Enough of the talk, it's time teams and drivers start proving themselves

For all the talk about who is a title contender and who isn't at this point, let's get one thing clear: There's a lot teams still need to show to prove their championship worthy.

 

Here's some things they need to prove between now and the Chase.

 

1. Points leader Kevin Harvick. There's no doubt that the Richard Childress Racing cars are stronger this year -- much better than last year -- but a problem is the inconsistency on pit road. Early in the Darlington race, a slow two-tire pit stop caused Harvick to lose a few spots and, while a bit controlled in his comments on the radio, he still said: "Embarrasing. I'm tired of it. About two years of it.'' ... Told that a lugnut fell off, Harvick responded: "That's just an old excuse. That excuse is just getting waaayyyyyy too old.'' 

 

There's no doubt that lugnuts will fall off and problems will happen from time to time, still it can't keep happening as Harvick claimed on the radio. Even the week before Darlington at Richmond, Harvick said an area the team needed to improve upon was pit road because when they made mistakes there, they were big mistakes. 

 

If you can't pit the call efficienty and quickly on pit road during the Chase, forget it. The key over the second half of the regular season is to find that group that can be fast on pit road without a litany of mistakes that slow the stop. Get that fixed and the cars continue to be strong, then, yes, Harvick should be considered a title contender.

 

2.. Jeff Gordon. Clearly has had one of the best cars so far this season but doesn't have a win yet. Got to close out races with a win (Did you ever think you'd hear that in regards to Gordon?). Eight runner-up finishes in his last 40 races can be viewed as remarkable but when you consider it's Gordon (and the higher expectations that he carries), it's also a bit troubling that he's winless in those last 40 races. Already, he's 30 points behind Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson in bonus points for the start of the Chase. One never knows when those will come in handy. 

 

Still, I go back to a conversation I had with Gordon's former crew chief, Ray Evernham, a few weeks ago. Evernham noted how when they were dominating the sport in the late 90s that Evernham felt if he could give Gordon a car that got him to second, Gordon would win. During that time, Gordon had twice as many wins as runner-up finishes. Now, one can argue tougher competition and that's fair. Still, this sport is about winning. At what point can Gordon show he can win consistently? Only once in the Chase's history has a driver won the title without winning in the last 10 races and that was Tony Stewart in 2005.

 

3. Jeff Burton. Just like Gordon has had one of the best cars on the track but can't put together the finishes. He blew a tire while running second at Martinsville late. He ran over an air hose on his last pit stop at Darlington, which ended any hopes for a top-five finish or better last weekend. He's been first or second six times with less than 30 laps left in a race and finished in the top five only twice in those races. That's lost points that if this trend continues won't help him later in the year. Need to see this team finish strong.

 

Pit road also has been a problem for this team, although Burton has been at fault more than this crew. Burton has been penalized three times for speeding this season, a commitment line violation (which he disputes but knows why NASCAR made the call at Texas), pitting out of the box and now this running over equipment in the pits (although that one can be blamed as much on the crew). Don't resolve these issues, then it will be hard to win a title.

 

4. Denny Hamlin. While he was my preseason pick to win the title, he's now the popular pick to dethrone Jimmie Johnson based on how Hamlin is running now with three wins in the last six races. Got to applaud Hamlin for what he's done, but, folks, recall, it isn't as much what you do in March, April and May as what a driver does later in the year. While Hamlin isn't Kyle Busch, recall that Kyle had won  a series-high three races by early May last year and then collapsed and failed to make the Chase.  Kyle did the same thing in 2010 with three wins by May and then struggled in the Chase and finished 10th. Thus, running well now is great but running well later is better. Certainly, there's the promise that Hamlin can run better later in the year with his knee healed and newer cars on the way Now, he and his team will have to prove that over the coming months.

