If it seems like NASCAR just ended, that’s because it just did. The last week of the 2010 season was during week 10 of the NFL season, and the 2011 season starts two weeks after the Super Bowl (does that make any sense? Me thinks not). Hopefully the suits running the show figure out that having events 38 weeks of the year isn’t a good idea. In spite of this, all of the jokes I’ve cracked about NASCAR since this blog started in November put me in the mood to right a mega-NASCAR preview. I’ve ranked 36 drivers, and give little insights about each of them (some of the information is relevant, some not), and also grouped them into divisions. We’ll go from the lowest ranked driver all the way down to the first. Enjoy.
IRRELEVANT, BUT I CAN TELL YOU A GOOD STORY
AKA THE DICK TRICKLE DIVISION
36. Robby Gordon - #7 – Monster Energy – Toyota – Robby Gordon Motorsports
Claim to Fame - Robby Gordon has the distinction of being my fiancée’s favorite driver, because every time we turn on a NASCAR race, Robby Gordon is running in 36th place.
Most Memorable Win – The date was November 23, 2001, which was also the day after Thanksgiving. Due to the terrorist attacks on September 11th, the race at New Hampshire International Speedway was postponed until the end of the NASCAR season, which meant that a race would be run in New England in late November. Fortunately, it was sunny in the high-40s, so they weren’t trying to race in a blizzard. I’ll remember this event for two reasons.
- My Dad used to get free tickets for every Cup race at Loudon. We used to have a blast going to them, but he was looking forward to going to the November race about as much as a dog would look forward to getting neutered. There aren’t too many people who have lived in New England their entire lives that hate winter as much as my Dad does. If you call him the day after a snowstorm, you would think he found out one of his close relatives was involved in a humiliating sex scandal. Even though it was unseasonably warm that day, he was miserable sitting in the stands watching the race.
- The race itself wasn’t too memorable until the very end. Jeff Gordon (who had already clinched his 4th championship the week before) dominated most of the event. With 16 laps to go, he came upon a slower car in turn 3. When Jeff slowed down to avoid making contact with the lapped car, Robby Gordon (no relation to Jeff) rammed Jeff in the back bumper, causing the #24 car to make contact with the slower car and spin out. The crowd went bonkers (as I will explain when we get to the #1 ranked driver, 90% of the crowd at a NASCAR race hates whoever is doing the best. It will make sense at the end of this column. Trust me). Jeff Gordon, in a rare fit of rage, sped up under caution and smacked the side of Robby Gordon’s car. NASCAR black-flagged him for rough driving, and then everyone in the crowd gave Jeff the finger every time he drove by (I forgot how fun that was until I typed that sentence. Oh the memories). Robby Gordon held on for the first of his three career Cup series wins while driving for Richard Childress.
35. Boris Said - #26 – Window World Cares – Ford – Latitude 43 Racing
Claim to Fame – Boris is one of the best Grand Touring drivers in the world, but more importantly, Boris Said has a fantastic afro. The hair-do is so epic, his die-hard fans wear fake wigs and call themselves “Said-Heads” (I’m not making that up I swear). He’s also from Canada, which means he’s kind of awkward.
Most Memorable Moment – Every time Said’s afro is shown on live television, it enters in to a tie for first with every other time Said’s afro has been shown on live television.
Who He Reminds Me Of – Painter Bob Ross, who passed away over 15 years ago. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen reruns of this guy’s show (where he does a painting from start to finish in less than a half hour), but I swear I’m stoned after watching 10 minutes of it, and I don’t even have to smoke anything. And oh ya, he also had a fantastic afro.
34. Joe Nemechek - #87 – Unsponsored – Toyota – NEMCO Motorsports
Claim to Fame – Was nicknamed “Front Row Joe” in the late 1990s after a string of strong qualifying efforts. This name was much more flattering than “28th Place Joe”, which is the nickname he would’ve been given for his typical finishing position.
33. Bill Elliott - #21 – Motorcraft – Ford – Wood Brothers
Claim to Fame – “Awesome Bill From Dawsonville” won the Winston Million in 1985 (an award given for winning three of the four biggest races), and then won the Winston Cup in 1986.
