2005 RACE TO THE CHASE:  URGENCY AT VEGAS

 

For preseason favorites to make the 2005 Chase for the Nextel Cup that have stumbled out of the gate, the Las Vegas next week has taken on a large amount of urgency to begin the road back.  MATT KENSETH’s #17 team troubles at the end of 2004 have followed them into the first two races. Kenseth, shockingly, has the third worst record among all active drivers in the past five races. However, the 2003 champion was super strong for much of the day at California and he was the winner last year at Vegas  …   The alarm is probably going on at Evernham Motorsports as KASEY KAHNE has fallen to 34^th place and has not led a lap in two races. JEREMY MAYFIELD’s slow finish has carried over to the new season so far, miring the #19 in 26^th place in the early going.

 

Could CARL EDWARDS be the freshman sensation story of 2005? He has gotten off to a flying start and is #10 in our Heat Index, going back the last five races   …    GREG BIFFLE has won two of the last three Nextel Cup races and is poised to make a strong run at The Chase   …   MARK MARTIN and the #6 team look like they might be a solid top #5 team all summer   …   Another of NASCAR’s Golden Boys, RUSTY WALLACE, made a good run at California and is tied for seventh in the Race to the Chase standings.

 

 

 

THE HEAT INDEX

(Last 5 races, counting last 3 of 2004 and first 2 of 2005)

RED HOT                                                                 ICE COLD

1—Jimmie Johnson            840                                          1—Mike Wallace                   317

2—Kurt Busch                      794                                          2—Michael Waltrip                               394

3—Jeff Gordon                     768                                          3—Matt Kenseth                  401

4—Mark Martin                    729                                          4—Casey Mears                  413

5—Tony Stewart                  687                                          5—Ken Schrader                  431

6—Greg Biffle                       683                                          6—Bobby Hamilton Jr.        446

7—Rusty Wallace                 670                                          7—Jeremy Mayfield            447

8—Earnhardt Jr.                   651                                          8—Jeff Green                       469

9—Jamie McMurray            629                                          9—Dale Jarrett                     488

10—Carl Edwards                                606                                          10—Ricky Rudd                    490

                                                                                                10—Scott Wimmer                              490

 

THE TURNAROUNDS

(Position in Race to the Chase Versus Last Year at this time)

GOOD TURNS                                                                                         BAD TURNS

Rank-Driver                           05            04            Diff.                         Rank-Driver                           05            04            Diff.

1—Carl Edwards (99 car)    4              42            +38                          1—Matt Kenseth                  36            2              -34

2—Mark Martin                    3              28            +25                          2—Scott Wimmer                                25            4              -21          

3—Jimmie Johnson            2              25            +23                          3—Ricky Rudd                      38            19            -19

4—Scott Riggs                      18            35            +17                          4—Kyle Busch (5 car)          32            16            -16

5—Kyle Petty                        16            31            +15                          5—Bobby Labonte                               31            17            -14          

5—Dale Jarrett                     11            26            +15                          6—Kasey Kahne                   34            21            -13

5—Jeff Burton (31 car)        23            38            +15                          6—Earnhardt Jr.                   14            1              -13

8—Jeff Green                       21            34            +13                          8—Casey Mears                  27            15            -12

9—Sterling Marlin                                9              20            +11                          9—Kevin Harvick                  13            3              -10

10—Dave Blaney (30 car)    27            37            +10                          10—John Andretti                               33            24            -9

 

 

 

2005 RACE TO THE CHASE
After Race #2 of 26:  California #1

Races Left to the Chase:  24

 

05/04 POS.              Season  Out of     Out of     Out of     LastRce Gain        Last 5     Finishes                                Top         Top         Bottom

Driver                     Pts.         1^st            10^th          11^th          Fin/Pts    11^th          Pts/PPR  1—2—3                   5s            10s          10s       Bonus Pts

 

1/7-Ku Busch         340          --            +82          +92          3/170       +37          794/159   0—1—1                   2              2              0              5

2/25-J Johnson     335          -5             +77          +87          2/175       +51          840/168   0—1—0                   2              2              0              10

3/28-M Martin        301          -39           +43          +53          7/151       +13          729/146   0—0—0                   0              2              0              5

4/42-C Edwards    287          -53           +29          +39          5/160       +9            606/121   0—0—0                   1              1              0              5

5/14-G Biffle           273          -67           +15          +25          1/185       +5            683/137   1—0—0                   1              1              0              5

6/8-E Sadler           272          -68           +14          +24          8/142       -2             481/96     0—0—0                   0              1              0              0

