NASCAR Sprint Cup: The Top 10 Finishers Currently in the Sport
Some drivers just have the talent required to get up to the front in time to win races or get the always important top ten finishes.
In this slide show, we will look at the best drivers that you never expect to be in the contention at the end but always are.
Most of these guys are always in the running for the title and are known as the "Mr. Consistents" of the sport. Can you guess who they are?
Joey Logano
1 of 10
This one may be a bit of a surprise, but the 20-year-old drove to the top ten in 16 of the 2010 races for a 44% top ten rate.
He had the most top tens of any driver outside the Chase and earned more Top Tens than both Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth (who had identical stats with 15 top tens and 6 top 5s).
Tony Stewart
2 of 10
Smoke not only excels at irritating the media, he also excels at running well. The occasional hot head had two wins last year, nine top fives and 17 top tens.
He drives hard when it counts and that has been proven season after season. He was also the last one to win a Championship before Jimmie took the crown for five consecutive seasons.
Jeff Gordon
3 of 10
Gordon may only have one win in three years, but he earned 11 top fives and 17 top tens last year with one pole. He earned top tens in 47% of races.
Tony Stewart also earned 17 top ten finishes with nine top fives and two wins (identical stats to Kurt Busch), but the 11 top fives makes me put Gordon above both drivers because he is almost always there competing for wins at the end, he just can't make that last pass.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Carl Edwards
4 of 10
The current points leader is good at not only getting top finishes, but also getting on the pole with three poles last year.
Edwards also got two wins (the last two races of the season), NINE top fives, and nineteen top tens. He finished in the top ten almost 53% of the time.
He'll definitely be a Championship contender this year if he carries over his momentum from last year.
Greg Biffle
5 of 10
Biffle has almost identical stats to teammate Carl Edwards, except for not having any poles.
The Fords started cleaning up after fixing early season problems, and that is clear when looking at how dominate these guys were when it came to high place finishes.
Kyle Busch
6 of 10
Kyle Busch has been pushed from the lime light by teammate Denny Hamlin, but he is still competing just like he always has.
The recently married driver had two poles, three wins, 10 top fives, and 18 top 10s last year in the Cup series. He's always one to watch at the end of races, because he's not afraid to get his hands dirty if it means gaining just one more position.
Jamie Mcmurray
7 of 10
JMac won and placed in some of the biggest races last year, and was good in most of the races, he just couldn't pull off the extra needed to get into the Chase.
But don't put it past him this year, he pulled off nine top fives and 12 top 10s in 2010.
Kevin Harvick
8 of 10
Harvick was on fire last year after a dismal 2009 season.
He led the standing for most of the regular seasons and finished in the top ten in 26 races, more than any other driver. He also won 3 races and pulled off 16 top fives.
He's there at the end of most races, and if he can carry that through this year, he'll be a big threat come Chase time.
Jimmie Johnson
9 of 10
Jimmie not only has five championships, but he has crazy stats that make you question how anyone is ever going to catch him.
The No. 48 Lowes car went to Victory Lane six times last season and earned a crazy amount of top fives (17) and top tens (23). Only one driver can even come close to that number.
Denny Hamlin
10 of 10
Hamlin is the only one that could compete with the champ last year.
He pulled off eight wins, 14 top fives, and 18 top tens. He'll be even more hungry for the championship this year after losing his chance last year. I expect even better stats from him this year as he attempts to run down Jimmie Johnson.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
