30 Degrees of Banking

The Chase is On!!

By Ryan Frisco

Photo Cred www.onlyagame.wbur.org

We are one week removed from the final race of the regular season, and the drama has yet to cease!!  Carl Edwards ended up with the win, Kurt Busch raced his way into the Chase finishing second, and Ryan Newman - not Martin Truex, Jr. - snagged the up for grabs second Wild Card!  I'm not going to try and explain in writing all of the details that emerged after the race with teams cheating and fixing the results.  All you need to know is Michael Waltrip Racing sabatoged Ryan Newman's chance at victory,  made it so Jeff Gordon had no chance at the Top 10 and opened up the second Wild Card spot for Martin Truex, Jr. by forcing Joey Logano into the Top 10.  Oh, and new intel states that Penske and Front Row Motorsports had a little side deal that helped Logano move into the Top 10 as well.  Needless to say, NASCAR found out, Truex was booted and Newman took his spot.  On to the Chase!

***UPDATE*** Since I wrote this article, Jeff Gordon has since been reinstated as a 13TH CONTENDER in the Chase!  This is an unprecedented move by NASCAR and has created a lot of drama and controversy in the sport.***

Now, I'd like to break down the Chase Contenders, from the order of who I think has the best chance to come out on top.

Photo Cred www.autoracing1.com

1. Kyle Busch - This pick isn't necessarily original, but you just can't deny how good he has been this year!  The driver that many are stunned hasn't won a Sprint Cup Championship yet, Kyle will win one, and this year's as good as any to do it.  He has a fast car every week...the only things that might get in his way, like crashes or engine problems, seem out of the picture at this time this season.  Busch is going to have to have a lot of things go wrong for this to not work out in his favor!

2. Kevin Harvick - The Closer has had himself a steadily consistent season.  He's finished in the Top 15 pretty much everywhere except the restrictor plate tracks, and there's only one of them in the Chase.  Kevin has a great car every week, and is usually in contention at the end.  Now that the whole 'playing it safe' bit is over, I'm sure we'll see him snag at least one victory in the Chase.  He will be there in the end.

3. Jimmie Johnson - It seems silly to put him so low, but I justify based on the last three weeks performance.  Engine troubles, blown tires, other people's problems...the 48 team has encountered more trouble this year than other years.  He has a high Chase seeding with his four regular season wins, and will no doubt be in the hunt, but races like the last three...that just can't happen in the Chase.

Photo Cred www.mikemulhern.net

4. Carl Edwards - Carl has been like Harvick this year, very consistently keeping himself in the picture. It's amazing, after all year, he actually goes in the Chase leading the point standings!  The fact that he didn't battle for victory often kind of left him out of the hype, but this seems awfully familiar to 2011...without Tony Stewart in the picture to battle it out with this time.

5. Matt Kenseth - 'What?!  You're ranking the high seed in the Chase this low?!!!' I know this is the question you are all asking. And yes, I am ranking him this low.  Matt has had an extraordinary year.  In his typical 'boring' fashion, as some call it, Kenseth has managed to win five races along with 13 Top 10s.  Unfortunately, I'm not that impressed.  He runs well much of the time, and at some points is downright dominating, but he's had some not so hot races more often then a Championship Contender should.  The only thing he's got going for him is he's dominated the 1.5 mile tracks, which is practically half of the Chase tracks.

6. Kasey Kahne - If you've followed me all season, you know Kahne is my preseason pick to win the Cup.  I knew he'd make it into the Chase, but assumed he'd be higher in the rankings.  Like last year, Kasey has been plagued by bad luck, but his standing outside of the Top 10 in points reflects a lot more than bad luck. This team has had problems.  Kasey has a shot at the Championship, but they can't have races where they just can't figure the car out...like Richmond last week.

Photo Cred www.newsfiber.com

7. Ryan Newman - Newman is the Lucky Dog for the Chase. He lucked out from the crazy twist that booted Truex, Jr. from the Chase.  Ryan is being let go from Stewart Haas racing after this year...this is his tryout, the chance to prove he's worth another shot in the big team era.  What's he gonna do?  I think Newman has what it takes to make some noise...just a little, probably not Championship noise though.

8. Kurt Busch - Single car team out of Colorado, Furniture Row Racing becomes the first of its kind to make the Chase since its inception.  It makes sense that they did it with a past champion in Kurt Busch, but the feat is still a huge step for the sport.  Busch raced his butt off trying to get into the Chase, and now that he's there, I'm not sure if anyone knows what will happen!  He has shown he has the speed and ability to compete with the big boys.  They haven't won yet, but if the crew can get things figured out on pit road, that first win isn't far away. Who knows, maybe Kurt Busch will go all Tony Stewart 2011 and win five races in the Chase!

Photo Cred www.usatoday.com

9. Joey Logano - One big revelation of the year; Joey Logano is a legit NASCAR driver, finally!  He has found a home with Penske Racing, and should be able to thrive there for a long time.  Can he win the title this year?  No.  He's young, and won't be able to hang at this stage, but the fact that he was a legit competitor this year, won a race and made the Chase speaks volumes to the world!  Logano will be back again, and a championship may very well be in his future...just not 2013.

10. Greg Biffle - The Bif has not been impressive at all this year.  He won a race, and had three Top 5s in the entire season.  That is a lame stat line for a Chase driver.  He has been no where near the front for  months now.  He should be a non factor, I'm completely counting him out...watch him win the stinkin' Championship now that I said that.

Photo Cred www.yahoosports.com

11. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - Junior Nation gonna be hatin on this ranking, but deep down they all know I'm right.  Dale had an adequate start to the year, placing himself in contention often.  He never won, and his competitiveness sort of died off over the Summer.  It's even at the point now where you hear Danica Patrick's name more than Dale Junior.  My how the times are changing.

12. Clint Bowyer - That was quite a stunt him and Michael Waltrip Racing pulled.  I say NASCAR makes sure Bowyer's chance at a title are slim to none this year.  'What's that, Bowyer's leading the race with three laps to go?!  Oops, I thought I saw debris in Turn 2, Caution!'

13. Jeff Gordon - Well, since I just found out about this, I really don't know where I would place Gordon.  He's run well this year, but not dominated by any means.  He's run into a lot of bad luck.  I can't see him being a serious threat for the cup.  Like I said before, maybe next year, but this just isn't his year.  But, with new life being issued him by NASCAR, who knows what could happen!!  This is playoffs baby!