A roundup of the most underrated drivers in NASCAR
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NASCARRundown NASCAR SPRINT CUP
Under the radar
A roundup of the most underrated drivers in NASCAR By Paul Carreau | BleacherReport.com
We are all familiar with how good Jimmie Johnson is. We are well aware that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the sport’s most popular driver. And it is no secret that Kyle Busch is a threat to win multiple races every weekend.
BRIAN VICKERS
CLINT BOWYER
5
It’s hard to believe that the 29-year-old Vickers has been competing in the Sprint Cup Series for 11 years already. Vickers is a three-time winner in the top series, having won for three different teams. His most recent victory came recently in New Hampshire. All the more impressive about his win is that Vickers is only driving a part-time schedule in Sprint Cup this season for Michael Waltrip Racing, as he did last year. Vickers has posted eight top-10 finishes in his 16 Sprint Cup starts over the last two seasons. He is also running a full-time schedule in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs Racing. Through 20 races, the former series champion has posted 12 top 10s, 10 of which resulted in a top five, and currently sits fifth in the standings, just 28 points out of the lead. Vickers is the leading candidate to take over full-time duties in the No. 55 car in the Sprint Cup Series beginning next season.
4
Through 21 races on the Sprint Cup Series calendar, Bowyer finds himself second in the points. But being near the top of the standings is nothing new. Bowyer is a four-time Chase qualifier in his seven-year career. In three of those seasons he has finished inside the top five in points, including a career-best runner-up effort one season ago. Bowyer’s talent is undeniable, but for some reason he typically seems to fly under the radar. The one thing holding him back from constantly being mentioned as a championship contender is his lack of wins. In 274 career starts, Bowyer has only scored eight wins. In 2013 he has gone winless. While currently second in the standings, he is one of just three drivers inside the current top 10 who has failed to record a win.
But the sport is filled with talented drivers who, for some reason or another, may not get the credit or the media exposure that they deserve. These drivers are multi-time race winners, top 10 points drivers and, in some cases, the future faces of the sport.
REGAN SMITH
KURT BUSCH
After struggling through the first few years of his career, Smith has turned a corner in 2013. Competing full-time in the Nationwide Series for the first time since 2006, Smith is showing on a weekly basis that he is one of the bright young stars of the sport. Through 20 races, Smith sits in a tie for second in the point standings and is tied for second in the series with 13 top 10 finishes. He is one of just three Nationwide Series regulars to have scored a win this year, and he is the only one who has posted multiple victories. The 108 laps that Smith has led so far this year are more than he has ever led in any season in any series. At 29 years old, Smith is now an 11-year veteran of NASCAR. Being a full-time Nationwide Series competitor, he doesn’t get nearly as much national exposure as he deserves, as he is continuously proving what a talented driver he is.
The season that Busch is having is truly remarkable. He has helped turn an underfunded single-car team that has had minimal amounts of success into a Chase contender in just one season. Through 21 races, Busch has scored nine top 10 finishes, five of which ended inside the top five, and sits 13th in the points. He has led a total of 271 laps this year and came within one bad pit stop of winning the All-Star Race. Before this season, Furniture Row Racing had just 11 top 10 finishes (three of which were scored by Busch to end the 2012 season) and led a combined total of 48 laps in eight years of existence. Busch’s talent has never been questioned, as he was the 2004 series champion. But the tremendous season he is having tells us that he may be even better than we thought.
3
2
The most underrated driver in NASCAR has to be Biffle. For a driver who receives as little attention as he does, he has quite the impressive racing resume. Biffle has both a Truck Series and a Nationwide Series championship to his credit. He won the former in 2000 and the latter in 2002. His Sprint Cup career has been extremely successful. He is a 19-time winner in the top series, and has qualified for the Chase five times in eight seasons. Three times he has ended the season in the top five in points, including his fifth-place effort last season. The 2013 season marks Biffle’s 11th full-time season in the top series. In just two of those seasons has Biffle failed to record at least one win. In 2012 Biffle was the only driver on the circuit to be running at the finish of all 36 races. Through 21 races this season, he is one of seven drivers that have yet to record a DNF. While Biffle is clearly a championship contending driver on a yearly basis, he is also the sport’s most underrated driver.
