How Important are Points for Certain Drivers Right Now, Anyway?
Kevin Harvick may very well be the Sprint Cup Series points leader at this point in time, but does that really matter? Right now, as long as a driver is solidly in the top-12 in points, isn’t the number of wins said driver has what really matters? After all, after the fall Richmond race, the points are going to be reset for the top-12 drivers who will vie for the championship trophy, and when those points are resent, the only thing separating them will be the number of wins they have.
After all, each of the top-12 will get a base 5,000 points, plus an additional 10 points for each win they have through the first 26 races to start the Chase. With that in mind, isn’t Denny Hamlin basically the point leader? He has the most wins up to this point with four, so if the points were reset to start the Chase right now, he’d be the point leader with 5,040 points. Jimmie Johnson would actually be second with 5,030 points. With the points resent, Harvick would actually slip to fifth spot behind Hamlin, Johnson, and brothers Kurt and Kyle Busch, who would be tied for the third spot with two wins apiece.
That’s not to say that the points don’t matter right now. They do. The points standings right now show how safe drivers’ positions are in the top-12 and whether or not they’re in danger of falling out before that all-too-important date at Richmond when the points will be resent and 12 drivers will go after each other in the name of becoming the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion.
As the points leader right now and 377 points ahead of Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer, Harvick looks to all but have a Chase bert secured; however, to hold the points lead heading into the Chase, he’s going to have to find away to make at least a few more trips to victory lane. On the other hand, Bowyer and a few drivers immediately ahead of him in the points standings need to focus on more solid, consistent finishes to ensure that they’ll be among the top-12 drivers when the hatchet falls to separate the Chase contenders from the rest of the pack.
Does it really matter right now exactly who the points leader is? Or does it matter that Johnson has slipped a few spots in recent weeks? Not really. All that really matters right now is that said driver is in the top-12 or gets into the top-12 by the time the checkers wave in Richmond. After all, things are going to get pretty shuffled by the time the Chase starts, anyway.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 06/10 at 11:22 AM
| 
|