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Choosing between Gordon, Earnhardt a risky decision (cont'd)
The Real Champion
Here is all you need to know about Jeff Gordon's overall season and what he is doing in this "Real Champion" concoction I've been posting. The massive gulf between him and the second place driver, Jimmie Johnson, without the chase reset is, in fact, greater than the divide between the 24 team and the 12th-place driver in the Chase, Matt Kenseth.
Nextel Cup Series
Standings (If Chase didn't exist)
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind | Poles | Wins | Top-5 | Top-10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Jeff Gordon | 4689 | Leader | 6 | 6 | 19 | 25 |
| 2. | -- | Jimmie Johnson | 4191 | -498 | 3 | 6 | 16 | 19 |
| 3. | -- | Tony Stewart | 4189 | -500 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 22 |
| 4. | +1 | Carl Edwards | 4017 | -672 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 13 |
| 5. | -1 | Denny Hamlin | 4011 | -678 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 16 |
| 6. | -- | Clint Bowyer | 3981 | -708 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 15 |
| 7. | +1 | Kyle Busch | 3892 | -797 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 17 |
| 8. | -1 | Matt Kenseth | 3858 | -831 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 17 |
| 9. | -- | Jeff Burton | 3832 | -857 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 14 |
| 10. | +1 | Kurt Busch | 3705 | -984 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 11 |
| 11. | -1 | Kevin Harvick | 3697 | -992 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| 12. | -- | Martin Truex Jr. | 3652 | -1037 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 11 |
Finally, for my money, the Chase is a three-horse race with Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon as huge favorites. In fact, it's my guess that it will take a major incident for the Hendrick guys to fall back. Now, flash back to Martinsville earlier in the year where if ever the tensions between the circuits top-two drivers rose to the surface it was at the paper clip in Virginia. If they are again running one, two down the stretch, get ready for some interesting in-car audio.
Enjoy the race.
The opinions expressed are those solely of the writer
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