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NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Chicagoland

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin roared back from last place to win the Chase opener at Chicagoland. Hamlin automatically advances to the second round of the Chase, which begins at Dover on October 4.

“I’m going to happily limp into the second round of the Chase,” Hamlin said. “

“What does his punch/shove tell us about Kevin Harvick? Well, for one thing, it tells us he’s a right-handed cry baby.”

2. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth posted a fifth at Chicagoland, recording his 11th top five of the year.

“I’m amazed by what went on between Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson,” Kenseth said. “Amazed only because of the following reason: between Kevin and DeLana Harvick, it’s Kevin that got his panties in a wad.”

3. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished second in the MyAfibRisk.Com 400 at Chicagoland.

“Denny Hamlin has punched his ticket to the next round,” Edwards said, “and he didn’t even need a fist. Kevin Harvick seems to have an anger problem. He, as well as his fist, is a ‘ball’ of fury.”

4. Kevin Harvick: Harvick and Jimmie Johnson made contact on a restart, leading to a tire rub on Harvick’s No. 4 Jimmy Johns Chevy. The rub led to a blown tire, which left Harvick with a 42nd-place finish.

“Jimmie and I had words,” Harvick said. “Actually, Jimmie had words; I had a fist.”

5. Kurt Busch: Busch was leading with 10 laps to go when a caution flew for debris. On the restart, Busch lost the lead and finished third.

“This all seems very fishy to me,” Busch said. “In the last two years, Harvick has been the one to instigate much of the Chase controversy. Is he on NBC’s payroll? If so, he’d be the only one earning his money.”

6. Joey Logano: Logano finished sixth at Chicagoland and played a role in the first feud of the Chase. Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick made contact on a restart. Harvick blamed Johnson while Johnson said Logano pushed him into Harvick.

“Don’t ask me to choose sides,” Logano said. “If you do, I’ll just cite gearbox issues and remain ‘neutral.’”

7. Kyle Busch: Busch finished ninth at Chicagoland, a solid start for the No. 18 car as the Chase heads to New Hampshire, where Busch won in July.

“I won Saturday’s XFINITY Series race,” Busch said, “and was presented the winner’s trophy by the rapper Ludacris. Why is there a rapper at a NASCAR race? Well, there’s no rhyme or reason.”

8. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished 11th at Chicagoland after controversially tangling with Kevin Harvick midway through the race.

“I went to Harvick to ask what the deal was,” Johnson said. “I went ‘knock, knock, knockin’ on Kevin’s door.’ He was pretty ornery. Much like during the race, I must have rubbed him the wrong way.

“Harvick shoved me once. And I can only guess that he shoved me one time for each Cup championship he’s won.”

9. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski took eighth in the MyAfibRisk.Com 400 at Chicagoland.

“The Chase For The Cup is only one race old,” Keselowski said, “and already there’s drama. That’s surprising. What’s even more surprising is I’m not in the middle of it.”

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt finished fifth at Chicagoland, posting his 12th top-five result of the year.

“Who does Kevin Harvick think he is?” Earnhardt said. “If he thinks he’s NASCAR’s big shot, shouldn’t he beat his own chest, and not Jimmie Johnson’s?”

September 22, 2015
The Final Word – Hamlin Happy with Chicago Result, while Happy Was Not

Chicago. The opening race of the Chase. Sixteen drivers would continue the quest, one very likely locking his way into the next round, some setting themselves up with fine starts while others…not so much. So much to watch for, so much at stake, but would all this a good race make?

Damn right it would. Brilliant pit strategy, some luck, a flat tire, and a lot of air time for a sponsor highlighted the affair. It all started with a spin by Denny Hamlin on just the second lap. He was down low, so low A.J. Allmendinger did not see him and cut down in front, making both burn off some rubber. For Hamlin, it meant a drop from 23rd to dead last.

That is where his adventure began. One hundred sixteen laps of green followed and by the time a caution did fall, Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Paul Menard, and Jamie McMurray were all a lap down; Clint Bowyer two in the depths. Time to roll the dice, as both Hamlin and Edwards took the wave around and hoped. They got what they wished for shortly after when Austin Dillon’s promising night went away with the bang of a tire and a wall that was not very gentle. With that, the two gamblers were back on the lead lap.

By the time they were down to the final 70 laps, both were in the Top Ten, and with under 10 to go a debris caution gave the crew chiefs one more chance to strategize. Dave Rogers left Hamlin out to start among the Top Five while Edwards came in for fresh Goodyears. Not much difference between them, though Hamlin did beat his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate to the line, to claim a place in the next round of the Chase that begins at Charlotte in October.

