKEND
The Sprint Cup returns to Michigan this weekend for the CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich. Sunday’s race time is slated for a 1p.m. start with ESPN taking on the live coverage.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“You can’t fix stupid, it’s forever.” — Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, talking about fellow driver Robbie Gordon, who wrecked Logano during Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen. Logano’s day came to an abrupt end when his car caught fire after the wreck.
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2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Points Standings
Rank…Driver … Points … Behind
1. … Tony Stewart … 3383 … ---
2. … Jimmie Johnson … 3123 … 260
3. … Jeff Gordon … 3041 … 342
4. … Kurt Busch … 2902 … 481
5. … Denny Hamlin … 2847 … 536
6. … Carl Edwards … 2830 … 553
7. … Juan Montoya … 2781 … 602
8. … Kasey Kahne … 2754 … 629
9. … Ryan Newman … 2727 … 656
10. … Greg Biffle … 2718 … 665
11. … Mark Martin … 2716 … 667
12. … Matt Kenseth … 2685 … 698
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