Halfway mark to "the nextel chase"...

[gomick]

half way until "the nextel chase" - check out some of the drivers who are having up & down years (IMO)...

- fantastic
- thought would be better
- gotta stop being "mr popular"
- improve, or move on

* drivers with no smiley ( ) are probably where one would predict they should be....

1. Jeff Gordon 2059
2. Jimmie Johnson 1907
3. Matt Kenseth 1869
4. Denny Hamlin 1842
5. Jeff Burton 1704
6. Carl Edwards 1584
7. Tony Stewart 1573
8. Clint Bowyer 1525
9. Kevin Harvick 1518
10. Kyle Busch 1471
11. Kurt Busch 1439
12. Mark Martin 1435
13. Martin Truex Jr. 1427
14. Jamie McMurray 1411
15. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1404
16. Ryan Newman 1389
17. Bobby Labonte 1340
18. Greg Biffle 1339
19. J.J. Yeley 1313
20. Elliott Sadler 1267
21. David Stremme 1237
22. Juan Montoya* 1229
23. Tony Raines 1218
24. Sterling Marlin 1165
25. Reed Sorenson 1153
26. David Ragan* 1150
27. Casey Mears 1144 - win saved him
28. Jeff Green 1141
29. Kasey Kahne 1133 - what a shocking year so far...
30. Kyle Petty 1126
31. Robby Gordon 1126
32. Joe Nemechek 1096
33. David Gilliland 1062
34. Ricky Rudd 1045
35. Johnny Sauter 1009
36. Scott Riggs 926
37. Dave Blaney 839
38. Brian Vickers 725 - obviously the car, but...
39. Dale Jarrett 668 - hmmm
40. Paul Menard* 665
41. Kenny Wallace 559
42. Ken Schrader 544
43. David Reutimann* 488
44. Ward Burton 351
45. A.J. Allmendinger* 348 - good career move when you could've been the big fish in champcar
46. Jeremy Mayfield 345 - obviously the car, but...
47. Mike Bliss 325
48. Regan Smith 269
49. Boris Said 208
50. Mike Wallace 160
51. Bill Elliott 112
52. Jon Wood 76
53. Johnny Benson 70
54. John Andretti 61
55. Michael Waltrip 52 - what a shocking year so far...
56. Aric Almirola 40
57. Kevin Lepage 37

** all those toyota drivers where always going to be in for a tough 1st year - they could dominate in 2008, imagine that....

[Knowlesy]

I would actually award Jeff Gordon because, yes, he is the NASCAR benchmark. But he is coming off the back of two very hard seasons in the most dominant style possible. Pure class, to my eyes.

[ThePenguin]

Dale Earnhardt Jr. can't stop being "Mr. Popular" because when his dad died the fame and glory of his dad fell directly onto him.