12 Drivers to Watch: Quarterly Review
After nine weeks of racing, NASCAR now starts the month of
May with a series of southern races.
Last weekend the boys put on a wild, controversial show in Richmond, where Kyle Busch took the checkered flag, Tony Stewart finished third and Carl Edwards fell to 10th. Edwards was faced with drama when there was confusion about his restart position and restarting too early. Jimmie Johnson’s pit crew made an error that sent Johnson to the back of the field for a last place restart, and he still managed to finish in the sixth spot.
Last weekend the boys put on a wild, controversial show in Richmond, where Kyle Busch took the checkered flag, Tony Stewart finished third and Carl Edwards fell to 10th. Edwards was faced with drama when there was confusion about his restart position and restarting too early. Jimmie Johnson’s pit crew made an error that sent Johnson to the back of the field for a last place restart, and he still managed to finish in the sixth spot.
Now, onward to Talladega, Darlington and Charlotte. Let’s take a look at some drivers for a quarterly review of 2012 Drivers to Watch.
Gordon is surprisingly 17th in points. That could very well change this weekend. This season, he is celebrating his 20-year anniversary with Hendrick Motorsports and DuPont. He is the driver that scored Rick Hendrick the 100th win. I've heard some say it would be nice to see him be the 200th winner, for the time he has spent at HMS. This season hasn’t been Gordon’s best to date; he’s crashed more times than not, and has finished lower then 10th seven times. Most crashes were not his fault, though. He was about to have a strong battle for first place with Jimmie Johnson in Martinsville when the No. 15 car spun him and the No. 48 car out of line.
Johnson is sixth in points. After all the drama that surrounded him at the beginning of the season - penalties for illegal equipment on the car and for crashing after a lap in the Daytona 500 - he was able to climb out of the hole and earn his way into the top 10 in the points standings. Solid starts in the front, consistent top finishes, and a win will be what Johnson needs to continue to work his way ahead. Johnson is focused and driven, and he won’t stop driving hard. Saturday night in Richmond proved his talent. He moved ahead from the 27th position to the lead, and after a pit stop penalty, he had to restart in the back, but he was able to pass drivers until he reached the sixth position. He does have two victories in ‘Dega, and last year, he closed the Aaron's 499 in a dramatic finish with Dale Earnhardt Jr. pushing him to the lead just in time to win the race. On Twitter, Johnson ends his Tweets using the hashtag #sixpack. With that said, as long as Johnson keeps his head on straight for the rest of the season, he could very well find his #sixpack.
Matt Kenseth won the Daytona 500 for the second time in his career. He’s awaiting his first victory at Talladega. He’s finished in the top 10 five times this season … and is still fourth in points. It’s safe to count on Kenseth - he’ll finish in the Chase. I’d like to believe he’ll finish in the top five, and possibly contend for the championship.
Clint Bowyer’s bold move to Michael Waltrip Racing seemed to be a bit surprising, but he’s taken the 5-hour ENERGY No. 15 Toyota to a high place this season. He does have a lot of talent, but with five career wins in Cup, he can still be considered an underdog. He’s won twice at Talladega, finished in the top five four times, and in the top 10 six times. Bowyer is on an upward climb, and if he keeps this up, he’ll be in the Chase come fall.
This is Martin Truex Jr.’s best season to date. He was very close to winning at Kansas, but Hamlin had more power and Truex had to settle for second. He only has one career win; the second is soon to come, and it’s safe to assume it’ll be this season. At 'Dega, he’s finished in the top five once. With the equipment he’s had recently, he could very well win this weekend.
Brad Keselowski finished
fifth in points in 2011 with three trips to victory lane. This season, he’s won
one race and has four top 10s. He’s 13th
in points right now, but I wouldn’t count him out of the chase just yet - he’s
proven to be successful in the summer. He won at Talladega before, and he can
win there again.
Tony Stewart has two wins this 2012 season. That’s pretty good for the defending Cup champion. He’s eighth in points thus far, but what do points at this time really mean? If he messes up now, it could ruin it for him later. Finishing in third in Richmond last Saturday was heartbreaking for Smoke; he was leading before the last caution which was thrown for debris. It was either a beer can or a water bottle, but it really doesn’t matter because whatever it was, it could’ve gone unnoticed and Smoke would’ve won the race. Winner Kyle Busch even admitted that had the caution not been thrown, he wouldn’t have caught up. Losing a race when you should’ve won it is frustrating, but it’s behind him now, and it's off to ‘Dega he goes, where he has 13 top 10s. Nine of them are top fives and one of them is a win.
Greg Biffle has been the points leader for seven weeks now. Is this a position he'll stay at for awhile? Will he even stay in the top points for the remainder of this season? His luck could be credited to his new crew chief, Matt Puccia, and pit crew. The No. 16 team's chemistry has been strong out of the gate. Races are not won alone; it's a team effort. Any error on pit road could be costly to a driver.
In conclusion, errors could be costly to any driver, and winning is beneficial to all drivers. We're starting week 10 and there are 26 more races to go. A lot of drama could unfold, and a lot of surprises are sure to be had.
Genevieve is a writer with a day job in child care. All photos in this post are her own; photography is one of her new favorite hobbies. She lives on Lake Norman, not far from all the race shops. When not writing about NASCAR, she writes about other personal topics including fictions stories; she also loves to exercise, spend time with her niece, friends and family, and she especially loves spending a lot of time outside during the summer season! You can follow her on Twitter at @C_Genevieve.
12 Drivers to Watch: Quarterly Review
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Rating:
Nice article! Like your assesments, and while I am a #20 fan, I'm hoping this is Denny's year...wanna see him Dougie more often!
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