NASCAR Notebook: Atlanta Crucial For Wild Card Hopefuls

Drivers effectively shut out of the top 10 in the standings have two chances remaining to make this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup via the Wild Card route – Sunday night in Atlanta and Sept. 8 at Richmond.

Ironically, what happens among the top 10 drivers may turn out to be the week’s biggest story.

Slumping of late, three-time winner Tony Stewart has fallen to 10th place, 16 points ahead of Kasey Kahne. Should Stewart fall out of the top 10, his three victories become the defining measure of at least one Wild Card spot.

Stewart is a three-time Atlanta winner, most recently in the fall of 2010.

And if Kahne advances and Stewart falls, five single-win rivals ranked 13th through 18th still would be battling each other for the second Wild Card. Kahne, making his first Atlanta start for Hendrick Motorsports, has won twice for two different owners – Ray Evernham in 2006 and Richard Petty in 2009.

Kyle Busch (13th) is the provisional holder of Wild Card No. 2 followed by Jeff Gordon (14th), Ryan Newman (15th), Marcos Ambrose (16th) and Joey Logano (18th).

Crowded? Yes – and it could get even more so if Carl Edwards joins the party.

Edwards continues to hang onto Wild Card, and even top-10 hopes, by his fingernails. Without a victory since early 2011, Edwards is 12th in the standings, 34 points behind Stewart.

Atlanta can be said to be one of the Missouri driver’s strongest tracks. Edwards scored his first NSCS victory at the 1.54-mile track in the spring of 2005 and repeated in the fall. He also won the 2008 AdvoCare 500.

Edwards’ Atlanta Driver Rating of 101.8 is fourth-best. His 339 Fastest Laps Run are a series best.

He finished fifth in last year’s Atlanta race.

Atlanta isn’t Gordon’s last stand but it’s close – especially considering his record there.

Making his first start nearly 20 years ago in November 1992 (he finished 31st), Gordon is the defending AdvoCare 500 champion and counts five of Hendrick Motorsports’ 11 Atlanta victories. Another win by any of HMS’ four drivers would match the Wood Brothers’ track record of 12 wins.

Gordon has a second-best Driver Rating of 104.1, boasts a series-high 501 Quality Passes and has run the second-most Laps in the Top 15 (3,439 laps, 80.9%).

Busch is the only other Wild Card hopeful with an Atlanta victory (spring 2008).

Newman counts seven Coors Light Poles, an Atlanta record he shares with Buddy Baker. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver continues his hunt to become the ninth driver with 50 NSCS Coors Light Poles.

Hamlin Rebounds From Vulnerability To Share No. 1 Chase Seed

Sometimes you have to eat crow. News and Notes, Aug. 14 edition, suggested in no uncertain terms that Denny Hamlin’s season was on the brink of disaster.

“Hamlin is vulnerable … (and) has finished 25th or worse in five of eight races,” said the article suggesting that Hamlin, 10th in the standings after a poor performance at Pocono Raceway, could drop out of the top 10 and leave Joe Gibbs Racing without a seeded Chase qualifier. Please pass the ketchup.

With a finish of 11th in Michigan and Saturday night’s resounding victory at Bristol Motor Speedway, Hamlin not only is back in business but battling for the top seed when the standings are reset.  He’s the fourth driver to score a third victory in the regular season, joining Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart with a provisional nine Chase bonus points.

Hamlin is also 44 points to the good over 11th-place Kasey Kahne.

Hamlin and JGR have to look favorably on the final two events of the Race to the Chase.
Atlanta hasn’t been the Virginian’s favorite stop with just one top five – third in 2008 – at the 1.54-mile superspeedway. He has the fifth-best Driver Rating (96.2) and third-fastest Green Flag Speed (171.713 mph).

But the Sept. 8 event at Richmond, where he’s won twice and finished fourth in April, could give Hamlin yet another victory – and three bonus points. To do so, he’ll have to out-race JGR teammate Kyle Busch.

