Nationwide Series point standings

[Garrett Duke]

The Nationwide Series which use to be known as the Busch Series, is like what AAA (Triple A) baseball is to the MLB, to the Sprint Cup (Formally Winston Cup). If that make sense. Except that drivers from the Sprint Cup can also drive in the Nationwide Series races if they chose to do so. For example: Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Joey Lagano, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch drive all or some Nationwide Series races but are also full time Sprint Cup drivers. There are others that do both, but just listed the ones that came to mind right away.

Just fair warning, I don't normally watch or follow the Nationwide series race other than to make note of who won or if anything big happened (like last week's wreck between Edwards and Keselowski). So I am or will be getting my information from NASCAR.com. If anyone else has anything else to offer or to include, feel free to do so. I know more drivers and stuff when it comes to the Sprint Cup than I do the Nationwide Series race. Just figured I'd make a thread for the standings of the Nationwide series points so I myself and others can make note of up and coming drivers along with other cup drivers.

With all that said, here is the point standings as of July 22, 2010: (I will probably only list the top twelve drivers. If you want more then let me know and I can look it up or post more here. Just thought it would be eaiser to do a certain number than to do all the drivers. Only 43 drivers can race, but there are part time drivers so there would be more than 43 point positions.)

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Carl Edwards (-168 points behind Keselowski)

3. Justin Allgaier

4. Kyle Bush

5. Kevin Harvick

6. Paul Menard

7. Steve Wallace

8. Brendan Gaughan

9. Joey Lagano

10. Jason Leffler

11. Trevor Byne

12. Brian Scott

[Garrett Duke]

Official Nationwide Series post (top ten) as of 7/27/10:

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Carl Edwards (-205)

3. Justin Allgaier

4. Kyle Busch

5. Paul Menard

6. Kevin Harvick

7. Steve Wallace

8. Brendon Gaughan

9. Trevor Bayne

10. Jason Leffler

[RogerDuke]

Thanks for the baseball analogy. That clears things up a little.

Is the Nationwide Series televised every race?

[Garrett Duke]

You are welcome, Roger. Being a baseball fan, thought that may help make it a little more sense than if I tried to explain it myself. Nationwide Series races I think are aired...perhaps on ESPN. They are interesting to watch, I just never really think of it when they are on. They are racing at Iowa's track this Saturday ...which is a track that Rusty Wallace built. Last year was the first year that Nationwide raced there and Kyle Busch won. Hopefully I'll catch at least some so I can see what it at least looks like. Am glad that Iowa has finally got a NASCAR track...now if only Sprint Cup would race on it. I just wish Rusty had built it bigger than what he did...

[Garrett Duke]

Here is the top ten in points after the Iowa race last Sunday:

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Carl Edwards (-231)

3. Kyle Busch (who won the Iowa race - the second race here in Iowa, and he won them both.)

4. Justin Allgaier

5. Paul Menard

6. Kevin Harvick

7. Steve Wallace

8. Trevor Bayne

9. Brendon Gaughan

10. Jason Leffler

[Garrett Duke]

Marcos Ambrose won the Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen Saturday, followed by Joey Lagano. There was a ten car pile up that looked kinda scary of the little footage they showed on the prerace show of the Spint Cup race at the Glen.

Here is the top ten race after Saturday's race:

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Carl Edwards (-327)

3. Kyle Busch

4. Just Allgaier

5. Kevin Harvick

6. Paul Menard

7. Steve Wallace

8. Trevor Bayne

9. Brendan Gaughan

10. Jason Leffler

[Garrett Duke]

Brad Keselowski won Saturday's Nationwide Series race.

Here is the official standings:

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Carl Edwards (-347)

3. Kyle Busch

4. Justin Allgaier

5. Kevin Harvick

6. Paul Menard

7. Steve Wallace

8. Trevor Bayne

9. Brendan Gaughan

10. Jason Leffler

Well now looking at NASCAR.com Nationwide Series point page (where I get this from) looks like the top ten in standings didn't move or change at all from last week. Half of them are Sprint Cup drivers (Keselowski, Edwards, Harvick, Busch, and Menard).

[Garrett Duke]

Well, I will post the standings later on in the week, where they will be made official; as of now they are unofficial. Though normally, the points will stick as they are after the race. The officials have to go over every car to make sure everything is legit and all that kind of stuff.

I just thought I'd post a little about what I knew about last night's Nationwide Series race. I didn't watch it, so if anyone did, feel free to write about it. I just saw the highlights of the end and the driver comments on NASCAR.com. Kyle Busch has won the truck series race at Bristol earlier this week...maybe Thursday, not sure, and he won again at Bristol in Nationwide Series last night at Bristol. If he wins today in the Sprint he will complete the sweep at a track. Though he did win it at a price last night...looks like he raced Brad Keselowski the last ten laps of the race or so and then did pass Brad, but had slid up right in front of Brad. Brad didn't back off and ran into Kyle's back bumper and set him sliding against the wall. Kyle Busch in return came back and spun Keselowski for it, ended up winning the race.

Brad Keselowski is already on probation for the rest of the year for an incident in the Nationwide Series where he hit Carl Edwards on the last lap and Edwards retaliated against him, to spin him out. Which makes me wonder when Keselowski's going to realize that people are tired of him running into them like that. I personally am not a fan of either Busch or Keselowski due to their aggresive driving, I just hope that this incident doesn't spill over to tonight's race at Bristol for the Sprint Series since they both race Sprint full time as well. The last couple of sentence is only of my opinion...my two cents worth on the incident.

