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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
SPENCER: Posting the Points
Points will be reset this Sunday following the race at Bristol and some of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams may be in for a surprise...
Jimmy Spencer  |  Posted March 18, 2009   Charlotte, NC

While everyone has been preoccupied with getting their race cars to handle in the absence of testing this year, the first resetting of the points this season has snuck up on them and will take place Sunday following the Bristol race, rendering some teams outside the all-important top 35 in owner points.

Some NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams may be caught a little off-guard. Drivers like Mark Martin have had a couple of bad races and are teetering on the edge of being locked out once the checkered flag waves at Bristol. Mark doesn’t have a champion’s provisional to fall back on, as does Bobby Labonte, who is currently outside the top 35 in the No. 96 Ford.

And unfortunately, anything can happen in qualifying, such as an ignition box failure, that quite possibly could send a go-or-go-homer, even as strong as Mark, to the house. While it’s no secret I don’t like the top-35 rule, there is no denying it can deal a crushing blow to teams and shake up the landscape of the NASCAR garage.

Being outside the top 35 is a whole different world -- a lot of people don’t realize what is involved in practice and qualifying for these teams. For example, one little bobble off turn four in qualifying next week at Martinsville Speedway can kill a driver’s exit speed and he’ll be unable to make up the difference the next lap. What if something fails on the car? Being in the top 35 is important and some teams are going to realize just how important Sunday night.

Joey Logano’s No. 20 team, sitting 33rd, is one that could be in for a huge shock. Logano is doing a decent job but will be in deep trouble if ends up outside the top 35 and has to qualify on time because qualifying hasn’t been his strong suit this year. When forced to qualify on time in 2008, Logano missed two races and qualified 40th, 28th and 43rd in the other three. He is a young driver but so were Kurt and Kyle Busch when they came into the Cup Series and they performed pretty quickly. Hopefully, Logano will have a strong showing at Bristol and build a cushion on the top 35.

Poor Mark Martin. With all the fanfare and expectations with which his season began, who would have thought he’d be perched on the top 35 bubble? Two engine failures and a blown tire have mired him deep in the points but Martin should spring back. Of all the possible go-or-go-homers, the guy has nothing to worry about because he is so experienced that he’ll get his car in the show.


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