Atlanta’s AdvoCare 500, as expected, filled in many of the blanks for this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™. Nine seeded drivers clinched post-season berths while reigning champion Tony Stewart is guaranteed at least a Wild Card berth.
Two Michael Waltrip Racing teammates, Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer, have become the organization’s first drivers to qualify for the Chase.
At stake Saturday night in Richmond are the final three pieces of the puzzle. Tony Stewart clings to 10th place – and his nine potential Chase bonus points – by an 18-point margin over provisional Wild Card qualifier Kasey Kahne. Eight different drivers ranked 11th through 18th factor into the Wild Card picture with four – Kahne, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Marcos Ambrose – still mathematically able to reach the final, pre-Chase top 10.
Denny Hamlin became the season’s first four-time winner in Atlanta and holds the provisional top Chase seeding with 12 bonus points. Hamlin, teammate Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing have won six of the past seven races at Richmond International Raceway. Busch won at the 0.75-mile track in April.
Take your pick: Elliott Sadler vs. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.; Ford vs. Chevrolet. Each of the top two NASCAR Nationwide Series championship contenders has won four times with Stenhouse, the reigning series champion, getting victory No. 4 in Atlanta. Sadler’s lead is just 12 points entering Friday night’s race at Richmond where neither has visited Victory Lane.
Sunoco Rookie of the Year leader Ty Dillon will have an extra week to savor his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory while teams prep for their Sept. 15 visit to Iowa Speedway. Dillon, the season’s fifth first-time winner and 11th different winner overall, will join elder sibling Austin Dillon in Friday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Virginia 529 College Savings 250.
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