NASCAR Quarterly Grades
It feels like the Cup boys were just at Daytona, but eight races later the year is one fourth over. I’ve already discussed a few things we’ve learned so far, but it’s time to check out a few teams and drivers and hand out some grades for the quarter. It’s not a final grade (NASCAR is on semesters, right?), but more of a progress report.
These grades aren’t based strictly on performance, but more on preseason expectations. So a car or team expected to run in the thirties that is running in the teens or twenties is a bigger deal than Carl Edwards or Kyle Busch running well. It’s not a surprise that those two are winning races.
Joe Gibbs Racing gets a passing grade for adapting to a new manufacturer with aplomb. Having one of NASCAR’s top engine builders, Mark Kronquist, and three premier drivers definitely helps, but I expected a steeper learning curve with the Camry. Placing three drivers inside the top 12 is no surprise, winning three races and having 9 top 5’s and 17 top 10’s through nine races exceeds even the most hardcore Gibbs fan’s dreams.Grade: A
Yates Racing entered the season with a new ownership team (Doug replacing father Robert), no sponsorship and two teams that struggled to stay on the lead lap for most of 2006 and 2007. It’s amazing what a little technical support from Roush Racing can do. Travis Kvapil has two top ten finishes, David Gilliland currently sits in 18th place in the points and both cars have run well on a consistent basis. Now about that full time sponsorship… Grade A-
For the last three years I’ve predicted a setback for Jeff Burton and the #31 car. He won a race at Bristol, leads the points and has 3 top 5’s and 6 top 10’s through nine races. Even better, there is a lot of room for improvement from Burton and his RCR teammates. Grade: B +
Brian Vickers qualified for the first five races, scored enough points to crack the top 35 and exorcised last year’s struggles. It’s a sign of how far Red Bull Racing has come that a bad day is when Vickers is running in the 20’s. He currently sits in 15th place in the points, right where he was during his time with Hendrick. Grade B
He hasn’t won yet, but Dale Earnhardt Jr has done almost everything else right this year. His 108.8 driver rating is the best on tour, as are his seven top tens. He is second in laps led and has led in seven of nine races so far this year. The wins are on their way. Grade: B
This grade might be higher if I didn’t think David Ragan was going to improve this year. He finished 23rd last year amidst crashes and struggles. This year he is taking full advantage of Roush-Fenway’s early dominance at intermediate tracks to sit in 16th place. Last year he had three top 10’s and eight top 15’s all season. Through nine races in 2008 he already has two top 10’s and five top 15’s. Grade: B
Underachievers
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When does a driver go from disappointing to simply not that good? Jamie McMurray is flirting with that line. He fell out of the top 35 after five races, and has struggled with the CoT. Owner Jack Roush gave a less-than-ringing endorsement last weekend, “”I predicted initially that there would be winners and losers with Car of Tomorrow, and Jamie has struggled mightily with the loose end characteristic of the car. Jamie has done everything that he knows he can do and everything that I would expect him to do to try to get himself to the point where he can be as effective as Carl is and as Matt is and as Greg is. That hasn’t happened yet.” Grade: C-
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Matt Kenseth is typically one of the most consistent drivers at the Cup level. Losing crew chief Robbie Reiser wasn’t a large concern at the start of the season, but something is amiss on the #17. His official stats show 4 top tens and no DNF’s, but he already has three poor finishes due to wrecks and sits in 19th place. Teammate Carl Edwards has two bad finishes plus a 100 point penalty, but compensates with his three wins. Kenseth needs to start piling up the top fives if his season is going to turn around. Is this 2005 all over? Grade: D
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Dodge has struggled in recent years, but at least last year Kurt Busch managed to run well and win a few races. This year he had a second at Daytona and nothing since. Typically a good qualifier, Busch only has one top ten start and a 28.8 average start. He hasn’t scored a top ten or led a lap since Daytona. For a driver as talented as Busch, something is seriously wrong in the #2 camp.Grade: D
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The speedway version of the Car of Tomorrow has only been raced four times, but drivers, teams and fans are far from happy. The car will get better on the track, but there are a few aspects where the CoT has failed, at least according to NASCAR’s own PR. The new car was touted as a versatile model that would eliminate the need for large inventories of cars in each team’s shop. So far, teams are building just as many cars, and spending just as much money. They also touted it as a car to even the playing field between the power teams and the smaller operations. That hasn’t happened either. The safety features of the car are obvious, but if it can’t be a competitive piece what’s the point?Grade: I
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The 2008 rookie class has been nothing short of awful. The biggest headlines came when Michael McDowell flipped nine times in qualifying at Texas. Otherwise the entire rookie crop has lacked results. The fact that Sam Hornish is the highest rated rookie and he’s in 33rd place is all you need to know about the class. The flipside is that most of the rookies are established racing stars so the talent is obviously there. It will be interesting to see how the group progresses by the end of the season. Grade: I
Incomplete
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Tuesday is the final day to enter the Daytona 500 DVD contest. Simply submit a comment on an old post and include “A&E” in the comment. That’s it.
April 29th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Pretty good assesment, Mike … except, I sorta struggle with giving Yates Racing an “A” … they’re definitely overachieving and doing some great things, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement there. Just my opinion.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Tim, thanks for the comment. Before the season began I honestly didn’t think Yates would even have two cars at this point. The fact that David Gilliland, who had shown almost nothing in his first year and a half outside of plate races, is sitting inside the top 20 and Travis Kvapil could have three or four top tens by now, is amazing.
In hindsight, assigning actual letter grades was a little lame. A bit too Mel Kiper-Post NFL Draft-like.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Yeah, A would be a bit strong for Yates if I were grading them. I would probably have to see a win for an A. But leaders of the pack in the comeback of the year award would fit. That team is better that several whom I expected more from. Ganassi, DEI and GEM to name three.