With only three races left to determine the 12 drivers who will compete in the 10-race chase for the 2011 Sprint Cup championship, three Hendrick Motorsports drivers and the man who was replaced at HMS by one of those three hold down nearly half of the top 10 spots in the standings.
With other Hendrick-affiliated drivers in position to make the Chase, the influence of Rick Hendrick's name in racing has been signifcant -- just as it has been to the patrons of the Hendrick Durham Auto Mall.
Kyle Busch, who drove for Hendrick until he was fired and replaced by Dale Earnhardt, Jr., leads the 2011 Sprint Cup points standings by 10 points over Hendrick driver and five-time reigning champion Jimmie Johnson.
Busch got his first Cup victory at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday after holding off Johnson in a green-white-checkered finish in the Pure Michigan 400.
Hendrick driver Jeff Gordon sits sixth in the points standings, just 60 points behind Busch. Earnhardt, Jr., 10th in the standings, trails Busch by 99 points.
Busch beat Johnson to the finish line Sunday by .568 seconds to claim his series-best fourth victory of the season. He kept Johnson winless at Michigan, one of five active tracks on the Cup circuit where Johnson has not been to Victory Lane.
By virtue of the victory, Busch clinched his berth in the 10-race 2011 Chase.
Mark Martin, a fourth Hendrick Motorsports driver, gained two spots to 14th in the standings after Sunday's race. He trails Busch by 172 points.
If Martin sneaks into the top 12, earning one of two wild-card spots, all four Hendrick drivers and Busch could be in the Chase for the first time since Earnhardt, Jr., replaced Busch at Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.
Furthermore, Tony Stewart, who drives for Stewart-Haas Racing in a car powered by a Hendrick engine, also could make the Chase -- which would give Hendrick direct connections to half of the 12-car field. Stewart left Michigan 10th in points.
Hendrick released Busch as a driver apparently because of the young driver's attitude and on-track demeanor rather than a lack of winning. Busch won frequently for Hendrick, and Sunday's victory was the 23rd of his career.
Interestingly, Earnhardt, Jr., has represented Hendrick well, being annually named NASCAR's most popular driver. But he also has been criticized for his lack of winning -- he has not won in 114 races.
Earnhardt, Jr., made the Chase field in 2008 -- the year he replaced Busch -- and finished in the top 10 while Busch finished 12th. But since then, Junior has been unable to finish a season ranked in the top 20 in points.
Should all four Hendrick drivers join Busch in the race for the 2011 Chase beginning in Richmond, Va., it will make for an interesing story.
Busch has raced inspired to prove himself as a champion since Hendrick released him. Earnhardt, Jr., has raced to prove he belongs in the elite position in NASCAR that his late father once held.
The Busch-vs.-Hendrick Motorsports drama also includes a well-publicized manufacturer's duel between Toyota and Chevrolet. Although Chevrolet and Hendrick are two of the greatest names in racing, Busch wants everyone to believe that he can win without them.
Let's watch and see what happens.
0 comments:
Post a Comment