Johnson takes Chase class to school, earns the grade

Ok, now it's really over. The chances that Jimmie Johnson does not finish 25th this week at Homestead-Miami are so very slim that on Sunday it's all but a stone cold lock that we will be celebrating the four-time champion Jimmie Johnson. So this week instead of sorting the championship contenders into tiers, we are handing out Chase grades for the 12 participants as we wrap up the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

Jimmie Johnson A+

Johnson

How can you give Jimmie Johnson any other grade? Year after year he and Chad Knaus have proven they know how to work it in these final 10 races. No matter what their situation coming into the Chase is, they deliver when the money is on the line. I agree with Mark Martin, not enough credit is given to not only Johnson's talent but also how hard he works at his craft. Unlike a lot of other drivers in this sport, Johnson is often present at the shop and involved with his team almost on a daily basis. Chad Knaus publicly gets a lot of credit for the 48 team's success, as well and he should. Knaus doesn't necessarily out-work other crew chiefs, he often just works smarter and with such a different approach. Almost to a habitual fault, Knaus studies races and analyzes them unlike anyone I have ever worked around. Clearly that effort put in by both guys has resulted in developing one of the best tandems to ever participate in this sport.

Now the question that will be asked from now until next year's Chase...how long can they keep it going? Honestly the only team that can stop them at this point is themselves. I've seen it happen over the years to the best...from Kirk Shelmerdine and Dale Earnhardt, Sr, to Ray Evernham and Jeff Gordon. They only thing that stopped those dynasty's was themselves. Kirk Shelmerdine decided he wanted to be a driver and Ray Evernham was offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to own his own team. To this point in their careers, Johnson and Knaus' attention has been fully on their job. Some day that will inevitably change. It may be that Johnson will have children, Knaus might decide to get married or someone might make either one of them (or both of them) an offer to leave Hendrick they cannot refuse. Who knows what the reason might be, but this dynasty too shall pass. And no matter what you think of Johnson's dominance now, I promise, as a NASCAR fan, one day you will look back and think with a smile, "man I remember when those guys were unbeatable." We should appreciate the history we are witnessing while it's here.

Mark Martin A

Martin

Speaking of history, Mark Martin's Chase run of 2009 deserves a little credit in the history books. Had Talladega been one lap shorter the story coming into the final race of the season might have a much different tone, with Martin likely being the champion instead of Johnson. As it is though it looks likely that for the 5th time in his career Mark Martin will finish 2nd in the final championship standings.

Much like his teammate Jimmie Johnson , behind wheel, Martin has been spectacular in the Chase. But unlink the 48 team, I feel like the crew chief on this team doesn't get enough credit for the team's success. Alan Gustafson is one of the true young talented crew chiefs in this business, quietly ranking among the best. Not only did Gustafson turn out cars equal to Knaus throughout the Chase, in a few cases you could make the argument he was a step better. Martin didn't have nearly the racing fortune that Johnson did in the Chase as evidenced by his Charlotte and Talladega wrecks, neither of which were Martin's fault. So when you talk of Martin's 2009 success make sure you include Alan Gustafson in that conversation.

For Martin, as much as anything, his positive attitude each week during the Chase proved that at age 50, he's still a force to be dealt with in this sport and the things that used to bring his mood down (poor finishes, the media, and the grueling schedule) don't seem to bother him as much as they used to. Look out in 2010 for 51-year-old Mark Martin and his hotshot crew chief Alan Gustafson, they might be even better than this year's version.

Juan Montoya A

Montoya

I realize that some people will look at this grade and question why it is so high and once again accuse me of giving Juan Pablo Montoya too much credit but you have to keep in mind and fully understand what Montoya accomplished in the 2009 Chase. Out of the nine Chase races so far, JPM has achieved a career best finish in six of those nine races. I don't care what you thought about Montoya heading into the Chase, you have to admit, that's impressive. Throw into that mix that his team brought brand new cars to the track four times in the Chase and he had career best finishes in all four of those races and that makes it even more impressive in my opinion. With the Earnhardt-Ganassi guys building better cars each week and the now solidified relationship between Montoya and veteran crew chief Brian Pattie getting better each week too, this combo could prove to be one of the toughest to beat in 2010.