Busch, provisional holder of the second Wild Card, won at Richmond on April 28. The victory was his fourth in as many seasons. Busch has a single victory in Atlanta among three top-five finishes. He’s also won four times in NASCAR Camping World competition and will do triple duty this week.

‘All In’ Strategy Suits Drivers Who Have Clinched Chase Berths

When the game’s in the bag, there’s no harm in swinging for the fences.

Those are the thoughts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader Greg Biffle – and likely the other competitors who locked up top-10 berths in the Chase last weekend in Bristol.

For them, the regular season effectively is complete. What remains is fine-tuning for the Chase and adding some bonus points to the standings reset. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

“We have been decent in the points so we have kind of tried to step out of the box and do some things to try and learn for the Chase and really be more aggressive with the setup and go for the win and say, ‘Hey, if it doesn’t work we won’t cry over spilled milk,’” Biffle said. “That is all you can do. You can’t flip a switch.

“We are already running as hard as we can. The thing we can do is take some more chances on the setup, whether it might work for the race or not is basically what we have been doing.”

Biffle is the Chase’s provisional No. 5 seed with victories at Michigan and Texas. He trails five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who also clinched a post-season spot at Bristol, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and reigning champion Tony Stewart. Each has three victories worth three points apiece.

Eight of the provisional top 10 would start the Chase with bonus points, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., a one-time winner who clinched a spot at Bristol. Two non-winners, Martin Truex Jr. (fifth) and Kevin Harvick (ninth), don’t want to give away points to their rivals before the Chase field hits Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 16.

Although Harvick has an Atlanta victory (his first, in 2001), neither he nor Truex has been statistically strong at the 1.54-mile track over their careers. Truex (88.9) and Harvick (83.5) rank ninth and 10th, respectively, among drivers in the current top 10.

NASCAR Chase Seedings 101

After race No. 26 at Richmond International Raceway, the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field will be set. The top 10 in points will earn Chase berths, as will the Wild Cards – the two drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins. All 12 drivers will have their points reset to 2,000, but only those in the top 10 will have three points added to their total for each win during the first 26 races. So currently, three-race winner Jimmie Johnson would start the Chase with 2,009 points. Those points totals will set the Chase seeds. Ties will be broken per the rule book (number of wins, then seconds, then thirds, etc.). The two Wild Cards will automatically be seeded 11th and 12th.

Penultimate Warriors: Chase Spots Up For Grabs At Atlanta

Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth have locked up spots in the 2012 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup going into Sunday’s race in Atlanta, the penultimate race in the regular season. Eight other drivers can join them in donning the black-and-yellow Chase-clinching hat after Sunday’s race.

Mathematically, every top-10 Chase spot could be clinched. This week’s magic number is 49. Any driver 49 points ahead of 11th-place leaving Atlanta (48 points for some, depending on the tie-breaker of wins) clinches a top-10 spot in the Chase.

Four drivers control their own top-10 destiny: Kenseth (who already owns AT LEAST a Wild Card spot), Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer and Brad Keselowski. Regardless of what any other driver does, Kenseth clinches a top-10 spot by finishing 40th or better, 41st and at least one lap led or 42nd and the most laps led. Truex guarantees himself a top-10 Chase spot with a 14th-place finish or better, a 15th and at least one lap led or a 16th and the most laps led. Bowyer needs an 11th, 12th and at least one lap led or 13th and the most laps led. Keselowski lands a top-10 spot with a seventh-place finish or better, an eighth and at least one lap led or a ninth and the most laps led.

Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart could also lock up top-10 spots, but would need help.

A win would lock up at least a Wild Card spot for Hamlin, Harvick and Stewart. Depending on the final results from Sunday, Bowyer, Keselowski, Hamlin, Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch could clinch at least a Wild Card spot.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Notes

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Nationwide Series: Door Kicked Wide Open In Sadler, Stenhouse Championship Chase

Sports fans thrive on great rivalries and the NASCAR Nationwide Series has one brewing between standings leader Elliott Sadler and 2011 series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. With just 10 races left on the schedule, tensions are mounting as only 19 points separate the competitors in the top two spots of the standings.

