SPRINT CUP SERIES – GOBOWLING.COM 400,

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES – GOBOWLING.COM 400, SUNDAY, AUGUST 4, 1 P.M. ET ON ESPN

With Hometown Win Newman Enters Wild Card Hunt

After claiming his first win of the season at Indy, Indiana native Ryan Newman threw his name in the ring for one of two Wild Card spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup^TM. With six races remaining before the Chase field is set, Newman’s teammate and owner Tony Stewart and Martin Truex Jr. currently have the inside track on the 11th and 12th positions. If Stewart or Truex falter during the next six weeks, Newman, who jumped from 19th to 16th in the points standings at Indy, is next in line to claim the spot.    

Pocono Is Perfect Place For Johnson Redemption

Due to a pit stop miscue on Lap 133 at Indy Jimmie Johnson missed out on an opportunity to earn three bonus points when the field is reseeded in six weeks for the Chase and a chance to put some distance between him and Matt Kenseth. Don’t expect Johnson to sit idly by as he will be looking to Pocono for redemption. In the series’ last trip to the Tricky Triangle back in June, the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet dominated the competition by leading 128 of 160 laps and beating Greg Biffle to the checkers by 1.208 seconds.

The Chase Bubble Heats Up

While most are paying attention to the race at the top of the standings, there’s a battle brewing a couple spots further back that likely won’t be decided until the Chase field is set. Currently, only 12 points separate eighth (Greg Biffle) and 13th(Brad Keselowski). Although the top-10 drivers are granted automatic placement into the postseason, there is still six weeks for drivers to move up into and drop out of one of the 10 guaranteed spots. After 20 races, the drivers ranked eighth through 13th are Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr. and Keselowski. 

Can Earnhardt Strike It Big At Pocono?

Although Dale Earnhardt Jr. is currently nestled in a safe spot in the standings at fifth – 58 points in front of Tony Stewart in 11th – he is one of three drivers in the top 10 still without a victory this season; Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon are the other two. Earnhardt looks to capture his 20th career victory this Sunday in the GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono where he’s run well recently. In his last five visits to the 2.5-mile triangular track he has finishes of sixth, ninth, eighth, 32nd and third, which came back in June.  

Gordon Returns To Top 10

Coming off a seventh-place performance at Indy and a return to the top 10 in the standings, the time is right for Jeff Gordon to make his first trip of the season to Victory Lane. He arrives in Pocono in 10th place, the first time he’s been in the top 10 since the second race of the season at Phoenix. A win at Pocono where he has more wins (six) than any other driver in NASCAR history should move him up in the standings and further solidify his position among the guaranteed spots.