When the Standings Fail Individual Performance By David Smith (on Twitter at @DavidSmithMA) The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, while referred to as the “driver standings,” are really a testament to teamwork. The driver gets much of the recognition, but the standings are based on results earned by the entire competitive package: the driver, the car, the owner, the crew chief and the long heralded guys back in the shop. It is entirely possible that, when glancing at the standings, some really talented driving might go unnoticed. That is where the beauty of the Production in Equal Equipment Ratings (PEER) emerges. Each year, a driver or two surfaces with one of the top PEERs in the series despite being buried in the point standings. With Kasey Kahne’s victory on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway — his second win of 2012 — he can now be considered as one of this year’s best kept secrets. But the secret exposes some holes in the armor of Kahne’s ride and the totality of his season’s performance ... Read More To continue reading this article, you must be a premium subscriber to MotorsportsAnalytics.com. _____ MotorsportsAnalytics.com is a subscription-based web site that brings advanced statistical concepts created for evaluating drivers and teams to the every day race fan. The web site has been featured in USA Today and Sports Business Daily and on SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s NASCAR Channel. _____ David Smith is the Editor-in-Chief of Motorsports Analytics and the host of The David Smith Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidSmithMA. |