All-Star Race Break Team Report Cards #2
The 2013 NASCAR season is now about 1/3rds completed so it’s time to hand out some trimester grades. Some drivers have performed well and others have not. Find out if your favorite driver passed or failed. This post is part of a three part series. These grades are subjective and some drivers are graded on a curve.
Make sure you read grades part #1 and part #3
Paul Menard – B-
Paul Menard is sitting 11th in points due to some respectable finishes and his ability to avoid really bad days. So far this season his best finish is 8th and his worst finish is 26th. In five of the 11 races this season he’s finished between 8th and 13th. In the other six races he’s finished between 17th and 26th. If he ever starts to have some really bad finishes he’ll have problems remaining this high in points. What’s troubling about his 6 finishes between 17th and 26th is that those reflect how good he was in that race.
Jeff Gordon – B
Jeff Gordon has performed well this season. He’s currently 12th in points but if he didn’t have problems while running well at Bristol (leading when trouble struck) and Texas (top five car) he would likely be around 5th in points. So far this season he’s only finished in the top ten three races but he does have four finishes between 11th and 13th. From a season long perspective he has a 16.2 average finish and a 13.1 average running position.
Greg Biffle – B-
On a week to week basis this team has either been good or they’ve been off their game. There really hasn’t been any middle ground. Currently Biffle is 13th in points on the basis of his four top tens. His last top ten though was back in April at Texas. Since than he has an average finish of 26th. Looking ahead the schedule looks promising but I think he’s been somewhat of a disappointment this season.
Martin Truex Jr. – B+
The #56 team had some problems early this season but as of late they’ve been very strong. Their strength has been 1.5 mile tracks. On that sub track type they have a 4.3 average finish and a 5.7 average running position. Since Las Vegas this team has ranked as one of the best in the series. They’ve also been very good at qualifying. In races where qualifying is based on speed he hasn’t started worse than 15th and has a 8.1 average starting position.
Jamie McMurray – B-
McMurray has shown some potential this season. Compared to last season he’s been much better. It’s important to not get to excited though. Two of his three top tens came on short tracks and the next one of those coming up is in August. So far this season he has a 17.4 average running position and a 17.4 average finish.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – C+
I’m disappointed in Stenhouse Jr. I was expecting more from a two-time Nationwide Series champion. He has zero top tens and a 18.6 average finish. At Kansas he looked good. In that race he led 26 laps but was burned by a caution during the pit cycle. Outside of that race he’s looked rather mediocre this season.
Ryan Newman – B
Ryan Newman has had some good finishes this season. He has five top tens but also four horrific finishes of 31st or worse. If he can cut down on the inconsistency he would be a Chase contender. Unfortunately consistency has been a career long problem. Only six drivers have more top tens than him.
Kurt Busch – B
Kurt Busch is 18th in points but he’s performed better than that. One of his main problems is that he fades late in races or finds trouble all to often. In nearly half the races this season he’s finished 30th or worse. That risk level is way to high. He has been showing some positive consistency recently though. In 3 out of the last 4 races he’s finished in the top 15.
Joey Logano – B
If Joey Logano got back his 25 points than he would currently be 16th in points. On the track this season he’s shown some muscle. He nearly won at Auto Club Speedway and has two other top five finishes. In terms of the strength of this team I would rank them as a low teens performer.
Jeff Burton – C
It’s looking like Jeff Burton will have another tough season. His highlights are a 5th at Richmond and a 10th at Phoenix. All of his other finishes are 17th or worse. If you’re a fantasy racer you really can’t work with that. So far this season Burton has a 20.7 average finish and 19.7 average running position. He’s also only led 8 laps and seven of them came through pit strategy at Richmond.
