(WNFL) Only four races remain until the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, beginning with the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 20.
Eleven drivers have captured berths by winning a race and they will likely be joined by Pocono victor Chris Buescher, who sits just three points outside of the 30th position he needs to seize to make NASCAR’s playoffs.
Here’s how the Chase Grid looks today: Brad Keselowski (4 wins), Kyle Busch (4), Carl Edwards (2), Denny Hamlin (2), Matt Kenseth (2), Jimmie Johnson (2), Kevin Harvick (1), Kurt Busch (1), Joey Logano (1), Martin Truex Jr (1), Tony Stewart (1), Ryan Newman (50 points ahead of Trevor Bayne on the cutoff line), Chase Elliott (+49), Austin Dillon (+47), Jamie McMurray (+38), Kyle Larson (+8).
The first four out are Bayne (-8), Kasey Kahne (-11), Ryan Blaney (-18) and AJ Allmendinger (-34).
Buescher entering the top 30 would hurt the non-winners on the Chase Grid’s chances at making the playoffs, specifically Kyle Larson. In that scenario, four drivers would get in on points as of now: Newman (42 points ahead of Larson), Elliott (+41), Austin Dillon (+39) and McMurray (+30).
The first four out would be Larson (-30), Bayne (-38), Kahne (-41) and Blaney (-48).
Larson’s Chase hopes were damaged at Watkins Glen when AJ Allmendinger wrecked him on the last lap when the No. 42 Target Chevrolet driver was on his way to a top-five finish. Instead he placed 29th.
The typically reserved Larson expressed his anger toward Allmendinger after the race.
“Pretty dumb move right there, too, but I was the smarter one racing for points, lifted, could have wrecked him, but didn’t. I don’t know. I don’t know. He wrecked me earlier in the year at Vegas. He has run me hard, but we always race pretty well, but today was flat out stupid. I love his crew chief (Randall Burnett) to death; he was our engineer last year. It just sucks they are going to have to start building some more race cars because he’s got a few coming.”
Remember, a win automatically gets a driver into the Chase as long as he/she has attempted to start every event and is in the top 30 in points following Richmond.
The winless drivers with previous victories at the remaining tracks:
Bristol: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne
Michigan: Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne
Darlington: Greg Biffle, Regan Smith
Richmond: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman
