Kansas Settles Nothing; Still Keselowski Over Johnson By Seven

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

Kansas Settles Nothing; Still Keselowski Over Johnson By Seven

Chase leaders Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson dodged major bullets at Kansas Speedway. Keselowski, who finished eighth after qualifying 25^th, retained his seven-point, post-Charlotte edge over Johnson, ninth after a near-miraculous recovery from a mid-race accident. Third-place Denny Hamlin (-20 points) finished 13^th and lost ground while fourth-place Clint Bowyer (-25 points) crept closer with a sixth-place finish.

The points leader after six post-season races has gone on to win the championship five of eight times during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ era. Of note, reigning champion Tony Stewart was fourth, 19 points behind Carl Edwards with four races remaining in 2011.

April’s Finish Could Be Harbinger Of Wild Martinsville Affair

Sunday’s TUMS Fast Relief 500 very well could scramble the Chase standings – especially if there’s a repeat of the deciding laps of April’s race at the 0.526-mile track. Contenders Johnson, Bowyer and Jeff Gordon piled up on the next-to-final restart of a green-white-checker finish handing the victory to Ryan Newman. Bowyer finished 10^th; Johnson 12^th and Gordon, who led 329 laps, 14^th. Hamlin was sixth and Keselowski, who led for the first time at Martinsville, finished ninth.

From the fall of 2006 through fall of 2010, either Johnson or Hamlin won every Martinsville race. The two have a combined 10 Martinsville victories (Johnson six – four in the Chase; Hamlin four – two in the Chase). Johnson owns the track’s top Driver Rating (121.4) and average finish (5.8) and has led 17.0% of the laps in the 21 races he’s competed. Hamlin isn’t far behind with a third-best Driver Rating (113.4) and average finish (6.4). Stewart won last year’s Martinsville Chase race.

Junior Hopes To Make Chase Return At Martinsville

Pending medical clearance, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will return to his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for Sunday’s TUMS Fast Relief 500. Earnhardt missed the past two events after suffering a concussion Oct. 7 at Talladega Superspeedway. Earnhardt finished third at Martinsville in the spring. He has a pair of second-place finishes (most recent, spring 2011) among 10 top-five finishes and has finished seventh or better in his past four Martinsville starts.

Kenseth’s Roll Continues But Is It Too Late?

Two victories in the past three races are proof that Matt Kenseth and Roush Fenway Racing have regained the magic that seemingly disappeared when the Chase began. The question remains, can Kenseth overcome a 55-point deficit with four races left in the post season? The Kansas and Talladega winner finished fourth in the spring but ranks 17^th in Martinsville Driver Rating (79.1) with an average finish of 16.0. Ford and RFR’s last Martinsville victory came in the fall of 2002 with Kurt Busch. Kenseth was the last to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup championship under the full-season points system in 2003.