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Tag: Chase for the Sprint Cup

Strong Run Cut Short for Pole Winner Dillon

Despite having the fastest car in qualifying for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, polesitter Austin Dillon ended the night in 37th following a hard multi-car accident on the frontstretch. Dillon, who won the pole with a lap of 28.081 seconds (at 192.301 mph), led the first six laps, which were run under a green/yellow start.

Despite hanging in the top-10 for most of the night, on lap 264 Dillon’s No. 3 Chevy was hooked by the No. 4 of Kevin Harvick coming off of Turn 4 while the two were battling for the fifth position. Dillon’s Chevy was launched into the wall, and the ensuing melee also took out the No. 44 of Brian Scott and the No. 13 of Casey Mears, who took the most damage when he slid into the frontstretch grass.

“Car was really good. Couldn’t ask for anything more or better,” Dillon told Speedway Media. “We struggled a little bit on pit road, lost some track position. But we got better on restarts and had a good restart but (Harvick) sucked down on my door as tight as he could, got me tight, didn’t check up for me after that, and wrecked me. So that’s all we had.”

Meanwhile, Harvick was apologetic for the contact, apologizing in his post-race interview to the Richard Childress Racing driver.

“Just want to apologize to the No. 3,” said Harvick. “He kind of came up there and got loose, and when he checked up I hit him. That wasn’t anything I wanted to see.”

When told of Dillon’s crew chief Slugger Labbe telling his driver to “mark down Harvick’s number” and that “it was time to get mad,” Harvick appeared to brush off Labbe’s comments.

“Slugger says a lot of things he shouldn’t,” said Harvick. “There wasn’t any intent there (in the contact). I like racing with Austin. I like everything that they do.”

November 7, 2016
Carl Edwards Wins Rain-Shortened AAA Texas 500

Carl Edwards took his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to Victory Lane in a rain-shortened AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, after the race’s start was delayed by an almost six-hour rain delay at the beginning of the race. With this win, Edwards becomes the second Chase driver to be added to the Championship Final Four at Homestead, following Jimmie Johnson’s Martinsville win a week ago.

“This is huge. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” an ecstatic Edwards said after the race. “This is cool. This team has really worked hard all year and man, it’s just really cool. That’s all we said we needed was a shot and now we’re going to go to Homestead and we’re going to do what we have to do. This was a great test. We came here and knew what we had to do, we performed the way we needed to and I really believe we can do that at Homestead.”

Joey Logano, who had the dominant car of the night, was credited with second-place. Logano, who is also in a must-win situation heading into Homestead, had the fastest car of the night after starting second. Logano led 178 laps on the night and appeared to be the car to beat. But after losing the lead to the 78 of Martin Truex Jr. due to pit strategy on Truex’s part, he never regained the lead.

Logano was disappointed but is looking ahead to next week’s race at Phoenix.

“The team did a very good job on executing when we needed to,” he said. Just, you know, didn’t have enough laps. It seemed like the momentum swung the other way about three or four laps to go before the caution came out when I started catching the 19 pretty rapidly. Unfortunately, it just started raining. That was the end of the race, so…

“You know, it is what it is. We’re going to be close. There’s a lot of cars that are going to be close going into Phoenix. It’s going to be entertaining. It’s going to be probably the closest Phoenix race we’ve ever seen as far as points. It’s going to be a fun one, for sure.”

Truex was credited with third and appeared to be Logano’s biggest challenger of the night, as he led 66 laps. Fourth-place went to Chase Elliott, who despite suffering from flu-like symptoms, managed to run an impressive race and was the top-finishing rookie. Fifth-place went to Kyle Busch, who had a strong run to the front after fading back due to hitting a piece of debris, which punched a hole in the front of his M&M’s Camry.

Rounding out the top-10 was Kevin Harvick in sixth, Matt Kenseth in seventh, Kasey Kahne in eighth, Denny Hamlin in ninth, and Ryan Newman in 10th. Chase standings heading into Phoenix have the 48 of Johnson and the 19 of Edwards first and second, respectively, with Logano in third and Kyle Busch in fourth. Kenseth, Hamlin, Harvick, and Kurt Busch are in fifth through eighth place.

Edwards took the lead on lap 258 following a strong pit stop during a caution on lap 257. He never relinquished the lead, and ultimately led 36 laps. This is his third win of 2016, and his 18th top-10 finish of 2016. This is also his fourth win at Texas, winning there in 2005 and also sweeping both 2008 races.

The Sprint Cup Series heads to Phoenix International Raceway next Sunday, where they will round out the Final Four for Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race will air at 3:30 p..m. ET, Sunday, November 13 on NBC.

November 7, 2016
The 2016 Chase For The Sprint Cup, Seeds 8-5
Today, I’ll be taking a look at Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., and Carl Edwards, seeds 8-5 on the Sprint Cup Chase Grid.

Seeds 16-13

Seeds 12-9
1. Matt Kenseth
With the retirements of Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon, and the unknown status of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth finds himself as the most experienced driver in the field.

When Kenseth left his home at Roush Fenway Racing to go over to Joe Gibbs Racing, it could be argued it was a short sighted move. Yes, Joey Logano hadn’t done a whole lot in the four seasons before that in the No. 20 Toyota. But Kenseth was almost double Logano’s age and had never driven full time for anybody but Roush in the Cup series. It was a bit of a gamble for Gibbs, who traditionally doesn’t sign big name Cup free agents; Coach Gibbs has always typically developed young talent like he did in football. With the exception of Bobby Labonte and Dale Jarrett, the organization’s first two drivers, Gibbs had never hired a driver with any Cup experience who hadn’t run for the team in a lower series.

Kenseth promptly went out in 2013, won seven races, and finished second in points. Neither Kenseth or Gibbs have ever looked back.

Although Logano, Kyle Busch, and Kevin Harvick have gotten the headlines the last few years, Kenseth has quietly put together a very successful run. Since 2013, Kenseth ranks third in most laps led, tied for second in most victories, and fifth in total top 10s.

