NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Next Race: AAA 400

The Place: Dover International Speedway

The Date: Sunday, Oct. 4

The Time: 2:30 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBCSN, 2 p.m. (ET)

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 400 miles (400 laps)

 

Harvick on the Ropes Heading into Dover

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

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Next Race: Sylvania 300

The Place: New Hampshire Motor Speedway

The Date: Sunday, Sept. 27

The Time: 2 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBCSN, 1:30 p.m. (ET)

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 317.14 miles (300 laps)

 

Gordon Set to Become NASCAR’s All-Time Consecutive Starts Leader

When Jeff Gordon starts his engine in Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, he will pass Ricky Rudd as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series consecutive starts leader by beginning his 789th straight race.

NASCAR’s new Iron Man has not missed a start since making his series debut at Atlanta on Nov. 15, 1992 – a span of 22 years, 10 months and 12 days. Continue reading

2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Field is Set

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The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway is in the books and the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field is now set.

On the subject of the Sprint Cup Chase field at Richmond, there were no surprises and no drama as the field looks the same after the Federated Auto Parts 400 as it did before the race began.

Matt Kenseth securely put his team in the top-three Chase contenders with his fourth win of the season at Richmond on Saturday night.  Also at the top of the field with four wins are first-place seeded Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch in second-place.

The only driver with three wins is Joey Logano, who is also the only non-Joe Gibbs Racing driver with a victory over the last ten races and he sits fourth in the Chase standings.

Four drivers with two victories include Kevin Harvick in fifth-place, Dale Earnhardt Jr in sixth-place, Kurt Busch in seventh-place and Carl Edwards in eighth-place.

Three drivers with one win for the season are Brad Keselowski in ninth, Martin Truex Jr in tenth and Denny Hamlin is 11th in the Chase point standings.

The five drivers without a win this season – Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer and Paul Menard take the last five spots – are all now part of the 16-driver field chasing a championship title over the next ten races.

This is where all the serious speculation begins as fans complete their Chase Grid and name their choice for the Sprint Cup Series champion at Homestead Miami Speedway in November.

The drivers will race the next ten tracks to decide the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champ and it all begins at Chicagoland Speedway on September 20th.

Matt Kenseth Dominates at Richmond as Chase Field is Set

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Joe Gibbs Racing brought guns to a knife fight on Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.

But Joe Gibbs Racing’s Matt Kenseth did his teammates one better — he brought a howitzer.

Leading 352 of 400 laps in a race he owned from the outset, Kenseth pulled away from Kyle Busch after a restart with 18 laps left and won the Federated Auto Parts 400 by 0.951 seconds over his teammate.

Kenseth’s fourth victory of the season, tying him for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series lead with Jimmie Johnson and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch, meant the 16 drivers who started the race in playoff-eligible positions stayed there. Continue reading

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Next Race: Federated Auto Parts 400

The Place: Richmond International Raceway

The Date: Saturday, Sept. 12

The Time: 7:30 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBCSN, 7 p.m. (ET)

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 300 miles (400 laps)

Chase Clinch Scenarios for Richmond

Jamie McMurray will lock up his first career Chase berth simply by starting the race on Saturday night. For three others, it’s a little tougher – but certainly doable. Ryan Newman clinches by finishing 31st or better; Jeff Gordon by finishing 17th or better; and Paul Menard by finishing ninth or better – and that’s all regardless of who wins the race. If there’s a repeat winner, the scenarios become less daunting. For winless drivers beyond Menard, there will be some frayed nerves. If there’s a repeat winner, Clint Bowyer is in good shape, needing only a finish of 28th or better. For those winless drivers lower in points than Bowyer, a Richmond win is realistically the only path to the Chase.

Here’s a full look at the Chase clinch scenarios for Saturday night’s race:

Regardless of Who Wins at Richmond…

Jamie McMurray clinches by starting the race.

Ryan Newman clinches by finishing 31st or better; 32nd with at least one lap led; or 33rd with the most laps led.

Jeff Gordon clinches by finishing 17th or better; 18th with at least one lap led; or 19th with the most laps led.

Paul Menard clinches by finishing ninth or better; tenth with at least one lap led; or 11th with the most laps led. Continue reading