How He Is Helping Me On eBay – I’ve posted all sorts of junk on eBay over the past few months. Two days ago, I listed an old, crusty Tyvek windbreaker that was the team jacket for Bill Elliott in 1986 (I’m pretty sure wearing Tyvek is the equivalent of wearing a GLAD trash bag). In just two days, I have 10 people that are watching this jacket, and three bids that have already been placed, and the auction is still open for five more days.
(RANT ALERT: This has no relevance to anything, but I just wanted to write about eBay for a second. I’ve had some success with it, which is nice, because a few years ago a friend and I went into an eBay partnership. We bought five jackets from Adidas and attempted to sell them for $60 a pop. My friend (who was quite a visionary photographer) took some pictures of me “modeling” the jacket (I hope they aren’t still floating around on the Internet. If I ever win “Miss America”, we might have another Vanessa Williams situation on our hands). Let’s just say that the experience was a disaster. We sold one jacket to some guy in Taiwan, and then sat on the other four until the wife of a coworker was nice enough to actually post them in a manner that would encourage people to buy them. To make a long story short, my second go around with eBay has gone much better)
32. Michael Waltrip - #15 – Napa – Chevrolet – Michael Waltrip Racing
Claim to Fame – Won the Daytona 500 twice, and also starred in plenty of very annoying Napa commercials. He’ll only be racing a handful of races this season.
31. Steve Wallace - #77 – 5-Hour Energy – Toyota – Rusty Wallace Racing
Claim to Fame – All right, a legacy child! The only reason Steve will be running some races in the Sprint Cup is because he’s Rusty Wallace’s son. That’s it.
30. Travis Kvapil - #28 – Golden Corral – Ford – Front Row Motorsports
Claim to Fame – His last name starts with a “k” and a “v”, which is very odd.
29. Regan Smith - #78 – Furniture Row – Chevrolet – Furniture Row Racing
Claim to Fame – At Talladega in October of 2008, he passed Tony Stewart in the tri-oval on the last lap to cross the finish line in first place. However, NASCAR ruled that Smith went below the yellow line (which is out of bounds at restrictor plate tracks) and took the win away from him. Smith protested that he was forced below the yellow line by Stewart (a defense that was backed by video evidence), but NASCAR didn’t overturn the decision. I’m not saying NASCAR took away the win from a lesser-known driver to give it to one of their stars…well wait that is what I’m saying.
28. Paul Menard - #27 – Menards – Chevrolet – Richard Childress Racing
Claim to Fame – Paul is the son of the owner of Menards (a mid-western home improvement chain), which is a company that is estimated to do around $8 billion in revenue per year. In other words, Menard really isn’t a good driver, but his father provides ton of sponsorship money so a team is able to have Paul drive the car (because more often than not, decisions are dollar based in this sport).
PROBABLY SHOULD’VE RETIRED SIX YEARS AGO
AKA THE RICHARD PETTY DIVISION
27. Bobby Labonte - #47 – Bush’s Baked Beans – Toyota - JTG Daugherty Racing
Who He Reminds Me Of – Boxer Evander Holyfield (minus the getting his ear bit off by Mike Tyson). Holyfield has hung around so long after his prime, that it’s easy to forget he was once one of the best boxers in the world. It’s to the point now that whenever you hear Holyfield is thinking about getting back into the ring, you just laugh.
Labonte isn’t too far off. He’s been so irrelevant since he left Joe Gibbs Racing it’s easy to forget that he won the championship in 2000. The guy has had only one top-5 finish in the last five years. At least he is on a team that has the capability to run well at times, but expect more 25th place or worse finishes for one of the better drivers of the late-90s.
INTRIGUING, BUT CAN’T JUSTIFY PUTTING THEM ANY HIGHER
AKA THE GEOFF BODINE DIVISION
26. Brian Vickers - #83 – Red Bull – Toyota – Red Bull Racing
Season Outlook– Vickers is a tough guy to gauge going into 2011. He won a race and made The Chase in 2009, but was derailed by major health issues last season. Vickers needed to be put on blood thinners to take care of blood clots in his lungs, and then had surgery to fix a hole in his heart in August. I would expect him to be pretty rusty for the first half of the season.
Most Memorable Win – Infamously wrecked Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson (who at the time was his teammate at Hendrick) on the last lap of the fall race at Talladega. Fans at the track celebrated the victory by throwing beer cans at his car.