 

5. Jimmie Johnson. It's been six races since Johnson last won. He never went more than seven races last year between wins, thus some people are questioning if this is the end of the Jimmie Johnson era. Puh-leeze. Just to note, Johnson was winless in 11 races during the 2008 season and still won the title. There's no doubt that so far the 48 car hasn't brought out the fear that it once did. It's evident the car isn't as fast or strong as Gordon's or Burton's and maybe a couple of others. Of course, as long as he stays comfortably in the top 12 he doesn't have to be. Still, one area to watch with this team is if it starts to become the dominant car as the season progresses leading up to the Chase. With this team's record in the Chase, it's hard to discount it even if it doesn't go into it as the best car.

 

Charlotte will be a big test for this team. Recall how this team use to dominate the 1.5 mile tracks? Well, this year, Johnson has led 57 laps in such races at Las Vegas (18 laps led), Atlanta (0 laps led) and Texas (39 laps led). With the 1.5-mile tracks the key in the Chase, this team will need to be stronger there as the year progresses.

 

6. Kyle Busch. As noted in the Denny Hamlin section, Busch has had strong starts to season and then floundered in the Chase. Now, there's this debate about the new Kyle Busch. Old or new, who cares? He just better be different when the Chase comes around. Here's his Chase finishes through the years: 10th (which was last then) in 2006, 5th in 2007 and 10th in 2008 (nearly 500 points behind Johnson). Not very stellar. At times mechanical issues have hindered him. Other times, one could argue attitude. Whether there's a new or old Kyle Busch, the 2010 Kyle Busch is showing signs of maturity. It doesn't mean he's not going to vent or act as he has at times in the past when things don't go his way, but the point is how well he handles adversity. It's OK to vent at times and then move on. If he can't move on, then another sub-par Chase result could be possible.

 

7. Roush Fenway Racing. Just win. It was interesting when I talked to car owner Jack Roush after last weekend's race at Darlington and he talked about how he felt one of the reasons the team is behind is because it's simulation program isn't as good as others. With no testing on Cup tracks, that's pivotal. This is not something that is going to be changed overnight, so it's good that there are a few months until the Chase starts. There's still time to show steady improvement and make a run at the title during the Chase. The key is how this organization overcomes its ills. Maybe the new Ford engine will help later in the year. This organization just needs to show it can compete for wins. What's amazing is that Roush cars have combined to lead 28 laps in the last five races.

 

8. Tony Stewart. Just perform. He's fallen from fifth to 18th in the points in the last six races. Even so, he's only 59 points out of the final Chase spot, so he can still climb back up there. A garage insider gave me their take on Stewart's recent woes, which I thought was interesting. They wondered with Old Spice leaving Stewart's team after this season if that and the need to step up performance for other suitors might be playing a role in some of his struggles. Hard to say and certainly Tony has been adament that when he's at the track he's a driver only and doesn't worry about the team stuff. Of course it's hard not to. Certainly he didn't seem to have such worries last year with sponsors locked in. Interesting theory, nonetheless. Regardless of why, this group needs to perform. It was shocking to see Tony not a factor at Martinsville and Richmond -- places he's been good at in the past. That's when it raised a red flag to me. We'll see if he can turn things around and be a factor in the Chase.

 

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. He needs to show he can fight for a Chase spot. There are those who question his mental toughness, saying how his performance falters in some races in the second half of the event or talk about struggles as the season progresses. Certainly, he's made progress from last year's miserable season. Now, the key is to stay strong and further prove his mettle and make the Chase. Unless he hits on something, this team has not shown it's a title contender at this point, but the key is to make the Chase and one never knows what will happen. Back in 2004, Kurt Busch entered the Chase 7th and wasn't highly thought of, yet was strong in the Chase and won a championship. It would seem to take a lot for Dale Jr to repeat Busch's peroformance, but the first goal should be running well enough to win at least a race and make the Chase.

 

10. Others: Kurt Busch just kind of hangs around in eighth in points. Let's see how he does, if performance can improve. Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya are all hanging close just outside the top 12. The key is consistency for each. At times they've been good, other times not so much. The deeper one runs in the pack, the more likely they are to get caught in an accident. These guys can't afford that. The key is to see which driver or drivers can turn things around in the coming weeks.

 

 

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