Ten to Go: Lots to Decide, Little Time Left
Ten races at ten different tracks, to fill in the remaining six drivers to complete the Chase Grid’s Sweet 16 – who will battle for one prize – the Sprint Cup Series Championship.
That’s a lot of numbers. But there’s only one point: Now is an important time, and for those who are still winless, the points become even more vital.
These next ten races will test each driver’s versatility. A wide array of tracks await all contenders including 1.5 milers like this Saturday night’s race at Kentucky; a restrictor plate track (Daytona); a triangle (Pocono); a road course (Watkins Glen); a short track (Bristol); one of the most historic sporting venues in the world (Indianapolis) – to name a few.
With each passing day, time is running out and the clock keeps ticking for several drivers for a variety of reasons.
Jeff Gordon is 22-for-23
Actually, let’s make that 23-for-24. There are 23 race tracks on the current Sprint Cup Series schedule; Jeff Gordon has a win – or eight – at 22 of those tracks. His only hole is Kentucky Speedway, and it’s an understandable one. The series has raced there just three times, all won by different winners. Gordon has fared well in those three events, collecting three top-tens, including a fifth-place finish in 2012. If he were to win on Saturday night, he’d be the first driver in NASCAR history to win at every track on the active schedule. For the record, Gordon’s win list includes Rockingham, which hosted its last NASCAR Sprint Cup race in 2004.
Five Guys, In and Out
Of Carl Edwards’ 23 career Sprint Cup wins, more than half (13) have come at intermediate tracks measuring 1.5 or two miles. So, it’s a tad surprising that his two victories this season have come at half-mile Bristol and the Sonoma road course. It also makes him a threat throughout the varied rest of the regular season. He’s now one of five drivers with multiple wins, all of whom are pretty much locked in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Those drivers joining Edwards: Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Dale Earnhardt Jr. These drivers are unofficially guaranteed among the Sweet 16 Chase contenders, and now need only to finish in the top-30 in points after race No. 26 and attempt to qualify for each race to officially clinch a Chase spot.
Kenseth’s Calendar Circle
If Matt Kenseth owns a paper calendar, and if he’s one of the rare few who actually circles important dates, then he just might have put a ring around Saturday, June 28. Saturday night’s race at Kentucky offers Kenseth’s next best shot at his oddly elusive first win of the 2014. He’s the defending winner at Kentucky, leading 38 laps in last year’s race. And he’s three-for-three in top-tens at the 1.5-mile track. Without question, Kenseth is due for some good luck. After consecutive third-place finishes at Charlotte and Dover, Kenseth has averaged a finish of 27.0. That includes last Sunday’s 42nd-place finish at Sonoma, where he was in a wreck after running 74 laps. He’s now fourth in points after holding the points lead only four races ago.
Childress Heating Up
Richard Childress Racing has won back-to-back races in the Nationwide Series. Yet the Sprint Cup Series program that has quietly enjoyed a solid season, and is coming on strong of late. Paul Menard has scored consecutive top-five finishes (a fourth at Michigan; fifth at Sonoma); Ryan Newman has finished in the top-15 in five of the last six; and Austin Dillon remains in Chase contention. In fact, if the Chase began today, both Menard and Newman would make the Chase Grid. This weekend could pose a significant challenge for the team. RCR has fielded ten entries over the course of Kentucky’s three races, only one of which has finished in the top-ten (Kevin Harvick finished tenth last season.
So let the Chase Countdown begin….Tick Tock….Tick Tock…