Pros

Toyota, Toyota, Toyota. TRD has won 25 of the last 36 races, and Kenseth counts for six of those. The manufacturer is so good, they are actually leading the Manufacturer’s Championship point standings right now. Said championship has been won by Chevrolet every year since 2002. Jason Ratcliff has also made a name for himself as one of the best crew chiefs in the game, with the team having won three races in the last two seasons due partially to key strategy calls by Ratcliff.

Cons

Kenseth is actually having his worst season since 2009 as far as average finishes go. His four top fives this season are tied for third worst among Chase drivers. He has struggled in the past month, with only two top 10s since finishing second at Indianapolis. His ongoing feud with Team Penske has shown no signs of stopping. Finally, his two wins this season haven’t been that impressive. Kenseth won Dover after an 18 car accident took out a lot of good cars in the last 50 laps, and he held on by beating two drivers who, at the time, hadn’t won Cup races before. Loudon was won after passing Martin Truex Jr., who has a history of throwing away races, and only led a total of 76 of 700 total laps in the two victories.

Overall

Kenseth could very well make a comeback in the Chase- a great crew chief and great equipment could allow that. But will he make a comeback in the Chase? He just hasn’t shown signs of doing that just yet.
1. Jimmie Johnson
This season Jimmie Johnson did something most figured he’d do, but that makes the accomplishment no less impressive.

Johnson started off early and won Atlanta, his 76th Sprint Cup win, tying with Dale Earnhardt Sr. on the all-time wins list. Just three weeks later, Johnson won at Auto Club to break the tie.

Not counting a technically retired Jeff Gordon or a soon-to-be retired Tony Stewart, Johnson’s 77 career wins are more than double any other active driver. No other driver in history has won six or more championships in 14 full-time seasons. Not counting either Gordon or Stewart, no other active driver even has multiple championships. In 12 of those 14 seasons, Johnson finished top five in points, something no other driver has done in history.

Suffice it to say, Jimmie Johnson is going to be first-ballot Hall of Famer. And just remember that Johnson runs marathons in his off time and is turning only 41 next week. There are probably 10-15 more years of Johnson in this sport if he can keep up the pace. Unlike with Gordon, where generally only hardcore fans thought he’d get to win 100 (He has 93), it’s very possible Johnson could break the triple digit mark before his 50th birthday. And remember, this is against some of the toughest competition, year-to-year, there has ever been in racing. He’s always going to be a threat for the championship.

Pros

It’s Jimmie Johnson. Do I really need to write anything here that hasn’t already been written a hundred times before by more talented writers? Best crew chief in the game, Johnson has won everywhere, has handled more pressure over his career than once thought humanly possible, blah blah blah.

Cons

If there is ever a season to bet against Johnson going into the Chase, it’s this one. Usually, the No. 48 team obviously spends late summer testing things out and can suffer from performance problems because of it right before the Chase. But unlike most seasons, this year all of Hendrick has struggled in the summer, losing ground to Team Penske and even more ground to the Toyota teams. Johnson himself has one top five and three top 10s since Charlotte in May, worse than pedestrian numbers for “Superman.”

Overall

If Jimmie Johnson wins the Sprint Cup championship this season, he will probably go down as the greatest driver of all time. Maybe this long summer lull has all been Chad Knaus’ plan for this season. But I doubt the plan involved all of Hendrick running poorly. It’s just not looking like 2016 will be the year “Six-time” turns into “Seven-time.”
1. Martin Truex Jr.
I wrote an article last year after Furniture Row Racing announced they were switching to Toyota. While it was pretty obvious the switch from RCR customer to funded Toyota team would work, I thought year one would have the team take a step back before taking two steps forward in 2017.

Well, suffice it to say, that was wrong.

Martin Truex Jr.’s return to Toyota has been even more successful than when he left. He dominated and won the Coca-Cola 600, the most dominant win in the history of NASCAR, and beat Kevin Harvick in a late race duel in the Southern 500. Truex came a hair away from winning the Daytona 500 in February as well, which would have marked only the third time in the history of racing that a driver won all three in one year.

Now, “Big Time Truex” enters the Chase as a favorite to win the championship, just one year after making it to the final four and finishing the night fourth in points.

Pros

In 2014, Truex joined Furniture Row and struggled, leading only one lap. In 2015, Truex improved to 567 laps led. In 2016, Truex has been even better, leading 1,234 laps. That’s only 10 off of Kyle Busch’s series-best of 1,244. The No. 78 is at its best on 1.5 mile tracks, a track type common in the Chase; this season they have a worst finish of just 11th and a win at Charlotte. As outlined above, Truex is at his best when the lights are the brightest.

Cons

Using career stats, Truex had led 957 laps per win before Charlotte, far and away the lowest of any multiple win driver in history. Even now, his mark at 738.2 laps led per victory is still the worst of any other multiple win driver in history, by 100 laps. Truex has a reputation of having terrible luck, leading 100 or more laps at five races this season and he only won one of them. The team’s close alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing hasn’t been an issue at all yet, but they haven’t competed for a championship yet. The question of if JGR will be able to help provide Furniture Row the tools to win a championship that they are also competing for, should be asked.

Overall

Martin Truex Jr. enters the Chase as a favorite, and rightfully so. There’s no reason for the New Jersey driver not to be hoisting the championship at the end of the season. If they aren’t, it’s going to be either the usual case of bad luck at a bad time or it’s all going to be on this team. They might not even be able to recover from it for a year or two if there is a close championship loss, quite frankly.
1. Carl Edwards
From a marketing standpoint, is there a more perfect driver than Carl Edwards?

The 37 year old Missourian driver has charisma that can appeal to the working man in the stands and, at the same time, to the board room full of Mercedes driving businessmen. He’s in prime athletic shape and can be pointed to by the sport as evidence that drivers are athletes. Most importantly, he can name drop sponsors in interviews without it sounding forced.

But don’t think Carl Edwards doesn’t care about racing.

If Edwards really wanted to, he could have stayed with Roush Fenway Racing for the next 10 years and never won a championship. He’d be the face of the Ford brand and live comfortably, if a little less successfully, for the rest of his life. Then he could have retired and become the next Jeff Burton, a great analyst who never got to hoist the Cup and may now be looking back and wondering “What If?” at points in his career.