The two drivers have battled most of the season, but this past weekend at Bristol the gauntlet was thrown. Stenhouse got into Sadler late in Friday night’s race, costing Sadler several positions. Following the event the two talked, but Sadler had this to say: “I told him, we’ve always raced each other with a lot of respect. I‘m glad he didn’t wreck us, but it’s not the finish we deserved. He opened it up. Now we can race differently the last 10 races.”

In the same 10-race stretch last season, Stenhouse outperformed Sadler posting an average finish of 5.1 to Sadler’s 9.4, building the tension even more.

This will be quite the season for both of them. Each has three poles and 17 top-10 finishes. Sadler holds a slight edge with four series wins to Stenhouse’s three. Stenhouse has the better season-to-date Driver Rating of 108.5 to Sadler’s 107.3.

Heading to Atlanta this weekend, Stenhouse holds the upper hand. Sadler has more experience having made six starts and posting three top 10s, including a 10th-place finish last season; but Stenhouse has made two starts posting one top five and two top 10s, including a third-place finish last season.

Patrick, Pastrana Make Inaugural Visits To Atlanta

Danica Patrick and Travis Pastrana, two of the biggest names in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will compete on unfamiliar territory this weekend in the NRA American Warrior 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Patrick, who has raced at the other 22 tracks, arrives in Atlanta for the first time fresh off a ninth-place finish at Bristol in the Food City 250. The Atlanta race will be Patrick’s 49th start in the NNS.  Patrick is currently 10th in the points standings, 325 points off the lead and 11 points behind ninth-place driver Brian Scott.

She will be pulling double-duty in the NSCS AdvoCare 500. It will be her fifth premier series start.

Pastrana also makes his inaugural trip to Atlanta for the eighth NNS start of his career (all this season). In his most recent start, at Indianapolis in July, Pastrana posted a career-best finish of 13th. He has two 17th-place finishes at Darlington Raceway and Chicagoland Speedway.

The action sports superstar was scheduled to make his NNS debut last July in Indianapolis, but an injury in the X Games delayed his arrival.

Hornish, Dillon Have Little Time To Waste

Time is running out for Sam Hornish Jr. and Austin Dillon to make a run at the NASCAR Nationwide Series title. With 10 races remaining before a champion is crowned, Hornish and Dillon both have their work cut out for them.

Hornish sits 28 points behind leader Elliott Sadler and nine points outside second-place Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Hornish can carve away at the lead if he continues his streak of 11 consecutive top-10 finishes.

Prior to this weekend’s NRA American Warrior 300 at Atlanta, Hornish has made only one series start at the track. In 2007, he finished 15th after starting fifth. In six NSCS starts, his best finish is 24th.

This weekend marks Dillon’s (35 points behind Sadler) first NNS start at Atlanta. In two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at the track, he has sixth- and 10th-place finishes. Dillon has also been hot lately with 12 top-10 finishes in the last 16 races.
In order for either driver to make a serious run at the championship, they will need to have strong performances this weekend.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Notes

In the 20 NNS races at Atlanta, only four drivers have won from the pole, most recently 2007 series champion Carl Edwards last season. … Idaho native Brian Scott will make his 100th career start in the NNS this weekend. Scott made his series debut at Nashville Superspeedway in April of 2009 and since then has earned five top fives, 18 top 10s and one pole. Scott currently sits ninth in the series championship point standings. NCWTS driver and Texas native James Buescher will attempt to make his 50th NNS start this weekend. … The National Rifle Association will honor military heroes Jason Amerine and Greg Stube this weekend. Amerine is a lieutenant colonel from Honolulu, Hawaii. Stube, a retired member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, hails from Long Beach, Calif. … Several NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers are participating in the NRA American Warrior 300 this weekend: Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Scott Riggs, Joe Nemechek, Reed Sorenson and Sam Hornish Jr.

Camping World Truck Series: Busch Brothers Bring Sibling Rivalry To Trucks

Hard to believe but Kurt and Kyle Busch, sibling rivals in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, never have faced each other on the race track in the truck series.