25. Brad Keselowski - #2 – Miller Lite – Dodge – Penske Racing
Good Cop – Keselowski is a talented young driver who dominated the Nationwide Series in 2010 to win that series championship (for those of you who do not like NASCAR, A) I’m stunned you’re still reading this, and B) Nationwide is basically the equivalent of Triple-A baseball). He ran well at times during his rookie year in Sprint Cup, but inexperience often got the best of him (that and being hated by more than half of his fellow drivers, but we’ll save that for the Bad Cop). With a year under his belt, the Good Cop expects Keselowski to contend for wins, and maybe even have an outside chance at making The Chase.
Bad Cop – Keselowski is a meathead who can’t get out of his own way. His feuds with drivers like Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin have resulted in him getting flipped onto his roof at 190 mph, and ending up sideways in the middle of a straightaway getting piled into by multiple cars. Until he gains the respect of his fellow competitors, he’ll never be successful at NASCAR’s highest level. The Bad Cop predicts he’ll finish 32nd in the points.
BIG NAMES, NO GAME
AKA THE JIMMY SPENCER DIVISION
24. Ryan Newman - #39 – Army – Chevrolet - Stewart-Haas Racing
Claim to Fame – Newman is the only driver who has earned a college degree, and is also the only driver in the garage fatter than Tony Stewart (who ironically, owns his racecar).
Best Season – Newman won 8 of his career 14 Cup races in 2003 while driving for Roger Penske. He also won 11 poles. If it weren’t for a boom-or-bust style of racing (Newman also had seven DNFs), Newman would’ve won the championship.
Why He’s Ranked This Low – Last season he finished 15th in points. While he certainly could end up around that area at season’s end, is there a chance he cracks the Chase this season? I just don’t see it happening for Newman. He does have some extra motivation this season (he’s a free agent after this season), so perhaps he will exceed my expectations.
23. Mark Martin - #5 – GoDaddy.com – Chevrolet – Hendrick Motorsports
Claim to Fame – Of all drivers in NASCAR, no one more closely resembles the Crypt Keeper from “Tales From the Crypt” more than Mark Martin.
His Real Claim to Fame – No one in NASCAR history has been more famous for consistently being the runner-up. He has finished second in the final season standings five times (1990 and ’94 to Dale Earnhardt, 1998 to Jeff Gordon, 2002 to Tony Stewart, and 2009 to Jimmie Johnson), and also was beaten in a photo finish by Kevin Harvick at the 2007 Daytona 500.
Why He’s Ranked This Low – He’s a lame duck driver (he will be replaced by Kasey Kahne for 2012) who got the short-end of the stick with Hendrick’s swapping of crew chiefs.
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
AKA THE STERLING MARLIN DIVISION
22. Marcos Ambrose - #9 – Stanley – Ford – Richard Petty Motorsports
Claim to Fame – Put his car in neutral while leading at Sonoma with a few laps to go so he could save fuel, but unfortunately he was going uphill. His car stalled and four other drivers passed him before he could restart it, causing Ambrose to miss out on what would’ve been his first career Sprint Cup victory.
Fun Fact – Ambrose is the only driver in Sprint Cup history from Australia. Ambrose was an accomplished sports car racer overseas before making the jump to NASCAR in 2009.
Low Ceiling, High Floor – Ambrose has a great opportunity to succeed this season. Richard Petty has contracted to only two teams, and his organization has a close alliance with Roush Racing. If Ambrose is given quality cars, he could absolutely win races (especially at one of the two road courses) and contend for a spot in The Chase. If Petty gives him sub-par equipment, he should end up closer to 30th than 15th in the final standings.
21. David Ragan - #6 – UPS – Ford – Roush Fenway Racing
Claim to Fame – Tony Stewart described David Ragan as “a dart without feathers” after Ragan was involved in several incidents at a 2006 race at Martinsville.
Why No One Talks About Him – Ragan is what we in the fantasy sports business call a “post-hype sleeper”. Two years ago, he was supposed to make the jump to becoming a weekly contender for wins, but after two lackluster seasons, he’s now facing the possibility of losing his ride. I’ll tack his struggles last season to the general problems of the Roush organization. If Jack Roush himself is to be believed (he has said that this is the most confidence he has ever had going into a season) than Ragan should have a good chance to run as competitively as he did in 2008.