But Edwards isn’t planning and wondering that in retirement. He came to Joe Gibbs Racing to win championships, not to guest host daytime TV shows. Edwards has shown a lot of promise in that regard, having won four races in the last two years and almost made the final four last year at Homestead. He enters the Chase in a position somewhat similar to Cam Newton in the Super Bowl last season. Both were and are marketer’s dreams and their abilities have hinted for a long time that they could be the next face of their respective sports. Now Edwards needs to do what Newton didn’t do and become the face of the sport by winning a championship.

Pros

Edwards enters the Chase with an average finish of 12.7, his best since tying for the championship in 2011. He and crew chief Dave Rogers seem to have clicked this year after being paired in the off-season, with Edwards already having the same amount of wins, top fives, and top 10s as he did all of last year. Finally, “Cousin Carl” has been stout on Fridays this year- his average start of seventh is second only to Denny Hamlin. Pit box selection is still a huge factor in how great pit stops will be on Sunday, so a good qualifier always has a good advantage.

Cons

Edwards hasn’t shown a lot of speed on 1.5 mile tracks, a track type that makes up half of the Chase schedule. He finished second at Kentucky, but that was with a lower downforce aero package that won’t be used during the Chase. Edwards has never really been a big winner either; he won the Coca-Cola 600 last year on fuel strategy and won the Southern 500 that year only after a fast pit stop. Before Bristol this spring, where he led over half the race and won, Edwards hadn’t led more than 100 laps in a race since 2013.

Overall

Edwards will be a threat to win the championship and will probably make it to Homestead. The question will be, can he survive the pressure? He did in 2011, finishing second in a race isn’t a meltdown, but he still lost the championship. The Chase is much more pressure filled since the switch in format a couple of years ago.
September 16, 2016
The 2016 Chase For The Sprint Cup, Seeds 16-13

16. Jamie McMurray

A few years ago, one of the biggest problems with Chip Ganassi Racing was reliability. In 2012 for example, Juan Pablo Montoya and McMurray combined for only 30 lead lap finishes. In 2010 the duo won four races including the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 but both combined for 11 DNFs. In both years, neither driver made it to the Chase.

Fast forward a few years and a driver change. Both cars are making the Chase field even though McMurray hasn’t won since 2013 and Kyle Larson has only won one race. For McMurray, consistency was key and he was the final driver who made the Chase on that strength.

Pros

McMurray hasn’t had a lot of raw firepower- just one top five and nine top 10s are the worst in the Chase save for Chris Buescher. What he has had, however, has been consistency. Only five times has McMurray finished outside of the top 20, he has 19 lead lap finishes out of 26 starts, and his lone DNF was in a multi-car wreck at Daytona. He has also gained a lot of momentum recently, getting four top 10s in the past five races. A quiet ride to Homestead like Ryan Newman in 2014 or Jeff Gordon (before his win at Martinsville) last year could very well be in the cards.

Cons

But the Chase favors that raw firepower the No. 1 team just doesn’t have right now. Sure, Newman came one spot away from winning the championship without winning a race before Homestead, but he was flat-out more consistent than McMurray before the Chase. The Chase also has five 1.5 milers, a track type where McMurray has had one top 10 this season, at a track that isn’t in the Chase (Kentucky). Finally, he’s the only driver in the Chase that hasn’t led a single lap all season.

Overall

McMurray has momentum coming in and could very easily ride that to round two, then maybe get a surprise win at Talladega (Historically strong track for him and the site of his lone top five this year) to make it to round three. After that? I’m just not seeing him making it to Homestead. He was unimpressive at both Phoenix and Texas earlier this season while finishing outside of the top 20 at Martinsville.

15. Austin Dillon

Austin Dillon entered this season needing to improve. He had looked rather unimpressive in his rookie season in 2014 outside of winning the Daytona 500 pole and had regressed in 2015 with a much worse average finish. Then this year rolled around.

Dillon had four top 10s in the first six races of the season and finished that stretch seventh in points, compare that to 21st in the final 2015 point standings. By comparison, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also started the season off strong and was 11th in points after the third race of the season. But unlike Stenhouse, Dillon rode the wave of momentum well enough to make his first Chase.

Pros

As Richard Childress Racing’s lone hope in the Chase, no doubt Dillon will have even more of the team’s resources at his disposal. Dillon has also shown variation, having good runs on 1.5 milers, superspeedways, and short tracks. Finally, Dillon has a certain swagger about him not a lot of other young drivers carry. He’s used to having it his way, and sometimes that’s a good thing…

Cons

… And sometimes that’s a bad thing. Although he hasn’t had problems recently with his team, he has been known at times to get heated with crew chief “Slugger” Labbe over the radio this season. Dillon has also had consistency problems at times, never stringing together more than two top tens in a row this season. Like McMurray, the No. 3 Chevrolet also just hasn’t had the firepower other teams have had this season. That’s expected, however- the top RCR teams the last few years lack in wins but made up for it by being reliable.

Overall

Dillon is a noted Carolina Panthers fan. So using that, I’m going to say that his season so far has been like the 2014 Carolina Panthers; a losing team that ended up making the playoffs. His team is loaded with potential and has the chance to be as great as the 2015 Carolina Panthers someday, but they just aren’t there yet. Sure, he could make it past a round in the playoffs like the Panthers did that year but the moment he’s going up against a legitimate championship contender for a spot, he’s probably not winning. It’s more important instead that he builds on this season regardless of the result and has a good five years instead of an okay one.

14. Chase Elliott

No driver has entered their maiden season in the Sprint Cup Series with more pressure to perform than Chase Elliott. Sure, Kyle Petty and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had Hall of Fame dads to live up to. But they didn’t have to replace another Hall of Famer and a top-five driver in just about everybody’s all-time list. On the flip side, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick started their Sprint Cup careers off taking the wheel from a legendary driver. But neither had Bill Elliott as a father as well.

So far, Chase has done a pretty decent job. No wins but tenth in the regular season points before the Chase seeding and arguably has been the most consistent Hendrick driver this season. He also has a better average finish and more top tens than Jeff Gordon had in his own rookie season, which had to be a goal set forward by the team before this season.

