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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Stewart, Johnson Top Mid-Term Report Card
Tony Stewart has been the most pleasant surprise of 2008...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted July 06, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Tony Stewart leads the class of 2009. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

The NASCAR Sprint Cup season is exactly half completed, with 18 of 36 races in the books for 2009. And that means it’s time for the Answerman’s Mid-Term Report Card.

I graded the drivers on the traditional A-B-C-D-F scale, including only the top 35 in Sprint Cup points. No one outside the top 35 has made every race, so they all get classified with a grade of “Incomplete.”

For those in the top 35, I graded strictly on a bell curve using two main criteria — actual results and results vs. expectations when the season began. So here goes.

GRADE: A.
No. 1 in NASCAR Sprint Cup points. Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing — This is a total no-brainer. Stewart not only leads the points, but he’s blown away all expectations for his first year team. Along with Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, he is one of the prohibitive favorites to win the championship.

3. Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports — Johnson has been in superb form of late and certainly he and his Hendrick Motorsports squad seem prepared to win a record fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship. Still the man until someone knocks him off, though Stewart and Gordon will be tough.

2. Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports — Gordon has had a great season and could finally win his fifth championship this season. Very, very little separates him from Johnson or Stewart.

4. Kurt Busch, Penske Championship Racing — Busch is on track to have his best season since winning the championship in 2004. A fierce competitor, he’s someone very much in the title mix, especially if he gets hot late in the season.

14. David Reutimann, Michael Waltrip Racing — In 63 career starts prior to this season, Reutimann had no victories, no top fives, only four top 10s and one pole. This year, Reutimann has 2 victories, four top fives, five top 10s and two poles in 18 starts. He wins the most improved award.


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