|
 Joey Logano's victory on Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway
-- keeping the number of different winners at 12 through 24 races --
guaranteed Chase berths for the top two drivers in the standings
without victories after 26 events.
Kenseth, fifth in points, is far ahead of the next three winless
drivers in the standings. He's 41 points ahead of Ryan Newman in
ninth, 52 points up on Clint Bowyer in 10th and 57 points clear of
Greg Biffle in 11th.
Accordingly, there's a high likelihood Kenseth will clinch a Chase
spot on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, even if he doesn't win the
Oral-B USA 500.
So, on the one hand, Kenseth doesn't need a win. On the other hand,
he does -- desperately.
With race victories the key to advancement through the elimination
rounds in the Chase, particularly as the playoff gets closer to the
four-driver shootout at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kenseth needs a
win in the next two races, simply to reassure himself that he can
get to Victory Lane.
Kenseth led the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with seven victories last
year in his debut season with Joe Gibbs Racing. This year -- nada.
 So don't be surprised if the laid-back Wisconsinite approaches the
last two regular-season races at Atlanta and Richmond with an
uncharacteristic sense of urgency, despite his comfortable position
in the standings.
@nascarcasm
--Joey Logano wins at Bristol. Receives gladiator sword in victory
lane. Uses it to slice the hell out of some bread.
--With two races left until the Chase, it's crunch time for several
drivers, who desperately need to either win, or peel a winner
sticker off of someone else's car and slap it on their own and just
hope no one notices.
--NASCAR would like to thank its competitors for adhering to the new
rule stating that drivers must wait for safety personnel to arrive
at their cars before hurling things at others in a blind rage. We're
pleased with the results.
--After Denny Hamlin threw his HANS device at Kevin Harvick, TV
failed to show Harvick coming back around and throwing a bean bag
back at Hamlin.
(Follow @nascarcasm on Twitter. His unique views on NASCAR are his
own -- but chances are you have probably figured that out by now.)
NASCAR NUMBERS
6: The number of victories recorded by Team Penske drivers in the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this year. It's the first time a Ford team
has won more than five races in a single year since Carl Edwards'
nine-victory season for Roush Fenway Racing in 2008.
21: The number of top-five finishes posted by Joey Logano in NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series points races in 60 starts since his arrival at
Team Penske to start the 2013 season. In his previous 147 starts,
Logano had 16 top fives.
5: The number of drivers tied with a series-best three NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series victories this season. Three of those drivers -- Dale
Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon -- compete for
Hendrick Motorsports. The other two -- Brad Keselowski and Joey
Logano -- drive for Team Penske.
19.6: Kasey Kahne's average finish in 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
races at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The 1.54-mile track has been a
feast-or-famine venue for a driver who desperately needs a win to
secure a Chase spot. Kahne has two wins and two poles at Atlanta,
but he also has three DNFs and seven finishes of 32nd or worse.
4: The number of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories for the Busch
brothers, Kurt and Kyle, in the last nine races at Atlanta Motor
Speedway. Kurt won the spring race at AMS in both 2009 and 2010, the
last year Atlanta hosted two Cup events. Kyle won the spring race in
2008 and the Labor Day weekend event last year.
NASCAR NUMBER
Joey Logano completed the first Ford sweep since 2006 over the
weekend, winning at Bristol to become the fifth driver on the
circuit with three wins this season. With two races left before the
Chase, Logano is in championship form, with four top fives and a
sixth-place finish in his last five starts. Statistically, the
24-year-old leads the circuit in average running position (9.460)
and boasts the second-best driver rating in the series (106.4). ...
With just two races to go in the regular season, winless NASCAR
Sprint Cup drivers have two more chances left to lock themselves
into Chase. Zero-win drivers Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer
and Greg Biffle man the 12-16 spots and have considerable breathing
room with Biffle leading 17th-place Kyle Larson by 26 points. Still,
any of them can be bumped by a first-time victor. A potential
Atlanta contender -- Kasey Kahne, who currently sits in 18th (33
points behind Biffle), has won at Atlanta twice. ... Kyle Busch
looks to win Atlanta's NASCAR Sprint Cup race for the second
consecutive season, and capture the three Chase bonus points that
would go with the victory. Last year, Busch notched his second
career Atlanta victory, seizing the top spot on Lap 288 and holding
off Joey Logano through the end of the race. He will compete with a
group of past Atlanta winners already locked into the Chase vying
for precious bonus points, including: his brother Kurt Busch, Jeff
Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Dale
Earnhardt Jr.
