SPRINT CUP SERIES – SYLVANIA 300,

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES – SYLVANIA 300, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2 P.M. ET ON ESPN

 

Three Chase Favorites Still Standing Strong After Round One

Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch began the 2013 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup as the prohibitive favorites to claim the championship title. After one race, the trio remains at the top of the leaderboard with Kenseth adding a season-high sixth win to his resume. Johnson and Busch finished fifth and second, respectively, at Chicagoland. In the standings, Busch is eight points behind Kenseth, while Johnson sits three markers further back.

 

Though The Hill May Be Steep There’s Still Hope

Engine troubles ended Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Joey Logano’s night early at Chicagoland. Logano bowed out on lap 175 (37th) while Earnhardt stopped running after lap 224 (35th), dropping the two drivers to 12th and 13th in the standings. While there might be some cause for alarm, they should find solace in that in 2006 Jimmie Johnson finished the first Chase race 39th and fell to ninth in the standings only to rebound to capture his first title.

 

Could Hamlin Play Spoiler This Weekend?

For the first time in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career Denny Hamlin is on the outside of the Chase looking in. While the two-time New Hampshire race winner isn’t in a position to seek the championship title, expect him to be gunning for the win this Sunday in the SYLVANIA 300. In 15 starts at the 1.058-mile speedway, Hamlin has captured two victories and three runner-up finishes, including a win in this event last season.