Which Was The Best, And Worst, Owner In 2011?

As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season has drawn to a close, many people are focusing on which driver was best, or which team made the most improvements, but how do the owners, garages and operations as a whole rank?

1.  Stewart Haas Racing- It should be a surprise to nobody that SHR was the best organization in 2011.  At least not now that the season is over.  SHR won the Championship, had 6 wins, had both drivers in the top 10 in points, and owner/driver dominated the victory lanes of the Chase races, winning 5 of 10.  Of course, resting on your laurels gets you nowhere, so Tony Stewart has removed his crew chief Darian Grubb and has added Steve Addington, former crew chief of Kyle Busch and most recently Kurt Busch.  Time will tell if Stewart has made a logical or an emotional choice with this change.

2.  Roush Fenway Racing- Ahh, I'm sure owner Jack Roush and driver Carl Edwards are tired of seeing their name by the number 2, but so be it.  RFR had 5 wins, 2 cars in the top 5 in points, finished runner up for the Championship, and their average points finish was 11th.  Had Edwards grabbed a win from Stewart during the Chase, their offseason would have been much sweeter.

3.  Hendrick Motorsports-  I cannot remember back far enough to tell you how long it has been since Hendrick was not the top organization in NASCAR.  Don't get me wrong, with both a 5 time and a 4 time Champ, HMS is not weak by any measurement.  In 2011, HMS had 5 wins, 3 cars inside the top 10 in points, and averaged a points finish of just over 10th.  One has to wonder just what changes are in store at HMS this offseason after the wholesale changes after the 2010 season.

4.  Richard Childres Racing-  Many people though that this organization would capture another Cup title in 2011 after Kevin Harvicks performance last year, backed up by his late-race charging wins this year.  However, after Harvick stumbled a little early in the Chase and Bowyer, Menard and Burton missed the Chase, this group is looking to improve in 2012.  RCR had 6 wins, 1 team in the top 5 in points, and had an average points finish of 13th.

5.  Penske Racing-  It seemed as though Penske may have regained some strenth in 2011.  Although he proved inconsistent throughout the season, Kurt Busch had some dominating races early in the season, and teammate Brad  Keselowski caught on fire, figuratively, of course, during the summer to surge into the Chase.  Penske finished with 5 wins, both drivers inside the top 12, and an average finish of 8th in the points.

6.  Joe Gibbs Racing-  With Hamlin, "Shrub", and "Sliced Bread", many think this team is the most underproducing organization in NASCAR.  They definitely have the talent, but with the 20 team of Logano growing cold, Hamlin struggling, and Busch holding it together only to come apart at the seams, JGR has much offseason work to do.  JGR finished with 5 wins, 2 drivers in the top 12 in points, and average a points finish of 15th.

7.  Richard Petty Racing-  Many would have laughed if they had been told that RPM would have finished as well as they have in 2011.  Although they are not dominating, Allmendinger finished strong in many races and Ambrose claimed RPM a win.  The two averaged a finishing points position of 17th, and have much to build upon for next year.  It is unlikely, however, that these two drivers can make it into the Chase without more consistent good finishes.

8.  Team Red Bull-  Although their existence is in doubt for the 2012 season, they were not the worst team in 2011, largely due to the performance of exiting driver Kasey Kahne.  Had they only had Brian Vickers on track to hit as many cars as he could, they would not have had their 1 win and a car finishing inside the top 15 in points.  The two teams averaged a final points position of 20th.

9.  Michael Waltrip Racing-  Already making big changes for 2012 by adding Clint Bowyer, removing Reutimann, and making other staff changes, MWR is need of improvement for next season.  Not only did they not win any races, but had they not had some strong finished in the Chase they would have been mostly invisible for the season.  MWR had one driver in the top 20 and averaged a final points position of 23rd.

10.  Earnhardt Ganassi Racing-  After last years performance at the premier races of Daytona and Indianapolis, few would have thought that EGR would have had such a dissapointing year in 2011.  Both of the drivers are coming back next year, so look for changes to take place both in the pit box and in the garage if EGR hopes to improve in 2012.  EGR had no drivers in the top 20 in points, and they averaged a final points position of 24th.

The obvious honorable mentions for this list would have to be for both Wood Brothers Racing and Furniture Row Racing.  Trevor Bayne and Regan Smith snagged huge wins for these two small operations.

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