Kevin Harvick did not live up to his nickname, as Happy was not with Jimmie Johnson. Six-Time got an unwanted push on a re-start from Joey Logano that powered him down to the apron and beside the defending champ. Johnson tried to move back up, Harvick denied him, and the cars touched. Smoke came bellowing from the left rear of Harvick’s auto, then let go three laps later, to leave him 42nd on the night. Later in the garage, he showed his displeasure with Johnson, who finished 11th. As for Logano, he finished an angelic sixth.

Jeff Gordon was in the 788th race of his Cup career, an unbroken string going back to the final race of 1992. You might remember that his debut also marked the final race of Richard Petty’s career. It also tied Gordon with Ricky Rudd for most consecutive races, a record that should be topped this Sunday in New Hampshire.

Some thought Gordon jumped a restart just past the mid-point of the race to leave Kyle Busch behind. With the idea of drivers policing themselves finally abandoned, it was judged that Gordon did not so much accelerate away, but that Busch had slowed down coming to the line. The review went in Gordon’s favor.

Gordon led for 41 laps, Martin Truex Jr. for 39, and Kurt Busch, who finished third, was the point man for 37 circuits. However, the dominant car for most of it was the M&M Crispy Toyota of Kyle Busch. He led four times for 121 laps, but he melted over the final 50 to come home in ninth.

All but one came home in decent shape, with six points the biggest deficit to be overcome among them. Harvick, on the other hand, is 43 away. Eleven current Chasers have won in New Hampshire in the past, Hamlin among them. So is Harvick. Once. In 2006. I would expect him to go for broke when they break loose in Loudon this weekend.

September 21, 2015
Kyle Busch Outruns Teammate Matt Kenseth for Chicagoland XFINITY Win

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

JOLIET, Ill.—In a race where teammates raced like archrivals to the checkered flag, Kyle Busch surged ahead of Matt Kenseth with a crossover move on the next-to-last lap and won the Furious 7 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race by .791 seconds over his Joe Gibbs Racing stablemate at Chicagoland Speedway Saturday night.The two JGR cars were the clear class of the field, but after they swapped the lead three times on Laps 176 through 178, Busch pulled out to an advantage of more than one second over Kenseth. With Busch trying to save a half-lap of fuel, however, Kenseth closed the gap in the waning laps and roared past his teammate on Lap 199, as both drivers were trying to dodge the lapped car of John Wes Townley.With Kenseth powering his No. 20 Toyota deep into Turn 3 after making the pass, Busch was able to cross over and retake the lead to the inside as Kenseth lost momentum.

Busch pulled away on the final lap to win his fourth XFINITY Series race of the season, his fourth at Chicagoland and the 74th of his career, extending his own series record.

Busch’s car, however, was too low on all four corners when the ride height was measured during post-race inspection. NASCAR is taking the car to its tech center in Concord, N.C., for further evaluation. If penalties are warranted, they will be announced next week.

Darrell Wallace Jr. used fuel-mileage strategy to perfection in finishing third, coaxing 67 laps out of his last tank of gas. Paul Menard ran fourth, followed by Ty Dillon, who moved into second place in the series standings, trailing leader Chris Buescher (seventh on Saturday) by 25 points.

Defending XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott ran 14th and dropped one position to third in points, 28 behind Buescher.

Busch thought he had control of the race when he passed Kenseth for the lead on Lap 178 of 200 and began to pull away.

“I thought when I got to him and I cleared him and drove away by a second-plus, it was over, and I said, ‘OK. Thank you—I can breathe a little bit,” Busch said. “Then he started running us back down, and I tried to go back to the top and I was loose up there again when I went back there.

“Just had to battle through there. He was right there, though… Once he lost his momentum off of (Turn) 4, it was over. That was some fun racing, though.”

Kenseth, who thought he had the faster car, was understandably disappointed with the outcome.

“I had the best car tonight, and I got beat by a better driver,” said Kenseth, who also would have preferred for Townley not to have been in the mix when the outcome of the race was decided.

“It would have been nice if he’d gotten the heck out of the way, I’ll tell you that,” Kenseth said. “Chase (Elliott) was very courteous. He was already a lap down, and he moved down and gave us the top because he knew that’s where we were racing…

“Clyde Torkel (a reference to Townley derived from the movie Stroker Ace), he just stuck it right between us. I got around him, and he passed me back when I was trying to race Kyle for the win. That was disappointing.”

Wallace’s third-place finish was a career best for the driver of the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, who is battling sixth-place finisher Daniel Suarez for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.

