NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

 

Time Is Running Out: 4 Races Remain Until The Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup

Only four races remain until the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, beginning with the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 20 (8 p.m. ET on NBCSN).

 

Eleven drivers have captured berths by winning a race and they will likely be joined by Pocono victor Chris Buescher, who sits just three points outside of the 30th position he needs to seize to make NASCAR’s playoffs.

 

Here’s how the Chase Grid looks today: Brad Keselowski (4 wins), Kyle Busch (4), Carl Edwards (2), Denny Hamlin (2), Matt Kenseth (2), Jimmie Johnson (2), Kevin Harvick (1), Kurt Busch (1), Joey Logano (1), Martin Truex Jr (1), Tony Stewart (1), Ryan Newman (50 points ahead of Trevor Bayne on the cutoff line), Chase Elliott (+49), Austin Dillon (+47), Jamie McMurray (+38), Kyle Larson (+8).

 

The first four out are Bayne (-8), Kasey Kahne (-11), Ryan Blaney (-18) and AJ Allmendinger (-34).

Buescher entering the top 30 would hurt the non-winners on the Chase Grid’s chances at making the playoffs, specifically Kyle Larson. In that scenario, four drivers would get in on points as of now: Newman (42 points ahead of Larson), Elliott (+41), Austin Dillon (+39) and McMurray (+30).

The first four out would be Larson (-30), Bayne (-38), Kahne (-41) and Blaney (-48).

 

Larson’s Chase hopes were damaged at Watkins Glen when AJ Allmendinger wrecked him on the last lap when the No. 42 Target Chevrolet driver was on his way to a top-five finish. Instead he placed 29th.

The typically reserved Larson expressed his anger toward Allmendinger after the race.

 

“Pretty dumb move right there, too, but I was the smarter one racing for points, lifted, could have wrecked him, but didn’t. I don’t know. I don’t know. He wrecked me earlier in the year at Vegas. He has run me hard, but we always race pretty well, but today was flat out stupid. I love his crew chief (Randall Burnett) to death; he was our engineer last year. It just sucks they are going to have to start building some more race cars because he’s got a few coming.”

 

Remember, a win automatically gets a driver into the Chase as long as he/she has attempted to start every event and is in the top 30 in points following Richmond.

 

The winless drivers with previous victories at the remaining tracks:

Bristol: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne

Michigan: Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne

Darlington: Greg Biffle, Regan Smith

Richmond: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman

 

Road Warrior: Denny Delivers On A New Type Of Track

In last week’s edition of News and Notes, Joey Logano was referred to as Mr. Versatility. Now, Denny Hamlin has earned the same moniker.

 

On Sunday, Hamlin picked up his first road course victory at Watkins Glen after seceding the lead to Tony Stewart on the last lap at Sonoma in June.

 

The No. 11 FedEx driver now has 27 career wins, consisting of triumphs on short tracks, superspeedways, a road course and even the Tricky Triangle of Pocono.

 

With his victory at Watkins Glen, Hamlin joins his three Joe Gibbs Racing teammates with multiple wins this season.

 

Making Hamlin’s triumph more impressive is that he raced at the Central New York road course with an ailing back.

 

Penske Posts Another Strong Day At The Glen

Team Penske shopmates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski finished second and third, respectively, in Sunday’s Cheez-It 355. That came a day after finishing first and second, respectively, in Saturday’s Zippo 200 NASCAR XFINITY Series race.

 

Team Penske has Watkins Glen figured out. Since 2011, Logano’s record there reads: fifth (2011), 32nd (2012), seventh (2013), sixth (2014), first (2015) and second (2016). Keselowski’s resume displays: second (2011), second (2012), second (2013), 35th (2014), seventh (2015) and third (2016).

 

Keselowski, who leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings by nine markers over Kevin Harvick and ranks tied with Kyle Busch for first in wins (4), has registered four top-three finishes in his last six races, including two victories and a runner-up.

 

Logano claims six top-five finishes in his last nine starts.

 

Danica Leads Most Laps By A Female Driver In A Race

Danica Patrick led 11 laps in Saturday’s Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International, the most laps led by a female driver in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Patrick previously held the record with seven laps led at Talladega in 2014.

 

Smoke Is Rising

Tony Stewart continues to rattle off high finishes. The No. 14 Chevrolet driver placed fifth at Watkins Glen International for his fifth top-five and seventh top-10 finish of the season. In just 14 starts this season, Stewart’s five top fives are more than the three top fives he posted the previous two campaigns over 69 starts.

 

Stewart has produced all five of his top-five finishes in the last seven races.

 

Since his win at Sonoma, Stewart ranks tied with Denny Hamlin for third in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with an average finish of 7.8571. Stewart and Hamlin trail Kyle Busch (6.4286) and Brad Keselowski (7.7143). No other drivers have an average finish better than 10.0. Matt Kenseth ranks fifth with a 12.2857 average showing.

 

Jones Set To Pilot Second Furniture Row Car In 2017

Erik Jones’ meteoric rise up NASCAR’s development ladder continues. The NASCAR Next alum/2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion will race full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next season in the No.  77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota.

 

Jones is the first Toyota driver to climb the development ladder with the manufacturer from the grassroots levels up to the Sprint Cup Series.

 

The Michigan native competed in three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2015, finishing 40th at Kansas-1 (after wrecking), 12th at Texas-2 and 19th at Phoenix-2.

 

Jones was discovered by Kyle Busch as a 16-year-old in 2012 when he beat the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion at the prestigious Snowball Derby Late Model race at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. Busch signed Jones to Kyle Busch Motorsports where he quickly flourished. In 2013, Jones became the youngest driver to win a NASCAR national series race when he won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Phoenix in November (the record is currently held by Cole Custer, who broke it in 2014). Jones – the owner of 12 NASCAR national series victories – leads the NASCAR XFINITY Series with three wins this season.

 

“I don’t think at any point in your career that you’re totally ready to make that move,” Jones said. “Last year, I think I learned a lot in the few starts that I made. At the end of the day, I’m as ready as I can be. At the end of the day, you’ve got to make that jump and you’re going to sink or swim. I think I’m in the best situation to hopefully swim and be successful at it.”