Sept. 3, 2015
Staff Report
NASCAR Wire Service
Time is running out for Kahne and Biffle to make Chase
In basketball terms, Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle must hit a buzzer beater to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
With
just two races remaining in the regular season, Kahne (-37 points) and
Biffle (-83 points) are virtually too far below the points cutoff line
to get into NASCAR’s playoffs without a victory.
The
two veteran drivers will get the first of their final two chances to
take a checkered flag in Sunday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington
Raceway (7 p.m. ET on NBC).
Kahne
is no stranger to the pressure of his current “win or go home”
situation. Winless heading into Atlanta on Labor Day weekend last
season, he piloted his car to Victory Lane in a last-ditch effort to
secure a spot in the Chase.
Kahne
has never won at Darlington, but does lead active drivers there with
four poles and ranks fourth in laps led in the past 10 races at the
South Carolina track (327).
“It
would mean a ton to win the Southern 500,” Kahne said. “It’s always
been one of the races that I’ve wanted to win. We’ve come close but
haven’t been able to do it, so to do it in this car that time of the
year right before the Chase would be a perfect time.”
Biffle
has struggled this season with just two top-five and three top-10
finishes in 24 starts, but he has been successful at Darlington
throughout his career. The Roush Fenway Racing driver boasts two wins at
the track “Too Tough to Tame” and leads all drivers in laps led there
over the last 10 races (637).
“Darlington
is a fun place. It’s one of the toughest places that we race,” said
Biffle of the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval. “Driving into the corner at
190-plus MPH and sliding up about three or four inches from the fence,
or at least you hope that’s where it stops sliding and riding the fence
all the way around. It’s a demanding, tough, fast race track and I look
forward to going back there with the new package and tires. I’m pretty
excited about it.”
Elliott eyes repeat win at Darlington
Egg-shaped
with long straightaways and short quick turns, Darlington Raceway eats
up and spits out even the most experienced drivers.
No one told Chase Elliott that last year.
The
then 18-year-old driver made a mad dash from sixth with two laps
remaining to visit Victory Lane in his first-ever start at the track
“Too Tough To Tame.” That day, Elliott defeated NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
stalwarts Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano.
“Darlington
is a special place for me and my family and last season was an
unbelievable feeling,” said Elliott whose father, Bill Elliott, won five
times at Darlington in his Hall of Fame career. “Words cannot describe
what it meant to me.”
Elliott
gets the chance to defend last season’s Darlington win on national
television in Saturday’s VFW Sports Clips Help a Hero 200 (3:30 p.m. on
NBC). In the process, he will also attempt to close the 16-point gap
that separates him from leader Chris Buescher in the NASCAR XFINITY
Series standings as he tries to earn his second straight series
championship.
Championship
points and wins aren’t the only items on the line for Elliott. If he
finishes higher than Daniel Suarez, Ty Dillon and Brian Scott, he’ll win
an extra $100,000 as part of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash
program. The No. 9 JR Motorsports driver has shown good form down the
summer stretch with top-10 finishes in his last seven starts.
“I
want to make the most of the opportunity this weekend and try and
continue to gain in the championship point column,” Elliott said. “It’s
definitely cool going for $100,000 too in the (NASCAR) XFINITY (Series)
Dash 4 Cash program.”
NASCAR Race Weekend Guide
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Race: Bojangles’ Southern 500
Track: Darlington Raceway
Date and Time: Sunday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. ET
Tune-in: NBC, MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90
Distance: 501.3 miles (367 laps)
What to Watch For:
Jeff Gordon – NASCAR’s active wins leader at Darlington with seven
victories – makes his final start at the South Carolina track. … 2014
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick tries to defend his 2014
victory at Darlington. … Chase Elliott makes his fifth and final NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series start of 2015 as he prepares to take over for Jeff
Gordon in the No. 24 car next year. … Winless drivers have only two more
chances to visit Victory Lane to earn an automatic berth in the Chase
for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. … Drivers will sport retro paint schemes on
their cars as part of Darlington’s “throwback” weekend.
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Race: VFW Sports Clips Help a Hero 200
Track: Darlington Raceway
Date and Time: Saturday, Sept. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Tune-in: NBC, MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90
Distance: 200.8 miles (147 laps)
What to Watch For:
Ty Dillon, Brian Scott, Chase Elliott and Daniel Suarez will compete
for the $100,000 bonus in the final round of the NASCAR XFINITY Series
Dash 4 Cash. … Chase Elliott tries to defend his 2014 Darlington win. …
Chris Buescher (standings leader), Chase Elliott (-16 points) and Ty
Dillon (-19 points) continue their race to the NASCAR XFINITY Series
championship.
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