“I try not to let (the rookie contest) worry me too much, but I would say it’s good seeing me pass that 18 (Suarez) on the restarts every once in a while,” Wallace said. “As long as we’re finishing ahead of him, it will be a close battle all the way to the end.”

Suarez currently leads the points battle 251 to 225.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Furious 7 300
Chicagoland Speedway
Joliet, Illinois
Saturday, September 19, 2015

1. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 200, $91612.
2. (2) Matt Kenseth(i), Toyota, 200, $63647.
3. (12) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Ford, 200, $62603.
4. (7) Paul Menard(i), Chevrolet, 200, $38368.
5. (4) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200, $40385.
6. (3) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 200, $37001.
7. (8) Chris Buescher, Ford, 200, $34943.
8. (19) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 200, $33833.
9. (9) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 200, $32734.
10. (11) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 200, $32818.
11. (10) Ryan Reed, Ford, 200, $31338.
12. (14) Kasey Kahne(i), Chevrolet, 200, $24784.
13. (16) John Wes Townley(i), Chevrolet, 199, $30230.
14. (17) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 199, $30716.
15. (18) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 199, $29577.
16. (25) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, 199, $29241.
17. (13) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 199, $28753.
18. (26) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 199, $28491.
19. (22) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 199, $28280.
20. (15) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 199, $28568.
21. (23) Blake Koch, Toyota, 199, $27957.
22. (6) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 199, $21841.
23. (30) David Starr, Toyota, 196, $27705.
24. (32) Mason Mingus(i), Chevrolet, 195, $27595.
25. (27) Michael Self, Chevrolet, 194, $27608.
26. (31) Jimmy Weller, Chevrolet, 194, $27347.
27. (34) Eric McClure, Toyota, 193, $27237.
28. (33) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 193, $27115.
29. (37) Martin Roy, Chevrolet, 190, $26964.
30. (39) Josh Reaume #, Chevrolet, 182, $27153.
31. (35) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 174, $26697.
32. (21) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, Engine, 142, $26586.
33. (20) Cale Conley #, Toyota, Overheating, 140, $26470.
34. (38) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Engine, 129, $26358.
35. (5) Ryan Blaney, Ford, Accident, 108, $26671.
36. (24) Benny Gordon, Toyota, Rear Gear, 105, $18040.
37. (40) Derek White, Dodge, Electrical, 14, $17040.
38. (36) TJ Bell(i), Toyota, Vibration, 13, $16040.
39. (28) Dexter Bean, Chevrolet, Suspension, 6, $15040.
40. (29) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 3, $14040.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 136.709 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 11 Mins, 40 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.791 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 5 for 22 laps.
Lead Changes: 15 among 7 drivers.

Lap Leaders: K. Busch(i) 1-23; R. Chastain # 24; B. Scott 25-29; K. Busch(i) 30-40; M. Kenseth(i) 41-73; D. Suarez # 74-75; J. Townley(i) 76; M. Kenseth(i) 77-92; K. Busch(i) 93-136; M. Kenseth(i) 137-144; D. Wallace Jr. # 145-147; B. Scott 148-149; M. Kenseth(i) 150-175; K. Busch(i) 176; M. Kenseth(i) 177; K. Busch(i) 178-200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Busch(i) 5 times for 102 laps; M. Kenseth(i) 5 times for 84 laps; B. Scott 2 times for 7 laps; D. Wallace Jr. # 1 time for 3 laps; D. Suarez # 1 time for 2 laps; J. Townley(i) 1 time for 1 lap; R. Chastain # 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 945; T. Dillon – 920; C. Elliott – 917; R. Smith – 894; E. Sadler – 839; D. Wallace Jr. # – 838; D. Suarez # – 830; B. Scott – 825; B. Gaughan – 798; R. Reed – 716.

September 20, 2015
Kyle Busch Takes Coors Light Pole at Chicagoland

By Staff report | NASCAR.com

Kyle Busch used a fast lap of 180.959 mph in the final round of group qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series to take the Coors Light Pole Award atChicagoland Speedway for Saturday’s Furious 7 300 (6 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The pole is Busch’s third of the season in the XFINITY Series and the 46th of his career in the series. In 11 starts at Chicagoland, Busch has three wins, seven top fives and now two poles at the 1.5-mile track.

Busch is looking to make it a Chicagoland sweep for the No. 54 team in the XFINITY Series. Erik Jones won the June standalone event at Chicagoland piloting the No. 54 Toyota to Victory Lane.

Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Daniel Suarez made it a clean sweep of the top three spots in the starting lineup. Kenseth (180.844 mph) will line up in the front row with Busch while Suarez (180.542 mph) will line up in the third position.

