It's here already! The 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season has reached its half-way mark, and it is time to hand out some mid-season awards.
Best driver- Jeff Gordon
This is the unambiguous choice. Jeff Gordon has four wins, five poles, eleven top fives, and fifteen top tens in only seventeen starts. Thus far, Gordon’s 2007 season is mirroring his dominant 1998 season, when he visited victory lane 13 times. Will he win 13 races this season? Nope. However, he will likely win six or seven, which is corresponding to 11 or 12 wins ten years ago.
Honorable Mention- Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Matt Kenseth
Denny Hamlin has already proved to the NASCAR world that he is a championship caliber driver. He will be Gordon’s biggest threat once the Chase for the Championship begins. Jimmie Johnson has four wins, but the law of averages may be catching up with him. Not surprisingly, Matt Kenseth has been quietly consistent all year.
Most Improved Driver- Martin Truex Jr
Considered an also-ran in his 2006 rookie season, Martin Truex Jr has suddenly transformed into a serious championship threat in his sophomore season. Ever since Dale Earnhardt Jr announced he was leaving DEI at the end of the 2007 season, Truex Jr has stepped up as ‘the man’ at DEI. His first-career win at Dover was followed by a third at Pocono, second at Michigan, a bump-in-the-road finish of 24th at Infineon, and a third at New Hampshire. Truex Jr currently sits 9th in the NASCAR Nextel Cup championship standings.
Honorable Mention- Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, and Carl Edwards
Ryan Newman has been fast enough to win races; he has just had rotten luck. Jamie McMurray was arguably the most disappointing driver in 2006, so any improvement was a must. Carl Edwards won his first race at Michigan since the fall of 2005.
Biggest Disappointment- Kasey Kahne
After winning six races in 2006, Kasey Kahne was projected as a championship contender in 2007. At this point a year ago, Kahne had already produced four wins, and was emerging as the superstar everyone expected him to be. However, a year later, he only has one top ten finish, which was at Daytona in February, and would have probably finished outside of the top ten if it were not for several accidents in front of him that took out other contenders.
Honorable Mention- Greg Biffle, Elliott Sadler and Scott Riggs, all Toyota drivers
Just two years ago, Greg Biffle won six races and finished second in the final NASCAR Nextel Cup standings. Last season, his performance began to decline, yet he still won two races. Unfortunately, it appears as if he has become the lame duck driver at Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle’s best bet may be to start over with another organization. Along with Kahne, Evernham Motorsports drivers Elliott Sadler and Scott Riggs have been total non-factors all season.
It is safe to say that it has not been the introductory season the folks at Toyota were hoping for. Michael Waltrip’s cheating scandal set the stage for a thwarting season for Toyota.
Biggest storyline- Dale Earnhardt Jr leaving DEI to join Hendrick Motorsports
It has been a season full of headlines in NASCAR, but none have peaked the interest of NASCAR Nation like the Dale Earnhardt Jr and DEI saga. Earnhardt Jr announced he was leaving DEI in May, and it was widely speculated that he would join Richard Childress Racing or Joe Gibbs Racing. Instead, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Hendrick Motorsports inked a deal that will have NASCAR’s most popular driver collaborating with public enemy number one. Alas, Earnhardt Jr and Jeff Gordon will be teammates.
Honorable Mention- NASCAR vs. Cingular/AT&T, The tragic passing of Bill France Jr, Benny Parsons, Bobby Hamilton Sr, 100-point penalties for Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson, The Car Of Tomorrow, Kyle Busch’s free agency, Kurt Busch vs. Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya
Wow, and we are only half-way through the 2007 season. There was an abundance of storylines, so if I missed your favorite, I apologize.
Suite 101’s projected Chase for the Championship contenders
Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
Denny Hamlin, Chevrolet
Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
Matt Kenseth, Ford
Tony Stewart, Chevrolet
Jeff Burton, Chevrolet
Martin Truex Jr, Chevrolet
Carl Edwards, Ford
Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet
Dale Earnhardt Jr, Chevrolet
Ryan Newman, Dodge
Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet
Kyle Busch will be the odd-man out.
