NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Notebook

Now Starting…Round No. 2…The Contender Round…Round No. 2

Twelve drivers persevered through a Challenger Round that tested the versatility of the world’s best drivers. Four failed to navigate through the early gauntlet.

And now, starting in just a few days, the surviving dozen will kick off the second segment of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, known as the Contender Round, this Sunday in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway (2 p.m. ET on ESPN).

The Contender Round spans three events (Kansas, Charlotte, Talladega), and just like the Challenger Round, the four winless drivers with the lowest points totals will be eliminated at its conclusion. Any championship-qualifying driver that wins one of the three races automatically moves on to the eight-driver Eliminator Round. The 12 Contenders are all on a level playing field – each had their points reset to 3,000 for Kansas. (They are officially ordered in the same way they finished the Challenger Round in points.)

Jeff Gordon will attempt to become the first driver to sweep Kansas after winning the May race there for his first victory of the season. The No. 24 Chevrolet SS driver might have a tough time pulling off the feat, however. Six championship-qualifying drivers have also won before at the 1.5-mile tri-oval: Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman. Also, don’t count out hot-shot Sunoco Rookie Kyle Larson, who is chomping at the bit for his first victory after posting finishes of third, second and sixth his last three races.

One Chase driver who Kansas has not treated well – Kyle Busch. The track has been kryptonite for the No. 18 Toyota Camry driver, who has just two top-10 finishes in 14 starts there (and finishes outside the top 30 in three of the last four). If Busch can make it past Kansas in good shape, he will have good chances of advancing to the Eliminator Round. Rowdy traditionally makes strong runs at Charlotte and has won at Talladega.

Gordon Dominates Dover

Jeff Gordon continued to remind the NASCAR world of his greatness as he continued his 2014 renaissance tour with a dominant win at Dover on Sunday that propelled him into the Contender Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

The No. 24 Chevrolet driver seized the lead with 71 laps left and held it to the finish for his fifth-career victory at the Monster Mile – and first at Dover since 2001, the same year he won his last of four Sprint Cup championships. 

Gordon’s triumph marked his fourth win of the season, his highest total since 2007, when he tallied six victories on the way to a runner-up championship finish. The 43-year-old now claims 92 career wins, the third-most in NSCS history. Though impossible for Gordon to catch Richard Petty (200 wins) for the all-time list, second-place David Pearson (105) is well within reach.

After registering finishes of 16th and 17th at Bristol and Atlanta, Gordon has turned his performance up a notch the last four races with two runner-ups and Sunday’s victory. Arguably the top driver in the series up to this point in the season, Gordon ranks tied for second in wins (4) and leads all drivers in average running position (9.046), driver rating (110.4) and average finish (10.0).

Don’t count on Gordon slowing down any time soon. He tops all drivers in wins (14) and starts (103) at Contender Round tracks (Kansas, Charlotte, Talladega).

Gordon takes the wheel of the No. 24 car next in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway (2 p.m. ET on ESPN) where he owns three wins, 10 top fives and 12 top 10s in 17 starts.

Team Penske Tandem Tears Through Chase’s Challenger Round

Team Penske came into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup hot.

It moves on to the Contender Round even hotter.

The dynamic duo of 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano took the opening two Chase races at Chicagoland and New Hampshire, respectively, after finishing the regular season with a win apiece in the last three events.

On top of that, Logano led all drivers with a 3.0 average finish in the Contender Round and Keselowski ranked a close second with a 3.3 mark. To post those gaudy numbers, Logano sandwiched his victory between fourth-place finishes at Chicagoland and Dover, while Keselowski followed up his Windy City win with a seventh-place New Hampshire showing and a runner-up effort at Dover. 

All 12 advancing drivers are on an even slate now that their points have been reset for the Contender Round. Next up, Kansas Speedway.

Keselowski won at Kansas in 2011, but has not placed in the top 10 in his last two races there. He did, however, score victories this season at Chicagoland and Kentucky. Both tracks are also 1.5 miles and have similar flatter banking on the turns. 

Logano struggled at Kansas when he competed for Joe Gibbs Racing, logging just one top 15 finish in eight starts. His performance at the tri-oval with Team Penske has been a different story. In three races at the Kansas with his new organization, Logano has scored two top fives. 

Johnson Continues To Contender Round … Quietly

Overshadowed right now by the rejuvenation of his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon and the performance of Team Penske, Jimmie Johnson’s recent steady showings have gone largely unnoticed.

Still, the six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and reigning Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup victor enters the Contender Round with two consecutive top five finishes.

If Johnson was performing poorly, his lack of hype would be understandable. But he’s not. Although he doesn’t have the eye-popping recent wins of Gordon or the Team Penske pair of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, Johnson has been a model of consistency since his lackluster 28th-place finish at Watkins Glen. In his last seven starts, he boasts six top-10 finishes, including four top-five showings.

As he does year-in and year-out, Johnson has upped his game on the sport’s biggest stage. A statement victory – which would be his 25th in the Chase – could be coming soon.

At the Contender Round tracks (Kansas, Charlotte, Talladega), Johnson’s 11 victories are second to only Jeff Gordon’s 14 among active drivers, but Johnson has accrued his total in 43 less starts. Additionally, the No. 48 Chevrolet driver has dominated the loop statistics, ranking first in driver rating (103.9), average finish (12.6) and percentage of fastest laps (10.6).

If history repeats itself, Johnson’s statement showing could come this Sunday in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway (2 p.m. ET on ESPN). He owns two wins, six top fives, 14 top 10s and three Coors Light Pole Awards in 16 starts at the 1.5-mile tri-oval. To go with his traditional numbers, Johnson boasts track series-bests in average finish (7.6), average running position (7.5), driver rating (117.4) and fastest laps run (478).

Drive For Five Starts For Four

The Monster Mile shattered the hopes and dreams of four former Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers at Dover.

AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch were all eliminated from Chase contention following the last race of the opening Challenger Round as the field shrunk from 16 to 12.

Going into the race, Allmendinger stood in good shape to advance to the Contender Round. He ranked 10th on the Chase Grid, one point ahead of Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman, and seven points ahead of 13th-place Denny Hamlin for the final spot. Biffle (-6 points below the cutoff), Busch (-8) and Almirola (-10) were all on the outside looking in, manning the 14th-16th positions respectively, but still had realistic chances of climbing into the top 12.

Hamlin – who earlier dubbed the race as the most important of his career – vaulted himself into the top 12 with an 11th-place finish, but his performance alone was not enough to bump the 23rd-place Allmendinger from the Chase. Kasey Kahne battled from four laps down on Lap 240, finishing 20th to hold off Allmendinger by two points for the final Contender Round spot.

The four now have a new goal: Fifth place. Even though they were bounced in the first round, Allmendinger, Almirola, Biffle and Busch can still battle for fifth in the final championship points. From here on out, any driver eliminated from the Chase will have his points reset to 2,000, with any points accumulated during the Chase (as well as bonus points to start the Chase) added to that total.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Etc.

Testing Update: Chip Ganassi Racing will test at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 7-8. Its driver, Kyle Larson, has thus far been the class of the ‘spoiler’ field. Scoring three top 10s in the Challenger Round, Larson averaged a finish of 3.7. … Kasey Kahne will make his 600th NASCAR national series start this weekend.