Ty Dillon (179.922 mph) will join Suarez in Row 2 for the start of the race.Ryan Blaney (179.892) and Kyle Larson (179.736 mph) will comprise Row 3.

Entering Saturday’s race, Chris Buescher holds a 21-point edge over defending series champion Chase Elliott and a 27-point lead over Ty Dillon. Elliott did not advance to the final round of group qualifying and will start 17th while Buescher will line up eighth.

Morgan Shepherd did not qualify for the race.

Full starting lineup

September 19, 2015
Hot 20 – The Chase for the Championship Commences in Chicago

So it begins. Sixteen drivers, each trying to avoid being one of the four eliminated from contention for the championship after each round of three races.

The first round, Chicago, New Hampshire, and Dover, will see each running for the best finish amongst those qualified. A win in any of the three would guarantee them a spot in the next round of three events no matter how they might fair in the other two contests. History tells us that Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard will not do well this weekend.

For them, this would be a good time to rewrite history. For those outside the Top Sixteen, no time like the present to break a few hearts. A win now robs a contender of a free pass and could go a long way in getting sponsors thinking more of what is to come than what could have been.

That would be the goal of the bottom four amongst our hot 20 heading into Chicago this Sunday.

1. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2012 POINTS (4 Wins)
The firm of Petty and Earnhardt still has room for another name partner.

2. KYLE BUSCH – 2012 (4)
Having a leg up on the opposition was not a good thing in his case, but it matters not now.

3. MATT KENSETH – 2012 (4)
If his 2003 title started this Chase business, now he can start eliminating his critics four at a time.

4. JOEY LOGANO – 2009 (3)
Had the pole at Richmond, but Kenseth only allowed him to lead 25 of the 400 laps.

5. KEVIN HARVICK – 2006 (2)
His points standing just went from a 30 point lead to a six-point deficit.

6. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 2006 (2)
He and his buddy Greg Ives come in with four straight Top Tens. Three more would be nice.

7. KURT BUSCH – 2006 (2)
First Chase champion would like to be the next one, too.

8. CARL EDWARDS – 2006 (2)
I am not sure if he misses Jack Roush at all, considering how his season with Joe Gibbs has gone.

9. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2003 (1)
One of six in the Chase who already knows how it feels to be crowned a champion.

10. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 2003 (1)
Team-mates? We ain’t got no teammates. We don’t need no team-mates.

11. DENNY HAMLIN – 2003 (1)
Adversity is racing with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his throttle leg’s knee.

12. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 2000
So…this is the Chase, eh?

13. JEFF GORDON – 2000
What better way to ride off into the sunset than with a fifth title?

14. RYAN NEWMAN – 2000
Winless in 2015. Runner-up to Harvick in 2014.

15. PAUL MENARD – 2000
Chicago has not been his kind of town.

16. CLINT BOWYER – 2000
Like his team owner, he is out of a job after this season. Both could use a little good news.

17. ARIC ALMIROLA – 693
Fourth at Richmond was like being a groomsman at your sweetheart’s wedding.

18. KASEY KAHNE – 677
Only Hendrick driver to miss the party this year, needs some positive results heading into 2016.

19. KYLE LARSON – 618
Sophomore jinx bit him hard this season.

20. GREG BIFFLE – 611
Limping along in his worst season ever, as Jack Roush has his worst as an owner.

September 16, 2015
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth led 352 of 400 laps and cruised to an easy win in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond. The win was Kenseth’s fourth of the season and places him atop the points standings for the start of the Chase.

“I have the early momentum for the Chase,” Kenseth said. “And speaking of ‘early momentum,’ Joey Logano says I jumped the final restart. I dispute that. If I jumped anything, it was ‘ship,’ when I left Roush Fenway Racing.”

2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick struggled at Richmond, finishing 14th, one lap down, in the final race before the Chase For The Cup.

“It felt like I was driving on flat tires,” Harvick said. “That made the No. 4 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet ‘leaky fast.’

“Of course, the tires weren’t really flat. Or were they? The last thing NASCAR needs is its own ‘Deflate-Gate’ controversy.”

3. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished eighth at Richmond, posting his 18th top-10 result of the year. By virtue of his one win this year, he will start the Chase with 2,003 points, nine out of first.

“This is where you’ll see the real drivers separated from the pretenders,” Keselowski said. “Or, if you’d care not to wait, I’ll do it for you. Pretenders: Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray. Contenders: everyone else.”

4. Kyle Busch: Busch finished second at Richmond on a commanding night for the Joe Gibbs Racing stable. Matt Kenseth won while Denny Hamlin finished sixth and Carl Edwards took 11th.