7/6-T Stewart        268          -72           +10          +20          17/112     E              687/137   0—0—0                   0              1              0              10

7/13-R Wallace       268          -72           +10          +20          10/134     +8            670/134   0—0—0                   2              0              0              0

9/20-S Marlin         260          -80           +2            +12          15/118     +4            595/119   0—0—0                   0              1              0              0

10/5-J Gordon       258          -82           --             +10          30/73       +6            768/154   1—0—0                   1              1              0              5

                                                                                                                Gain

                                                                                                                10th

11/26-D Jarrett      248          -92           -10           --             11/130     +6            488/98     0—0—0                   0              0              0              0

12/12-R Newman  246          -94           -12           -2             9/138       +14          560/112   0—0—0                   0              1              0              5

13/3-K Harvick       239          -101         -19           -9             6/155       +31          600/120   0—0—0                   0              1              0              10

14/1-Earnhardt Jr 237          -103         -21           -11           32/67       -57           651/130   0—0—1                   1              1              0              5

15/9-M Bliss          236          -104         -22           -12           12/127     +3            NA           0—0—0                   0              0              0              0

16/31-K Petty         231          -109         -27           -17           18/114     -10           NA           0—0—0                   0              0              0              10

17/11-J McMurray                227          -113         -31           -21           4/160       +36          629/126   0—0—0                   1              1              0              0

18/35-S Riggs        224          -116         -34           -24           33/64       -60           551/110   0—0—0                   1              1              0              0

19/27-K Lepage     208          -132         -50           -40           31/70       -54           NA           0—0—0                   0              1              0              0

20/29-B Vickers    205          -135         -53           -43           21/105     -19           523/105   0—0—0                   0              0              0              5

21/34-J Green       202          -138         -56           -46           27/87       -37           469/94     0—0—0                   0              0              0              5

22/22-T Kvapil        197          -143         -61           -51           24/91       -33           NA           0—0—0                   0              0              0              0

23/38-J Burton      187          -153         -71           -61           19/106     -18           496/99     0—0—0                   0              0              0              5

24/10-J Nemechek               185          -155         -73           -63           39/56       -68           541/108   0—0—0                   0              0              1              15

25/4-S Wimmer     184          -156         -74           -64           16/115     -9             490/98     0—0—0                   0              0              0              5

26/18-J Mayfield   183          -157         -75           -65           28/84       -40           447/89     0—0—0                   0              0              0              10

27/37-D Blaney      182          -158         -76           -66           34/61       -63           NA           0—0—0                   0              0              1              0

27/15-C Mears      182          -158         -76           -66           22/97       -27           413/83     0—0—0                   0              0              0              0

29/36-K Schrader  167          -173         -91           -81           14/121     -3             431/86     0—0—0                   0              0              1              0

30/30-Hamilton Jr 161          -179         -97           -87           20/103     -21           446/89     0—0—0                   0              0              1              0

31/17-B Labonte   158          -182         -100         -90           13/124     E              571/114   0—0—0                   0              0              1              0

32/16-Ky Busch     148          -192         -110         -100         23/99       -25           NA           0—0—0                   0              0              1              5

33/24-J Andretti    146          -194         -112         -102         29/76       -48           NA           0—0—0                   0              0              0              0

34/21-K Kahne       140          -200         -118         -108         40/43       -81           499/100   0—0—0                   0              0              1              0

35/27-M Wallace    128          -212         -130         -120         25/88       -36           317/63     0—0—0                   0              0              1              0

36/2-M Kenseth    127          -213         -131         -121         26/90       -34           401/80     0—0—0                   0              0              1              5

37/NA-J Leffler     107          -233         -151         -141         37/52       -72           NA           0—0—0                   0              0              2              0

38/19-R Rudd         106          -234         -152         -142         41/40       -109         490/98     0—0—0                   0              0              1              0

3839-M Waltrip      106          -234         -152         -142         38/49       -75           394/79     0—0—0                   0              0              2              5

 

TOTAL BONUS POINTS EARNED

 

1—Joe Nemechek                               15

2—Jimmie Johnson            10

2—Tony Stewart                  10

2—Kevin Harvick                  10

2—Kyle Petty                        10

2—Jeremy Mayfield            10

3—Kurt Busch                      5

3—Mark Martin                    5

3—Carl Edwards                  5

3—Greg Biffle                       5

3—Jeff Gordon                     5

3—Ryan Newman                 5

3—Dale Earnhardt Jr.          5

3--Brian Vickers                   5

3—Jeff Green                       5

3—Scott Wimmer                                5

3—Kyle Busch                      5

3—Matt Kenseth                  5

3—Michael Waltrip                               5