Week 30 -- Kansas
This has been a bad week for Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans. First he won at Talladega and took over the points lead. Then he let a certain four-letter word slip during his Victory Lane interview. Then gNA$hCAR finded him 10 grand and took away 25 points. Now he trails Kurt Busch by a dozen points. And the pain doesn't end at Kansas Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval silmilar to those on which DEI teams have struggled for years. This is the week that Junior's title hopes start to evaporate, and during which the next champ steps up his game.
Glenn's Ten:
* Tony Stewart (winner) -- Don't let the 24th starting spot fool you. Tony runs well on these tracks and has the ability to work his way to the front. If he starts well and moves up quickly, he could be out front much of the day.
The rest of the top 10 (in no particular order):
* Jeff Gordon -- Starting 30th. Ugh! But this is one of Jeff's best tracks and something tells me his crew will get the car to where it needs to be come race day.
* Kurt Busch -- Here's the guy to watch. We're entering a stretch of tracks where Busch runs well, and being in the points lead gives him extra incentive. He says he wants to make sure the 25 points Junior lost won't factor into the championship. A good finish will help insure that they won't.
* Jimmie Johnson -- Title hopes almost gone, but Hendrick cars do well at this place and Jimmie needs a solid finish.
* Kasey Kahne -- Starting second in both this and Saturday's Busch race. The Saturday seat time should help a lot. Plus, he's still looking for that first trip to Victory Lane.
* Ryan Newman -- Defending race champion will be hanging around the front near the end.
* Dale Jarrett -- Another top 5? Starting an awesome 8th.
* Elliott Sadler -- Jarrett's teammate has more incentive as a Chase contender.
* Matt Kenseth -- Because I have to. He's starting 15th, which is about 12 spots better than his average. This bodes well for a good day.
* Jamie McMurray -- Has been stepping up his game of late.
Missing in action: Joe Nemechek (second straight pole after a four-year drought, but it's not where you start...), Jeremy Mayfield (title hopes are over, dude.), Mark Martin (I just don't see him in the top 10, but a solid top 15 is possible.), and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (looking at about 22nd. This could be ugly.)