Pros

Chase has come close to winning a couple of times this season and has shown he can compete for wins. That already makes him a better choice to make the final four than the other three drivers profiled in this article. Elliott also had strong top ten runs at six Chase tracks earlier this season- Kansas, Phoenix, Texas, Dover, Talladega, and Charlotte.

Cons

Elliott just hasn’t broken out yet and gotten that first Sprint Cup win. Dillon hasn’t either, but Dillon has confidence in his abilities. Elliott doesn’t, as seen in his now infamously somber post-race interviews of blaming himself for not winning. A win would offset a lot of that- a successful, championship contending driver is also a confident driver. Hendrick Motorsports as a whole has been down this year, and although Chase has some momentum heading into the Chase, his team is largely still behind the Larsons and Toyotas of the world. Finally, to be honest, I’m not that sold on Alan Gustafson being Elliott’s crew chief of the future. He’s had two seasons where he was a top five crew chief- 2009 with Mark Martin and 2014 with Jeff Gordon- and he also had some good seasons with Kyle Busch early on, but his teams have been pretty mediocre otherwise. He also isn’t getting younger in crew chief years- most retire around year ten and he’s in his 12^th season.

Overall

It’s remarkable just how much a natural Elliott is at driving a Sprint Cup car. He jumped into this car after just a handful of starts last year and after Richmond is higher in points than Gordon was after Richmond last season. But I don’t think he has the poise and the seasoning just yet to make it to Homestead like Gordon did last year.

13. Chris Buescher

Two months ago, nobody in a million years would have picked Chris Buescher to make the Chase, but here we are. Buesche and Elliott are the only two rookies in the Chase and are the first to be so since Denny Hamlin in 2006.

When the current Chase rules were announced in 2014, some feared that a driver would get a fluke victory and make the Chase that way. Not to throw shade at Buescher, but honestly, he is kind of the first driver to make it in like that.

Pros

Honestly, the only real pro that Buescher has right now is he’s playing with house money. Nobody, probably not even himself, thought he’d be in the Chase before this season. He’s going to be the ultimate gambler in the Chase because that’s probably the only way his underpowered and understaffed team is going to advance.

Cons

Outside of laps led, laps completed, and total starts, Chris Buescher has the lowest totals in all relevant stat categories heading into the Chase.

Overall

There’s always a possibility that Buescher can win a surprise race again and make it to round two, win a wildcard plate race at Talladega to make it to round three, then five cars get hit by lightning three weeks in a row and Buescher makes the final four at Homestead. There’s also always a possibility somebody could win the lottery after buying one ticket. Let’s be honest- barring anything I mentioned above actually happening, there’s very little chance Buescher will make it out of Dover still in the Chase. But just making the Chase, to begin with, might as well be a championship for his small Front Row Motorsports team.

September 12, 2016
Four Gears: Chris Buescher, crew chief swaps, road courses and ‘ringers’

Time to cycle through the transmission for this week’s edition of Four Gears.

This week, our staff takes a look at some of the hot topics in the world of NASCAR. We discuss Chris Buescher getting into the Chase, ponder if Hendrick Motorsports should make some crew chief swaps, move a road course into the Chase and wonder if the bygone days of the “road course ringers” are a good thing or a bad thing for NASCAR.

FIRST GEAR: Chris Buescher enters this weekend six points behind 30th in points. After his shocking win at Pocono, can the driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford get into the top 30 and steal a spot in the 2016 Chase?

On the one hand, I want to lean towards no because their performance has been no better than a 27.8 average finish. On the other hand, given Chris Buescher’s relationship with Jack Roush, perhaps Roush Fenway Racing and the folks at Ford Performance might step in to ensure that he makes the Chase. I think, for this week, the jury is out. — Tucker White

Absolutely. Chris Buescher is the most underrated rookie in the Sprint Cup Series right now, and although he hasn’t had the results that Ryan Blaney or Chase Elliott has he’s made the most of his Front Row Motorsports equipment. He’s good on his equipment as well as with his equipment, and keep in mind he’s no slouch on road courses, having won at Mid-Ohio in 2014. — Joseph Shelton

If Roush is going to be providing more support to the team after that win, they should be in the top 30 by a comfortable margin. — Michael Finley

SECOND GEAR: Paul Menard has had a down year in general, but Richard Childress Racing changed his crew chief last week and Menard responded by being fast all weekend. Save for a third at Indianapolis due to a late charge by Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports has struggled ever since Sonoma. With Darian Grubb waiting in the wings at HMS, should Hendrick hit the panic button and make some crew chief changes or should any possible changes wait until the end of the year?

I think it worked at Richard Childress Racing because they’ve been up on performance this year. Hendrick Motorsports is just down right now. Regardless of whatever is plaguing HMS all of a sudden this season, I have my doubts that swapping crew chiefs mid-season will make that much of a difference. — Tucker White

Maybe making the changes at year’s end would be the best, and it’ll have to be something more than Crew Chiefs. Maybe some key faculty changes as well. HMS also had a down year in 2000, winning only four races, but after making appropriate changes they took home the 2001 championship. Following what they did all those years ago could help. — Joseph Shelton

Yes, they should reunite Greg Ives with Chase Elliott and Alan Gustafson with Jeff Gordon, then replace Keith Rodden with Grubb for Kahne. It’s obvious the 5 team needs a shake-up, and Ives worked so well with Elliott in the XFINITY Series they would be better together. — Michael Finley

THIRD GEAR: Entering Watkins Glen weekend, the track president has projected a record crowd for a race that has arguably put on some of the best races of the past few years. Should NASCAR move this race into the Chase or is it better not to mess with perfection?

