Can Jeff Gordon do it again?

Okay, enough about Richmond. I do want to touch on the Chase and make a few picks, then I have some spleen to vent.

I feel strongly that Jeff Gordon will win the championship. I see Jimmie Johnson or Matt Kenseth coming in second, Tony Stewart in fourth and Kyle Busch in fifth.

Jeff Gordon: It’s been his comeback year. Yes, they have faltered some down the last stretch, but this year, he will flourish under pressure. Jeff has a lot of things going for him, and he’s not going to forget that his 300+ point lead was erased. He has been focused, happier and more outspoken than any other version of Jeff we’ve seen before. I predict the Drive For Five will be completed this year.

Jimmie Johnson (tie for second): The reason I think Jimmie won’t take it all is the problem the team sometimes has with consistency. The only reason I’m not ranking him below Matt Kenseth is because Chad Knaus has pulled some miracle car cure out of the air before. It doesn’t always work, but it seems that when the proverbial Band-Aid is needed to salvage a bad day, Knaus knows just how to make it stick.

Matt Kenseth (tie for second): Matt is like Father Time. He keeps marching on quietly, hoping no one will notice how quickly he reaches a pinnacle. I rarely hear anything about Matt that doesn’t include “Look at Kenseth! He came out of nowhere!” It’s true. The almost preternatural calm Matt possesses most of the time coupled with an excellent crew chief make it almost impossible to finish outside of the top five unless something catastrophic happens.

Tony Stewart: Tony the Tiger has finally picked up a little momentum, but he’s not consistent enough to sweep it all. We do know that he can win down the stretch, but that was last year and when his team wasn’t under the intense scrutiny of the Chase. I think he will finish well, but I am predicting one DNF. I don’t totally know why my gut says this, but I just feel that during one of the races Tony will get impatient and make an irrational move. The man can drive the wheels off a race car, but every once in a while for Tony, he takes that old saying literally.

Kyle Busch: While outwardly Kyle may be showing signs of maturation, he’s still a 22 year old young man. He is competitive, jealous, and quick to anger. He may not make some of the risky moves that he’s put on throughout the season so far, but I see Kyle hell-bent on winning. Not finishing well, winning. The consistency route is too mundane for him, and he wants to be the outright victor. While I don’t see him having the muscle to finish above top five, we may see Mr. Hendrick wondering briefly if he shouldn’t have booted Casey Mears out instead of KyB.

A quick word about that. Mr. Hendrick is in general a man of loyalty, and I strongly feel this is why Casey Mears was not dropped after one season. Hendrick promised Casey a chance (which I think he sorely needs and deserves) and he wasn’t about to renege on that commitment. It was probably an easy decision to consider Busch expendable, because his behavior on and off track certainly hasn’t been angelic by any means.

But Joe Gibbs Racing has kept the volatile Tony Stewart in their stable for nine years, and look what it’s gotten them: two championships. I realize there is a huge dynamic involved with the Kyle Busch/Junior debacle, but as I have said before, we will see at the end of next season which owner feels he has gotten the better deal, talent-wise. To be honest, it makes me wish that Hendrick could have had five teams or at least helped Kyle sign with one of the Hendrick-affiliated teams.

Well, there you have it. My Chase top five predictions and some commentary that I’m sure you found riveting.