Third quarter grades are in

By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
October 15, 2001
11:39 AM EDT (1539 GMT)

COMMENTARY

I apologize for getting caught up over the last few weeks in subjects that I thought were a bit more pressing than the Winston Cup Series’ third quarter report card, namely an outbreak of personalities and a Silly Season gone ballistic.

Dave Rodman

Three-quarters of the 36-race schedule were complete following the MBNA Cal Ripken, Jr. 400 at Dover Downs International Speedway.

And when the statistical analysis was complete, it was pretty amazing. In the first two marking periods, everyone is either a potential champion or they're trying to either hold onto or break trends. In the third quarter of 2001 the good teams stayed good and the mediocre teams continued to wallow in “finish the year” mode.

All of the race wins and nearly two-thirds of the Bud Poles came from the top-17 positions in the points, as did an enormous percentage of the top-five and top-10 finishes. The Did Not Qualify and Did Not Finish stats, on the other hand, were heavily loaded in the bottom two-thirds of the points table. The grading curve for the third quarter ranges from this professor’s declaration of the star of the class, former three-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon, to a greatly thinned field at the top. The gang massed in the “B” to “C” range is extensive, while a greater number of teams have dropped into the “D” and “Incomplete” categories.

Jump onboard and see where your own personal hero sits in one man’s estimation of third quarter grades for the 36-race NASCAR Winston Cup schedule.

ALONE AT THE HEAD OF THE CLASS

Jeff Gordon earned an A+.

In the third quarter, Gordon took what was a series-leading program and turned it up a couple notches to put a virtual stranglehold on his fourth championship. While scoring the most points of any team -- and just as important, the most bonus points -- and maintaining his totals for wins and poles (two apiece), Gordon again had six top-fives and bumped his top-10 tally up to eight. For delivering when the competition demanded it and the schedule deterred it, I give Gordon his second straight A+.

HOLDING STEADY

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently made the point that he would have a championship caliber team in 2002. The third generation star made a big statement to that end in the third quarter of 2001 by scoring the second most points, improving his consistency and moving up two spots in the standings as a result.

An 'A' for Tony Stewart.

Tony Stewart started the year bitching about tires, and by the third quarter’s end, he didn’t like them any better. But the consummate racer continued to make the adjustments he needed. He scored the third best point total, moved up three spots in the points and improved his top-five and top-10 totals, while finishing all nine races.

For their solid consistency, Stewart and Earnhardt Jr. rate grades of A.

STUCK ON A FINAL HUMP

Ricky Rudd’s statistical tally didn’t fall off THAT much in the third quarter, but where the veteran took the biggest hit was in failing to capitalize with the championship on the line. Rudd scored a win for the second straight quarter, giving him a multi-win season. But his consistency suffered as his top-10 log lessened and he scored a DNF.

Defending champion Bobby Labonte finally scored a win in the third quarter, improved his consistency to post the fifth best point total and scored more top-10s than the previous quarter to move up one point in the standings. But he has neither excelled nor been as consistent as he was in his stellar 2000 championship campaign.

Kevin Harvick grades out very well this quarter for getting through the toughest period in his chase to cover “two grades” in one “school year.” July was the toughest month for the Winston Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year point leader in terms of traveling between Cup venues and Busch Series tracks. Harvick did it well enough to score the sixth best point total, maintain his seventh place in the points and log only the first DNF in his Winston Cup career.

Sterling Marlin leads the B+ crowd.

Sterling Marlin continued what some might have figured was an unlikely role as the leading Dodge driver and scored DaimlerChrysler’s coveted first victory in the third quarter. He held onto fifth in the points and again had no DNFs.

Casey Atwood finally showed some signs of figuring out the brutally tough Winston Cup Series in the third quarter. Despite being well down the point chart, the youngster scored the 17th best point total, had a pair of top-10 finishes and moved up four spots in the points.

While struggling to get their trail leg over the final hurdle to the upper echelon, this group rates grades of B+ for their work.

MAINTAINING A STEADY IMPROVEMENT

Bill Elliott did not make up all the ground he threw away in the second quarter of the season, but the former champion and most veteran Dodge campaigner got his eye fixed on the ring after the wake-up call of Marlin’s first Intrepid win went by. Elliott scored the eighth best point total, picked up six of the nine positions he lost in the standings and stepped up his performance level to total three top-five finishes.

A 'B' for Jeff Burton.

Jeff Burton continued to rumble back from the horrible opening quarter of the season and used the ninth best point total to pick up four spots in the standings while standing on the verge of the top-10 for the first time this season. Though his win and top-10 totals fell in this quarter, overall, Burton’s consistency rated him this spot.

Ricky Craven managed to balance some startling performance gains and his first Bud Pole with owner Cal Wells with a couple disappointing DNFs to gain the six spots in the points he lost last quarter. He scored three times as many top-10s in the quarter as he did in the previous period.

