Johnson takes Chase class to school, earns the grade (cont'd)

Denny Hamlin A/F

Hamlin

I checked with my high school English teacher and she said, since it's my program, I can give an A and an F at the same time and that's what I think Denny Hamlin deserves for the Chase. If you were to grade the No. 11 team based simply on performance and on-track speed, they deserve an A. I would bet that if you asked Jimmie Johnson who he would dread racing heads up for the championship the most he would say Hamlin because Hamlin is one of the few drivers who has been able to keep up with Johnson each week and often, Hamlin was a little better than Johnson. The only misstep in the performance category was Dover where they finished 22nd, aside from that race, the speed was there every week in the Chase. So for that part of the program, Hamlin and crew chief Mike Ford get an A.

And now for the rest of the story...silly mistakes and broken parts. You can't have that happen in the playoffs and expect to win a championship. Hamlin's miscalculation while racing for the lead at California started the roll of misfortune, followed by blown engines at Charlotte and Talladega. And it always seemed as though the problems caught them in races where they very well could have won. At California, Charlotte and Talladega they were arguably one of the best cars in each race. Those opportunities lost in the Chase earn you an F. They are simply unacceptable.

The bottom line, though, is that something positive clicked with the 11 team this year. Hamlin was a little more dedicated, JGR had their usual strong equipment and the No. 11 team was terrific on pit road. This team is on the verge of being a top-level team along side the No. 48, if they can just keep the little things from costing them in big races, they can win a championship.

Jeff Gordon B

Gordon

Some will argue that Jeff Gordon deserves a lower grade but how can you say that for a guy who will likely finish 3rd in the final championship standings? The one argument against that is that the No. 24 team did not really improve in the Chase. Their program was strong at the intermediate tracks during the season, just as it was in the Chase. Outside of where you expected Gordon to run well there were no real spectacular races. The one race that will haunt Gordon in the 2009 Chase is Texas, a race they should have taken advantage of Johnson's problems and they could not. Had they performed better there Gordon still might be in the championship conversation.

The one question I get all of the time is, how many years can Gordon stay at this level of performance? My answer is honestly still a few. Listen, Jeff Gordon still has plenty in the tank. Like it or not, Gordon will be a championship contender once again next season and for a few years to come after that as well.

Tony Stewart B

Stewart

I'm trying to stick with grading people just on the Chase but for this one I will make an exception. Tony Stewart deserves an A just for making the Chase with his first year team, but the performance in the Chase was really not what many had expected, especially after being rather dominant mid-season. I have to admit that I thought when the season started it would be tough for Stewart to get one car, much less two, into the Chase but Stewart (as per usual throughout his career) was able to prove most of us in the media wrong. Once in the Chase, Stewart was decent but not great. Even in his one Chase win at Kansas, Stewart did not have the best car in that race. But the bottom line is that Stewart made the Chase and was a championship contender much quicker than anyone expected. Look out for this team in 2010.

Kurt Busch B-

Busch

I know some people will look at this grade for Kurt Busch and think...what? Believe me, their grade is well earned. The No. 2 team deserves high marks because of their win at Texas during the Chase but really mostly because of what they had to overcome in this 2009 Chase. Granted the win did not hurt but with Pat Tryson announcing right before the start of the Chase that he would be leaving after the season it would have been easy for everyone in the camp to give up on 2009 and turn their attention to 2010. Instead the team stayed dedicated to their 2009 goals and they were able to keep themselves in the top six of the championship standings every week of the Chase. Penske team President Tim Cindric probably does not get nearly the credit he deserves for his leadership with this team. Sure, Cindric is the leadership face of the Penske IRL teams but day-to-day at the shop he focuses on all of the Penske teams. It certainly didn't hurt that Cindric was able to stay with the NASCAR teams each week during the Chase since the IRL season was complete. I'm not saying that Cindric deserves the credit for the on-track performance (that certainly goes to Busch, Tryson and the team) but at a critical time, someone needed to step up as a leader for this team and Cindric quietly played a key part in keeping things together when they could have very easily come unglued. (Continued)