Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher is now leading the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings by 26 points over second-place Chase Elliott with just four races remaining in the season. Buescher does control his own destiny – but it’s tough, very tough. If he finishes second in the next four races, he’ll clinch no matter what any other driver does.
Buescher came to this point in the season by being impressively consistent. In 29 starts, he has posted two wins at Iowa and Dover with 11 top-fives and 19 top-tens – that’s a top-ten finishing percentage of 65.5%. And, his average finish this season is an 8.1 – best among championship contenders. Continue reading →
Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 11, 2015 Photo – Josh Hedges/Getty Images
Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, races Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Pretty In Pink Foundation Toyota, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 11, 2015 Photo – Josh Hedges/Getty Images
Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, and Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Plaid Chevrolet, lead the field to a restart during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 11, 2015 Photo – Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, races to the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 11, 2015 Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images
Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 11, 2015 Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images
Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 11, 2015 Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images
Congratulations, Joey Logano. You just drew the first get-out-of jail-free card for Talladega.
With a dominating victory in Sunday’s rain-delayed Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Logano punched an early bird ticket to the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Now Logano can take a carefree trip to unpredictable Talladega two weeks hence. The same can’t be said for three of the sports superstars. Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch all had major issues at Charlotte and will have to rebound in the remaining two races of the Contender Round to keep their title hopes alive.
Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford led 227 of the 334 laps and crossed the finish line 0.703 seconds ahead of Kevin Harvick, who posted his 11th runner-up finish of the season to go with three victories.
The win was Logano’s fourth of the season, his first at Charlotte and the 12th of his career. Most important, however, was the free pass into the Eliminator Round. Continue reading →
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, leads Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on October 4, 2015 Photo – Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, pits during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on October 4, 2015 Photo – Ranier Ehrhardt/Getty Images
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on October 4, 2015 Photo – Jeff Curry/Getty Images
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, races during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on October 4, 2015 Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on October 4, 2015 Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout in front of his crew after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on October 4, 2015 Photo – Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on October 4, 2015 Photo – Ranier Ehrhardt/Getty Images
By Jove, he’s done it again!
Forced to win at Dover International Speedway to keep his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship hopes alive Sunday, Kevin Harvick did just that, dominating Sunday’s AAA 400 to stave off elimination from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
In a virtual carbon copy of last year’s Chase race at Phoenix, where the 2014 premier series champion had to win to advance to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Harvick led 355 of 400 laps – a career best at any track – in winning for the third time this year and the 31st time in his career.
“I think we’re better than we were last year, just because of the experiences and things that we’ve had,” Harvick said after the race. “I think when we look at everything that’s gone on over the last couple of years, it’s just been a lot of fun.
“So, it’s just that never-quit attitude. That’s what (team co-owner) Tony Stewart said when we went to Homestead last year. He said, ‘Whatever you do, do not quit until they throw that checkered flag.’”
Defending champion Kevin Harvick has two options heading into Sunday’s AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway – the first cutoff race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – win or go home.
The No. 4 Chevrolet driver ranks 15th out of 16 drivers on the Chase Grid and sits 23 points below 12th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the cutoff line. He mathematically can still make the Contender Round on points, but it would be a tough task, requiring him to jump three drivers.
Basically, if Harvick doesn’t visit Victory Lane, he is out of NASCAR’s playoffs as one of the four winless drivers lowest in points. Continue reading →