Ward Burton has every reason to be supremely frustrated in the third quarter of 2001. While he won a coveted Mountain Dew Southern 500 title, that was the only race he led in the quarter. He gained one spot in the standings, but only scored the 20th best point total. And his three DNFs are a big black mark that doesn’t show how good his Bill Davis Racing team has run from week to week.

Steve Park

If it’s a sympathy vote, so be it, but the biggest injustice of the season is Steve Park’s head injury in a Busch Series accident at Darlington when he was in the midst of a career year in Winston Cup. Despite missing three races, Park slipped only three spots in the standings and still had a point total that was better than nearly half of the top-40 drivers in the standings. And in the six races he ran in the quarter, Park had top-10 finishes in five of them.

For keeping his head down and trying mightily, John Andretti gets a nod for scoring what might seem an insignificant 21st best point total and picking up two spots in the points. But his consistent performance (no DNFs) makes him a glaring beacon in a Petty Enterprises camp that has struggled on a week-to-week basis to simply make it into the races.

For their effort this group gets a grade of B.

CAN’T MAKE UP THEIR MINDS

Dale Jarrett earned a disappointing B-.

Dale Jarrett’s marginal slip in the second quarter of the season turned into a drunken stagger in the third as he dropped to 13th in point production and two spots in the standings. Two Bud Poles and a win were bright lights, but he had one DNF and half as many top-fives and top-10s as his teammate Rudd, which put a final nail in his championship hopes’ coffin.

The group including Mark Martin, Jimmy Spencer, Jerry Nadeau and Johnny Benson has been as enigmatic as any in the sport’s history. If you picked the right weekend, you might think they were championship contenders, but if you look at a chart of the full quarter, another story comes into focus.

Benson is highest in the points, 10th, but three DNFs unbalance any other gains he might have made and he lost another spot in the standings during the period. Martin managed to finish all the races, but his high level production has been lacking all year. Spencer and Nadeau have shown sparks, but in the end, neither moved from their positions of 14th and 20th.

For their effort this group rates a grade of B-.

INCONSISTENT

The next group is the largest in the ledger, and again, looking at the reports you see some startling successes. But far more dominant are the disappointments and shortfalls in comparison to what everyone expected from these racers.

Rusty Wallace earned a C.

Rusty Wallace, after grittily clawing his way back into the top-five in the standings in the second quarter, was the biggest disappointment of the third period. He scored the 10th best point total but had no poles, no wins, two DNFs and dropped four spots in the standings.

Ken Schrader, who appeared on the verge on making something good happen, fell down again. Mike Skinner was another driver who ran only five races in the quarter due to injury, but they were a forgettable group of events.

Brett Bodine’s consistency fell off a cliff and two DNFs were very out of character for his team. Matt Kenseth was on the dark side of the Roush Racing ledger, as he dropped four more spots in the standings and had two DNFs. Dave Blaney was another driver whose positive performance spikes were offset by DNFs and bad finishes.

Ron Hornaday, Stacy Compton, Robert Pressley, Elliott Sadler, Joe Nemechek, Terry Labonte, Bobby Hamilton, Todd Bodine and Jeremy Mayfield belong to the group that, truth be told, you can’t believe you’re putting them in until you look at the numbers.

Unfortunately for this crowd, whether it was due to circumstances or bulging hernias in their programs’ belt lines, rates a grade of C.

DISCONNECT THE GENERATORS?

Michael Waltrip

The numbers don’t lie and the tail-end group on the chart has done little to distinguish themselves in the third marking period. Whether it’s a function of the teams’ financing, ineptitude, inability to fit together, or some other nebulous reason, Rick Mast, Buckshot Jones, Hut Stricklin, Kyle Petty, Jason Leffler, Kevin Lepage, Mike Wallace, Michael Waltrip and Kurt Busch earn grades of D.

Busch had a Bud Pole and a top-five but his performance was erratic at best and three DNFs and too many wall-bangers are the compelling memory. Wallace’s lone top-10 was the only bright spot for this bunch.

INCOMPLETE

The range of achievement in this category is striking. Jeff Green had a Bud Pole and Ryan Newman qualified fifth in his first Brickyard 400. On the other hand, Dave Marcis failed to qualify for four races and Andy Houston missed two of the races he attempted as his misbegotten season with Cal Wells wound down. At any rate, their partial schedules renders their overview “Incomplete” in the final rundown.

The next report will be final grades -- issued in nine more races, or after the scheduled Nov. 23 New Hampshire 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway.

The stretch run is put-up or shut-up time for teams seeking a big payoff and the honorees for the Winston Cup Banquet will be determined.

NOTE: Dave Rodman is a staff writer for NASCAR.com. The opinions listed here are those solely of the writer. To provide feedback to Dave, email him at dave.rodman@turner.com.