2006 RACE TO THE CHASE:  NEW FACES IN HIGH PLACES

 

 Hard to believe we’re already one-fourth of our way through the 2006 Race to the Chase, and only four of last year’s Chasers are found in the current Top 10.

Further, five of last year’s elite group are 17^th or worse in the standings: 17^th KURT BUSCH (-123 out of 10^th), 18^th RYAN NEWMAN (-134), 22^nd CARL EDWARDS (-183), 23^rd GREG BIFFLE (-188), 35^th JEREMY MAYFIELD (-295). These five can take heart in the fact that MATT KENSETH came from 21^st place and 145 points out to make the 2005 Chase.

NEW FACES:  KASEY KAHNE looks to be fully recovered from his sophomore slump and poised not only to qualify for his first Chase but win several races in the process  …   KYLE BUSCH and the #5 team still look a little inconsistent but are capable of going on a tear   …   RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING looks resurgent with all three drivers within range of challenging for spots in The Chase   …  CASEY MEARS got off to a fast start at Daytona, but needs some top fives and tens soon   …   DENNY HAMLIN not only looks like Rookie of the Year material. He looks like a legitimate Chase contender.

 

We’re only six races away from the halfway point of The Race to the Chase.  For the drivers 100 or more points out of 10^th, it’s not too early to be thinking that you need to start making a move now.

 

 

RACE TO THE CHASE COMPARISON CHART

 

2006                                        Pts/Outof1st         2005                                        Pts/Outof1st         2004                                        Pts/Outof1st

 

1—JIMMIE JOHNSON            1063/+15                 1—JIMMIE JOHNSON            1142/+135               1—KURT BUSCH                    1032/+19

2—MATT KENSETH               1048/-15                  2—GREG BIFFLE                    1007/-135                2—MATT KENSETH               1013/-19

3—Kasey Kahne                   1017/-46                  3—RUSTY WALLACE            905/-237                  3—DALE EARNHARDT JR.    997/-35

4—MARK MARTIN                 1017/-46                  4—KURT BUSCH                    897/-245                  4—TONY STEWART              946/-86

5—TONY STEWART              966/-97                    5—Jeff Gordon                     895/-247                  5—ELLIOTT SADLER            942/-90

6—Dale Earnhardt Jr.          951/-112                  6—Sterling Marlin                883/-259                  6—JIMMIE JOHNSON            923/-109

7—Kyle Busch                      950/-113                  7—MARK MARTIN                 882/-260                  7—Kasey Kahne                   902/-130

8—Jeff Gordon                     911/-152                  8—Elliott Sadler                    879/-263                  8—Kevin Harvick                  897/-135

9—Kevin Harvick                  859/-204                  9—RYAN NEWMAN                873/-269                  9—JEFF GORDON                  891/-141

10—Casey Mears                845/-218                  10—Dale Jarrett                   853/-289                  10—RYAN NEWMAN              834/-198

                                                Pts/Outof10th                                                       Pts/Outof10th                                                       Pts/Outof10th

11—Dale Jarrett                   828/-17                    11—TONY STEWART            849/-4                      11—Rusty Wallace               825/-9

12—Elliott Sadler                  804/-41                    12—Kevin Harvick                845/-8                      12—JEREMY MAYFIELD       825/-9

13—Clint Bowyer                 750/-95                    13—CARL EDWARDS            833/-20                    13—Jamie McMurray          818/-16

14—Denny Hamlin                747/-98                    14—Jamie McMurray          824/-29                    14—Sterling Marlin              817/-17

15—Martin Truex Jr.           744/-101                  15—Dale Earnhardt Jr.        787/-66                    15—Bobby Labonte             801/-33

16—Jeff Burton                    741/-104                  16—JEREMY MAYFIELD       780/-73                    16—MARK MARTIN               789/-45

17—KURT BUSCH                  722/-123                  17—Casey Mears                745/-108                  17—Joe Nemechek             776/-58

18—RYAN NEWMAN              711/-134                  18—Scott Riggs                    733/-120                  18—Casey Mears                752/-82

19—Reed Sorenson            701/-144                  19—Kyle Petty                      726/-127                  19—Greg Biffle                     745/-89

                                                                                20—Jeff Burton                    714/-139                  20—Dale Jarrett                   721/-113

22—CARL EDWARDS            662/-183                  21—MATT KENSETH             708/-145                  21—Scott Wimmer              719/-115

23—GREG BIFFLE                  657/-188                  22—Dave Blaney                   707/-146                  22—Ward Burton                  714/-120

35—JEREMY MAYFIELD       550/-295                  23—Kasey Kahne                 698/-155                  23—Terry Labont                 678/-156

 

ALL CAPS made 05 Chase                                 ALL CAPS made 05 Chase                                 ALL CAPS made 04 Chase

 

THE HEAT INDEX

(Last 5 races)

RED HOT                                                                 ICE COLD

1—Tony Stewar                   767                                          1—Ken Schrader                  380

2—Mark Martin                    742                                          2—Michael Waltrip               394

3—Matt Kenseth                  740                                          3—Jeremy Mayfield            398

4—Kasey Kahne                   722                                          4—Dave Blaney                     419

5—Kyle Busch                      717                                          5—Brian Vickers                  424

6—Jimmie Johnson            708                                          6—Sterling Marlin                427

7—Jeff Gordon                     692                                          7—Robby Gordon                428

8—Kevin Harvick                  657                                          8—Ryan Newman                 438

9—Dale Earnhardt Jr.          647                                          9—Kyle Petty                        451

