NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES NEWS

Plenty of storylines blossomed out of New Hampshire – two weeks worth of them, luckily.

Heading into its final open week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings jumbled yet again. There’s a new points leader, a points tie at the all-important 10th-place spot, and all of a sudden, NASCAR’s eight-time most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in real danger of losing a top-10 spot.

But there is racing action to enjoy. Both the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series return to the concrete of Nashville Superspeedway. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will run Friday in the Lucas Deep Clean 200; the NASCAR Nationwide Series runs Saturday, in the Federated Auto Parts 300.

Storylines for all three series follow…

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

Back on Top: Edwards Returns To Points Lead

That didn’t take long. After a two-week layoff, Carl Edwards took the points lead from Kyle Busch following a 13th place finish at New Hampshire.

Prior to the two-week hiatus, Edwards led the points after 12 of the first 16 races. He currently leads Jimmie Johnson by seven points.

Staking claim as the driver most likely to dethrone the five-time defending series, Edwards leads the series in top 10s (13) and is tied for most top fives (10).

Newman Another New 2011 Winner

Ryan Newman joined the parade of 2011 winners after his start-to-finish win from the pole at New Hampshire. He becomes the 13th different winner this season, matching the total from all 36 races last season. The last time there were more different winners through the first 19 races was 2003 (14).

Looking at the list of drivers still winless this season, you could make this fair assumption: That number will grow. Especially since wins are at a premium in the 26-race regular season because of the two wild card spots to get in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Here’s the list of winners from last year who are still winless in 2011: Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya and David Reutimann.

A rundown of that group…

Stewart nearly won at New Hampshire, and has some strong tracks coming up. Figure on Smoke locking down the elusive win at either Indianapolis (where he has two wins) or Watkins Glen (a series-high five wins).

Biffle might have an adaptation period for a bit. His No. 16 team welcomed a new crew chief atop the box – Matt Puccia – and growing pains might surface. Still, Biffle is a proven winner. Figure on Michigan in August as a best-guess win opportunity.

Bowyer has struggled of late, coming off three consecutive finishes outside the top 10. His average finish in the last three: 29.3. His team – Richard Childress Racing – is too good to keep down, and his teammate Kevin Harvick held the points lead for a week. Strong at short tracks, Bowyer’s a threat at either Bristol or Richmond.

At the outset of 2011, McMurray was the darling pick for a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup spot. Thus far, that prediction hasn’t panned out. It looks like McMurray will need a wild card spot if he hopes to make the Chase. He won the next race on the schedule last season – Indianapolis.

Simply put, Montoya dominates at road courses. No need to get cute on this analysis: Watkins Glen is his best opportunity.

Reutimann has proven his mettle on intermediate tracks; both his career wins (Charlotte and Chicagoland) have come on tracks 1.5-mile in length. Could he find a home in Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Victory Lane?

Two Weeks To Dissect Fascinating Standings Shakeup

A few of the notable happenings after a wild New Hampshire race…

New Points Leader: Edwards regained the points lead for the 13th time in 19 weeks.

Manufacturer Parity: Four manufacturers make up top five in the points standings. Additionally, the top five drivers in points all represent different teams.

Top-10 Points Tie: Though Denny Hamlin officially owns the 10th-place spot, he’s in a points tie with Tony Stewart. Hamlin owns the tiebreaker, via his win at Michigan. After race No. 26 at Richmond, the top 10 drivers are locked into the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Spots 11 and 12 go to those drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, provided they are in the top 20.

Dale Jr. Fall Continues: Once thought as a Chase lock, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is now anything but. Earnhardt finished 15th at New Hampshire, his fifth consecutive finish outside the top 10. He now sits just seven points ahead of the top-10 cutoff, after being as much as 71 points ahead after Pocono.

Keselowski Loses Ground

Brad Keselowski’s win at Kansas earlier this season put him in prime position for a Chase wild card berth – if only he could land in the top 20. That’s a feat that has proven difficult.

Keselowski has flirted with the vital points position, entering New Hampshire only three points out of the top 20. But a 35th-place finish at New Hampshire now has him 25 points outside the top 20.

Sprint Summer Showdown Heats Up:

When the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Indianapolis in two weeks Sprint will kick off the biggest promotion in its history as the title sponsor of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: the Sprint Summer Showdown presented by HTC EVO 3D. The six-consecutive-race series runs from Indianapolis on July 31 to Atlanta on Sept. 4 and puts a $3 million purse on the line for a driver, a driver’s charity and one lucky race fan.

Any driver who wins one of the five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events between the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway will become a finalist for the $3 million Sprint Summer Showdown payout on Labor Day Weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. If one of those five drivers wins the Advocare 500 at Atlanta, then the driver, the driver’s charity and one lucky race fan will each collect $1 million.

Fans can enter each week for their chance at the million-dollar prize by picking which driver they believe will win that week’s race at sprint.com/speed or by visiting the Sprint Experience display at every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event. After each week’s race, one race fan will be randomly chosen from those fans who correctly picked that week’s winning driver.

The lucky fan chosen after each race will enjoy an all-expenses paid trip to Atlanta Motor Speedway and be there in person to see whether his or her driver can win at Atlanta. If that driver claims the Sprint Summer Showdown presented by HTC EVO 3D, the fan will win $1 million. Fans can change their picks until the scheduled start time for each event.