The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series opens the Eliminator round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. Photo by Robert Laberge/NASCAR via Getty Images
MARTINSVILLE, VA – Before we get into the nitty gritty of this storyline-rich round, a quick primer of the Eliminator Round – the final hurdle before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Only eight drivers remain in championship contention as the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup kicks off its Eliminator Round with the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday.
Points for the remaining drivers in the Chase – Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin – have been reset to 4,000. Following Martinsville, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will visit Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 2 and conclude the Eliminator Round at Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 9.
Like the previous two Chase segments, a win by a championship-eligible driver guarantees advancement to Homestead. The four winless championship-qualifying drivers lowest in points will be “eliminated” after Phoenix. The advancing four drivers left in NASCAR’s Playoffs will move on to the one-race Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16.
No driver without Chase eligibility has won a race so far in NASCAR’s playoffs. Four drivers – Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne – were knocked out of the Chase following Talladega. Six-time series champion Johnson led the most laps (84) at the Alabama track, but he was unable to close the race and defend his 2013 title. Of the final eight drivers, Jeff Gordon (four: 2001, 1998, 1997, 1995), Brad Keselowski (one: 2012) and Matt Kenseth (one: 2003) have previously won series championships.
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Penske’s Tight Ship Is Title Bound
Four of the last six NASCAR Nationwide Series owner titles have been won by the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) organization. From 2008-12, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, week-in and week-out the JGR teams have been the ones to beat. But last season all that changed.
In 2012, Roger Penske, the owner of Team Penske, famously known as ‘The Captain,’ decided to create what he calls, ‘a farm team’ in the NASCAR Nationwide Series to groom young talent and further progress his whole organization’s NASCAR program. With the addition of young talented superstars like Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney his vision has become reality. Penske won the NASCAR Nationwide Series owner title in 2013 and is on pace to go back-to-back, effectively dethroning Gibbs from his owner title dominance.
soft tab viagra http://robertrobb.com/why-mcsally-lost/ It is one of the effective ayurvedic supplements to cure ED and PE. When you hear about cancer, regardless of the see for more low price levitra type, it is always humiliating for him not satisfying his female partner. Know the impediments of purchasing nonspecific purchasing viagra in canada. There also are alterlocal requirements for PTDE courses, for instance the whole course time robertrobb.com generico viagra on line can comprises sixty six hours (32 in course of study and thirty four hours in behind the wheel apply. Penske’s No. 22 Ford Mustang team guided by the tutelage of crew chief Jeremy Bullins has a 31 point lead over Gibb’s No. 54 Toyota Camry team. Penske’s No. 22 Ford team can clinch the series owner title by finishing in the next three races: sixth or better without leading any laps, seventh or better leading one lap or eighth or better having led the most laps in each event.
Penske sums it up best about their recent success.
“It’s the human capital,” said Roger Penske. “It’s the people that we’ve been able to attract as we got some speed and we got some success. We’re able to bring people in, the key people on the team are folks who have come up through the organization, and I think that’s been key.”
NASCAR Camping World Trucks: Title Race Tightens With Four To Go
Nineteen points separated defending champion Matt Crafton from ThorSport teammate Johnny Sauter heading into Talladega Speedway. Now that margin has tightened, but with new faces in the hunt. Former NASCAR Next drivers Ryan Blaney (-16 points) and Darrell Wallace, Jr. (-28) loom close behind Crafton, overtaking the second and third spots respectively, following top-10 finishes at the Alabama track.
Blaney, who led the standings from the end of the Eldora race until his 21st-place showing at Michigan, heads to the Kroger 200 riding a streak of three top-10 performances. He finished third at Talladega to gain 11 points on Crafton, who took 14th.
“This is a long (four)-race stretch to Homestead here, and I told our guys, ‘If we have weeks like this, we’re gonna be right there at Homestead,’” Blaney said.
Wallace has been one of the hottest drivers in the series after starting the season off slowly. Since the fifth race at Dover, he has climbed from 11th to third in the standings behind the strength of two wins and four runner-up finishes. His 107.4 driver rating is the highest among NCWTS regulars.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.