The “Road to a Miami Championship” Runs Through Atlanta This Weekend
Two races remain before for the Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup field will be set culminating at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 20
MIAMI—Brad Keselowski’s win at Bristol last weekend put the driver of the No. 2 car in position for one of the “Wild Card” spots. Following this weekend’s event at Atlanta, there will only be one race before the field will be set for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup which will culminate at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 20. The Chase will consist of the Top 10 drivers in points plus the two “Wild Card” drivers from 11th to 20th with the most wins. The “magic number” for a driver to clinch a spot in the Chase after Atlanta is 49. Any driver 49 points ahead of 11th place will clinch a spot in the Chase.
After Bristol, Keselowski and Denny Hamlin are in position to claim the two wild cards. Keselowski is ranked 11th in points with three victories, and Hamlin is ranked 13th in points with one win. Hamlin would bump 12th-place driver Clint Bowyer, who is winless, out of the Chase. Five-time Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon all joined Kyle Busch in clinching spots in The Chase last week. Keselowski will be looking to solidify his spot in the Top 10 this weekend, as well. With his victory last week, Keselowski is in 11th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. Currently on the outside looking in and ranked 20th, 21st, 22nd and 25th respectively, Paul Menard, David Ragan, Marcos Ambrose and Regan Smith could potentially move into a “Wild Card” spot in The Chase if Keselowski were able to crack the Top 10 in the Championship standings this weekend. Each of those drivers have a race win to their credit but find themselves outside of the Top 20. To take advantage of the “Wild Card” rule, a driver must be in the Top 20 after 26 races.
With several drivers teetering on the bubble, here’s a look at some facts about some notable Chase hopefuls and how they have fared at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
Paul Menard
Currently 20th in the points, with one win this season, Menard has a 61.3 driver rating at Atlanta, which places him 26th-best. He has never won at Atlanta and has only posted one top-five performance. A win this weekend could help him gain valuable points and assist with his “Wild Card” hopes of making the 2011 Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Denny Hamlin
It’s been a tough 2011 season for Hamlin, but as it stands now, he would take the final “Wild Card” position, currently sitting 13th in points, with one win. He’s 13th on the driver rating list at 87.4 and has three top-five finishes at Atlanta. He’s now only 41 points ahead of Paul Menard, who is the next closest driver in the Top 20 with a win this season. A bad race for one and a good race for another could completely change the look of the “Wild Card” positions.
Greg Biffle
Quietly hanging on to the bubble and sitting 16th in points without a win this season, a first win of the year this weekend for Biffle could really shake things up with the final “Wild Card” spot. Biffle has fared well at Atlanta Motor Speedway with six top-fives and an average finishing position of 10.6. Biffle comes in this week with a driver rating of 99.4, good for second best.
Expect these drivers to be in the thick of the “Wild Card” hunt. After Race 26 at Richmond, the Top 10 drivers plus two wild cards not in the Top 10 who score the highest number of victories will contend for NASCAR’s Chase For The Sprint Cup Championship “playoff” system—the winner of which will be crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway during Ford Championship Weekend for a 10th consecutive season this fall.
Next up for the Sprint Cup drivers is Race 25 at Atlanta on Sunday, Sept. 4 (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
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