The series just wrapped up nine races in nine weekends, and there have been
winners and losers after the marathon.
The clear winner is points leader Todd Bodine. He started the nine-race stretch
with a 55-point lead over second-place Aric Almirola.
Now, that lead stands at 261 points. His performance over the stretch: two wins
and six top 10s. He also led the series in Driver Rating (113.6) and Average
Running Position (6.2). He was second in Fastest Laps Run (162) and fifth in
Laps Led (175).
The second star goes to Austin Dillon, whose quick adaptation has moved him from
11th when the stretch started to his current position
of sixth. The marathon couldn't have begun any better.
Dillon scored his first NASCAR national series win, at Iowa, and his stats over
the last nine races have been tremendous: eight top 10s,
a Driver Rating of 104.7 and an Average Running Position of 7.3.
The one loser, and it's harsh to call him that: Almirola. Almirola was in
shouting distance of Bodine when the stretch began, but has since
seen his deficit grow to triple digits. When the stretch began, Almirola ranked
fourth in Driver Rating. Since then, he has had the seventh best (96.1). His
Average Running Position when the streak began ranked second. Over the last
nine, it has ranked eighth (10.8).