Tune-In: NASCAR On Television, August 25-31
Monday, August 25
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
8 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race at Evergreen (re-air), FOX Sports
2
Tuesday, August 26
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
Wednesday, August 27
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
Thursday, August 28
7 a.m., TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Race at VIR (re-air),
FOX Sports 2
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
6:30 p.m., Empty Cup: Quest for the 1992 NASCAR Championship
(re-air), FOX Sports 2
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
Friday, August 29
1 p.m., The 10 Earnhardt Moments (re-air), FOX Sports 1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Special, FOX Sports 1
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice,
 FOX Sports 1
4 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice, FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR Live, FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Final Practice,
FOX Sports 1
7 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX
Sports 1
4:30 a.m. (Sat.), NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole
Qualifying (re-air), FOX Sports 1
[to top of second column] |
Saturday, August 30
6 a.m., The 10 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR History (re-air), FOX Sports 1
10:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying
(re-air), FOX Sports 1
12:30 p.m., NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports
Network
3 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice, FOX Sports 2
4 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports
2
5:30 p.m., Empty Cup: Quest for the 1992 NASCAR Championship (re-air),
FOX Sports 2
6 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, FOX Sports 2
7 p.m., NNS Countdown, ESPN2
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Race at Atlanta, ESPN2
Sunday, August 31
10 a.m., Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Race at VIR, FOX Sports 1
Noon, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Race at Bristol, FOX Sports 1
1 p.m., NCWTS SetUp, FOX Sports 1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Canadian Tire
Motorsport Park, FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FOX Sports 1
7 p.m., NSCS Countdown, ESPN
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Atlanta, ESPN
Midnight (Mon.), NASCAR Victory Lane, FOX Sports 1
National Series Schedule
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
The Next Race:
Oral-B USA 500
The Place:
Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date/Time:
Sunday, Aug. 31, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN
Radio: PRN Radio,
Sirius XM Channel 90
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
The Next Race:
Great Clips 300
Benefitting Feed the Children
The Place:
Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date/Time:
Saturday, Aug. 30, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN 2
Radio: PRN,
Sirius XM Channel 90
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
The Next Race:
Chevrolet Silverado 250
The Place:
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Date/Time:
Sunday, Aug. 31, 1:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: FOX Sports 1
Radio: MRN, Sirius XM Channel 90
NASCAR National Series Standings
This year, wins matter more than in any season in the 65-year history of
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Essentially, a win locks a driver into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint
Cup.
Currently there are 12 different winners. The remainder of the 16-driver
Chase Grid will be filled by those drivers highest in NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series points. See below for how the current Chase Grid would look if
NASCAR's playoffs began today:
Chase Grid Outlook
Pos Driver Wins
1 Jeff Gordon 3
2 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3
3 Brad Keselowski 3
4 Joey Logano 3
5 Jimmie Johnson 3
6 Kevin Harvick 2
7 Carl Edwards 2
8 Kyle Busch 1
9 Denny Hamlin 1
10 AJ Allmendinger 1
11 Kurt Busch 1
12 Aric Almirola 1
13 Matt Kenseth 0
14 Ryan Newman 0
15 Clint Bowyer 0
16 Greg Biffle 0
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Pos Driver Points
1 Chase Elliott # 834
2 Regan Smith 821
3 Ty Dillon # 804
4 Elliott Sadler 792
5 Brian Scott 783
6 Trevor Bayne 771
7 Chris Buescher # 682
8 Brendan Gaughan 664
9 Ryan Reed # 632
10 James Buescher 621
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Pos Driver Points
1 Johnny Sauter 487
2 Matt Crafton 479
3 Ron Hornaday Jr. 470
4 Ryan Blaney 463
5 Darrell Wallace Jr. 454
6 German Quiroga 433
7 Joey Coulter 425
8 Timothy Peters 414
9 Ben Kennedy # 412
10 Jeb Burton 393
-----------------------------------------------
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