Being Consistently Inconsistent is Keeping 2009 Chase Interesting
BROOKLYN, Mich. – Tell me something:
How can a guy win nine races in one year and be held winless through the first 22 races the next year?
Or how about a guy who set the sport on fire with eight wins one year, only to have just three wins – and more importantly – is nearly 60 points outside the top 12 with four races remaining to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup?
Yet, those are the positions both the former, Carl Edwards, and the latter, Kyle Busch, find themselves heading into Sunday’s Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
That Edwards is even in the top-10, let alone sixth place, where he currently sits going into Sunday’s race, is a testament to his ability to make lemonade from lemons. Even without one trip to victory lane, Edwards has managed to turn in consistent performances that have kept him a bonafide Chase contender.
Busch, on the other hand, is a conundrum. He seemingly won at will in 2008, yet has struggled miserably at times in 2009. Sure, he’s visited victory lane three times this season, but he’s also finished outside the top-15 in 12 of the 22 races to date.
That’s not consistency; that’s disparity. As Frank Sinatra said in “That’s Life”: “I’ve been up and down and over and out, and I know one thing: each time I find myself laying flat on my face, I just pick myself up and get back in the race.”
That sage bit of advice, more than anything, is what Edwards and Busch need to follow not just this Sunday, but the following three-race run-up to the Chase, events at Bristol next week, followed by California and the “regular season” finale at Richmond.
Call it a gut feeling, but I’m betting Edwards finally hits pay dirt – otherwise known as victory lane – this Sunday. For whatever reason, Roush Fenway Racing drivers and their cars always seem to do well at MIS: Edwards and teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth are all two-time winners there.
Maybe it’s because Roush Industries is located in nearby Livonia, Mich., and Jack’s drivers always seem to have a bit more bounce in their step and more confidence around the high speed, two-mile superspeedway, wanting to do well and instilling pride in the hearts of the workers at Jack’s corporate HQ.
The younger Busch brother, on the other hand, wound up with eight wins, 17 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes in last year’s 36-race schedule.
But this year is a whole different story: sure, he has three wins, but he only has five top-five and seven top-10 finishes with 14 races remaining. In an ironic twist, Busch’s season last year started going south right after the race at Watkins Glen.
Maybe this year, his season will start going back up north, given he finished fourth at Watkins last week, his best finish in nearly two months.
No matter what, something has to start happening for both drivers, and I think you’re going to see just that happening Sunday.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/12 at 11:27 PM
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