20. David Reutimann - #00 – Aaron’s Dream Machine – Toyota – Michael Waltrip Racing
His Chances to Make the Chase – The odds of Reutimann cracking the top 10 at the end of the regular season are pretty low, but he has a chance to nab one of the two wildcard spots that are based on wins (as long as he is in the top 20 in points). Reutimann runs pretty well on the majority of the 1.5-mile ovals. If he can sneak a win or two out of the group of races at Chicago-Charlotte-Atlanta-Texas-Michigan, he has a punchers chance at making The Chase.
19. Jamie McMurray - #1 – Bass Pro Shops – Chevrolet - Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
His Epic 2010 Wins – McMurray became the third driver in history to win both the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 in the same season, a stunning feat for a guy who wasn’t even sure he would have a ride going into the 2010 season. He added another win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in October to double his career win total to 6.
Why Everyone is a Little Too Excited About Him – Everyone remembers McMurray winning the biggest races on the series, but people seem to forget that he didn’t even make The Chase (the addition of two wildcard spots based on wins is largely based on McMurray in 2010 and Kyle Busch in 2009). McMurray has never qualified for The Chase, and has never finished better than 11th in the final seasons standings. Furthermore, there is certainly debate on whether or not he is the top driver on his own race team (Juan Montoya owns that title in my opinion). McMurray will certainly be competitive, but I don’t expect him to find the consistency that has been missing for his entire career.
18. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - #88 – AMP Energy – Chevrolet – Hendrick Motorsports
What More Needs to be Said? – Earnhardt Jr. has been the most written about drive in the sport for the last decade. He joined the premier team in NASCAR before the 2008 season, and only has one win to show for it. He has never lived up to the expectations that were put on him (rather unfairly) because of his father.
How to Save His Career – Dale Jr. needs to get out of Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick is too squeaky clean and corporate, and Junior has never fit in. In a perfect world, he would end up driving a car for Richard Childress (the man who owned Dale Sr.’s car for six of his seven championships). Childress somehow found life in Jeff Burton (who looked washed up when he left Roush in the middle of the 2004 season), and could do the same for Dale Jr.
2011 Outlook – Dale always runs well at the restrictor plate tracks (you could put him in a GEO Metro and he’d figure out a way to run in the top 10 at Talladega), but expect more of the same struggles that have plagued him the last 2 ½ years everywhere else.
17. AJ Allmendinger - #43 – Best Buy – Ford – Richard Petty Motorsports
Why on Earth is AJ Allmendinger This High? – Allmendinger has the lowest floor/highest ceiling combination of any driver (even more so than his teammate at #22). I could see Allmendinger winning two or three races, finishing the regular season 8th or so in the points, and making The Chase. I can just as easily see him struggling with poor equipment and limping home to a 28th place points finish.
I Have Faith in Him Because… – …the guy drives his ass off. At the end of last season, when Richard Petty’s team didn’t know week to week whether it would be able to race due to a lack of funds, Allmendinger consistently ripped off great qualifying runs, as well as finishes inside the top 15. I’m banking on Petty’s close relationship with Roush, as well as the new Ford engine, to give Allmendinger a better shot at turning top-15s into top-10s.
COULD BE CONTENDERS IF A FEW THINGS GO RIGHT
AKA THE RICKY RUDD DIVISION
16. Kasey Kahne - #4 – Red Bull – Toyota – Red Bull Racing
An Odd Arrangement – Kahne signed a contract last season to join Hendrick Motorsports starting in 2012, but didn’t have a place to put Kahne because he already had four drivers under contract for the 2011 season. This led to Kahne winding up at Red Bull Racing for the 2011 season. I can’t recall any other time in NASCAR history where an arrangement like this was made. It’s even more complicated by the fact that Kahne is driving a Toyota this season, and then will be in a Chevrolet next year. Will the folks at Toyota be willing to help Kahne out when they know he will be with a different manufacture next season? Time will tell.
What This Arrangement Would Be Like – Pretend for a minute that romantic relationships were set up by contracts. You sign a contract to date a girl, but unfortunately you can’t start dating her for another 14 months because she’s still obligated to another guy. So in the meantime, you set up a deal to date a girl for the next year with the knowledge that the relationship will end at the end of the year. Would that situation work? Probably not, which is why Kahne will be lucky to win a race this year.
15. Jeff Burton - #31 – Caterpillar – Chevrolet – Richard Childress Racing
Claim to Fame – Is known in the NASCAR garage as “The Mayor”. If there’s an issue that you need to get an opinion on, you go to Jeff Burton and you will get one.
