NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
  • Peg It on GarageMonkey
CUP: Crashes Jumble Cup Points Race
Mark Martin was the big loser in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings at Daytona...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted July 05, 2009   Daytona Beach, FL
The real loser at Daytona was Mark Martin who crashed in Turn 2 on Lap 13 and finished 38th. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
The top 10 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings remained unchanged following the wild Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, with race-winner Tony Stewart continuing to lead Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon (-180 points) and Jimmie Johnson (-194).

But with only eight races to go until the field is set for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the most intense action is at the tail end of the Chase points. The top three drivers right now are locks for the Chase, as are Kurt Busch (-305), Carl Edwards (-402) and Denny Hamlin (-417).

Then things get real interesting, with the gap from seventh place Ryan Newman (-484) to 12th-place Kasey Kahne (-553) being just 69 points. In between Newman and Kahne are Kyle Busch (-485), Greg Biffle (-504), Matt Kenseth (-518) and Juan Pablo Montoya (-532).

The real loser at Daytona was Mark Martin, who crashed with Matt Kenseth in Turn 2 on Lap 13 and finished 38th.

“Matt ran the top side there and got a run up off the corner, and I was trying to keep it down and leave us room and I just pinched him,” said Martin. “Front wheels were cut and it just didn't turn quite enough. It's really slick out there. It's my fault.”

In the span of just three races, Martin has plummeted from eighth to 13th in the points, some 65 markers out of a Chase spot.

Behind Martin comes David Reutimann, who is 74 points out of the Chase, Jeff Burton (-105 from 12th place), Clint Bowyer (-135) and Brian Vickers (-168). Those are the only five drivers within 200 points of a Chase spot.

And with a crash and a 39th-place finish in the Coke Zero 400, you can officially count Dale Earnhardt Jr. out of any Chase hopes. Earnhardt is now 21st in points, 356 points out of 12th place.

“I guess there were a couple of guys going for the same piece of real estate there and I tried to stay high because I thought they would spin down off the wall and the No. 00 (Reutimann) got crossed up trying to miss them and we hit him,” said an exasperated Earnhardt. “So the National Guard Chevrolet was just getting going. We had just freed the car up enough and was moving toward the front and the car was driving good. I thought we had a shot of getting up there and mixing it up with the leaders.”

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

Play Super 7 Sweep Fantasy Racing powered by Wind Tunnel!
tom_jensen's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Jensen

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2013

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.