NASCAR Kasey Kahne

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Late Race Surge Leads Keselowski to a Charlotte Victory

Jason NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 12, 2013 Photo - John Harrelson/Getty Images
Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 12, 2013
Photo – John Harrelson/Getty Images

There is always one race in the Chase when a non-championship contender sneaks up and grabs the victory. Charlotte has become a track where this feat can easily be accomplished. Brad Keselowski was the driver to pull it off this season when he pulled into victory lane Saturday night at Charlotte. It was nowhere near a dominant performance by the defending champion. He did everything he needed, to break his winless streak that spanned over a year. Continue reading →

Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Clinch Scenarios for Richmond

Fan4Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Clinch Scenarios for Richmond

TheChase4SprintCup10 Drivers Vie for Five Remaining Spots

Below are the 2013 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup clinch scenarios for Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway, the last race before the Chase field is set. Six drivers have clinched top-ten spots in the Chase: Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth. Kasey Kahne, on the strength of two wins, has clinched at least a Wild Card spot.

Four drivers control their top-ten clinching destiny. Regardless of the finishes of any other driver…  Continue reading →

Sprint Cup Chase Tracker – Atlanta

Chase Tracker Fan4Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

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 →

Kenseth Clinches Chase Berth with a Win at Bristol

Fan4Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, races to the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 53rd Annual IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 24, 2013 Photo - Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, races to the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 53rd Annual IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 24, 2013
Photo – Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

A familiar end to a Sprint Cup race this season – Las Vegas in March. Kansas in April – and again, Saturday night under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway, it was Matt Kenseth holding off Kasey Kahne in the closing laps.

Kenseth won a heated battle against Kahne to claim victory in Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race and he did it on worn tires with his fuel tank teetering on empty. Kahne took on the challenge after taking over second-place on lap 473 of 500.

His fifth win of the season guarantees Kenseth at least a Wild Card spot in the Chase for NASCAR’s Sprint Cup.   Continue reading →