14. Martin Truex Jr. - #56 – Napa – Michael Waltrip Racing
Why He’s Ranked This High – After taking well over half of the season to get acclimated with his new team, Truex ran pretty well to finish the year. With a year under his belt, look for Truex to contend for wins and a shot at The Chase in 2011.
13. Joey Logano - #20 – Home Depot – Joe Gibbs Racing
Claim to Fame – Mark Martin nicknamed Joey Logano “Sliced Bread” when Logano was 14, implying that Logano would be the best thing since sliced bread.
Scary Fact – Logano is entering his 3rd full-time season in Sprint Cup, and he isn’t even allowed to buy alcohol until May 24th of this year.
When Will He Break Out? – It’s not a question of if Logano will win championships, but when. Jeff Gordon was the youngest driver to win the Cup series at the age of 24 in 1995. That was Gordon’s third full season in the Winston Cup series. Logano is entering his third year, but he didn’t have the seat time that Gordon had driving in lesser NASCAR series. I’d be willing to endorse a future bet on Logano winning the 2014 title, but for this season expect a couple of wins and a shot at making The Chase.
12. Juan Pablo Montoya - #42 – Target – Chevrolet - Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
Careers You Could Do With a Name Like Juan Pablo Montoya – Bullfighting, soap opera star, Calvin Klein model, secret agent, cocaine dealer, boxer, Cuban baseball player, prime minister of a Spanish speaking country, poker player, and last but not least, being an international race car driver.
Chances of Success in 2011 – Montoya’s fate hinges on whether or not he can stay out of trouble. Montoya had 7 DNFs last season that killed his chances of making The Chase. No race epitomized that better than last years Brickyard 400. Montoya dominated the race, but collided with Dale Earnhardt Jr. trying to get onto pit road, ending his shot at winning at Indianapolis. Montoya needs to work harder to keep all the fenders in one piece on his racecar.
COULD WIN THE WHOLE DAMN THING (HYPOTHETICALLY)
AKA THE DAVEY ALLISON DIVISION
11. Greg Biffle - #16 – 3M – Ford – Roush Fenway Racing
Fun Fact That Actually Isn’t True, But Would Be Fun If It Was – “Biffle” was one of the finalists for the name of a new cleaning device. “Biffle” eventually lost out to “Swiffer”.
Title Chances – Biffle has a punchers chance at winning the championship. Biffle has had success at most of the tracks in The Chase, so if he can get that far and stay out of trouble, he is a dark horse to win the 2011 championship.
10. Kurt Busch - #22 – Shell/Pennzoil – Dodge – Penske Racing
Claim to Fame – Won the first Chase back in 2004 while driving for Jack Roush.
Infamous Moment – After Jimmy Spencer’s crew overheard Busch making fun of Spencer on his radio, Spencer walked up to Kurt’s car after the race while Busch was sitting in it and punched him in the face. Busch suffered a broken nose, and has been poorly received by most fans ever sense.
Cosmetic Surgery – Busch’s ears used to stick out so far they actually created wind resistance while he was racing. All right, that’s an exaggeration, but the guy had huge ears. Being from Las Vegas, Busch had surgery a few years ago that basically resulted in the top of his ears being stapled to his head. This has resulted in him sort of looking like a relative of Mr. Spock.
9. Matt Kenseth - #17 – Crown Royal – Ford - Roush Fenway Racing
Claim to Fame – Won the last pre-Chase championship in 2003. Also won the Daytona 500 in 2009.
8. Clint Bowyer - #33 - Cheerios/Hamburger Helper – Chevrolet – Richard Childress Racing
Claim to Fame – Bowyer was given NASCAR’s version of the death penalty after winning the first race of The Chase last year at New Hampshire. The penalty given to his team for his car not meeting specifications eliminated Bowyer from having a shot at winning the championship.
2011 Outlook – I think Bowyer has a shot to have a very strong season. His team didn’t fold the tent after the penalty, and finished the 2010 season on a high note. Bowyer is also in a contract year, so he will be racing with added motivation (he’s the equivalent of drafting Prince Fielder in fantasy baseball this year).