“JGR looks like the team to beat,” Busch said. “Kenseth is dominant while Edwards is domineering. Some people say Denny Hamlin isn’t a threat to win because of his injury, but they don’t have a leg to stand on. Me? I certainly have the talent, but history says that once the NASCAR post-season starts, I hit a wall.”

5. Joey Logano: Logano finished third at Richmond, and will start the Chase For The Cup with 2009 points, three points behind four-time winners Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth.

“Kenseth clearly jumped the final restart,” Logano said. “Replays verify it. Sure, Kenseth led 352 of 400 laps, but in this instance, he wasn’t ‘in the zone.’”

6. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished 11th in the Federated Auto Parts 400 as Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth dominated for the win.

“I traded paint with Kenseth during the race,” Edwards said. “To his credit, Kenseth didn’t give an inch. He’s really manned up. If he wins another championship this year, it seems he will have finally ‘grown a pair.’”

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt finished fifth at Richmond, the top finisher among Hendrick Motorsports cars. Earnhardt will join HMS teammates, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon in the Chase.

“HMS hasn’t had a win since Daytona in July,” Earnhardt said. “And we really need it. Our team motto for the upcoming race is ‘Just one, baby.’”

8. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished ninth and will enter the Chase For The Cup in first place with 2012 points by virtue of his four wins.

“’2012’ is a great number,” Johnson said. “It was not a good year. That’s when my run of six straight Cups came to an end.

“I just signed a contract extension to remain with Hendrick Motorsports through 2017. That’s good news for a team struggling to find speed heading into the Chase For The Cup. Finally, it’s a good ‘sign’ for HMS.”

9. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 15th at Richmond and will start the Chase For The Cup with 2,006 points, six behind the leaders at 2,012.

“Now,” Busch said, “the pressure really heats up. This is when you find out what you’re really made of. Sometimes, you never really know what someone is made of….until you go ‘court-ing.’”

10. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished sixth at Richmond despite driving with a torn right ACL, an injury suffered in a pickup basketball game on Tuesday.

“I probably shouldn’t have been playing basketball,” Hamlin said. “After all, this is the second time I’ve injured my knee. In both cases, I was wearing my favorite sneakers, the ‘Err Hamlins.’ Anyway, my right leg feels a little loose in the center.”

September 16, 2015
The Final Word – It was the Matt Kenseth 400 at Richmond

Richmond, where the final battle royal would take place to decide the final line-up for the Chase. Richmond, where we discovered that only six cars mattered at all the entire night, and all of them already had their tickets punched to the party. So, if you decided to watch something that actually promised some real drama, here is what you missed, in a nutshell, at Richmond.

On the opening lap, we had Joey Logano leading the way, followed by Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch. That was good for nearly 50 laps when Brad Keselowski replaced Busch. Another 50-some laps went by when we had Denny Hamlin replace Keselowski amongst the top trio, to join Logano and Kenseth. You missed all that drama, and we had nearly 300 laps to go.

Twenty-five laps went by, and Carl Edwards replaced Logano in a podium position, at least for six laps when Busch moved Edwards out, who was never to be seen again, finishing 11th. All you need to remember is that Kenseth and Busch also remained in the top three, and they would remain there the rest of the way. Hamlin replaced Keselowski for 35 laps before Logano got the position back with more than 100 to go. On lap 400, it was Kenseth, Busch, and Logano crossing the line and Richmond was in the books. Kenseth, Rowdy, Logano, Keselowski, Hamlin and, for six laps, Edwards, were the only cars that mattered at all on Saturday night in Richmond.

Sure, some got excited that Aric Almirola was fourth, but he had to win, and did not. He also needed Clint Bowyer to finish outside the Top 25, and he came home 10th. No, Almirola did not matter a lick on this night. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson all had Top Ten days. All did not matter in the end, or at the start, or anywhere near the middle, but I admit they did have nice finishes.

What did matter was the fact Kenseth won his fourth of the season and the 35th of his Cup career. He led 352 of the 400 laps. So, I am not really sure if any of the other five mattered at all now that I think about it. The victory means Kenseth enters the Chase tied with Busch and Johnson with each having an additional dozen bonus points added to their tally.

There were some newsworthy tidbits. We did have another Earnhardt running, as nephew Jeremy Earnhardt finished 13 laps off the pace in 40th, making his Cup debut at the age of 26. Martin Truex Jr. had the worst run amongst the Chasers, as a wall rub messed up the car to leave him six off the pace, 32nd. Just about the only other thing from the weekend of note was that Chase Elliott won the XFINITY race. Yes, someone actually registered in that series. I am as shocked as you are.

