Biffle Wins To Become Third Standings Leader In As Many Races

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

 

Biffle Wins To Become Third Standings Leader In As Many Races

Uneasy is the head that wears the crown. Greg Biffle is the third different driver to lead the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings in as many races. Biffle’s second victory of the season Sunday at Michigan International Speedway is worth three additional bonus points to the standings reset when the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ begins on Sept. 16 at Chicagoland Speedway. Five drivers among the current top 10 have won two or more races. Jimmie Johnson, who lost the victory, three Chase bonus points and the standings lead when his engine failed six laps short of the finish in Michigan, has three wins and nine bonus points. So do Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart. Biffle and 10^th-place Denny Hamlin also have won twice with three races remaining in the Race to the Chase.

Chase Field Could Begin To Solidify At Bristol

Seven drivers can secure a top-10 berth in the Chase this Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway. Regardless of what any other driver does, points leader Greg Biffle will clinch with a finish of 28th with no laps led, 29th with at least one lap led and 30th with the most laps led. The scenario for Matt Kenseth is eighth with no laps led, ninth with at least one lap led and 10th with most laps led. Dale Earnhardt Jr. lands a spot in the postseason with finishes of sixth with no laps led, seventh with at least one lap led and eighth with the most laps led. Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson will punch his Chase ticket with a victory or second-place finish while leading the most laps.

Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer also can reserve spots in the Chase but are not yet in charge of the their own destinies. The magic number is 97 points ahead of the 11^th-place driver’s total.

Kahne, Newman Retain Provisional ‘Wild Card’ Tickets

Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman continue as provisional holders of Chase “wild cards” following third and eighth-place finishes in Michigan. Kahne (11^th) has two victories, Newman (13^th) one. Kahne remains the most significant threat to oust a current top-10 driver trailing 10^th-place Denny Hamlin by 33 points. Kyle Busch (14^th), Jeff Gordon (16^th), Marcos Ambrose (17^th) and Joey Logano (18^th) have one victory apiece. Carl Edwards remains the most significant non-winning player – 12^th in the standings and 38 points outside the top 10. Edwards won the Irwin Tools Night Race in 2007-08.

Busch is a five-time Bristol winner, most recently in the spring of 2011. Gordon also has five victories as does Kurt Busch, ranked outside the top 20 (25^th) and not part of the “wild card” conversation.

Waiting With Bated Breath To See Which Bristol Emerges

New Bristol or old Bristol? That’s the big question on the eve of Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race. The 0.533-mile concrete track was slightly reconfigured following March’s race with banking shaved from the top groove. Whether that returns competition to a bump-and-gouge proposition remains to be seen. “We just have to wait and see when we get there. I think it is going to be exciting either way,” said Greg Biffle.

Three different drivers have won short-track races in 2012: Brad Keselowski (Bristol), Ryan Newman (Martinsville) and Kyle Busch (Richmond). Keselowski goes for his third consecutive Bristol victory, a feat last accomplished by Kurt Busch (2003-04). Kyle Busch owns the best Driver Rating (102.3) and has led the most laps (1,375, 18%) of active drivers at the track. Matt Kenseth finished second to Keselowski in March, is a two-time Bristol winner and has run the most laps among the top 15 (6,169, 82.1%).

Johnson/Keselowski Duels Could Become Chase Rivalry

Don’t be surprised to see a replay of Michigan’s late-race battle between Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski carry over into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™. Keselowski has established himself as the most prominent newcomer to challenge the five-time champion and owns a statistical advantage over Johnson since late June. Beginning with a victory at Kentucky Speedway, Keselowski has run off seven consecutive top-10 finishes with four of the last five among the top five. Johnson has one win and two top-five and four top-10 finishes during the same period. The 28-year-old Keselowski likely would be fighting for the regular season points lead absent Penske Racing’s early-season electronic fuel injection (EFI) issues.

Earnhardt Bristol’s Most Consistent Performer

Dale Earnhardt Jr. righted the ship at Michigan, finishing fourth after starting at the rear of the field in a backup car that replaced June’s winning No. 88 Chevrolet damaged in a final practice accident. Earnhardt suffered his two worst finishes of the year at Pocono and Watkins Glen to surrender the NASCAR Sprint Cup points lead. Earnhardt won at Bristol in August 2004 and has been the series’ most consistent competitor in Thunder Valley with an average finish of 9.8. He was 15^th in March.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Etc.

Danica Patrick makes her NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway and fourth start of the 2012 season. She finished 19^th in the track’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race in March. … Michael Waltrip Racing placed three drivers among the top five in Bristol’s March race: Martin Truex Jr. (third), Clint Bowyer (fourth) and Brian Vickers (fifth). … A Dodge or a Toyota has won six of the last seven NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Bristol Motor Speedway. … Famed boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer – “Let’s get ready to rumble!” – is master of ceremonies for Saturday’s driver introductions.