His third win of the season and sweeps Pocono. It might be a three way Hendrick Shootout for the championship
Good for him and Steve Letarte. I thought Harvick had him with 2 laps to go. They made a good pit strategy to come in when Gordon stayed out.
I'll need to see him actually pull into the championship victory lane before I will believe he's capable of winning a title. However, with the way the format is now, literally anyone in the Chase can win it.
I would think his chances are slim. Guys like Johnson and Keselowski reach a different level once the chase starts.
The 48 team has serious issues with tire wear. I believe they've blown 7 of them. That's not to say they can't fix the problem, just that it's something to be aware of.
This is his best shot in 10 years. The whole purpose of the Chase, and then rule tweaks, was to get him a Cup, at least in my opinion, regardless of what NASCAB says. They have to be feeling like they hit on the right combination. The question is, will the average fan still care?
I give Junior 6-1 odds to win the championship. Warhammer makes a good point, but it would be difficult for NASCAR to affect the results without being obvious. Here are the rest of the top ten contenders: Jimmie Johnson 4-1 Count him out at your own peril. Jeff Gordon 4-1 I think he has one more left in him, probably his last chance. If he realizes this he will be tough to beat. Brad Keslowski 5-1 Has the skill, the team, the car, but he has Brad Keslowski's mentality. Dale Earnhardt, Jr 6-1 I am putting Jr this high because he has all the ingredients to win it. The question - is he serious enough? Carl Edwards 7-1 The only Roush/Fenway driver to do anything this year, but he is a lame duck driver. Kevin Harvick 8-1 Has two wins in first year at Stewart/Haas, but he has similar problem to Keslowski. Matt Kenseth 10-1 Might put him higher, but with current rules I don't even know if he is in the Chase. Joey Logano 15-1 Come on it's Joey Logano. Kyle Busch 16-1 May become known as most talented driver to never win a championship. Clint Boyer 18-1 See Matt Kenseth. Ryan Newman 20-1 Has been consistent finisher, but has never shown any strength in Chase.
I'm not a fan of the win you're in format. Look at JJ, with 3 wins he'll start toward the front of the standings and could do so with10 dnfs. (not that he has 10 dnfs)
If your running well enough to win multiple races you can find your way into contention. Top 10 finishes can get you in. Top 5s and Ws win the war.
With Gordon on the way out this could be a late breakout for Jrs career if he can get it done. He's got the equipment at Hendrick, be interesting to see how he does without Letarte in the future.
Greg Ives should be a good replacement. He was an engineer for the 48 all 5 years of his championship streak. Also those two cars share a garage so he'll be working closely with Knaus.
Yeah hes got the pedigree. Im curious to see how well they work together. That's what puts the elites in another class.