I’ve been pushing for a road course in the Chase for years. I know we only run it two times a year, but if Talladega can be in the Chase, which isn’t my way of saying it shouldn’t be in the Chase, there’s no reason we can’t have a road course in the Chase. — Tucker White

A thousand times yes. Road course racing defines the true spirit of NASCAR, and Watkins Glen never fails to put on an excellent show. It should be in the Chase as well. We try to determine the season champion by using the Chase; NASCAR should recognize that an over-saturation of cookie cutter racetracks isn’t an accurate way to determine a champion. Add a road course! — Joseph Shelton

It should be moved to between Bristol and Darlington so that the regular season ends on a strong note with four really good racetracks. — Michael Finley

FOURTH GEAR: With only one road course “ringer” in the field this week (Boris Said in the No. 32 Ford), it seems the days of road course specialists are at best numbered. Is this good or bad for the sport?

Perhaps I’m not the best to speak on this because I came into this sport long after the days when the series regulars started to out-perform the road course “ringers,” but I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing for NASCAR because I believe it truly speaks to the talent of the drivers in NASCAR. It shows they’re capable of more than just turning left for three hours. They can also drive the cars left and right on road courses with muscle and technique. These are traits of a true road course racer and it speaks volumes on just how great the drivers in this sport are. — Tucker White

I loved the days of road course ringers, especially Boris Said. But now that the days of road ringers are about gone, it is good for the sport. Those guys who make the field week in and week out, are the focus of the sport and the focus should be on them and their talent on the track, no matter if the track is a road course or a short track. — Joseph Shelton

It’s a bad thing because the ringers ensured there would be some different guys near the front rather than the same old, same old. It created a variety that wasn’t available at other tracks and made both road course races more special — Michael Finley

Please join us again next week and become a part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comment section below.

August 5, 2016
Finley Factor: Making The Chase Better

After a couple of seasons under this current Chase format for the Sprint Cup Series, it’s hard not to call it a success.

The 2014 season had Kevin Harvick, the fastest driver for most of the year who was hampered early on by growing pains from his new team, win the championship by beating winless Ryan Newman at Homestead in a thrilling finish. The following year featured Kyle Busch having the greatest comeback in the history of racing by winning four races in the summer after missing the first 11 races of the year before winning the championship by winning at Homestead.

Has it brought excitement to the championship race? Absolutely. Has it brought excitement to the battle to get into the Chase? Not really.

It can be easy to make it into the Chase. Last season Paul Menard won no races and sat 15th in points following Richmond. He ended up making the Chase. In 2014, Kurt Busch won at Martinsville and struggled to 20th in points after Richmond. Aric Almirola won a race shortened by rain and was 22nd in points after Richmond. A.J. Allmendinger won a race at Watkins Glen but only had four top 10s in the regular season and was 23rd in points after Richmond. Not only were all three locked into the Chase just by starting at Richmond, all three were also eliminated a few races later at Dover.

If it becomes this easy to make the playoffs, the regular season will become pretty useless. College basketball ratings are pretty bad in the regular season where many of the big teams are simply fighting for a better seeding instead of just getting into the playoffs. No matter how much hype from television or NASCAR, it’s hard to get that excited about Kurt Busch winning a race a few weeks ago and “locking his Chase spot” (Not really, but whatever) when he sat second in points after the race regardless. Right now Ryan Blaney would be in the Chase in spite of averaging only a 16.7 average finish and sitting 16th in points.

But at least Chase seeding means something, right? No. If the Chase started tomorrow, points leader Kevin Harvick would have just as many points as 13th place, Denny Hamlin. Hamlin may have won Daytona but he has had a bad season otherwise and shouldn’t be tied with the points leader in seeding. With seeding based entirely on wins, points don’t matter that much.

And even with it being based on wins, it’s only three points per win. That’s a measly three positions on the racetrack. NASCAR doesn’t even advertise this; some prominent members of the media at Richmond last year didn’t even know if this was the case until clarifying with a NASCAR official. Even though this point system supposedly rewards winning, in reality, winning can be very overrated and unneeded.

So, how do we make this better? Well, there is no reason to change the fundamentals of the Chase. Four rounds, three races per round, win and in the next round, etc. The base system shouldn’t change for a long time, after 10 years of all of these different point systems it would just devalue the championship. I didn’t want to touch on the track because that would turn this little article into a book, and the final round of four at Homestead should stay exactly the way it is. But, regardless, here are just two little changes the Chase should have:

1. Cut the Chase field down to 13 cars

There are too many drivers making the Chase. Considering only the top 30 in points can make the playoffs, NASCAR puts more people in its playoffs than any professional sport outside of the NBA.

At the same time, it’s important to not cut teams/drivers that still have a shot at winning the championship. College football is a great example to point at for this, many great teams around the country finishing fifth-seventh in the polls every year and missing out on the four-team playoff picture.

Thirteen teams are a good number because you wouldn’t have to change the round-by-round elimination method much (Simply eliminate three per round instead of four) and the Chase field isn’t watered down but still has just about all of the viable championship contenders. There would be plenty of complaining from teams on this because making the Chase is a huge bonus for sponsors and money, but this would also, in theory make the remaining Chase spots more valuable.

How does this Chase field break down? The top 10 drivers by wins (With points being a tiebreaker) and the top three in points following Richmond that are not already in the Chase field. Using this method in 2014 would knock out Kurt Busch, Almirola, and Allmendinger. In 2015, Menard, Clint Bowyer, and Jeff Gordon would not be in the Chase. Yes, this means Gordon would not have had his final-four run in the last year of his career, but it should be remembered that Gordon had a bad regular season last year. Only 13 top 10s, three top fives, and no wins shouldn’t equal a comfortable cushion into the Chase.

Oh, and if this were to happen, the difference in making the Chase would have been one point instead of 17 last year.

2. Make Points Matter In Seeding, Make Wins Matter Even More

Point position should definitely have a say in the first, second, and third round of the Chase for those who advance. My system calls for five point increments per position. The easiest way to make that happen is to only have the end of round/regular season points relative to those who advance.

For example, right now Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin, and Kasey Kahne are 12th, 13th, and 17th in points respectively. Let’s say Dillon and Kahne qualify for the Chase but Hamlin does not. Kahne would be given the same amount of bonus points for round one as Hamlin would if the roles were reversed. They would both be five points behind Dillon and seeded 13th in the Chase.

