Indy Report Card

A+
Jimmie Johnson – He didn’t lead the most laps, but he lead the most important one.
Tony Stewart – Another strong finish and still the points leader
Others – Mark Martin

A
Kevin Harvick – He really needed a good run. Maybe this will turn his season around
Juan Pablo Montoya – Did the NASCAR computer lie or did Juan’s tachometer lie?
Others – Greg Biffle, Brian Vickers, Kasey Kahne

A-
Jeff Gordon – Not a stellar performance. I expected to see him up front with his teammates.
Joey Logano – Not too bad for a rookie at a track he had never seen. And he came from the back on a track where it’s almost impossible to pass.
Others – David Reutimann, Matt Kenseth, Reed Sorenson

B+
Ryan Newman – A good points day for Smoke’s teammate
David Stremme – I don’t think anyone could blamestremme for anything on Sunday. Pretty clean day for the #12 car.
Others – Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr, Clint Bowyer

B
AJ Allmendinger – Just couldn’t quite find the handling or the horsepower he needed.
Jamie McMurray – He can’t seem to do better than mid-pack finishes this year.
Others – Casey Mears, Marcos Ambrose, Bobby Labonte

B-
Bill Elliott – It was great seeing him start up front and stay there most of the race
Robby Gordon – Came back from an early spin to have a decent day
Others – David Ragan, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch

C+
Paul Menard – Good news is that he didn’t wreck and he finished the race
Scott Speed – Is it just me, or does it seem like he isn’t improving any? Indy was his 24th start in Cup. AJ’s 24th start was halfway through 2008 and he had a Sprint Showdown win and several top 20 finishes under his belt.
Others – David Gilliland, John Andretti, Terry Labonte

C
Dale Earnhardt, Jr – It was refreshing to see a driver admit to a mistake.
Kyle Busch – He didn’t admit to any mistakes, but it was refreshing not to see him throw his team under the bus.
Others – Denny Hamlin, Michael Waltrip, Sam Hornish, Jr.

C-
Regan Smith – Not the expected result from a team that has been strong in every race they have run, but his DNF streak lives on.
Elliott Sadler – An oil leak left him watching most of the race from inside the garage.
Others – Start and parkers: Mike Skinner, Dave Blaney, Joe Nemechek