Only three races remain in NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup championship drive: Texas this week, then Phoenix and the finale at Homestead. And Carl Edwards is in prime position.
The points standings:
1. Carl Edwards, 2,273
2. Tony Stewart, 2,265
3. Kevin Harvick, 2,252
4. Brad Keselowski, 2,246
5. Matt Kenseth, 2,237
6. Jimmie Johnson, 2,230
7. Kyle Busch, 2,216
8. Kurt Busch, 2,215
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 2,200
10. Jeff Gordon, 2,197
11. Denny Hamlin, 2,193
12. Ryan Newman, 2,184.
It would be hard to root against Carl Edwards. He’s a nice guy, probably not as nice as he appears on TV, but if not, he’s a good actor. But compared to the others involved, he’s by far the most likeable.
I expect a lot of people were cheering for Jimmie Johnson to win his sixth straight title. I would like that too, although maybe not as much now after hearing him and his crew chief Chad Knaus discuss cheating so openly at Talladega. But, I guess you’d have to be a fool not to think every driver/crew chief combo cheats a little.
The good news about this year: The Busch brothers are out of it.
The bad news: Junior stinks again; Regan Smith didn’t make the Chase, although overall he’s had a pretty good season.
More good news: The races have been exciting; no major issues to deal with in the off season; lots of on and off the track confrontations to keep things interesting and excellent TV coverage (good announcers, good interviews, no major complaints about Fox or ESPN).
All in all, a good season, helping NASCAR get back what it lost. They may have seen some fans disappear over the last few years (there are still a lot of empty seats), but the true stock car racing fans stuck with them and continue to support the sport.