NASCAR: Top Five Drivers on Top of their Game Right Now
This past weekend and last few days have been full of NASCAR news as penalties abound for Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Martin Truex Jr. as well as the Penske Racing pit crews. While the reigning champ and others scramble to pick up the pieces and adjust, there are still those drivers that have done very well this season and are sitting very pretty at the moment.
The weekend at Texas Motor Speedway also saw much more action that didn’t have to do with penalties including another Kyle Busch win and another close runner-up finish by Martin Truex Jr. who has been in a winless drought for 210 Sprint Cup races now. It is quite clear that something needs to happen with this team to get him in contention for some more wins.
There are also some teams struggling quite hard including the drivers at Stewart-Haas Racing who just can’t seem to find the right groove this year. In fact, out of all the drivers at SHR, former Sprint Cup Champion, Tony Stewart is only doing better than rookie phenomenon Danica Patrick. Going into Kansas, these guys need to turn things around and start heading in the right direction.
While some have struggled, others have very much prospered over this first stretch of races. This list is about the best drivers at the moment and includes those who have got those all coveted wins as well as some who have merely outperformed expectations to this point.
Jake Thompson is a NASCAR Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JakeThompsonCU.
5. Aric Almirola
Points Standing: 13th
This Richard Petty Motorsports driver is coming out of the woodwork this year as a solid driver. He has finished quite consistently even grabbing a seventh place finish this last week at Texas. As things stand right now, he is only one spot outside of a wild card Chase berth.
4. Kasey Kahne
Points Standing: 7th
Kahne is having another good year so far in his Hendrick Motorsports ride. He already has a win from Bristol and has scored four top tens and three top fives. Expect him to be a threat come Chase time.
3. Carl Edwards
Points Standing: 4th
Carl Edwards has come out swinging this year after a tremendously disappointing performance last year. He struck early out of the gate to get a win at Phoenix. His strong third place finish at Texas along with Brad Keselowski’s points drop puts him in fourth place in the points.
2. Jimmie Johnson
Points Standing: 1st
Can anything stop this five time champion but himself? This weekend at Texas with an admittedly weak car, he still pulled out a top ten finish to stay atop the points standings. Knocking him off the top is going to be a difficult challenge for the next driver.
1. Kyle Busch
Points Standing: 2nd
Kyle Busch has got his mojo back this year. Whether it’s being back in a Joe Gibbs Racing Nationwide Car or just luck, Busch has gone back to his victory-lane-frequent-flyer-miles way. He already has two wins this year tying with his opponent at the top Jimmie Johnson. If you see him win the Kansas Camping World Truck Series race, watch out as this guy has a thing for sweeps this year.
