Sizing Up Cup In Mid-April

With Kansas done the Cup series hits Richmond for a Saturday night bash before the Winston 500 at Talladega. A look at drivers, their teams, and how they're doing entering Richmond -


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HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS - We start with point leader Jimmie Johnson, as there isn't much to say given his two wins and having just two finishes lower than sixth so far.  His teammate Kasey Kahne got off to a very slow start but has posted a win and two runner-ups since February.

Faltering right now is - as usual - Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has looked bad the last three races, fulfilling the pattern that has defined his career since the end of 2004.   Curiously also faltering is the old man at Hendrick (and when was the last time that could be said?), Jeff Gordon, who has led laps as is custom but hasn't cashed in on anything.   One may have to start wondering about Gordon this season.


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PENSKE RACING  - Switching to Ford isn't what's hurting this outfit; what's hurting is their new hire - Joey Logano.  Despite two top fives Logano has showcased his dangerous driving as well as propensity to crash between the brawl at Fontana and now the bad crash at Kansas, which elicited a Twitter-published epistle of outright hate from Denny Hamlin that is simultaneously surprising yet to be expected in modern NASCAR. Such a semi-anonymous attack on another driver is indicative of the hatred that exists against Logano, a hatred brought about by his years of immaturity and the often-mind-blowing brainlessness of his racing. It's also in its own way refreshing, for if nothing else it is brutally honest - something sorely missing in society.

Brad Keselowski's solid finishes have been overshadowed of late by NASCAR's public punishment of the Penske organization at Texas as well as the continuing controversy over Brian France's overall handling of the defending series champion.


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ROUSH-FENWAY RACING -The good news is Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards are solidly in the top ten in points.  The bad news is despite Edwards' Phoenix win there seems to be little momentum going for the organization; Edwards hadn't led a lap after Phoenix until Kansas, while Biffle hasn't led since Phoenix and has pretty much been all over the map as far as the racing goes.   Rookie Ricky Stenhouse, while not running poorly, nonetheless looks like a typical rookie and his romantic relationship with Danica Patrick is no help career-wise.


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JOE GIBBS RACING - It says volumes about the absurdity of NASCAR's whole philosophy on points systems that Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth have won four of the first eight races and have combined for 917 laps led, yet are realistically in no contention for the title.   The #11 car has suffered with Denny Hamlin's injury, yet it also bears mentioning that Hamlin wasn't setting anything on fire before that wreck - his Fontana victory bid and the 117 laps led at Bristol were by far his best efforts in the 2013 season.   When he comes back one wonders whether he'll bring the same ferocity.


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MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING - Clint Bowyer continues to carry the organization despite leading exactly one lap (this coming at Daytona) in the first eight races.  His finishes have been all over the map so far but he's accounted for three of MWR's six top fives so far.   Martin Truex has been surging lately, leading 188 laps in the last two races, but we've seen such spurts from him before with nothing coming of it.   Mark Martin has run decently in MWR's #55.


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RCR ENTERPRISES - Amid the Dodge rumor that isn't going away, RCR's points positions are actually better than their cars have looked.  Paul Menard remains tenth in points while lame-duck Kevin Harvick is twelfth, but it says a lot about how far the RCR fleet has fallen than Menard has four of the fleet's six top ten finishes so far yet has nothing better than a pair of ninths to show for it and has accounted for the only lap led so far by RCR cars.    Jeff Burton meanwhile appears at the end of the line, 23rd in points and displaying zero firepower anywhere.  


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EARNHARDT-GANASSI RACING - There's definitely something to the story that John Menard will buy out Ganassi; it's showing in how mediocre this organization is.  Juan Montoya has been pretty much a NASCAR drafting bust while Jamie McMurray has been decent so far this year, posting three top tens.   Yet even with that the Ganassi cars don't look like there's anything left for them, and given the exodus of car owners from the sport the last few years one should keep an eye on the Menard story.  


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RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS - A subplot of the RCR-to-Dodge rumor is that Petty would be part of the package, becoming a satellite outfit for RCR.   Given the surge of the Petty team of recent, if Dodge comes back they'll get a good package reuniting with The King.   Aric Almirola has been coming on so far, posting back-to-back top tens and showing respectable muscle every week in Petty's #43.  

If the Dodge rumor comes true one wonders what would then become of Ford stalwart Marcos Ambrose, who's won the last two Watkins Glen grands prix yet so far in 2013 hasn't been that hot outside of eighth at Martinsville.   Regardless, right now Petty Motorsports is a team on the rise.


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STEWART-HAAS RACING - Are they regretting hiring Danica Patrick yet?

The pattern she showed in Indycars is repeating itself in NASCAR - she drags down every organization that takes a chance on her.   The pole at Daytona and a surprising Martinsville effort can't hide the poor performances everywhere else, and it's dragged down the rest of the Stewart-Haas fleet.   Ryan Newman has four of the group's six top tens and its only top five, and it says a lot about Newman that this is the team's best effort.   Newman's career has never recovered from the Rusty Wallace-led rules blitz in reaction to Newman's 2003 victory surge, and his career continues to flounder amid the real possibility he will be the odd man out once Kevin Harvick arrives.

Team co-owner Stewart was shockingly successful his first four seasons as an owner-driver, but now it's obvious he's in over his head just like other owner-drivers have been.   One wonders when the shoe will drop here.


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BARNEY VISSER - The sport's only notable one-car effort employs Kurt Busch and Busch has grabbed a pair of top-five finishes, surprisingly stout but inevitably the apex for a season that looks to already be on its downward spiral.   The rumor that Busch will take over one of the RCR cars is out there as well.


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THE REST OF THE FIELD - Brad Daugherty's team plugs along with Bobby Labonte, but outside of 15th at Daytona there really isn't much here.    James Finch's #51 has a seventh at Daytona with Regan Smith and that's it.   Germain Racing and Tommy Baldwin's team aren't going anywhere, either.  


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So there we are eight races into the 2013 season, with Richmond and Talladega beckoning.