So, the Chase begins in Chicago with the “Sweet Sixteen” hoping to survive the cut over the next three events. According to their career average finishes at the track, one could expect Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Keselowski, and Gordon to do well there. Kyle and Kenseth should also do fine. However, this is definitely not the place Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, and Paul Menard have traditionally enjoyed any measure of success. Unless that changes on Sunday, they might have some work to do by the time New Hampshire rolls around. Hey, if you want drama, that might work for you.

September 14, 2015
Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond Federated Auto Parts 400

In the last race of the regular season and the one to set the Chase contenders here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 48th annual Federated Auto Parts 500 at Richmond International Raceway.

Surprising: One would think that a team owner standing in Victory Lane and one whose four drivers had qualified for the Chase would be a most happy camper.

Indeed, Coach Joe Gibbs was pretty happy, but he also alluded to the anxiety that he will feel in the three weeks ahead as the first elimination round plays out.

“Now the problem is, I think for the next three weeks I’ll be ready to throw up at any minute,” Gibbs said after the race. “That’s the bottom line.”

Not Surprising: While two teams, Richard Petty Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing, were shut out of NASCAR’s playoffs, the way their eliminations took place was not surprising.

Having not shown much life all season, Roush Fenway drivers Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne not only finished well out of Chase contention but they also completed the regular season in disappointment.

Biffle had the worst of the team’s days finishing 31st. Stenhouse and Bayne finished 16th and 23rd respectively.

This was the first time in RFR’s history that one of their drivers failed to make the Chase since its inception.

In contrast, Aric Almirola, who made the Chase last year with Richard Petty Motorsports, delivered one of the gutsiest performances, finishing fourth. And even with that, the driver of the famed No. 43 Smithfield Foods/Waffle House Ford still came up 17 points short, edged out of Chase contention by Clint Bowyer.

“Disappointed for sure,” Almirola said. “I drove my heart out tonight. All year long, really.”

“I feel like we’ve certainly overachieved this year. Our cars just haven’t had the speed, and we’ve managed a way to get good results, and really proud of this race team.”

“Everybody has done so much to support us, and to come up short, it hurts. We were in it last year and we got a taste of what it was like to be in the Chase. This race team is a great race team and we wanted another shot at it, and we just came up short. Just wasn’t meant to be.”

Surprising: Forget about making the Chase, Jeff Gordon was just excited about finally having a top-10 car. The driver of the No. 24 3M Chevrolet was also excited about being able to work with his team to finally make good enough adjustments to end up with a seventh place finish.

“Excited we finally had a solid night on pit road, on the racetrack, in the race car, communication,” Gordon said. “Everything was just really solid. That certainly gives us something to be excited about these next ten races.”

“It’s nice to be in the Chase and take that relief and take that breath and now go reset and see what we can do over the next 10.”

Not Surprising: Kasey Kahne got himself turned around and ended up the odd man out in the Hendrick Motorsports Chase contingent. His HMS teammates, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, instead are all heading on to compete for the Cup without him.

“I think the main thing for me is just figuring out how to get a car to turn again,” Kahne said. “I’ve struggled all year to have front turn, and if I don’t have that, I can’t race. That’s how I’ve been my whole life.”

“We’ll just work on trying to get the cars the way I need them to, and if we can’t, we’ll keep running about 15th.”

Surprising: While two of his drivers, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, head to Chase competition, Tony Stewart achieved a milestone that he would no doubt like to forget. The driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet finished 29th, four laps down.

Stewart’s 29th place finish was only his fifth outside of the top-25 in 33 career Cup starts at Richmond International Raceway.

Not Surprising: Although one’s injuries were much fresher than the other, two drivers with physical challenges managed to not only finish the Richmond race well but also find their spots in the Chase.

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Crispy/American Heritage Chocolate Toyota, continued his miraculous comeback with a runner-up position at Richmond. Busch is also seeded in the second place in the Chase, even after missing 11 races due to injuries sustained in the Daytona XFINITY Series race at the beginning of the season.

Just after tearing another ACL, Denny Hamlin also struggled through his injury to get into the Chase, seeded in the 11th position. The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota finished sixth in the Richmond race.

“Well, I think it’ll be a lot better next week,” Hamlin said. “Just three days out, really, four nights out, from when it happened, and anybody that’s had it happen before knows that the first week is pretty tough.”

“I think I’ll start to rehab and everything this week and try to get it stronger and make sure we’re ready to make a Chase run.”

