Hendrick Motorsports Dominates
Suite 16 Rankings- After Subway 500 at Martinsville
Every week, Suite 101 ranks the top 16 NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers based on results and performance.
It has become the year of Hendrick Motorsports following Jimmie Johnson's third straight victory at Martinsville Speedway. It was Johnson's seventh win of the 2007 Nextel Cup season, and the 15th overall for Hendrick Motorsports. Jeff Gordon has six victories, Kyle Busch and Casey Mears have added one win a piece.
It appeared as if it was going to be another one-two finish for Hendrick Motorsports until Ryan Newman unwaveringly battled Jeff Gordon, and eventually knocked him out of the way with nine laps remaining. In fact, Newman was stalking Jimmie Johnson on the green-white-checkered, and may have been able to muscle his way around the eventual winner if not for David Ragan's spin, which caused the race-ending caution.
Gordon showed his displeasure towards Newman during the caution and after the race. However, all seems well between the two drivers. Approximately fifteen minutes after the race, Roush Fenway Racing teammates Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth had it out in front of a SPEED Channel camera. Kenseth was being interviewed by SPEED's Bob Dilner when Edwards brusquely shoved Kenseth back before he raised his fist at the 2003 NASCAR Champion. Bizarre indeed.
1. (1) 24-Jeff Gordon: Well, you can’t win them all. Well, you can if you are Rick Hendrick.
2. (2) 48-Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie Johnson wins his fourth race at Martinsville, and seventh of the season. One more win and Johnson will tie himself and Ryan Newman for the most single season wins this decade.
3. (3) 07-Clint Bowyer: Right now, Clint Bowyer is the top non-Hendrick Motorsports driver. Pretty soon, that may be a real award.
4. (4) 20-Tony Stewart: Tony Stewart needs to outscore Jeff Gordon by 250 points in the final four races. Stranger things have happened.
5. (6) 5-Kyle Busch: Kyle Busch can still put three Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the top five in the final NASCAR Nextel Cup championship standings.
6. (5) 99-Carl Edwards: Carl Edwards, pick on someone your own size! Like Arnold Shwartznegger.
7. (8) 29-Kevin Harvick: Despite making the Chase for the Championship, the 2007 NASCAR season has been somewhat of a disappointment for Kevin Harvick.
8. (9) 11-Denny Hamlin: It’s hard to believe that as fast as he’s been all year, Denny Hamlin only has one win to his name.
9. (7) 2-Kurt Busch: Perhaps Ryan Newman passed on his bad luck to his teammate Kurt Busch.
10. (10) 1-Martin Truex Jr: Martin Truex Jr looked like David Ragan last year. He was involved in just about half of the cautions.
11. (11) 31-Jeff Burton: If he plans to move up in the championship standings, Jeff Burton needs to finish better then just top 15.
12. (12) 17-Matt Kenseth: Not sure what he did, but Matt Kenseth has really ticked off his Roush Fenway Racing teammate Carl Edwards.
13. (14) 12-Ryan Newman: Last week, Ryan Newman gave one away to Jeff Gordon. This week, he took one away. It looks like Newman is steadily regaining his mojo that he lost somewhere between 2005 and 2006.
14. (13) 8-Dale Earnhardt Jr: Were the fans cheering because Dale Earnhardt Jr took the lead? Or was it because he nearly dumped Juan Pablo Montoya? Or both?
15. (NR) 16-Greg Biffle: Greg Biffle records his best finish at Martinsville.
16. (NR) 42-Juan Pablo Montoya: This time, it was Juan Pablo Montoya getting shoved out of the way.
Past Suite 16 Rankings
UAW Daimler Chrysler 400, at Las Vegas
Goody's Orange Cool 500, at Martinsville
Subway Fresh Fit 500, at Phoenix
Crown Royal/Jim Stewart 400, at Richmond
Dodge Avenger 500, at Darlington
Citizens Bank 400, at Michigan
Toyota Save Mart 350, at Infineon
LENOX Industrial Tools 300, at New Hampshire
USG Sheetrock 400, at Chicagoland
All-State 400, at Indianapolis
Centurion Boats At The Glen, Watkins Glen
3M Performance 400, at Michigan
Sharp Aquos 500, at California
Chevy Rock & Roll 400, at Richmond
Sylvania 300, at New Hampshire
Bank Of America 500, at Lowe's
