Have you seen Junior's grades!?

Midterm report cards out for the Class of 2007

DAVID POOLE

The Charlotte Observer

Thursday, Jul. 05, 2007

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Saturday night’s Pepsi 400 marks the midpoint of the 2007 Nextel Cup season, but we’re well past halfway to the cutoff for the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

So let’s go ahead and hand out ThatsRacin.com’s midseason report card to the full-time Nextel Cup teams:

A

DENNY HAMLIN: No. 11

Gordon and Johnson lead the league with four victories apiece. Gordon has 14 top-10 finishes and was so far in front in the standings a 100-point penalty at Infineon didn’t even serve as a bump in the road.

Six-race suspensions for their crew chiefs offer a summertime challenge, but these teams will be in the Chase. Hamlin moved up into this top group with his New Hampshire victory Sunday.

A-

MATT KENSETH: No. 17

CARL EDWARDS: No. 99

KEVIN HARVICK: No. 29

MARTIN TRUEX JR.: Car No. 1

Kenseth got a win at California and Edwards won at Michigan to carry the Ford banner. Both are all but Chase locks. So, too, is Harvick, who won the Daytona 500 and the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge.

Truex has as much momentum at midseason as anyone after getting his first victory at Dover, a win that helped steady Dale Earnhardt Inc.

B+

TONY STEWART: No. 20

JEFF BURTON: No. 31

KYLE BUSCH: No. 5

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: No. 8

Burton won at Texas and he and Kyle Busch battled on the final laps at Bristol before Busch won. Like Busch, Earnhardt Jr. has to deal with the distractions of being with a team he won’t be on next year as he tries to fight for a Chase spot this year.

Stewart still hasn’t won, which is one of the year’s big surprises. Don’t worry, that’s coming.

B

MARK MARTIN/REGAN SMITH: No. 01

CASEY MEARS: No. 25

CLINT BOWYER: No. 07

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: No. 42

Mears and Montoya got their first career victories, Mears with fuel strategy at Charlotte and Montoya on the road course at Infineon. Martin came up a few feet short of a win in the Daytona 500 and was brilliant in his first stretch before turning the car over to Smith for selected events.

Bowyer seems capable of winning any time.

B-

RYAN NEWMAN: No. 12

KURT BUSCH: No. 2

JAMIE MCMURRAY: No. 26

Newman and Busch, teammates at Penske Racing, seem to be on the verge of bringing that team back toward the top tier of competition.

McMurray flirts with that, too, in his second year at Roush Fenway Racing. He’s got six top-10 finishes.

C+

ROBBY GORDON: No. 7

GREG BIFFLE: No. 16

Give Gordon the plus for being in the top 25 as the owner/driver of a single-car team. Biffle keeps trying to find his form from two seasons ago.

C

J.J. YELEY: No. 18

BOBBY LABONTE: No. 43

TONY RAINES: No. 96

DAVID STREMME: No. 40

DAVID RAGAN: No. 6

REED SORENSON: No. 41

RICKY RUDD: No. 88

KYLE PETTY: No. 45

DAVID GILLILAND: No. 38

JEFF GREEN: No. 66

JOHNNY SAUTER: No. 70

Most of the drivers in this grouping have had some good moments this year, but they haven’t been able to string things together enough to move off mediocrity.

C-

ELLIOTT SADLER: No. 19

KASEY KAHNE: No. 9

STERLING MARLIN: No. 14

JOE NEMECHEK: No. 13

Hard to figure where things bumped off track for these Evernham Motorsports teammates, but they both haven’t been able to get things going.

Sadler hasn’t had a did-not-finish, but that hasn’t done him a lot of good. Ginn Racing teammates Marlin and Nemechek just haven’t been factors.

D

DAVE BLANEY: No. 22

BILL ELLIOTT/KEN SCHRADER: No. 21

SCOTT RIGGS: No. 10

PAUL MENARD: No. 15

WARD BURTON: No. 4

KENNY WALLACE: No. 78

MIKE BLISS/CHAD CHAFFIN: No. 49

These teams can’t get passing grades because they haven’t been able to make it into the races each weekend. If you don’t race, it’s hard to get better.

Incomplete

BRIAN VICKERS: No. 83

A.J. ALLMENDINGER: No. 84

DAVID REUTIMANN: No. 00

DALE JARRETT: No. 44

JEREMY MAYFIELD: No. 36

MICHAEL WALTRIP: No. 55

Each of these Toyota teams are new teams racing a new manufacturer’s car. By any fair standard, they’re not doing well.

But after just 17 races, it’s hard to pass judgment. Ask after a full season.

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