PAST WINNERS 2012: Marcos Ambrose 2011: Marcos Ambrose 2010: Juan Pablo Montoya 2009: Tony Stewart
«
FEB 24
Daytona 500
1st Jimmie Johnson 2nd Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3rd Mark Martin
JUL 6
Coke Zero 400
1st Jimmie Johnson 2nd Tony Stewart
3rd Kevin Harvick
MAR 3
Subway Fresh Fit 500
1st Carl Edwards
2nd Jimmie Johnson
3rd Denny Hamlin
JUL 14
Camping World 301
1st Brian Vickers
2nd Kyle Busch
3rd Jeff Burton
MAR 10 Kobalt Tools 400
1st Matt Kenseth
2nd Kasey Kahne
3rd Brad Keselowski
JUL 28
Samuel Deeds 400
1st Ryan Newman
2nd Jimmie Johnson 3rd Kasey Kahne
MAR 17 Food City 500
1st Kasey Kahne
2nd Kyle Busch
3rd Brad Keselowski
AUG 4
GoBowling.com 400
1st Kasey Kahne
2nd Jeff Gordon
MAR 24 Auto Club 400
1st Kyle Busch
2nd Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3rd Joey Logano
AUG 11
Cheez-It 355
APR 7
STP Gas Booster 500
1st Jimmie Johnson 2nd Clint Bowyer
AUG 18 Pure Michigan 400
Michigan International Speedway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
APR 13
NRA 500
1st Kyle Busch 2nd Martin Truex Jr. 3rd Carl Edwards
AUG 24 Irwin Tools Night Race
Bristol Motor Speedway
ABC, PRN, SiriusXM
APR 21
STP 400
3rd Jeff Gordon
Watkins Glen International
3rd Kurt Busch ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
1st Matt Kenseth
2nd Kasey Kahne
3rd Jimmie Johnson
SEPT 1
Advocare 500
Atlanta Motor Speedway
ESPN, PRN, SiriusXM
APR 27 Toyota Owners 400
1st Kevin Harvick
2nd Clint Bowyer
3rdJoey Logano
SEPT 7
Federated Auto Parts 400
Richmond International Raceway
ABC, MRN, SiriusXM
MAY 5
Aaron’s 499
1st David Ragan
2nd David Gilliland
3rd Carl Edwards
SEPT 15 Geico 400
MAY 11
Bojangles’ Southern 500 1st Matt Kenseth
2nd Denny Hamlin
3rd Jeff Gordon
SEPT 22 Sylvania 300
MAY 18 NASCAR Sprint All-Star 1st Jimmie Johnson 2nd Joey Logano
3rd Kyle Busch
Chicagoland Speedway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
ESPN, PRN, SiriusXM
SEPT 29 AAA 400
Dover International Speedway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
MAY 18 Sprint Showdown
1st Jamie McMurray 2nd Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 3rd Jeff Burton
OCT 6
Hollywood Casino 400
Kansas Speedway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
MAY 26 Coca-Cola 600
1st Kevin Harvick
2nd Kasey Kahne
OCT 12
Bank Of America 500
Charlotte Motor Speedway
JUN 2
FedEx 400
1st Tony Stewart
2nd Juan Pablo Montoya 3rd Jeff Gordon
JUN 9
Party in Poconos 400
1st Jimmie Johnson 2nd Greg Biffle
JUN 16
Quicken Loans 400
1st Greg Biffle
2nd Kevin Harvick
JUN 23 Toyota/Save Mart 350 1st Martin Truex Jr.
2nd Jeff Gordon
JUN 29 Quaker State 400
2nd Jamie McMurray 3rd Clint Bowyer
1st Matt Kenseth
3rd Kurt Busch
ABC, PRN, SiriusXM
OCT 20 Camping World RV Sales 500 Talladega Superspeedway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
3rd Dale Earnhardt Jr.
OCT 27 Goody’s Headache Relief 500 Martinsville Speedway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
3rd Martin Truex Jr.
NOV 3
ESPN, PRN, SiriusXM
3rd Carl Edwards
NOV 10 Advocare 500
Phoenix International Raceway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
NOV 17
Homestead-Miami Speedway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
AAA Texas 500
Ford Ecoboost 400
Reviews of and opinions on the racing world from Bleacher Report NASCAR writers.