Surprising: Paul Menard summed up the sentiments of several of the drivers who made the Chase but had a bad race at Richmond. The driver of the No. 27 Libman/Menards Chevrolet finished 26th in the race and is seeded 15th in the Chase.

“We don’t know whether to be happy or sad, it was such a bad race for us,” Menard said. “Obviously very excited to be in the Chase. It was a goal that we set at the beginning of the year. Everybody at RCR and the 27 guys and ECR, they work hard. We’ve had a lot of good runs this year. Tonight just wasn’t one of them, but we did what we had to do.”

Kevin Harvick, another driver who made the Chase but struggled at Richmond, finished an uncharacteristic 14th. And Martin Truex Jr. finished 32nd after hitting oil from another driver’s car on Lap 39.

Harvick is seeded fifth in the Chase, with Truex Jr. following in the 10th spot.

Not Surprising: With his usual enthusiasm, Clint Bowyer bounded into this year’s Chase, saving the day at least for now, for Michael Waltrip Racing, which will fold at the end of 2015.

“Well, I mean, just to go through the year we’ve had, I mean, a lot of ups and downs here, a lot of downs,” Bowyer said. “We did this, now we’re in the Chase! Pressure is off, go cat go! Let’s go out and have some fun.”

Surprising: Michael McDowell went from sharing the invocation before the start of the race to being called to the NASCAR hauler after hitting the safety vehicle during a caution on Lap 288.

McDowell made heavy contact with the right rear of his No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Ford. McDowell was unhurt, as were the safety workers in the truck.

“I’m not really sure what happened,” McDowell said. “I’m embarrassed for my team. My mistake. Luckily no one was hurt.”

Not Surprising: Kim Lopez, the first woman and Latina to flag races at the highest level, got a tip of the cap as she threw her final checkered flag. Lopez is headed for a new role and challenge in the NASCAR R&D Center.

September 13, 2015
Hot 20 – The final hurdle for Bowyer and the rest comes this Saturday night in Richmond

If history repeats itself, there will be no surprise winner at Richmond on Saturday night. Going back over the past 10 years, every single driver who has won there is currently locked into the Chase for this year. Except for one.

Clint Bowyer has a pair of victories on the 3/4-mile track, but none anywhere to his credit this season. To make it worse, even if a first-time driver does not emerge this weekend to steal his thunder, he still sits just 29 points up on Aric Almirola for the final Chase position, with Kasey Kahne just a couple of points further back. A sour engine, a meeting with a wall or a competitor, a bad tire or messed up pit stop at the wrong time, and Bowyer’s season turns south faster than one’s job security at Michael Waltrip Racing. To make sure he is in, Bowyer needs to finish in the Top 25 on Saturday night. That and hope history does indeed repeat itself.

The odds are almost prohibitive that the winner this weekend at Richmond will be from amongst our Hot 20…

1. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 4 WINS
Expect the team of Jimmie, Chad, and Lowe’s to be around for some time yet.

2. KYLE BUSCH – 4 WINS
The story of the year to this point.

3. JOEY LOGANO – 3 WINS
Liked Johnson’s car so much he almost took it out with a spin last week.

4. MATT KENSETH – 3 WINS
Progress last week was thwarted by an early Darlington stripe…okay, more like a sledge hammer.

5. KEVIN HARVICK – 2 WINS
A late trip to the pits in Darlington was the pits for Harvick.

6. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 2 WINS
Getting some real cool throwback gifts from fans lately, including on his last trip to Walmart.

7. KURT BUSCH – 2 WINS
Went digital with his Darlington dashboard.

8. CARL EDWARDS – 2 WINS
After three Bristol wins, he has added a World 600 and a Southern 500 to the collection in 2015.

9. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN
Led the most laps, but Edwards got to walk down the aisle, leaving him a bridesmaid.

10. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN
A Darlington Top Ten, and he wasn’t happy. Has three Top Tens in last four at Richmond.

11. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN
On Saturday night, he denied Daniel Suarez his first career XFINITY victory. My hero.

12. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 726 POINTS
To make the Chase, he just needs to start on Saturday night. If he gets the flu, it could get messy.

13. RYAN NEWMAN – 714 POINTS
If his finishing position matches his car number, or better, he rockets in as well.

14. JEFF GORDON – 700 POINTS
17th will do no matter what anyone else does…and he needs that only if there is not a repeat winner.

15. PAUL MENARD – 692 POINTS
Ninth if there is a first time winner…38th if there is not.

16. CLINT BOWYER – 682 POINTS
25th gets him in if history repeats itself, or a move ahead of Ryan, Jeff, or Paul if it does not.

