Category #2

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and had fun at all the Boxing Day Sales.

Now for a look at the official 2008 Cobo Cup 2nd category.

Clint Bowyer – I have Clint ranked 1st in this category as he showed alot of strength and motivation this year finishing 3rd overall in the points standings. A huge upward swing in 2007 as he finished 17th at the end of the 2006 season. That’s 14 markers towards the top and with a little luck and the magic from last season should land him again in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs.

Jeff Burton – Jeff ranks 2nd in the #2 category for the 2008 season. Finishing 8th in the 2006 season and 8th in 2007 shows that he should be a shoe in for the 2008 playoffs. However, Jeff Burton hasn’t shown the power at the end of either season to think that he will be a contender for the 2008 Cup.

Kevin Harvick – Kevin ranks #3 in the 2nd category. Kevin won one of the closest Daytona 500’s in NASCAR history beating Mark Martin to the checkered flag. He’s won at the short tracks and intermediate tracks but lacks consistency. He is a hot and cold driver that finished 3rd in 2006 and 10th in 2007. He should again make the 2008 playoffs but without the consistency from race to race will get shutout again in the playoffs for the Sprint Cup.

Denny Hamlin – Denny ranks #4 in category #2. Capturing the rookie title in 2006 by finishing 5th plus a 12th place finish in 2007 makes him a driver on the edge of the 2008 Chase. Getting into a Toyota beginning at the Daytona 500 will also make it more of a challenge for Denny to make the Chase in 2008. Hopefully Gibbs finds some magic in Toyota to put all 3 of his drivers in a position to Race for the Chase by Richmond in September.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Jr. marks the final spot in category #2. Junior’s luck had run out at DEI and found a new breath of fresh air in Hendricks. Knowing that he would never win a Championship with his Dad’s company, Jr. took a huge leap over to Hendrick’s racing. The top owner in wins in the modern day era will put Earnhardt to the test on whether it was Junior or DEI that kept him out of all those Championship races.

Well, that’s it for category #2. A tough group of drivers to pick from. Who will be the top driver at Homestead? Only time will tell!

Pitbull’s pick in 2008 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. I have never picked him before in the Cobo Cup but because of his move to Hendrick’s he is my pick for the top of the category. Hendrick’s is a winner (Johnson and Gordon prove that) and I think that Hendrick’s will make all the difference for Jr. next year and will give him all the equipment he needs to win. Even though he might not win the Championship he will make the Chase and win his category.

Look for my breakdown of category #3 next week. It would be nice to hear a comment from the membership on your ideas of who will win the Championship and names to watch in 2008.

Jimbo