Tony Stewart Finally Wins In 2007
Suite 16 NASCAR Rankings after the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland
Every week, Suite 101 ranks the top 16 NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers based on results and performance.
Tony Stewart finally gets that old monkey off of his back as he claimed his first victory of the 2007 season at Chicagoland. The last time it took this long for Stewart to win a race in a single season was his rookie year of 1999, when he won his first race at Richmond in September.
1. (1) 24-Jeff Gordon: Jeff Gordon drove the Nicorette car at Chicago, and it reminded of the Winston to Nextel name change a few years back. What if it were Nicorette instead of Nextel? It would have gone from The Winston Cup to The Nicorette Cup.
2. (2) 11-Denny Hamlin: You got to give Denny Hamlin some credit for standing his ground in his mini-feud with Tony Stewart.
3. (4) 17-Matt Kenseth: Eventually, Matt Kenseth will win a race at Chicagoland.
4. (6) 20-Tony Stewart: Now that Tony Stewart has a win under his belt, maybe he will be in a better mood.
5. (3) 48-Jimmie Johnson: Has Jimmie Johnson ever been this far back in the championship standings at this point in a season?
6. (5) 31-Jeff Burton: Even though he is not running as well as he was early in the season, Jeff Burton’s consistency could make him a sleeper in the Chase for the Championship.
7. (7) 99-Carl Edwards: If Carl Edwards continues to run this strong, he will be dangerous in the Chase for the Championship.
8. (9) 29-Kevin Harvick: Barring a complete collapse, Kevin Harvick will be in the Chase for the Championship for the second consecutive season after missing the first two.
9. (8) 1-Martin Truex Jr: Martin Truex Jr’s engine woes knocked him off of Cloud 9, at least for now.
10. (10) 5-Kyle Busch: It’s time for Kyle Busch to stop complaining about his teammates, or lack thereof, and start winning.
11. (13) 07-Clint Bowyer: It has been a solid season for Clint Bowyer, but he has to be getting tired of finishing in the bottom half of the top ten.
12. (11) 8-Dale Earnhardt Jr: Dale Earnhardt Jr might want to take lessons from Ryan Newman on how to drive a car with no power steering.
13. (14) 12-Ryan Newman: Ryan Newman is fast closing in on that top 12. And usually when the Chase for the Championship is within reach come September, Newman finds a way in.
14. (15) 2-Kurt Busch: It looks as if that 100-point penalty for bad behavior may be what keeps Kurt Busch out of the Chase for the Championship.
15. (12) 26-Jamie McMurray: The euphoria of victory was short-lived for Jamie McMurray.
16. (NR) 25-Casey Mears: Casey Mears already has a career high of four top fives in a single season.
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
