Nothing to lose and everything to gain.
That’s
the enviable position that Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Hendrick
Motorsports Chevrolet team have earned themselves with four races
remaining in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular season.
Johnson clinched his 10th
consecutive berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ at Watkins
Glen International. Until the standings reset at Richmond International
Raceway on Sept. 15, the five-time Sprint Cup champion is free to pull
out all the stops and add to his four 2013 victories – each worth three
bonus points when the Chase begins.
Added
incentive: Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 (1 p.m. ET, ESPN, MRN Radio,
SiriusXM Radio) at Michigan International Speedway, one of five tracks
where Johnson has failed to win.
Brad
Keselowski and Greg Biffle have their own reasons for denying Johnson
another victory. Both cling to the bottom rungs of the top 10 – eighth
and ninth, respectively. Biffle won at Michigan in June, is the reigning
winner of the track’s August race and goes for a fifth victory overall.
Michigan
native Keselowski looks for a first victory in his “home” race – and a
fall back for Chase Wild Card consideration should he drop out of the
top 10.
Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman are this week’s Wild Card drivers. Kahne, in 12th, is only three points out of the top 10.
The
NASCAR Nationwide Series welcomes the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to the
schedule this week. The Nationwide Children’s 200 marks the third and
final road race of the 2013 season.
Penske
Racing’s Sam Hornish Jr., an Ohio native, climbed to within three
points of series leader Austin Dillon with a second-place finish at
Watkins Glen International. Hornish has finished second in three of his
most recent four starts.
Brendan
Gaughan is the only winner in 13 previous NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series events at Michigan International Speedway entered in Saturday’s
Michigan National Guard 200. There have been eight consecutive different
winners since the streak began in 2005.
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