Bobby Lee Mad Tv

It's the time of year when talk turn to final exams, report cards and graduations.

The Nextel Cup Series is 10 race into the season, and it's easy to see which drivers have made the dean's list, which need to improve and which have worked overtime trying to move to the head of the class.

Eighteen drivers are within 400 point of the leader--the eligibility cutoff for graduating to the Chase for the Championship after the 26th race. There were 14 cars within 400 points after 10 races last season, but no more than 10 at any point after the 12th race as Matt Kenseth pulled away from the field. It would be more fun for everyone if this season's points race is tighter and if more that 10 drivers qualify for the Chase.

Certainly, drivers who play well with others could have an advantage in making the field. But how a driver and team recovers from disappointments ultimately will make the difference.

So which Nextel Cup drivers deserve the top grades?

Currently, 137 points separate the top six: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick. There have been bumps along the way--only Harvick has finished every race--but all of those drivers deserve A's,

Of the top 10 drivers, seventh-place Ryan Newman rates as the most improved, and he deserves an A, too. Newman failed to finish four of the first 10 races last season, putting him 25th in points. He fought back the rest of the year, ended up with the most victories (eight) and finished sixth in the standings.

It's hard to believe that Newman, 26, is in just in his third year in Cup. Although he already had scored a win at this time last year, that was his only top five finish, and he had just two other top 10s. This year it's six top 10s, including four top fives. He hasn't started outside the top 20 and has an average starting position of 7.6.

Another driver not to be overlooked is Elliott Sadler, who has one win and has finished every race. He's 10th in points, the same position he held at this time last year, but his team didn't finish nine races in 2003 and ended up 22nd.

Sadler's organization, Robert gates Racing, has undergone a noticeable transformation, and the pairing of crew chief Todd Parrott with Sadler, which began last season, has provided solid results. Testing early in the season has paid dividends for this team, which is giving the strongest performance from the second RYR car since Ricky Rudd left at the end of 2002. Give Sadler a B+. With a bit more consistency, he could make the A list.

Outside the top 10 but inside the 400 barrier, Casey Mears, Jeremy Mayfield and Jamie McMurray have made significant gains.

Mears' 2003 rookie year was a disaster, but with support from his teammates and crew chief Jimmy Elledge at Ganassi Racing, Mears has moved from 37th in points after 10 races last year to 17th with four top 10s. His highest finish last year was 15th. This team is not ready to run for the title, but its progress has been dramatic.

Mayfield has climbed 17 spots, to 16th, compared to the same time last year. He has adapted well to Evernham Motorsports and continues to build his relationship with crew chief Kenny Francis.

However, Mayfield's team must regain the rhythm it had at the start of the season to have a shot at making the Chase.

At 12th in the standings, McMurray has improved 12 positions over this time last year. The expectations were high for McMurray in 2003 because he got his first Cup victory in 2002 in his second start. But that win came in Sterling Marlin's car with Marlin's established crew. Although McMurray remained in a solid situation at Ganassi Racing in 2003, he was with a new crew and a new crew chief, Donnie Wingo. Even though McMurray's team could rely on Marlin's and Mears' for input, everything had to be built from scratch.

McMurray's 13th-place finish last season was admirable considering the obstacles the team had to overcome. If McMurray can finish races consistently, Wingo's leadership should help the team climb into the top 10.

Nextel Cup might take a week off, but we don't. For the latest NASCAR news and analysis by FOX commentators Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Hammond and Larry McReynolds--plus Lee Spencer's Insider and Power Poll--go to www.foxsports.com, keyword: NASCAR.

TSN's POWER POLL

Driver                    TSN points   Nextel Cup points

 (1) Dale Earnhardt Jr.     1,048          1,453 (1)
 (2) Jeff Gordon            1,040          1,426 (3)
 (3) Jimmie Johnson           974          1,428 (2)
 (4) Matt Kenseth             937          1,357 (4)
 (5) Ryan Newman              823          1,299 (7)
 (6) Kurt Busch               814          1,316 (T-5)
 (7) Kasey Kahne              766          1,209 (11)
 (8) Kevin Harvick            746          1,316 (T-5)
 (9) Bobby Labonte            725          1,265 (9)
(10) Tony Stewart             694          1,284 (8)

Through race No. 10, at California. For a complete TSN Power
Poll rundown and an explanation of the points breakdown, go to
www.foxsports.com/named/public/NASCAR/Cup/PowerPoll.