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.

Kasey Kahne C+

Kahne

If you were shocked by the previous grade you're probably floored by this one...no it's not a typo. Let me start by saying, I know the Chase performance of the 9 team probably does not deserve a C+ mark, with just four top tens and four finishes of 32nd or worse in the Chase. But I would also argue that the behind the scenes picture at Richard Petty Motorsports is much uglier than we all know. The mere fact that Kasey Kahne and Kenny Francis were able to show up at the track and still deliver some decent results deserves a ton of credit in my opinion. Firing 50 people the week the Chase starts? All told by the end of the year approximately 200 people who started the year at RPM will likely be out of a job? Can you imagine going to work in that environment? How can you be dedicated to winning a championship when people you work with are losing jobs left and right? You have to wonder if you are next and what kind of job can you do then? Sure, I understand the business side of this industry and layoffs are sometimes necessary but what has taken place late this season at RPM has been a travesty. So in that context, the No. 9 team actually hasn't been that bad have they?

The rough part is that with all of these layoffs, the soon to be merger with Yates Racing and all of the change this team will have gone through in 12 months, it's hard to imagine Kahne having a tremendous amount of success in 2010. The one thing that is for sure, this team is not trending in a way that would indicate they will be a championship contender next season.

Ryan Newman C

Newman

If you base it off recent performances it might be tempting to give Newman a lower grade but this really has been a tale of two Chases for Newman. The first half of the Chase went fairly well, starting with two top tens but lately it has been rough going culminating last week with Newman leaving the track saying "nothing went right this weekend." Throw in an upside down ride at Talladega and it would seem as though this has been a bad Chase for Newman. But if you take a step back and are truly honest with yourself, it might not be so bad. Was this team really supposed to make the Chase in their first year of existence anyway? So just by being in the Chase is the battle not already won? Plus not only did they make the Chase but the No. 39 team ran fairly well at times. So my take is that this team did surprisingly well by not only making the Chase but also setting themselves up to be a perennial Chase player. The one thing I am sure Newman would love to have though is a good run this weekend at Homestead, nobody wants to wrap the season on a bad string of races. There's one shot left to fix that.

Greg Biffle D

Carl Edwards D

Biffle

Edwards

I've gotta be honest, it is very, very, very tempting to give these teams an "F." But in handing out the year-end Chase grades I have never given an "F" because if you make it to this level you are not a failure no matter how bad things are...but how can you give Roush Racing any other grade for the 2009 Chase? Granted, Greg Biffle had the best car at the Kansas race a few weeks ago but finished 3rd and Carl Edwards did finish sixth at California a few weeks ago, amazingly still his best finish so far in the Chase. Really? Those are the Roush Chase highlights we are talking about? Is that what they want to hang their "hat" on in the off-season? That is not the Roush Racing we have come to appreciate over the years.

I get emails all of the time that Jack Roush should just blow up the organization and switch all of the personnel around in an effort to shake things up. The best thing Roush could do honestly? Nothing, at least for now. If it was one or two teams that were behind then that scenario might work. But the problem is that the entire organization is in a slump. The best thing Jack Roush and team President Geoff Smith did a few years ago was put Robbie Reiser in charge of the performance side of the team. The worst thing they can do is deviate from that plan now. I know it sounds goofy considering the lack of performance this year but trust me, Reiser is the best man for the job, so leave him alone and let him do his job. Give Reiser time to work some personnel and performance magic. If Roush management gives Robbie Reiser the latitude to do his job they way he wants, there is no way that Roush Racing will be down in the dumps this far next year. I may eat those words in 2010, but knowing how hard Robbie Reiser works and the effort he will put in this off-season, I doubt it.

Brian Vickers D-

Vickers

Sticking with my promise, I am not going to give anyone an F but...wow, where did this team go? Was Brian Vickers even in the Chase? It baffles me how this team stormed into the chase with nine straight finishes of 12th or better and then followed that up with only two finishes better than 12th and zero top tens in the Chase itself. What happened? This team is true mystery heading into the 2010 season. Should we expect the team that bowled their way into the Chase? Or will we see the team that failed to show up during the Chase? I bet this team will spend the next two months wondering the same thing.