Kahne’s win leaves Hendrick looking good
Outwardly, Kasey Kahne’s win and Jeff Gordon’s secondplace finish in Sunday’s GoBowling. com 400 at Pocono Raceway was just part of one race on the 36-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Kahne schedule. But in the bigger picture, Kahne and Gordon each moved up one spot in the standings with five races remaining to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup, putting all four Hendrick Motorsports cars in the top nine. And while so much has been said about Jimmie Johnson’s dominating season thus far, and how many believe he’s the oddson favorite to win the championship, what Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kahne and Gordon also have done in 2013 spells trouble for every other driver, crew chief and team owner in the Chase. The way I see it, other drivers that make the Chase — most likely to include Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth — are not going to be doing battle solely with Johnson; they’re going to have to overcome the overall Hendrick juggernaut even before they have a shot at JJ. — Jerry Bonkowski
wreck in Turn 2 and was honest in her post-crash assessment that the incident was her fault. In fact, she handled the thorny interview well. But the wreck was the Patrick third major one she’s caused in three races. 2. Goodyear Tires: Failures were numerous and a factor in Sunday’s race. 3. Juan Pablo Montoya: Montoya’s first-corner crash was a reminder of his ever-aggressive ways and a setback for a driver who really should be a regular Chase contender. He still lacks a conMontoya tract for 2014. — Geoffrey Miller
Why NASCAR should add heat races
CHEEZ-IT 355 AT THE GLEN, WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
Jeff Gordon won this race four times in five years. Then Tony Stewart won five times in eight years. And now Marcos Ambrose is working on a streak. Who? Maybe you haven’t heard of him (he’s at the bottom of the standings), but Ambrose is able to conquer this course, so keep an eye on him again this year. He’s in the No. 9 car.
UP TO SPEED UP TO SPEED
1. Danica Patrick’s reputation: Patrick triggered a multicar
1
NEXT RACE
Watkins Glen International TRACK Eight-turn road course Watkins220.5 Glen,miles/90 NY LENGTH laps FIRST NASCAR RACE 1957 SERIES NASCAR Sprint Cup WHERE TO WATCH 1 p.m. EDT Sunday, ESPN
3 losers at Pocono
GREG BIFFLE
NASCAR/ GETTY IMAGES PHOTOS
UP TO SPEED GLEN WATKINS
Texas Motor Speedway
In an effort to better the ontrack product, NASCAR has changed the cars, introduced double-file restarts and implemented green-white-checker finishes with varying results. But there is one thing that NASCAR hasn’t changed: the races. All one needs to do is look at the success of the Camping World Truck Series event at Eldora to see that answer. The inaugural Mudsummer Classic featured heat races, a lastchance qualifier and a short feature race broken into three segments. It was a huge success and would be just as successful in the Sprint Cup Series. The most exciting parts of the race have always been the start and the finish. With single-file parades, there is very little reason for fans to stay tuned in for all 200 laps. It also adds more “must-see” moments. All of a sudden, every lap becomes more important. — Zach Brown
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NASCARRundown NASCAR SPRINT CUP
Under the radar
A roundup of the most underrated drivers in NASCAR By Paul Carreau | BleacherReport.com
We are all familiar with how good Jimmie Johnson is. We are well aware that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the sport’s most popular driver. And it is no secret that Kyle Busch is a threat to win multiple races every weekend.
BRIAN VICKERS
CLINT BOWYER
5
It’s hard to believe that the 29-year-old Vickers has been competing in the Sprint Cup Series for 11 years already. Vickers is a three-time winner in the top series, having won for three different teams. His most recent victory came recently in New Hampshire. All the more impressive about his win is that Vickers is only driving a part-time schedule in Sprint Cup this season for Michael Waltrip Racing, as he did last year. Vickers has posted eight top-10 finishes in his 16 Sprint Cup starts over the last two seasons. He is also running a full-time schedule in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs Racing. Through 20 races, the former series champion has posted 12 top 10s, 10 of which resulted in a top five, and currently sits fifth in the standings, just 28 points out of the lead. Vickers is the leading candidate to take over full-time duties in the No. 55 car in the Sprint Cup Series beginning next season.
4
Through 21 races on the Sprint Cup Series calendar, Bowyer finds himself second in the points. But being near the top of the standings is nothing new. Bowyer is a four-time Chase qualifier in his seven-year career. In three of those seasons he has finished inside the top five in points, including a career-best runner-up effort one season ago. Bowyer’s talent is undeniable, but for some reason he typically seems to fly under the radar. The one thing holding him back from constantly being mentioned as a championship contender is his lack of wins. In 274 career starts, Bowyer has only scored eight wins. In 2013 he has gone winless. While currently second in the standings, he is one of just three drivers inside the current top 10 who has failed to record a win.
But the sport is filled with talented drivers who, for some reason or another, may not get the credit or the media exposure that they deserve. These drivers are multi-time race winners, top 10 points drivers and, in some cases, the future faces of the sport.
