Kahne’s Second Victory Shakes Up Chase ‘Wild Card’ Race

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

Kahne’s Second Victory Shakes Up Chase ‘Wild Card’ Race

Kasey Kahne’s second victory of the season on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway broke up a four-driver deadlock for the two coveted "wild card" qualifying entries into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™. Kahne isn’t sure that will be enough to lock up a berth in the post season with seven races remaining until the Chase field is set Sept. 8 at Richmond International Raceway. "Two helps, but three would put you in a real good spot. We're going to stay after it," Kahne said in his post-race media interview.

Kyle Busch currently holds the second "wild card" with a single victory and a rank of 13^th in the standings. Ryan Newman, however, is nine points back in 14^th with Joey Logano – the third single race winner 11^th through 20^th in points – is 16^th.

Wins Mean Everything For Top 10 Drivers

No driver has clinched a top-10 position with seven races remaining in the Race to the Chase. But it’s become obvious that it will take a Herculean effort to dislodge one of the fortunate 10. Tenth-place Brad Keselowski has a cushion of 46 points – virtually one whole race – over Carl Edwards. Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch are 66 and 68 points, respectively, outside the top 10.

Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson – ranked one through four – pretty much have separated themselves from the pack. Johnson leads fifth-place Denny Hamlin by 28 points. Contrast that with the 15 points separating Hamlin and 10^th-place Brad Keselowski.

With that in mind, wins and the Chase bonus points that accompany them, mean everything going forward. Each regular season victory is worth three points when the Chase field is seeded. Hamlin, who dominated at New Hampshire before finishing second to Kahne, lost more than a trophy.

Keselowski and Stewart remain the top seeds were the Chase to be set today. Each has won three times and would start the post season with 2,009 points. Eight of the current top 10 drivers have won at least one race. Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. remain without a victory.

"Wild card" qualifiers receive no bonus points for their regular season wins.

Time Running Out On Carl Edwards’ Chase Hopes

Who would have guessed that Carl Edwards would face the real possibility of missing the Chase heading into the waning weeks of July? That’s the situation the No. 2 finisher in last year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ finds himself in following a lackluster weekend in Loudon, N.H. Edwards finished 18^th – the next to final car on the lead lap – and dropped 46 points out of the top 10. The finish was his third of 18^th or worse in the past four races.

How much has the No. 99 Ford team’s performance slumped? Consider that Edwards hasn’t led a lap in his most recent 10 starts. He’s led just twice in 2012 – 206 laps at Richmond where he finished 10^th after a late-race restart miscommunication.

Edwards has won races at four of the tracks remaining in the Race to the Chase: Pocono, Michigan, Bristol and Atlanta. His best Indianapolis finish is second in 2008. Edwards’ winless streak grew to 51 races in New Hampshire. He last won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March 2011.

Consistent Earnhardt Stays ‘Perfect,’ Back To No. 2 In Points

Dale Earnhardt Jr. remained perfect in New Hampshire with his 19^th consecutive lead-lap finish, a record to start a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Junior’s fourth-place finish was his eighth top five, the most he’s posted since 2008 when he had 10 for the entire season.

Earnhardt also moved up a position in the standings bypassing Greg Biffle for second place. He trails leader Matt Kenseth by 16 points.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been problematic for Earnhardt – especially since joining Hendrick Motorsports. His best finish for HMS, 12^th in 2008, came in his first season with the organization. He was 16^th a year ago after leading seven laps.

Indianapolis Has Special Meaning For Menard, Stewart, Newman

July 29 marks the one-year anniversary of Paul Menard’s greatest afternoon as a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. Menard and his No. 27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team celebrated his first series victory by kissing the bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Menard has yet to come close to duplicating his surprising triumph and continues to look for his first top-five finish of 2012. He’s 15^th in the standings.

Three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart looks for his third victory in the Crown Royal 400 at the Brickyard. Stewart’s last Indianapolis win came in 2007. Both Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Ryan Newman hail from Indiana. Newman has just one significant finish at Indy: fourth in 2002. Still pursuing his 50^th Coors Light Pole, Newman has qualified six times in the top five but never in the No. 1 spot in Indianapolis.