With that in mind, here would be how the first round of the Chase would begin before applying win bonuses:

1st- 2060
2nd- 2055
3rd- 2050
4th- 2045
5th- 2040
6th- 2035
7th- 2030
8th- 2025
9th- 2020
10th- 2015
11th- 2010
12th- 2005
13th- 2000

Now, as far as win bonuses go, wins would simply be worth ten points per round. Doing the math here is what the 2015 Chase Field for Round 1 would have looked like:

1st- Joey Logano: 2085
2nd- Kevin Harvick: 2080
2nd- Jimmie Johnson: 2080
4th- Matt Kenseth: 2075
5th- Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 2070
6th- Brad Keselowski: 2055
7th- Kurt Busch: 2040
7th- Martin Truex Jr.: 2040
7th- Kyle Busch: 2040
10th- Denny Hamlin: 2035
11th- Carl Edwards: 2030
12th- Jamie McMurray: 2015
13th- Ryan Newman: 2005

Some feel that the Chase needs to have a bye for the points leader for the first round. If we look at the 2015 grid here, there wouldn’t be a need for one. Kevin Harvick, the regular season points leader, would have a 50 point advantage over Carl Edwards, the first driver in danger of being eliminated.

This wouldn’t just apply for the first round of the Chase, this would apply to every round except for the Championship round. By using the previous round’s point standings, it ensures that a driver doesn’t just win the first race in the first two rounds and rides around in the next two races with nothing to race for.

This wouldn’t be a new system for NASCAR to use to crown its champion, it would simply be an improvement to a perfectly fine system as it is. Personally, I’ll always prefer a 36 race championship with no Chase, but we’re never going to get that. Especially with just how exciting it has made the battle for the championship the last two years, artificially or not.

June 21, 2016
Is NASCAR Sending Mixed Signals?

As the Chase for the Championship heats up, sparks continue to fly on the race track with aggressive driving and questionable tactics.

Events began to escalate two weeks ago at Kansas Speedway Joey Logano bumped race leader Matt Kenseth spinning him out of the way to claim the win, an incident that directly contributed to Kenseth’s elimination from the Chase. Logano deemed it “good, hard racing,” and insisted that he didn’t intentionally wreck Kenseth.

Kenseth had a different point of view and said that he was “really disappointed,” in Logano’s actions on the track, adding “That’s not the way I race people no matter what the stakes are.”

NASCAR chairman Brian France discussed the contact between the two drivers on SiriusXM Radio’s NASCAR channel the following Monday.

“That’s quintessential NASCAR,” France said. He went on to explain his position stating, “Late in the race, I think that’s a great example of everybody doing probably exactly what they should be doing. You had Matt Kenseth trying to block and hold his position. He had a faster car behind him, and when you block, you risk that somebody is going to be in that position and there was contact.”

France went on to say that Logano “made a very smart decision in what he did because not only did he try to win the race, which he said he wanted to do and obviously he did, but the idea to, late in that race, to have an opportunity to put one of the top teams on the outside looking into the next round in Matt Kenseth, (who) has run so well, that’s a smart thing to do.”

“You have to give them a lot of credit,” Franc continued. “This is the strategy that we all thought was going to be different when you have this kind of format. But it does reward aggressive racing at the end of the day.”

The message seems clear; aggressive driving is not only expected but encouraged in the Chase format. It also begs the question of where is the line drawn?

Last week at Talladega Superspeedway, controversy arose again when it appeared that Kevin Harvick intentionally caused a wreck at the end of the race to freeze the field and lock in his points, ensuring his inclusion into the next round of the Chase.

Harvick denied the allegations and after a review of the race, NASCAR stated that they had “completed the review of any other potential penalties from the track (Talladega) this past weekend and there will be no further actions.”

NASCAR’s decision and Harvick’s assertion of innocence were met with skepticism by many after viewing video footage from his in-car camera that show him turn his steering wheel to the right as he clips driver Trevor Bayne’s car, causing the accident. Harvick, who had a failing engine, maintains that he did not see Bayne and was attempting to get out of the way.

Again, the message seems clear as drivers do what they must, to compete for wins and the championship with no repercussions from NASCAR. But Kenseth may have crossed the line Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.

Kenseth was competitive at the short track Sunday, but his day turned sour after he sustained significant damage to his car after contact with Brad Keselowski on Lap 434. Twenty laps later, Logano’s day effectively ended when Kenseth hit Logano, turning him into the wall. Logano ended the race in 37th place and is now in eighth place in the Chase, 28 points behind the leader. NASCAR parked Kenseth for the remainder of the race.

While he didn’t admit to purposely wrecking Logano, Kenseth’s comments imply that he felt it was important for him to respond to the events of the last few races.

“You never like to be in these situations,” Kenseth said. “They really stink, to be honest with you, but sometimes you get put in these spots, and you’ve got to try to keep respect in the garage area. You can’t get yourself ran over.

“You can’t get in the Chase next year and get ran over for the same reason. Like I said, hate the way it ended. Wish we were out there celebrating or having a shot for the win like we did before we got wrecked, so a disappointing day.”

Did Logano intend to wreck Kenseth at Kansas or simply move him out of the way? Logano is the only one who can answer that question. Harvick’s actions at Talladega may seem questionable, but it is difficult to ascertain his motives with any certainty. If you consider the first two instances, should Kenseth also get the benefit of the doubt for the contact with Logano at Martinsville?

After listening to executive vice president Steve O’Donnell’s comments after the race, it is likely that Kenseth may face penalties from NASCAR.

“I think in the case with Matt,“ O’Donnell said, “we were certainly disappointed with what took place tonight on the racetrack. We had a conversation with both Matt, crew chief, Joe Gibbs. Like we always do, there’s still a lot to digest from what happened tonight. We’ll do that. We’ll have some additional conversations and probably come out with something, if there is anything to discuss, on Tuesday”.

Whether you believe the wreck was intentional or not, there is no definitive proof to back up either claim or to establish intent. But Kenseth, who is no longer in contention for the Chase, may have committed the one mistake that NASCAR won’t ignore; taking out someone contending for the championship. If NASCAR penalizes Kenseth, are they establishing two sets of rules – one for Chasers and one for non-Chasers? Or were Kenseth’s actions simply too blatant to ignore?