SPEED READS

* Jeff Gordon is right to demand that racetracks take action against fans who throw debris on the track, as they did while he was winning under caution at Talladega, That's dangerous for drivers--and for bystanders with better manners.

* Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team needs to get a handle on the big, flat tracks. Problems at Las Vegas and California must be addressed so the team can get better results at Michigan, Pocono and Indy. The team must work as diligently to improve its flat-track program as it did to turn around its short-track performance.

* NASCAR resists using sensor technology as the sole way to determine the positions of cars on the track. Why? Because NASCAR wants the final say on where cars line up for a restart, for example, or on who wins if a caution is needed too late to finish under green. If the networks can track cars during a race, NASCAR can, too. It should base these crucial decisions on the best available technology, not on reviews of videotape.

Down the road

Chevy American Revolution 400

* When: 7 p.m. ET Saturday

* Length: 300 miles, 400 laps

* TV: FX

Run with this:

Without question, the fastest of Nextel Cup's young guns is Ryan Newman, who won six poles during his 2002 rookie-of-the-year season. A year later, Newman was fastest qualifier for 11 of the 36 points races and posted a series-best average starting position of 6.6. No wonder he was voted driver of the year by the National Motorsports Press Association.

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LEE SPENCER ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

In the new Chase for the Championship, do you think multicar teams will make sure their teammates stay up front? Do you think sponsors of teams that don't make the Chase will leave NASCAR?

Rocky Bass, Louisville, Ky.

Rocky: Teammates will help each other gain and maintain positions. That will further erode NASCAR's credibility, which already was damaged because of the inconsistency of its judgment calls. Sponsors for teams that aren't competitive won't be getting the desired attention long before the Chase arrives.

E-mail:lspencers@sportingnews.com.

INSIDE DISH BY LEE SPENCER and MATT CROSSMAN

Robert Yates Racing's Elliott Sadler tested the new pavement at Richmond last week and described the surface as "very smooth." So smooth that one crew chief expects all 43 qualifiers for Saturday night's Cup race to break the existing track record of 21.195 seconds by at least a second. "They did a great job," Sadler says. "There's not one bump in the whole racetrack. There's no sealer on it." Other drivers who tested at Richmond, a .75-mile oval, agreed the track is extremely fast, so track position and qualifying will be crucial. Making the right calls on pit road also will be important because drivers are expected to make two fuel runs on one set of tires.... The 1-2 finish by Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson at California was no fluke. Hendrick Motorsports has been working overtime developing a stronger engine package and figures it added 25 horsepower at California. "The guys did a real good job in the engine shop with the fuel mileage and the carburetor tuning," says Chad Knaus, Johnson's crew chief. "We were pleased to make it to the finish, but we're not happy unless we win. So the team needs to go back to work." ... Johnson referred to Tony Stewart's antics at California as "just rough racing and nothing intentional," but that was far from the opinion of Rusty Wallace, who criticized Stewart after he became Smoke's latest victim. Nextel Cup director John Darby said Stewart's actions were in no need of review. "It wasn't a part of overaggression or being mad," Darby says. "It was just a car that wasn't handling well at the time. He got up too high coming out of Turn 2 and bumped a couple of guys." ... It's impossible to predict when a track will change--and for no apparent reason. Kyle Busch's Busch Series team tested April 13-14 at Gateway International Raceway, less than a month before last Saturday night's race. The team got the car well-balanced. Or so it thought. When crew members pulled it off the hauler for practice Saturday, it was way off on the tight side. Throughout the day, the team "thrashed," trying to find a new combination, crew chief Lance McGrew says. He was relieved when Busch described his qualifying effort as a tick loose. It was extremely hot during qualifying, and McGrew knew the car would tighten up because the race, which Martin Truex Jr. won, didn't start until 7 and finished after dark. Busch finished fifth.... Petty Enterprises broke two engines at California, and they weren't the first engines to blow this year. The Nos. 45 and 44 Petty Enterprises cars will test this week at Charlotte. The No. 44, a developmental car driven by Christian Fittipaldi, will be used strictly for engine work and will be driven by Mark Green, who normally works as the spotter for Kyle Petty and the No. 45.

LEE SPENCER

Ispencer@sportingnews.com

COPYRIGHT 2004 Sporting News Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

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