[Garrett Duke]

Official Nationwide Series Points as of 8/23/10:

1. Brad Keselwoski

2. Carl Edwards (-313)

3. Kyle Busch

4. Justin Allgaier

5. Paul Menard

6. Kevin Harvick

7. Steve Wallace

8. Trevor Bayne

9. Jason Leffler

10. Brendan Gaughan

[Garrett Duke]

Well the standings will be made official tomorrow. But thought I'd give a little info of the little I did see of the race. I watched the last few laps of the Nationwide Series race today since there was no Nationwide Series. Guess both Carl Edwards and Marcos Ambrose had dominant cars (of what the announcers were saying.) but had car troubles. Robby Gordon was leading when I turned it on with six laps to go. There was an accident that let a lot of oil on the track and they had to red flag it. Robby Gordon opted not to go to pits (they had to do a green white checkered since it happened with two laps to go) and ended up running out of gas. Jacques V. (I can't remember how to spell his last name) was the home town guy finished third, Max Papis passed on the last lap only to get passed on the last turn to come in second. Road racer Boris Said ended up winning the race only by a bumper over Papis. It was a pretty exciting finish.

[Garrett Duke]

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Carl Edwards -365

3. Kyle Busch

4. Justin Allgaier

5. Paul Menard

6. Kevin Harvick

7. Steve Wallace

8. Trevor Bayne

9. Joey Logano

10. Jason Leffler

[Garrett Duke]

I apologize for failing to keep up with this thread. The points don't seem to change that much so at first seemed like little use to keep posting to it and then kept forgetting. Well the points will not be made official until Monday, but thought I would post now that I am thinking of it. Sorry for lacking to post here! Shame on me!

Kyle Busch won his twelveth race of the season in today's race and it looked like Danica Patrick was having her best run of the season in the Nationwide Series, but got spun out with eight laps to go.

Top twelve points for the Nationwide Series as of 10/9/10:

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Carl Edwards (-384)

3. Kyle Busch (almost a hundred points behind Edwards)

4. Justin Allgaier

5 Paul Menard

6 Kevin Harvick

7 Joey Logano

8 Trevor Bayne

9 Steve Wallace

10 Jason Leffler

11 Brendan Gaughan

12 Michael Annett

The Nationwide Series had six races remaining earlier this week. If that is the case they are down to five races left of the sason remaining. I think it is pretty safe to say that Keselowski is going to be getting his first championship in the Nationwide Series. I am not saying he is mathmatically set to win...I don't know, but it looks like he has it unless he doesn't finish the next five races and Edwards wins them all. Something big to knock him out of first place anyway.

OK just looked up this season schedule to see how many races they had left for this year and it looks like all the races of this year up until now, that all but two has been won by a regular Sprint Cup driver that also races some or all of the Nationwide Series. (Justin Allgaier won a race and Boris Said who races the road races in Nationwide Series and Sprint.) Which only seems to back up my argument that the Sprint Cup drivers should stay out of the Nationwide series. I understand the Nationwide Series drivers can learn a lot from them and by driving with them and that it would be a big deal if they won against the best of the series. But how can their talent be shown when they are racing against Sprint Cup drivers, experienced drivers?

[Garrett Duke]

OK shame on me for not continuing to write on this thread even after apologizing after the last post I made! Perhaps it would be easier if I did watch these races as well and I often times think that I should, but I never think of it when the time comes. Anyway, Carl Edwards won today's Nationwide Series race at Phoenix.

Here is the unofficial point standings as of now:

1. Brad Keselowski (Think it is fair to say that he will win this year's championship. . .)

2. Carl Edwards (-430...no way he can make that up in one race. . .)

3. Kyle Busch

4. Justin Allgaier

5. Paul Menard

6. Kevin Harvick

7. Joey Lagano

8. Trevor Bayne

9. Steve Wallace

10. Jason Leffler

the top ten in points as of 11/13/10 in the Nationwide Series race. Do find it interesting that there is such a big gap between first and second place in points. There is even a big gap between second and third place. .Whereas in the Sprint cup only 59 points seperate the top three drivers.

They have one race remaining at Homestead next week. Am I the only one sad seeing the season come to an end?

[Garrett Duke]

Well once again, I apologize for slacking in my duties on relaying the points of the Nationwide series. I didn't forget about it, but with all that has been going on with the Sprint Series, it kinda got put on the back burner so that the Sprint Cup series news and what not wouldn't overshadow the Nationwide Series on the main page...if all that makes sense.

So without further wait, here is the top ten in the point standings of the Nationwide Series:

1. Brad Keselowski (First championship won by him, though had to say with his big point lead he had throughout the last half of the season, am not surprised to see that he won the championship.)

2. Carl Edwards (-445 behind Keselowski. But still predictable at finishing second due to the points drop to third place.)

3. Kyle Busch (-705. Just to show the point gap.)

4. Justin Allgaier

5. Paul Menard

6. Kevin Harvick

7. Trevor Bayne

8. Joey Lagono

9. Jason Leffler

10. Steven Wallace

Six drivers out of the top ten in points in the Nationwide Series are regular Sprint Cup drivers as well. I understand the just Nationwide Series drivers are just starting out and need experience and to drive against the best drivers in the sport is a great experience for them. But I still think that they should keep the Sprint Cup drivers out of the Nationwide Series and let the Nationwide Series drivers race against themselves...perhaps they'd win a little more and show more of their real talent and potential than they could when they are driving against the likes of Kevin Harvick who finished third in the Sprint Series race or the rest of the Sprint Cup drivers...Brad Keselowski is even a full time Sprint Cup driver. (As is Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Joey Lagano, and Paul Menard.) My opinion.

Have to admit, even though I slacked in posting on here, it has been interesting to follow the drivers in the Nationwide series. I don't and haven't watched a Nationwide series race in a long time, but seeing the names and points while doing this has gotten me to at least know the up and coming names in the NASCAR series. Perhaps I will find more time come February to start watching the Nationwide Series along with the Sprint Cup. (78 more days to go...)