17. ARIC ALMIROLA – 653 POINTS
Has the King’s car and last week stole his old mustache.

18. KASEY KAHNE – 651 POINTS
Can’t grow a mustache. Okay, I am just guessing here.

19. GREG BIFFLE – 598 POINTS
I could get Biffle into the Chase…but it has to be in EA Sports’ indestructible mode.

20. AUSTIN DILLON – 586 POINTS
One of three Cup guys in the XFINITY race. Go Austin! Go Rowdy! Go Joey! Just be gone!

20. KYLE LARSON – 586 POINTS
Last week, they called him Mello Yello, but is he truly just mad about Saffron?

September 9, 2015
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick led 44 laps and finished fifth in the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington, posting his 18th top-5 finish of the year.

“It’s great to see the Darlington race back on its traditional weekend,” Harvick said. “I think fans would agree. Ironically, sitting through a 4 hour and 29-minute marathon on Labor Day weekend is truly ‘work.’”

2. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski started on the pole at Darlington and led a race-high 196 laps. However, Keselowski was beaten out of the pits on the race’s final caution by Carl Edwards. Edwards held on for the win, and Keselowski was left with a disappointing runner-up finish.

“I’m a big fan of the low downforce package we ran at Darlington,” Keselowski said. “As I said before, it separates the race car drivers from the pretenders. And, .902 seconds separates the winner from second place.

“I was sporting the ‘Miller High Life’ paint scheme at Darlington. They call ‘High Life’ the ‘Champagne Of Beers.’ The difference between winning and losing is known as ‘Champagne Or Beers.’”

3. Kyle Busch: Busch finished eighth at Darlington and officially clinched a spot in the Chase.

“It’s a great day,” Busch said. “Usually, when you hear the word ‘official’ mentioned along with a Busch brother, something’s going on in the NASCAR hauler.”

4. Joey Logano: Logano finished fourth at Darlington, as Penske Racing took two of the top four spots at “The Track Too Tough To Tame.”

“It was ‘throwback’ weekend at Darlington,” Logano said. “With one race left before the Chase, and only three Chase spots up for grabs, Richmond could be ‘throw punch’ weekend.”

5. Carl Edwards: Edwards took the lead late at Darlington, using a quick pit stop to beat Brad Keselowski on the race’s final caution. Edwards pulled away to grab his second victory of the season.

“I went in third and came out first,” Edwards said, “thanks to my pit crew. I owe this win to them. Believe me, they’ll be a part of the victory celebration. Heck, I might even have them DJ the party because they know how to ‘turn tables.’”

6. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth hit the wall on lap 19 and struggled with handling for the duration of the Bojangles Southern 500, finishing 20th.

“It was an otherwise strong day for Joe Gibbs Racing,” Kenseth said. “Carl Edwards took the lead in the pits and pulled away for the victory, winning by nearly a second. Carl took off like he was shot out of a cannon. Much like he did with Roush Fenway Racing, Carl left in a hurry.”

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt was the top finisher among Hendrick Motorsports cars at Darlington, finishing eighth.

“Right now,” Earnhardt said, “HMS cars aren’t fast enough to compete for wins. With the Chase For The Cup right around the corner, that’s not good. So, much like our current lap speeds, it’s a case of ‘bad timing.’

“In other news, Danica Patrick has become more famous for her yoga poses than for her racing. Should we call her a ‘yoga master’ or a ‘threat to win a race?’ Either way, it’s a stretch.”

8. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished a disappointing 19th at Darlington and is now winless in his last 12 races.

“You probably heard my crew chief Chad Knaus married a former Miss Sprint Cup,” Johnson said. “Hopefully, Chad will have more luck with the ‘Lady In White’ than I did with the ‘Lady In Black.’

“I gave the groom a bottle of ‘Burnt Rubber’ cologne. Chad wore some during Sunday’s race. At a track like Darlington, that’s known as ‘tire wear.’”

9. Kurt Busch: Busch started second in the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington and finished sixth.

“Much like me,” Busch said, “Bojangles is famous for its ‘chicken.’

“You may have heard that I recently became engaged. I asked Ashley Van Metre and she said ‘yes.’ Soon, I’ll pop the question, and ask her if she’s an assassin.”

10. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished ninth and had a late run-in with Kurt Busch, whom Truex sent spinning after contact on lap

“Just as Daytona did, Darlington was offering a flag exchange,” Truex said, “in which you could exchange a Confederate flag for an American flag. With race ticket prices skyrocketing and races becoming even less exciting, leave it to NASCAR to offer fan another offer they can refuse.”

September 8, 2015