Something has been missing from victory lane for most of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Roush Fenway Racing hasn’t been spotted since February, when Matt Kenseth won the rain-shortened Daytona 500 and followed with a victory at California.
The Roush quintet has been shut out of victory lane ever since California. And with only seven races left before the 12-car field for the Chase is set, only Carl Edwards appears a safe bet to make the playoff. Despite going winless so far this season after leading the Sprint Cup with nine wins in 2008, Edwards is solidly in sixth place.
As for Kenseth, he is currently 12th in the standings with a mere 10-point lead over his Roush teammate Greg Biffle at 13th. Biffle dropped four spots, falling out of the top 12 with a 31st-place finish at Chicagoland on Saturday night. Jamie McMurray (19th) and David Ragan (30th) are essentially out of contention for the chase field.
Last season, Roush had three drivers in the playoff: Edwards, Kenseth and Biffle. The team still could repeat that performance this season. Remember, a year ago Roush drivers had only two victories at this point, both by Edwards. Seven of his nine wins came in the second half, as did both of Biffle’s victories in 2008.
So consider this not so much a lampoon as a nudge with the series on break for a week before heading to Indianapolis for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on July 26 for the unofficial start of the second half of the season. Right now, the sport is being dominated by Hendrick Motorsports and its satellite team, Stewart-Haas Racing. They’re taking up five spots in the top 12 including points leader Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon (2), Jimmie Johnson (3), Ryan Newman (7) and Mark Martin (11) and could use some competition at the front of the field.
Even with the welcome variety current top-12 competitors Kasey Kahne and Juan Pablo Montoya will add to the playoff if they make the field, it’s already nearly a foregone conclusion that one of the Hendrick drivers or Stewart will win the title this year.
Maybe it’s too late for anyone to step up and make it an unpredictable chase. But if any team can do it, Roush might be the one.
Comments
Personally I don't care if not one Roush car makes the chase. Lets hope they don't. Go Chevy! Go Tony! Go Jimmy! Go Jeff! Go Mark! Go Ryan!
Ford has a new engine why arn't they using it?
I loved what Carl Edwards had to say over this past weekend. He wasn't in it to win races but not the championship...he did that last year. They're building on something, and I think they are playing it smarter than anyone else out there right now. He's slowly getting better & better; there's something to be said about points racing.
Roush Racing hasnt been good since Mark Martin left. Mark is going to win it all this year finally.
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