If small teams ruled the world ...
Bobby Labonte has caught Brian Vickers for the lead among the small-team drivers thanks to a 12th-place finish at Phoenix. (Vickers was 25th.) David Gilliland (15th) was the only other Small Teamer in the top 20. Four other drivers swapped spots farther down in the rankings.
Top 10 Small Team Driver Standings after the jump ...
Rk/Driver ... Pts ... Beh (Last wk)
1. Brian Vickers ... 834 ... Ldr (1)
2. Bobby Labonte ... 834 ... Ldr (2)
3. David Gilliland ... 817 ... -17 (3)
4. Travis Kvapil ... 743 ... -91 (4)
5. Scott Riggs ... 673 ... -161 (6)
6. Robby Gordon ... 667 ... -167 (5)
7. J.J. Yeley ... 551 ... -283 (7)
8. Dave Blaney ... 546 ... -288 (9)
9. Jeremy Mayfield ... 490 ... -344 (8)
10. Mike Skinner ... 423 ... -411 (10)
Dropped out: Nobody
Best-placed overall: Vickers and Labonte are tied for 19th in the Cup standings. So much for my fantasy that a non-Hendrick-Childress-Roush-Gibbs-Penske-DEI driver might make the Chase for a change.