Given the atmosphere of aggressiveness that NASCAR has fostered, Kenseth may have felt he had no choice but to respond in kind.

November 2, 2015
Talladega Clinch Scenarios by the Numbers

Let’s be honest. Trying to predict which eight drivers will make it through the characteristic chaos of Talladega Superspeedway to advance to the Eliminator Round of the Chase is next to impossible. With only 25 points separating the top eight contenders and the looming likelihood of the almost inevitable “big one,” the only thing certain is that no one is safe – except Joey Logano.

After winning the first two races of the Contender Round, Logano is the only driver guaranteed to advance to the next round. Second place driver, Denny Hamlin, is only 13 points behind Logano. While that would seemingly make him a safe bet to move forward in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Talladega has a way of shaking things up.

Just ask Kyle Busch who arrived at Talladega last year with a 26-point cushion and only had to finish in the 24th position to advance. Busch, however, was caught up in a wreck and finished 40th, missing the cutoff by seven points.

With that said, as the numbers stand, this is what each driver in the Contender Round must do to capture a top-eight spot and lock into the Eliminator Round. Please keep in mind that these numbers are only a starting point, subject to the twists and turns of Talladega restrictor plate racing.

Denny Hamlin: 14th and no laps led; 15th and at least one lap led; 16th and most laps led

Kurt Busch: Eighth and no laps led; ninth and at least one lap led; 10th and most laps led

Carl Edwards: Seventh and no laps led; eighth and at least one lap led; ninth and most laps led

Kevin Harvick: Third and no laps led; fourth with a lap led

Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski: Second or better; third and at least one lap led; fourth and most laps led

Martin Truex Jr.: Second and no laps led; third and most laps led

Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth: Only a win guarantees advancement to the Eliminator Round.

Notes:

1) Dale Earnhardt Jr. has the top driver rating (92.8) at Talladega and is tied with Jeff Gordon for most wins of active drivers with six victories. He has two restrictor plate victories this season, Talladega in May and the July race at Daytona. If he wins Sunday, he will be the first driver to have three plate wins in a single season since his father did so in 1990.

2) NASCAR announced this week that they will reduce the number of attempts at a green-white-checkered finish, from three to one.

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, explained the reason for the change, stating, “In the event the race goes beyond the advertised distance due to a caution, we will use a single attempt at a green-white-checker finish. We take very seriously the responsibility of balancing exciting finishes and safety. We’re confident that this is a positive direction for both.”

The CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will be televised this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Tune in as 12 become 8 in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

October 23, 2015
Fuel Shortage Puts Harvick in Dire Straits, Kenseth in Victory Lane

Reid Spencer

LOUDON, N.H. – Kevin Harvick clarified his championship status on Sunday—but not the way he had planned.

After dominating the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for most of the afternoon, Harvick ran out of fuel while leading on Lap 298 of 300, handing the top spot and the victory to Matt Kenseth, who joined teammate Denny Hamlin as an automatic qualifier for the Contender Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Despite leading 216 laps on Sunday, Harvick, the defending series champion, heads to next Sunday’s Chase race at Dover almost certainly needing a victory at a track where he has never won in order to escape the Challenger Round of the Chase and keep his title hopes alive.

Kenseth, who came to pit road for fuel and tires on Lap 239, triumphed for the fifth time this season (tops in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series), for the second time at the Magic Mile and for the 36th time in his career. He finished 8.941 seconds ahead of Hamlin, who nursed his car to a runner-up finish despite a late-race issue with the right front wheel.

“It feels great to win here–a lot of great race fans here at New Hampshire,” Kenseth said. “We had a great car today – Kevin definitely had the field covered and (Kenseth’s crew chief) Jason (Ratcliff) did a great job on pit strategy there, and those new tires paid off better than we thought to get up through the field.

“And I was able to keep the pressure on enough and he came up a little short.”

The victory was the 13th of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing, which has won 10 of the last 13 Sprint Cup events.

Joey Logano ran third, followed by Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr. The only non-Chase driver of that group, Biffle posted his third top-five result of the season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a consistent top-10 car all afternoon, until he, too, ran short of fuel with two laps left and finished 25th. Earnhardt goes to Dover with no margin for error. He’s 12th in the standings, the final position that will survive elimination next Sunday, and just one point ahead of both Kyle Busch and Paul Menard.

Busch blew a right front tire on Sunday, pounded the Turn 3 wall on Lap 159 and was credited with a 37th-place finish.

Harvick, who finished 21st and declined comment after the race, came to pit road for the last time on Lap 212 and couldn’t squeeze the last 88 laps at the 1.058-mile track out of his fuel cell. Restarting third on Lap 243 after the ninth and final caution (for Justin Allgaier’s wreck in Turn 3), Harvick passed Biffle for the lead on Lap 252.

Twenty laps later, Kenseth got past Hamlin for second and tried to pressure Harvick, who left Loudon in 15th place, 23 points behind Earnhardt in 12th.

“Jason kept saying he (Harvick) was low on fuel, but you never know unless they really run out,” Kenseth said. “I was trying to run hard, but I was trying to save a little bit. I got racing Denny pretty hard, and I wanted to save the tires a little bit, but I also know I needed to get by him to pressure the 4 (Harvick).

“That was as hard as I could run. I was planning on running up there and trying to pass him. I just couldn’t get there. Kind of resigned to finish second with about four or five (laps) to go there. I couldn’t get much closer, and he ran out with a couple to go.”

Second to Kenseth in the standings, six points out of the Chase lead, Hamlin also acknowledged JGR’s good fortune on Sunday.

“Really, I don’t feel like we were dominant today by any means,” Hamlin said. “Yeah, our cars finished 1-2, but I’m not sure that we had 1-2 cars most of the day.

“So I think we’ve been very fortunate with some strategies and things that we’ve played that’s worked out in our favor. You’ve got to just keep working. That’s the only way you can stay on top is to not rest.”

