Robby Gordon, Riggs Try To Rebound

NASCAR 2008 Preview- Driver Rankings Countdown (30th to 26th)

Jan 31, 2008

NASCAR 2008 Preview- Driver Rankings Countdown (30th to 26th).

After it was abundantly clear that he was not going to return to Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2008, Scott Riggs’ time in the unemployment line was short-lived. He signed on to drive Chevrolet Impala’s for Haas CNC Racing along with his former teammate Jeremy Mayfield. Riggs’ nearly enjoyed a breakout season in 2006 while coming just short of victory on several occasions. It appeared as if Riggs was entering the same route as other breakout stars such as Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex, Jr. A series of ill fortune early in the 2007 season dropped Riggs and the 10 team out of the top 35 in the Sprint Cup owner’s standings, and they could never recover. Nevertheless, Riggs will endeavor to prove that he can win at NASCAR’s highest level. This team posted some respectable results in 2007 with Jeff Green in the driver’s seat. Riggs will likely score a few top tens, but his chances of winning a Cup race dwindled the day of his release from Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

The 2007 NASCAR Sprint Cup season never really got off the ground for one of the rookie of the year contenders. Unlike Juan Pablo Montoya and David Ragan, Paul Menard had to qualify on speed for the first half of the season. The team fell further and further behind as the focus at DEI centered on Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Martin Truex, Jr. as they contended for spots among the elusive top twelve. When DEI acquired Ginn Racing in August, and Menard was finally among the top 35 in owner’s points, the team began to gain some ground. However, it was not enough to salvage a hapless rookie season. Now that Earnhardt, Jr. is out of the picture, Menard becomes the number two guy behind Truex, Jr. at DEI, at least when Mark Martin is taking a breather. He should improve in 2008, but he is still miles away from becoming a Chase for the Championship contender.

Following the sixth race of the season, David Reutimann will step away from the familiar ‘00’ Toyota and drive the ‘big brown truck’, well, at least he will in the commercials. Reutimann will succeed the 1999 champion Dale Jarrett in the number 44 UPS Toyota. Reutimann was consistently the fastest of the three Michael Waltrip Racing entries in 2007, and showed steady improvement throughout the season. Again, he will be the strongest of the Waltrip entries in 2008. Reutimann may post a few more top tens, but that is only if the ‘44’ team can remain in the top 35 in the Sprint Cup owner’s standings. Without that guaranteed spot in the starting field, a season can go sour very quickly. Several drivers will attest to that.

Now raise your hands if you actually believed that Robby Gordon was going to make it four years as an owner and a driver. My guess is that there are very few hands in the air right now. Gordon is as tenacious as they come, and if he was around in the 1970’s or maybe the early 1980’s, he may have been a championship contender while fielding his own team. Unfortunately, that era in NASCAR is a distant memory, and Gordon will continue to be an also-ran, except for the road course races held at Watkins Glen and Infineon. However, few drivers are as entertaining as Robby Gordon, especially when he looses his temper. Remember Montreal last summer?

Just of note, Robby Gordon recently signed an agreement to receive technical and marketing support from Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

Based on the performance of this team when they did qualify for a race, Brian Vickers can be a top 20 driver. In the Coca Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway last May, Vickers led 76 laps en route to a fifth place finish. He also posted top tens at California, Michigan, and Atlanta. However, he only qualified successfully for 23 of the 36 races on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. If Vickers can lock that Red Bull Toyota into the top 35 in the Sprint Cup owner’s standings, he could be a threat to win on several occasions. The big IF is the reason why Vickers’ ranking is in the sub-twenties.

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