REGAN SMITH
KURT BUSCH
After struggling through the first few years of his career, Smith has turned a corner in 2013. Competing full-time in the Nationwide Series for the first time since 2006, Smith is showing on a weekly basis that he is one of the bright young stars of the sport. Through 20 races, Smith sits in a tie for second in the point standings and is tied for second in the series with 13 top 10 finishes. He is one of just three Nationwide Series regulars to have scored a win this year, and he is the only one who has posted multiple victories. The 108 laps that Smith has led so far this year are more than he has ever led in any season in any series. At 29 years old, Smith is now an 11-year veteran of NASCAR. Being a full-time Nationwide Series competitor, he doesn’t get nearly as much national exposure as he deserves, as he is continuously proving what a talented driver he is.
The season that Busch is having is truly remarkable. He has helped turn an underfunded single-car team that has had minimal amounts of success into a Chase contender in just one season. Through 21 races, Busch has scored nine top 10 finishes, five of which ended inside the top five, and sits 13th in the points. He has led a total of 271 laps this year and came within one bad pit stop of winning the All-Star Race. Before this season, Furniture Row Racing had just 11 top 10 finishes (three of which were scored by Busch to end the 2012 season) and led a combined total of 48 laps in eight years of existence. Busch’s talent has never been questioned, as he was the 2004 series champion. But the tremendous season he is having tells us that he may be even better than we thought.
3
2
The most underrated driver in NASCAR has to be Biffle. For a driver who receives as little attention as he does, he has quite the impressive racing resume. Biffle has both a Truck Series and a Nationwide Series championship to his credit. He won the former in 2000 and the latter in 2002. His Sprint Cup career has been extremely successful. He is a 19-time winner in the top series, and has qualified for the Chase five times in eight seasons. Three times he has ended the season in the top five in points, including his fifth-place effort last season. The 2013 season marks Biffle’s 11th full-time season in the top series. In just two of those seasons has Biffle failed to record at least one win. In 2012 Biffle was the only driver on the circuit to be running at the finish of all 36 races. Through 21 races this season, he is one of seven drivers that have yet to record a DNF. While Biffle is clearly a championship contending driver on a yearly basis, he is also the sport’s most underrated driver.
PAST WINNERS 2012: Marcos Ambrose 2011: Marcos Ambrose 2010: Juan Pablo Montoya 2009: Tony Stewart
«
FEB 24
Daytona 500
1st Jimmie Johnson 2nd Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3rd Mark Martin
JUL 6
Coke Zero 400
1st Jimmie Johnson 2nd Tony Stewart
3rd Kevin Harvick
MAR 3
Subway Fresh Fit 500
1st Carl Edwards
2nd Jimmie Johnson
3rd Denny Hamlin
JUL 14
Camping World 301
1st Brian Vickers
2nd Kyle Busch
3rd Jeff Burton
MAR 10 Kobalt Tools 400
1st Matt Kenseth
2nd Kasey Kahne
3rd Brad Keselowski
JUL 28
Samuel Deeds 400
1st Ryan Newman
2nd Jimmie Johnson 3rd Kasey Kahne
MAR 17 Food City 500
1st Kasey Kahne
2nd Kyle Busch
3rd Brad Keselowski
AUG 4
GoBowling.com 400
1st Kasey Kahne
2nd Jeff Gordon
MAR 24 Auto Club 400
1st Kyle Busch
2nd Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3rd Joey Logano
AUG 11
Cheez-It 355
APR 7
STP Gas Booster 500
1st Jimmie Johnson 2nd Clint Bowyer
AUG 18 Pure Michigan 400
Michigan International Speedway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
APR 13
NRA 500
1st Kyle Busch 2nd Martin Truex Jr. 3rd Carl Edwards
AUG 24 Irwin Tools Night Race
Bristol Motor Speedway
ABC, PRN, SiriusXM
APR 21
STP 400
3rd Jeff Gordon
Watkins Glen International
3rd Kurt Busch ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
1st Matt Kenseth
2nd Kasey Kahne
3rd Jimmie Johnson
SEPT 1
Advocare 500
Atlanta Motor Speedway
ESPN, PRN, SiriusXM
APR 27 Toyota Owners 400
1st Kevin Harvick
2nd Clint Bowyer
3rdJoey Logano
SEPT 7
Federated Auto Parts 400
Richmond International Raceway
ABC, MRN, SiriusXM
MAY 5
Aaron’s 499
1st David Ragan
2nd David Gilliland
3rd Carl Edwards
SEPT 15 Geico 400
MAY 11
Bojangles’ Southern 500 1st Matt Kenseth
2nd Denny Hamlin
3rd Jeff Gordon
SEPT 22 Sylvania 300
MAY 18 NASCAR Sprint All-Star 1st Jimmie Johnson 2nd Joey Logano
3rd Kyle Busch
Chicagoland Speedway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
ESPN, PRN, SiriusXM
SEPT 29 AAA 400
Dover International Speedway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
MAY 18 Sprint Showdown
1st Jamie McMurray 2nd Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 3rd Jeff Burton
OCT 6
Hollywood Casino 400
Kansas Speedway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
MAY 26 Coca-Cola 600
1st Kevin Harvick
2nd Kasey Kahne
OCT 12
Bank Of America 500
Charlotte Motor Speedway
JUN 2
FedEx 400
1st Tony Stewart
2nd Juan Pablo Montoya 3rd Jeff Gordon
JUN 9
Party in Poconos 400
1st Jimmie Johnson 2nd Greg Biffle
JUN 16
Quicken Loans 400
1st Greg Biffle
2nd Kevin Harvick
JUN 23 Toyota/Save Mart 350 1st Martin Truex Jr.
