NASCAR midseason report cards

With six victories in the season's first 18 races, Kyle Busch seems focused on proving Rick Hendrick made a mistake letting the tempestuous driver go last year. Worth Canoy/ICON SMI

With the half of the season complete, it's time for a little midseason review of each driver on the Sprint Cup circuit. Here's a look at how each of the full-time competitors has fared this season -- note that to be included on this list, a driver had to have started at least eight of eighteen races on the year:

A.J. Allmendinger: After a team-imposed exile by Team Red Bull to fix its program, Allmendinger's done better since returning to the driver's seat back in April. Three top-20 finishes ties the number he had throughout all of last season, and the sophomore's confidence is up after making ten straight races on speed. The question for Allmendinger -- with Truck Series teammate Scott Speed waiting in the wings -- is simply whether he's improving fast enough.
Grade: C.

Greg Biffle: From speeding through pit lane to poor pit stops to mechanical failures, Biffle's been let down by more crew problems than we can count on one hand. But two poles and five top-5 finishes have left him in Chase contention for the first time since 2005, and these issues listed above didn't stop The Biff from signing a three-year extension to stay at Roush. That stability should serve him well as he battles to make the playoffs over the season's second half.
Grade: B.

Dave Blaney: Blaney was expected to improve dramatically in his second season under the Toyota banner. Instead, he's had a dramatic fall from grace, with his Bill Davis Racing team failing to qualify at Talladega while racking up just two top-10 finishes. With financial backer Caterpillar leaving the No. 22 team at season's end, the next 18 races are purely a battle for survival for this 45-year-old veteran.
Grade: D.

Clint Bowyer: Bowyer's been in the news for all the right reasons, as a Richmond win reminded everyone last year's Chase Cinderella was no one-hit wonder. But that was followed by five straight finishes outside the top 10, and now the 29 year old is fighting for his playoff life despite signing a three-year extension to stay at RCR. He's leading the battle for the Nationwide Series title, but if his Cup Series Chase falls short you've got to wonder whether a full-time schedule there is taking him away from the car he should really be concentrating on.
Grade: B-.

Jeff Burton: While Kyle Busch's aggression has earned him the most trophies, Burton's consistency has kept him in the same time zone. Through the first 17 races, the No. 31 team completed all but one lap on the schedule -- including a win at Bristol -- in a streak that kept their first or second in point standings through all of April, May and June. But the longer the season's wore on, the more this team appears off their game just a little bit. With one top-5 finish and just two laps led since the end of March, Burton needs to step it up a notch if he's to be a serious title contender during the Chase.
Grade: A-.

Kurt Busch: A preseason title contender, Busch's season started with a bang -- then turned into the biggest bust on the circuit. Twelve consecutive finishes outside the top 10 followed a runner-up start at Daytona, as Penske Racing struggled to adjust to the handling problems of the Car of Tomorrow. It took a stroke of luck to turn the season around at New Hampshire in June, when a fuel mileage gamble gave Busch a surprising win. But with just eight races left until the Chase -- and Busch 191 points behind 12th-place Tony Stewart -- is this a case of too little, too late?
Grade: C+.

Kyle Busch: Awesome ... simply awesome. What else can you say about a year in which Busch has won a total of twelve times throughout each of NASCAR's top three series? His six wins on the Sprint Cup circuit are a series high, and so are totals in Laps Led (900), top 5s (11), and points (up by 182 over Dale Earnhardt Jr.). When Busch moved over to powerhouse Joe Gibbs Racing after being dumped by Hendrick, most pundits figured the 23 year old would be out for revenge ... but no one expected a season quite like this.
Grade: A+.

Patrick Carpentier: As the rest of the open-wheel rookies ponder their racing futures, Carpentier seems to be the only one truly happy in his current scenario. Too bad emotional stability doesn't lead to on-track success; Carpentier's best finish as a rookie is just 14th. But he did win a pole at New Hampshire, and it's notable he's qualified for all but three races despite his team being outside the top 35 in owner points.
Grade: C-.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: February was a whirlwind month for Junior, who validated his move to Hendrick with wins in the Bud Shootout and a Daytona 150-mile qualifier. But the team finished 9th in the 500, and it took another four months for Junior to win again through a fuel mileage gamble at Michigan this June. Still, the driver's consistency (12 top-10 finishes and no DNFs) have left him a surprising top dog in the Hendrick stable, second in points and improving faster than anyone expected. If Earnhardt can cut down on his occasional miscommunication with crew chief Tony Eury Jr., a Busch-Earnhardt battle for the season title will have the fans on their feet all Chase long.
Grade: A.