Category Archives: Chase Tracker

Sprint Cup Chase Tracker – Atlanta

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ChaseTrackerAtlanta300x400The clock is ticking down on the last Race to the Chase at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night, September 7th – coming up this weekend. One last chance for eight drivers to grab a Wild Card spot for the 2013 ten-race Chase for a Sprint Cup championship.

After the race at Atlanta, six competitors have claimed their place in the Chase’s top-ten including, Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth. Seventh-place Dale Earnhardt Jr faces the least pressure among non-qualifiers, needing only a finish of 32nd or better in the 400-lap race at Richmond to enter the post season competition.

Joey Logano, Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch complete the provisional top-ten – 16, 14 and six points ahead of 11th place Jeff Gordon. Each with one victory, Logano and Biffle have some Chase insurance as potential Wild Cards if they should fall out of the top-ten. 

This week’s Sprint Cup Chase tracker analyzes driver Race to the Chase average-finishes – Kentucky to Atlanta – and their more recent five-race average-finishes – Pocono to Atlanta. And as in previous Chase Tracker posts, there are a few surprises in store. 

Wild Card Contenders

Richmond is all about which drivers will secure their place in the Chase by grabbing a Wild Card in the last race of the regular season. And it is certainly a tight competition this year and several drivers moving between the top-ten and chasing a Wild Card spot.  

Kasey Kahne with two wins, holds the first Wild Card ticket into the post-race season and is just ten points away from tenth-place qualification. Will he race his way into tenth-place at Richmond, leaving another open Wild Card spot for those outside the top-ten? Kahne is definitely one to keep an eye on throughout Richmond’s night of racing on Saturday. If Kahne does move into the top-ten, his two wins will give him a better Chase starting spot at Chicagoland. 

Martin Truex Jr holds the second Wild Card for the Chase and is only 15-points away from the top-ten. His third-place finish at Atlanta, after finishing 35th at Bristol certainly moves his team in the right direction heading into the last race of the regular season. Truex could also race his way into the top-ten at Richmond, leaving his Wild Card spot for another contender. Continue reading →

Sprint Cup Chase Tracker – Bristol

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ChaseTrackerBristol300x400This week’s Sprint Cup Chase Tracker after Bristol holds some interesting insight into the Race to the Chase with just one more race (Atlanta) before the series travels the Road to Richmond.

Bristol is a Wild Card race en route to qualifying to compete for the Sprint Cup championship trophy and interestingly, there are three previous champions on the outside still chasing a Wild Card ticket. An intriguing note, is that all three are winless this season.

It’s also worthy to note that last year at this time, the average-finish performance was at a higher level with eventual 2012 champion Brad Keselowski consistently running an average-finish in the top-five range. This year, with the new Gen 6 car, most are outside of top-ten performance, with only two drivers (neither is NASCAR’s five-time champion) at or slightly better than top-ten results since Kentucky. Reviewing the most recent five-races, there’s only one driver in the top-five average-finish range, and most will be amazed to discover which driver.

Similar to previous Chase Tracker analysis, this week’s review includes average-finish performance of top competitors from Kentucky through Bristol – Race to the Chase – as well as, the most recent five races from Indianapolis through Bristol. Also taken into consideration is the new point standings after all the action at Bristol. Continue reading →

Sprint Cup Chase Tracker – Michigan

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ChaseTrackerMichigan300x400Sprint Cup drivers were at one of the fastest tracks on the circuit this weekend at Michigan International Speedway and with lots of action throughout the race, results are mixed for the provisional Chase field.

Once again, Chase Tracker will analyze this week’s five-race average finish – Loudon through Michigan – and the Race to the Chase average finish – Kentucky through Michigan – in addition to changes within the point standings. There are some surprising and even shocking revelations from this week’s analysis.  

Continue reading →

Sprint Cup Chase Tracker – Pocono

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RaceWeekendLogos300x400As the clock keeps ticking toward the 2013 Chase, the time has arrived for speculations on who will be competing for the title and who will be on the outside looking in when the Chase begins at Chicagoland Speedway in September.

Chase Tracker is making its second annual appearance to keep fans informed leading up to, and throughout the heated competition for a Sprint Cup trophy.  Chase Tracker will give a weekly summary including those drivers chasing the two coveted Wild Card spots. Unlike most fan speculations, which are typically based on gut feel and emotion for particular drivers, Chase Tracker will look at current statistics for analysis. This will give fans a more balanced view of whom to watch as the competition heats up – Watkins Glen through Richmond and beyond.

In addition to the current point standings, Chase Tracker will look at the past five-race average finish – Kentucky through Pocono – as the basis of this particular analysis. Continue reading →

Chase Tracker – The Contenders after Phoenix

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By Jordan Dodson and Sharon Burton

Sunday’s AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Speedway looked to be an exciting race as the championship battle had come down to seven points. The championship contenders were neck and neck all day, until the unthinkable happened.

Johnson limps back to pit road after hitting the wall
Photo – Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

Once the green flag dropped Sunday, Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson ran within a few positions of each other the entire day. Keselowski had the better car and held the upper hand throughout the day, running all the way into the top-five as Johnson worked himself into the top ten.

Everything changed on lap 78. Continue reading →