Every week, Suite 101 ranks the top 16 NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers based on results and performance.
Jamie McMurray wins his first race since October of 2002 when he won at Lowe's Motor Speedway at Sterling Marlin's subsitute. This time, McMurray wins in his ride, as he edged Kyle Busch by mere inches.
1. (1) 24-Jeff Gordon: Only once this season has Jeff Gordon finished outside of the top twelve. Has he peaked too early?
2. (2) 11-Denny Hamlin: Denny Hamlin went from first at Loudon to last at Daytona.
3. (3) 48-Jimmie Johnson: Here is an update on Jimmie Johnson’s recent slump- 1 top five in the last six races.
4. (4) 17-Matt Kenseth: Matt Kenseth was the fourth highest finishing Roush Fenway driver, but he finished 9th. Not a bad night for the Cat in the Hat.
5. (6) 31-Jeff Burton: Is there a curse of the AT&T logo? Jeff Burton has finished 24th, 12th, 13th, 24th, 3rd, and 16th with the AT&T logo. He finished 7th at New Hampshire with Lenox Industrial Tools on the hood.
6. (5) 20-Tony Stewart: Was anyone surprised that Tony Stewart blamed Denny Hamlin for the lap 14 incident at Daytona?
7. (9) 99-Carl Edwards: Carl Edwards’ fourth place finish at Daytona was his best career finish at a restrictor plate race.
8. (8) 1-Martin Truex Jr: Even though he finished 13th at Daytona, Martin Truex Jr is showing no signs of slowing down in the Race to the Chase for the Championship.
9. (7) 29-Kevin Harvick: You just knew that sooner or later Kevin Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya were going to clash.
10. (11) 5-Kyle Busch: Kyle Busch may be the best driver without a teammate.
11. (10) 8-Dale Earnhardt Jr: Because of his early troubles, Dale Earnhardt Jr didn’t get a chance to work with his three new teammates.
12. (14) 26-Jamie McMurray: At this pace, Jamie McMurray will win his third career race at Bristol in 2012.
13. (13) 07-Clint Bowyer: Clint Bowyer had to cringe when he saw the quartet of Hendrick Motorsports drivers in his rearview mirror.
14. (12) 12-Ryan Newman: Another race in which Ryan Newman finished worse than he ran.
15. (NR) 2-Kurt Busch: Kurt Busch scored his first top five since Richmond in May.
16. (NR) 16-Greg Biffle: Greg Biffle’s sixth place finish was his best finish at Daytona since his Pepsi 400 win in 2003.
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