10—Dale Jarrett                   582                                          10—Carl Edwards                463

                                                                                               

 

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—Kasey Kahne                   3              23            +20                          1—Sterling Marlin                34            6              -28

1—Kyle Busch                      7              27            +20                          2—Greg Biffle                       23            2              -21

3—Matt Kenseth                  2              21            +19                          3—Jeremy Mayfield            35            16            -19

4—Robby Gordon                27            39            +12                          4—Kurt Busch                      17            4              -13

5—Dale Earnhardt Jr.          6              15            +9                            4—Kyle Petty                        32            19            -13

6—Brian Vickers                  20            28            +8                            6—Scott Riggs                      28            18            -10

6—Bobby Labonte               29            37            +8                            7—Ryan Newman                 18            9              -9

8—Casey Mears                  10            17            +7                            7—Carl Edwards                  22            13            -9

                                                                                                                7—Dave Blaney                     31            22            -9

                                                                                                                7—Michael Waltrip               33            24            -9

 

2005 RACE TO THE CHASE
After Race #7 of 26:  Texas #1

Races Left to the Chase:  19 (73%)

 

05/LW/04                Season  Out of     Out of     Out of     LastRce Gain        Last 5     Finishes                Top         Top         Bottom Bonus-

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

 

1/1/1-JJohnson     1063        --            +218        +235        11/130     +18          708          2—1—1                   4              5              0              15-0

2/3/21-Kenseth     1048        -15           +203        +220        2/175       +63          740          1—2—1                   4              4              0              30-0

3/4/23-Kahne         1017        -46           +172        +189        1/185       +73          722          2—0—0                   4              5              1              15-0

4/2/7-M Martin       1017        -46           +172        +189        9/143       +31          742          0—1—0                   1              5              0              20-0

5/8/11-TStewart    966          -97           +121        +138        3/175       +63          767          1—0—1                   4              4              1              50-0

6/6/15-ErnhrdtJr   951          -112         +106        +123        12/127     +15          647          0—0—1                   2              3              0              15-0

7/5/27-KyBusch     950          -113         +105        +122        15/118     +6           717          0—0—1                   2              4              0              15-0

8/7/5-JGordon       911          -152         +66          +83          22/970     -15           692          0—1—0                   3              3              0              20-0

9/12/12-Harvick     859          -204         +14          +31          5/160       +48          657          0—1—0                   1              3              1              15-0

10/10/17-Mears     845          -218         --             +17          14/121     +9            529          0—1—0                   1              3              0              0-0

                                                                                                                Gain

                                                                                                                10th

11/11/10-Jarrett    828          -235         -17           --             17/112     -9             582          0—0—0                   0              2              0              5-0

12/9/8-ESadler       804          -259         -41           -24           33/69       -52           545          0—0—0                   1              2              0              15-0

13/16/NA-Bowyer 750          -313         -95           -78           19/106     -15           479          0—0—0                   0              1              0              0-0

14/23/NA-Hamlin  747          -316         -98           -81           4/165       +44          547          0—0—0                   1              2              1              10-0

15/20/NA-TruexJr 744          -319         -101         -84           8/147       +26          511          0—0—0                   0              1              1              5-0

16/21/20-JBurton 741          -322         -104         -87           6/150       +29          514          0—0—0                   1              3              1              10-0

17/14/4-KuBusch   722          -341         -123         -106         34/61       -60           548          1—0—0                   1              1              3              20-0

18/13/9-Newman   711          -352         -134         -117         40/43       -78           438          0—0—1                   1              2              2              10-0

19/24/NA-Sorson  701          -362         -144         -127         13/124     +3            525          0—0—0                   0              1              1              0-0

20/15/28-Vickers  684          -379         -151         -134         43/34       -77           424          0—0—0                   0              2              2              10-0

21/17/14-McMurry675          -388         -160         -143         37/52       -59           468          0—0—0                   2              0              3              10-0

22/19/13-Edwards 662          -401         -173         -156         36/60       -51           463          0—0—1                   2              3              2              10-0

23/18/2-Biffle         657          -406         -178         -161         42/42       -69           535          0—0—0                   0              2              2              35-0

24/22/NA-Yeley      652          -411         -183         -166         35/63       -48           465          0—0—0                   0              1              2              15-0

25/25/26-Nemchek649         -414         -186         -169         23/94       -17           499          0—0—0                   0              0              0              0-0

26/28/32-JGreen   642          -421         -192         -175         18/114     +4            514          0—0—0                   0              0              1              5-0

27/27/39-RGordon 637          -426         -197         -180         20/103     -7             428          0—0—0                   0              0              1              0-0

28/30/18-Riggs      635          -428         -199         -182         7/146       +36          529          0—0—0                   0              2              1              0-0

29/35/37-BLabonte601         -462         -233         -216         10/134     -24           473          0—0—0                   1              2              2              10-0

30/31/31-Schrader597          -466         -237         -220         16/115     +5            380          0—0—0                   0              1              2              0-0

31/29/22-Blaney     589          -474         -245         -228         29/76       -35           419          0—0—0                   0              0              0              0-0

32/26/19-Petty       585          -478         -249         -232         39/46       -64           451          0—0—0                   0              1              2              5-0

33/34/24-Waltrip    558          -505         -276         -259         26/85       -25           394          0—0—0                   0              0              2              5-0

34/32/6-Marlin       555          -508         -279         -262         30/73       -37           427          0—0—0                   0              0              3              5-0

35/33/16-Mayfield 550          -513         -284         -267         31/70       -40           398          0—0—0                   0              0              2              0-0