Notes: At 2:19 p.m. ET, Jeff Gordon took the green flag at New Hampshire and started his 789th consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, breaking the Iron Man record he shared for a week with Ricky Rudd. … Modified star Ryan Preece finished 32nd in his Sprint Cup debut.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – Sylvania 300
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, New Hampshire
Sunday, September 27, 2015

1. (13) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 300, $257276.

               2. (7) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 300, $189525.

               3. (8) Joey Logano, Ford, 300, $173483.

               4. (25) Greg Biffle, Ford, 300, $157383.

               5. (1) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 300, $123850.

               6. (5) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 300, $147876.

               7. (10) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 300, $142151.

               8. (21) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 300, $121210.

               9. (12) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 300, $107365.

               10. (9) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 300, $125190.

               11. (27) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 300, $125129.

               12. (4) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 300, $135781.

               13. (14) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 300, $97840.

               14. (23) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 300, $118606.

               15. (20) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 300, $95915.

               16. (33) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 300, $128365.

               17. (6) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 300, $114623.

               18. (19) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 300, $112553.

               19. (3) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 299, $102090.

               20. (29) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 299, $112735.

               21. (2) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 299, $143165.

               22. (16) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 299, $122226.

               23. (30) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 299, $115823.

               24. (28) Cole Whitt, Ford, 299, $98923.

               25. (11) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 299, $100665.

               26. (26) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 299, $118423.

               27. (31) Brett Moffitt #, Ford, 298, $85415.

               28. (34) David Gilliland, Ford, 297, $103273.

               29. (38) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 297, $83340.

               30. (35) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 297, $93637.

               31. (40) Josh Wise, Toyota, 297, $79890.

               32. (37) Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, 296, $79615.

               33. (41) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, 295, $79390.

               34. (39) BJ McLeod(i), Chevrolet, 293, $79190.

               35. (42) Jeffrey Earnhardt(i), Ford, 292, $78990.

               36. (43) Timmy Hill(i), Ford, 284, $78760.

               37. (17) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 262, $123533.

               38. (32) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 242, $73727.

               39. (24) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, Accident, 236, $77655.

               40. (22) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, Accident, 203, $73655.

               41. (18) David Ragan, Toyota, Accident, 203, $88869.

               42. (36) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Accident, 117, $57655.

               43. (15) Aric Almirola, Ford, Accident, 35, $91091.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 106.48 mph.
Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 58 Mins, 51 Secs. Margin of Victory: 8.941 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 9 for 41 laps.
Lead Changes: 16 among 7 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   C. Edwards 1-19; K. Harvick 20-37; B. Keselowski 38; C. Whitt 39; K. Harvick 40-120; B. Keselowski 121; K. Harvick 122-159; B. Keselowski 160; K. Harvick 161-192; B. Keselowski 193; M. Kenseth 194-210; K. Harvick 211; M. Kenseth 212-218; D. Hamlin 219-239; G. Biffle 240-251; K. Harvick 252-297; M. Kenseth 298-300.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Harvick 6 times for 216 laps; M. Kenseth 3 times for 27 laps; D. Hamlin 1 time for 21 laps; C. Edwards 1 time for 19 laps; G. Biffle 1 time for 12 laps; B. Keselowski 4 times for 4 laps; C. Whitt 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 16 in Points: M. Kenseth – 2,099; D. Hamlin – 2,093; C. Edwards – 2,089; J. Logano – 2,089; J. Johnson – 2,083; R. Newman – 2,074; Kurt Busch – 2,073; B. Keselowski – 2,072; M. Truex Jr. – 2,071; J. Gordon – 2,068; J. Mcmurray – 2,058; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 2,057; Kyle Busch – 2,056; P. Menard – 2,056; K. Harvick – 2,034; C. Bowyer – 2,018.

September 27, 2015
Edwards, Not Busch, is Chase Field’s ‘Lucky Dog’

The 2015 Chase for the Sprint Cup field is solidifying fast, with only six spots remaining for those drivers who haven’t notched a win, and only six weeks left for them to do so.

As winless drivers struggle for a victory to secure a spot in the Chase, Kyle Busch’s comeback creep to the Top 30 continues. What seemed like a long shot at best nine races ago has now become a seemingly inevitable prospect.

Upon return to Cup competition, Busch’s underdog status could have almost been consigned to irrelevancy. Heading into Sonoma, Busch was winless and 173 points behind 30th place in the standings, the cutoff for Chase-eligible drivers with wins. To address that issue, he snagged a win at Sonoma (and then three more) all while slashing any “insurmountable” points gap to 30th.

In just five races, a gap of 173 points shrank to 23 points, and now Busch has six races to dissolve that number. Considering the gap isn’t between top-tier drivers in the standings, but rather 30th and 32nd, to miss the cut would require a meltdown on an even more epic scale than his quick rise to dominance.

While Kyle Busch may seem like a figurative “lucky dog” on the outside looking in, trying to claw his way back to the heart of the competition, it seems unfitting and even inappropriate to use the word “luck” in the same sentence as his name. He has won four of the last five races, including the last three in a row, a feat not seen since Jimmie Johnson won Martinsville, Atlanta and Texas in 2007.

Sitting at the bottom of the group of Chase clinchers is Carl Edwards, with just 519 points. He more fittingly wears the title of “lucky dog” rolling into the Chase with just one crucial win to fall back on.

The other drivers with wins, aside from Kyle Busch, have points enough to keep them in the Chase even if wins were not a factor. Take away the “win and you’re in” rule, and Carl Edwards sits at 16th place in the points standings instead of 10th, with Aric Almirola trailing him by just 11 points.

Edwards’ points troubles are, however, not indicative of his on-track performance. He has led 242 laps this year, the ninth-most of any driver. His two DNFs, along with only two top fives and four top 10s, help to better explain his standings in the points. Of the current Chase field, only Paul Menard has as few top 10s as Edwards, yet Menard still sits 39 points ahead of the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Toyota.

While the win incentive provides for more late summer drama and driver pressure, it is always interesting to look at points alone to determine which drivers have shown consistency throughout the season.

Come Richmond, Edwards may be thanking his lucky stars that one of the 25 laps he led in the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte was the final one.

August 2, 2015