2nd Jeff Gordon
JUN 29 Quaker State 400
2nd Jamie McMurray 3rd Clint Bowyer
1st Matt Kenseth
3rd Kurt Busch
ABC, PRN, SiriusXM
OCT 20 Camping World RV Sales 500 Talladega Superspeedway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
3rd Dale Earnhardt Jr.
OCT 27 Goody’s Headache Relief 500 Martinsville Speedway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
3rd Martin Truex Jr.
NOV 3
ESPN, PRN, SiriusXM
3rd Carl Edwards
NOV 10 Advocare 500
Phoenix International Raceway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
NOV 17
Homestead-Miami Speedway
ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
AAA Texas 500
Ford Ecoboost 400
Reviews of and opinions on the racing world from Bleacher Report NASCAR writers.
Kahne’s win leaves Hendrick looking good
Outwardly, Kasey Kahne’s win and Jeff Gordon’s secondplace finish in Sunday’s GoBowling. com 400 at Pocono Raceway was just part of one race on the 36-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Kahne schedule. But in the bigger picture, Kahne and Gordon each moved up one spot in the standings with five races remaining to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup, putting all four Hendrick Motorsports cars in the top nine. And while so much has been said about Jimmie Johnson’s dominating season thus far, and how many believe he’s the oddson favorite to win the championship, what Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kahne and Gordon also have done in 2013 spells trouble for every other driver, crew chief and team owner in the Chase. The way I see it, other drivers that make the Chase — most likely to include Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth — are not going to be doing battle solely with Johnson; they’re going to have to overcome the overall Hendrick juggernaut even before they have a shot at JJ. — Jerry Bonkowski
wreck in Turn 2 and was honest in her post-crash assessment that the incident was her fault. In fact, she handled the thorny interview well. But the wreck was the Patrick third major one she’s caused in three races. 2. Goodyear Tires: Failures were numerous and a factor in Sunday’s race. 3. Juan Pablo Montoya: Montoya’s first-corner crash was a reminder of his ever-aggressive ways and a setback for a driver who really should be a regular Chase contender. He still lacks a conMontoya tract for 2014. — Geoffrey Miller
Why NASCAR should add heat races
CHEEZ-IT 355 AT THE GLEN, WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
Jeff Gordon won this race four times in five years. Then Tony Stewart won five times in eight years. And now Marcos Ambrose is working on a streak. Who? Maybe you haven’t heard of him (he’s at the bottom of the standings), but Ambrose is able to conquer this course, so keep an eye on him again this year. He’s in the No. 9 car.
UP TO SPEED UP TO SPEED
1. Danica Patrick’s reputation: Patrick triggered a multicar
1
NEXT RACE
Watkins Glen International TRACK Eight-turn road course Watkins220.5 Glen,miles/90 NY LENGTH laps FIRST NASCAR RACE 1957 SERIES NASCAR Sprint Cup WHERE TO WATCH 1 p.m. EDT Sunday, ESPN
3 losers at Pocono
GREG BIFFLE
NASCAR/ GETTY IMAGES PHOTOS
UP TO SPEED GLEN WATKINS
Texas Motor Speedway
In an effort to better the ontrack product, NASCAR has changed the cars, introduced double-file restarts and implemented green-white-checker finishes with varying results. But there is one thing that NASCAR hasn’t changed: the races. All one needs to do is look at the success of the Camping World Truck Series event at Eldora to see that answer. The inaugural Mudsummer Classic featured heat races, a lastchance qualifier and a short feature race broken into three segments. It was a huge success and would be just as successful in the Sprint Cup Series. The most exciting parts of the race have always been the start and the finish. With single-file parades, there is very little reason for fans to stay tuned in for all 200 laps. It also adds more “must-see” moments. All of a sudden, every lap becomes more important. — Zach Brown
