Chase Storylines Worth Watching

Chase Storylines Worth Watching

The Jimmie Johnsons and Brad Keselowskis of the world have been getting most of the “favorite” votes, but here are some other drivers to watch:

Kevin Harvick: On Tuesday, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that the No. 4 and the No. 14 teams were swapping pit crews. That move, alone, may have launched Harvick into “favorite” status. The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing driver has had one of the fast cars on the circuit this year, winning two races and six poles, but some mistakes and struggles on pit road have haunted him. He now has the 2011 championship pit crew on his side for the remaining 10 races.

AJ Allmendinger: Perhaps the feel-good story of the year, Allmendinger finds himself in the Chase thanks to the new “win and you’re in” format after holding off Marcos Ambrose for the victory at Watkins Glen. It marked the first-ever Sprint Cup win for Allmendinger and JTG/Daugherty Racing, who signed the 32-year-old in 2013 – his first season back since finishing NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program after his suspension for a failed drug test in July of 2012. Allmendinger specializes on road courses, none of which are in the Chase, but his best oval course happens to be Dover, which hosts the final race of the Challenger Round.

Carl Edwards: Normally a bona fide contender, Edwards enters this year’s Chase in a state of flux. He will be leaving Roush Fenway Racing for Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the season and hasn’t found himself near the front of the pack recently. Although Edwards has two wins this season, he has just three top 10s with two high finishes of fifth-place in his last 10 starts. Though he struggled at Richmond, teammate Greg Biffle entered last week’s race with five consecutive top-10 finishes.

Spoilers Can Impact The Chase

The season is far from over for the drivers who did not make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Forty-three cars still take to the track in the final 10 races, meaning 27 drivers who are not championship-eligible will compete in each event.

As a consolation prize, the non-Chasers get to play the role of spoiler - a title that carries even more influence this season, now that a win automatically advances a Chase driver into the next round. A spoiler can force a Chase driver to qualify on points by taking a checkered flag, a task that gets more difficult as the postseason goes on.

In 2013, three non-Chase drivers won races: Current spoiler candidate Jamie McMurray took the checkered at Talladega, then-reigning series champion Brad Keselowski placed first at Charlotte and Denny Hamlin celebrated in victory lane in the season-finale at Homestead. After failing to qualify for the Chase in 2006, Tony Stewart dominated the postseason by winning three of the final 10 races. Five Chase races in 2006 were won by “spoilers,” the most in the Chase era.

Other potential drivers who can crash the Chase this year include rookies Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon, who have been inconsistent and are threats to notch their first Sprint Cup wins. Veterans Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers both run well at New Hampshire and Talladega. Bowyer has two wins at each course, while Vickers has been victorious at both tracks once.