Nascar's Nextel Cup 2007
Martin, Gordon, Burton and Harvick all represented
With two races under their belts, the Cup positions are full of the usual suspects. But what about Clint Bowyer, Joe Nemechek, JJ Yeley and other underdogs?
With two races under their belt, the Nextel Cup top positions are full of the usual suspects. Mark Martin, although with a different team, is holding the points lead. The two Jeff's, Burton and Gordon are holding second and third, respectively. Kevin Harvick started off the season with a win and is currently holding in fourth. The highly publicized Martin replacement and my pick for this season's Rookie of the Year, David Ragan, is off to a great start in fifth. Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth are also in the top ten, big surprise.
But there are more than 60 drivers in the Nextel Cup series and 50 are trying for full time. Here's some highlights to look for this season:
Clint Bowyer: This sophomore is hoping to avoid the "slump" and learn from his seasoned teammates. Following the lead of Burton and Harvick, the driver of the #17 RCR Chevy is running limited Busch Series races to get more experience for Cup.
Joe Nemechek: Front row Joe is the veteran force behind MB2 (now Ginn Racing). Previous driver of the #01 Army car, Nemechek needs three more races before he gets an automatic qualifying provisional for this new team.
J.J.Yeley: This former USAC Triple Crown winner is running his second term under Joe Gibbs Racing. He needs to redeem himself from his rookie season. After two top 15 finishes, Yeley is trying to park himself permanently in the #18 Chevrolet.
David Gilliland: The newest driver of the #38 M&M's Ford has some big shoes to fill. But with one pole and two solid finishes, he could steal David Ragan's thunder for ROTY honors.
Juan Pablo Montoya: The former CART Champion and F1 driver made a big jump to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2007. As soon as the Columbian born Montoya gets himself jelled at the NASCAR tracks, watch out. The Silver Bullet might charge it's way to Victory Lane.
Dale Jarrett: As many times as Jarrett has been in the top ten in standings, this is like being reborn. New manufacturer (Toyota), owner (Michael Waltrip), and team transforms Jarrett into adolescence again in Nextel Cup. Count on Jarrett being the the first driver to accommodate the change to Toyota.
There is still hope for the big favorites. Tony Stewart is always consistent later in the season, and Jimmy Johnson would have been higher up in the standings if it wasn't for a bad pit stop. Dale Jr. is starting a little rough, but let's hope he gets his contract problems under control so he can concentrate on racing again.
