When Sunday afternoon rolls around this week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series begins it’s final run to the 2010 Chase for the Cup. Seven races remain, and each track presents a different challenge. Some require skill, some require a lot of bumping, and most require a heavy right foot.
However, this is crunch time for a majority of the teams. Just because a driver is leading the points doesn’t mean he isn’t immune to falling out of the lead.
Kevin Harvick realized that at the last race at Chicago.
His car was ill-handling to the point where the crew even went behind the wall to do repairs. He would finish 34th, and his points lead would be cut in half. Meanwhile, Jeff Gordon, who hasn’t won a race all year, is currently second in the standings and is still contending to make a championship run.
Meanwhile, despite these two drivers leading the standings, when the Chase starts it is shaping up to be two different names at the top. As of now, if the Chase were to begin, it would be Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin at the top of the heap. Each driver has five wins on the season, but Johnson would start the Chase in the lead based on current positioning.
Johnson is going for his fifth-straight title, something that no one in NASCAR has even fathomed. Three was incredible, four was unprecedented, but if he reaches five in a row, there is no question that Johnson is this generation’s top driver.
I know there are?a lot of people around the sport that do not like that fact, but he is absolutely dominating the Chase. He could have a pitiful first 26 races of the season, and barely make the Chase in the 12th spot. Then, when the final ten races begin…he turns up the heat at the first green flag.
But, as the series looks ahead at Indianapolis, teams need to realize now is the time they need to bring the heat to the No. 48 team.
He has won this race the last two seasons, and then turned up the heat entering the Chase. The rest was just Johnson domination.
It’s seven races that can determine who’s in, who’s out, and who will really be a strong contender. Guys like Harvick, Gordon, Johnson and Hamlin are already established as the top drivers when the final ten races get set. But, some others could be lurking in the back and even some that are just outside the Chase looking to get in.
It is going to be an interesting couple of months as the championship contenders get decided. The only thing this race fan can say is to make sure you all strap in and hang on…this will be a very rough ride.