They’ll finally do so in Friday night’s Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Kyle Busch will be behind the wheel of his familiar No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota, in which his elder sibling finished ninth earlier this month in Michigan. A four-time series winner in Atlanta (and third place a year ago), Busch will make his initial 2012 NCWTS appearance.

Interestingly, Kurt Busch will team with his brother’s previous owner, Atlanta-area resident Billy Ballew, who sold his team at the conclusion of the 2010 season. Ballew and Kyle Busch won 16 times as a team – including the 2005 and 2007-09 Atlanta races. Ballew returns to the series with the No. 51 Chevrolet in association with James Finch’s Phoenix Racing and crew chief Nick Harrison.

“We’ve been able to race against each other a few times this year in the Nationwide Series, but it’s been mostly working together in the tandem draft on the superspeedways,” said Kyle of racing with his older brother. “How exciting would it be to see things come down to a battle of me versus Kurt for the win on Friday night?”

Kurt, the series’ 2000 rookie of the year and a four-time winner, is excited to get back in a truck – especially after having led the most laps at Michigan.

“The fun factor was definitely through the roof,” he said. “It’s just another element of going out there and having fun.”

‘Intermediate’ Wins Crucial Beginning With Atlanta

Any fears that Timothy Peters had lost his momentum were erased last week at Bristol Motor Speedway, where the NCWTS points leader became the first driver since 1997 to lead every lap of a race. Peters heads to Atlanta with a 17-point lead over chief rival James Buescher.

Momentum is one thing. Success on an intermediate track is another.

Peters has yet to win either at the 1.54-mile Atlanta track or a similar layout. Buescher’s three 2012 victories all have come on the intermediates – Kansas, Kentucky and Chicagoland. Rival Justin Lofton won at 1.5-mile Charlotte earlier in the year.

Beginning with Atlanta, five of the remaining nine races are on intermediate tracks. Being able to win there means picking up bonus points, which virtually all of the contenders believe will be crucial to winning this year’s championship.

“We had to start from the rear of the field at Chicago and I was able to drive all the way up to the lead and eventually finish third with the same Toyota Tundra we’ll have at Atlanta,” said Peters. “I feel like we’re ready to take it to the next level and get that (intermediate) win.”

Kligerman, Gale Eye First-Time Winner List

Red Horse Racing claimed its second one-two finish of the season at Bristol with Parker Kligerman following his teammate Peters across the stripe. Is a one-two-three result in the near future? It could happen – especially with the team’s third driver, Todd Bodine, in the mix. Bodine has won 12 times on intermediate tracks. He was the Atlanta winner in 2006.

Kligerman has finished second and fourth since taking over the seat in the No. 7 Toyota. He ranks fifth in the standings, 31 points behind Peters.

Cale Gale, who picked up his first Keystone Light Pole at Bristol, is another driver to consider as a first-time winner. Sponsored by Atlanta-based Rheem, the Eddie Sharp Racing driver finished sixth at Chicagoland Speedway July 21 for his career-best finish on a 1.5-mile track.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Notes

Atlanta winners in the field are Bodine, Busch and 2011 winner Ron Hornaday Jr. The trio has been the series’ most dominant on intermediate tracks. Busch has won 14 times with Bodine and Hornaday counting 12 victories apiece. … NASCAR Drive For Diversity product Kyle Larson, who finished 10th in his NCWTS debut at Kentucky Speedway earlier this summer, returns at Atlanta in Turner Motorsports’ No. 4 Chevrolet. … Ross Chastain’s third-place finish at Bristol was his best in his 18th career NCWTS start. The Alva, Fla., driver ranks third in Sunoco Rookie of the Year points behind Ty Dillon and Gale. … Max Gresham, whose hometown of Griffin, GA, is a stone’s throw from Atlanta Motor Speedway, will make his first of five starts Friday in Eddie Sharp Racing’s No. 8 Chevrolet. … Aric Almirola has been tapped to drive Richie Wauters’ No. 5 Ford this week.