7. Denny Hamlin - #11 – Fed-Ex – Toyota – Joe Gibbs Racing
Claim to Fame – Became the first driver since Davey Allison to enter the last race of the season with the points lead, but end up not winning the championship (Allison got into a crash that was not his fault, and then sadly passed away in a helicopter crash the following summer).
Strange Business Deal – Denny Hamlin just signed an endorsement deal with the Jordan Brand. He easily becomes the least athletic person to endorse Michael Jordan’s products.
Will He Get Over 2010? – Hamlin looked like a balloon that lost all of its air when he was interviewed after the race at Homestead last year. It’s not everyday you have an opportunity to win a championship. To blow that chance takes sometime to get over. Will Hamlin have the fortitude to get over that disappointment and win the title in 2011? I would bet on him not doing it, but we’ll learn a lot about Denny Hamlin either way this season.
6. Tony Stewart - #14 – Mobil 1/Office Depot – Chevrolet - Stewart-Haas Racing
Claim to Fame – The only driver to win the championship during the Winston Cup era and during The Chase era.
Why He’s Awesome – Stewart is the closest thing we have to a good ol’ boy racer. Stewart would’ve fit in during the rough and tumble days of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Owning his own team hasn’t made him soft either, as shown by the altercation he got into with a track owner in Australia last month.
5. Kevin Harvick - #29 – Budweiser – Chevrolet – Richard Childress Racing
Sick Ride – If you haven’t seen Kevin Harvick’s new car for 2011, click here. It’s like they stuck a Budweiser logo on the front of the Batmobile. If points were decided by who had the coolest looking car, Harvick wins in a landslide.
Most Memorable Win – Harvick has won the Daytona 500 (in thrilling fashion, edging Mark Martin by a bumper) and the Brickyard 400, but none of those wins top his first career at Atlanta. In just his 3rd race after being named the new driver to replace Dale Earnhardt, Harvick beat Jeff Gordon in a photo finish. It was one of the most electrifying moments in NASCAR history.
4. Kyle Busch - #18 – M&Ms – Toyota – Joe Gibbs Racing
Cool Tribute – Kyle Busch goes by the name “Rowdy Busch” when driving in the Truck Series in honor of the cult classic “Days of Thunder”.
3. Carl Edwards - #99 – Aflac – Ford – Roush Fenway Racing
Why He’s the Trendy Pick to Win the Championship – Edwards won the last two races of the 2010 season, which were his first wins since 2008.
Why He’s Cool – Because after he wins a race, he gets out of the car and does a back flip.
2. Jeff Gordon - #24 – Drive to End Hunger – Chevrolet – Hendrick Motorsports
Gordon’s Sponsor – When you are driving to fight hunger, you’re pretty damn motivated.
How He Can Beat Jimmie Johnson – Gordon has the best crew chief he has had since Ray Evernham left at the end of the 1999 season in Alan Gustafson. With a more technically savvy crew chief, Gordon should benefit from better late race adjustments that will keep him in contention for wins. More importantly, Gordon seems pretty pissed off that his handpicked protégé has more championships than him. I’m predicting 6 wins for Gordon, and the best chance at winning the title for a driver not named Jimmie Johnson.
THE BORING FAVORITE
AKA THE JIMMIE JOHNSON DIVISION
1. Jimmie Johnson - #48 – Lowe’s – Chevrolet – Hendrick Motorsports
Why the Majority of Fans Boo Him at Races – If you were to list the five most popular NFL teams right now, in some order it would probably be Packers, Steelers, Cowboys, Patriots, and the Redskins. These franchises have a huge fan base, but what happens when they go on the road to play at a place like Philadelphia? They get booed.
In NASCAR, there are no home games for any of the drivers (unless a track is located close to where a driver grew up, but even than at best half the crowd is pulling for the driver). Which leads to the people who are not huge Jimmie Johnson fans to loathe him, and take pleasure whenever he hits a wall or blows an engine.
Why You Can’t Rank Anyone Else Higher Than Him – Johnson is at a point where someone needs to beat him before you can even logically suggest that he is not the favorite (the never bet against Peyton Manning when he’s playing a night game rule is a similar situation). Sure the competition is as deep as it has ever been, been Johnson still has the best crew chief to ever sit on top of a pit box (the uber-asshole Chad Knaus, who at this point has accomplished enough where he has the right to be an asshole). As much as I would love to see someone knock him off the top, I’ll need to see it before I ever list Johnson lower than #1 on a list like this.
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