Anything Short of a Win Won’t Advance Many of Pre-Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Favorites
TALLADEGA, AL – Since NASCAR announced its revamped Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup nine months ago, the one race that fans marked on their calendar with the highest of anticipation was Talladega Superspeedway’s GEICO 500. Well, the wait is over – it’s race week at NASCAR’s Most Competitive and unpredictable track, and the emotional drama that awaits is an open-ended script that no one knows the ending.
With the GEICO 500, set for Sunday at 1 pm CT, being the final race of the Contender Round of the Chase in which four of the 12 drivers will be eliminated for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) title, there’s plenty of storylines. The top headline, however, is that four of the favorites for the title are at the bottom of the standings, and possibly the only way for any of the quartet to move on to the next round will be by a victory in the GEICO 500 – which is an automatic birth into the Eliminator Round of eight.
To say there is a tremendous sense of urgency and pressure in the Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski camps, along with that of Matt Kenseth, is an understatement. Between the foursome, they have 10 triumphs at Talladega, and will need one more trophy on the mantle to guarantee their chance for a Sprint Cup Championship. What makes it even more interesting is that these drivers are not the only ones who are in danger of not making it. In fact, only two drivers are safe – Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick, who both have wins in the Contender Round. That leaves 10 desperate drivers needing a solid finish – some of whom are in more trouble than others and will demand nothing short of a triumph. One of those is Earnhardt, Jr.
“Go out there and win it,” says Earnhardt, Jr., on the GEICO 500, who, along with Johnson, trails eighth-place Kasey Kahne by 26 points. “We have won there a lot of times. I know what we need to do. We will just have to build a fast car and hope that we don’t have any gremlins and try to go out there and win it,” added the five-time Talladega winner.
Johnson meanwhile, is in the same exact position as his teammate. A record-tying seventh NSCS title could be out of reach unless he and his team can figure out the right TSS strategy.
“You just can’t predict what’s going to happen at Talladega,” admits Johnson, a two-time Talladega Superspeedway (TSS) winner. “It’s risk versus reward. If you don’t have much to lose, you can try to race all day long and try to stay at the head of the pack and out of trouble. I always knew Talladega was out there. It has always been lurking. It’s just hiding out there waiting for us.”
Keselowski, who had on-track run-ins with Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart, as well as scuffle with Kenseth afterwards in the garage area, this past weekend at Charlotte, is 19 points out of the automatic transfer spot. Kenseth is on the borderline, too, trailing Kahne by a single point. Keselowski says “it’s going to be a sight to be seen and a spectacle.”
Perhaps Harvick says it best. After his Charlotte win Saturday night, he joked about watching the race differently from his normal view behind the wheel. “I’d park it (his race car) because it’ll be one heck of a race to watch. That’s what I’d do. I’m parking it and watching it. It’s going to be fun to watch. It’s going to be crazy, offensive racing.”
While Harvick won’t be able to watch the race from a grandstand seat, fans can. Who will make the Chase and who won’t? Find out this weekend. Get your tickets today for both the GEICO 500 as well as the fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. For more information, call 1-877-Go2-DEGA or visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.
Below is information to assist you in your coverage – the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver standings, along with pertinent information on each driver as it relates to their past performances at Talladega Superspeedway.
CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP STANDINGS ENTERING TALLADEGA
Place Driver Team Car No. Points Behind Leader
*Joey Logano Team Penske 22 3088
Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 18 3082 -6
*Kevin Harvick Stewart Haas Racing 4 3081 -7
Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing 31 3077 -11
Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing 99 3076 -12
Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports 24 3074 -14
Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 11 3073 -15
Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports 5 3075 -31
Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing 20 3056 -32
Brad Keselowski Team Penske 2 3038 -50
Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports 48 3031 -57
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports 88 3031 -57
*ADVANCED TO ELIMINATOR ROUND
Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver Stats at Talladega Superspeedway
JOEY LOGANO-Team Penske, No. 22 Ford
No TSS Wins, 2 Top-5 and 4 Top-10 finishes
Spring race average finish of 24.6 (6 races)
Fall race average finish of 16.0 (5 races)
KYLE BUSCH-Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 18 Toyota
1 TSS Win: Apr. ’08, 4 Top-5 and 5 Top-10 finishes.
Spring race average finish 23.1 (10 races)
Fall race average finish of 19.5 (9 races)
KEVIN HARVICK-Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 4 Chevrolet
1 TSS Win: Apr. ’10, 6 Top-5 and 11 Top-10 finishes.
Spring race average finish of 16.1 (14 races)
Fall race average finish of 15.5 (13 races)
RYAN NEWMAN-Richard Childress Racing, No. 31 Chevrolet
No TSS Wins, 4 Top- 5 and 9 Top-10 finishes.
Spring race average finish of 25.5 (13 races)
Fall race average finish of 17.3 (12 races)
CARL EDWARDS-Roush Fenway Racing, No. 99 Ford
No TSS Wins, 2 Top-5 and 5 top-10 finishes.
Spring race average finish of 22.7 (10 races)
Fall race average finish of 19.4 (10 races)
JEFF GORDON-Hendrick Motorsports, No. 24 Chevrolet
6 TSS Wins: July ’96, Apr ’00, Apr ’04, May ’05, including a sweep in ’07; has 15 Top-5 and 19 Top-10 Finishes
Spring race average finish of 15.3 (22 races)
Fall race average finish of 18.1 (21 races)
DENNY HAMLIN-Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota
1 TSS Win: May ’14, 4 Top-5 and 6 Top-10 finishes.
Spring race average finish of 17.0 (9 races)
Fall race average finish of 23.4 (8 races)
KASEY KAHNE-Hendrick Motorsports, No. 5 Chevrolet
No TSS Wins, 3 Top-5 and 6 Top-10 finishes
Spring race average finish of 25.1 (11 races)
Fall race average finish of 17.6 (10 races)
MATT KENSETH-Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 20 Toyota
1 TSS Win: October 2012, 5 Top-5 and 9 Top-10 finishes.
Spring race average finish of 21.3 (15 races)
Fall race average finish of 15.2 (14 races)
BRAD KESELOWSKI-Team Penske, No. 2 Ford
First taste of success in NASCAR with his first career triumph at TSS in 2009 and his second win in 2012. 3 Top-5 and 6 Top-10 finishes.
Spring race average finish of 20.3 (6 races)
Fall race average finish of 11.6 (5 races)
JIMMIE JOHNSON-Hendrick Motorsports, No. 48 Chevrolet
2 TSS Wins: May ’06 and April 2011, 6 Top-5 and 10 Top-10 finishes, one pole. Also had closest finish in NASCAR history at TSS (.002 seconds) over Clint Bowyer.
Spring race average finish of 14.38 (13 races)
Fall race average of 20.25 (12 races)
DALE EARNHARDT JR.-Hendrick Motorsports, No. 88 Chevrolet
Currently holds the track record for most consecutive wins, going to Gatorade Victory Lane four straight races from 2001-2003. Talladega Superspeedway is his best Chase Track, with five total wins, 10 top-5 finishes and 14 top-10 finishes. It has been 10 years since his last win here – fall of 2004. That year he opened the season with a win in the season-opening Daytona 500 (did the same this year). He was second in last year’s GEICO 500.
Spring race average finish of 12.5 (15 races)
Fall race average finish of 17.6 (14 races)
About Talladega Superspeedway
NASCAR speeds back into Talladega Superspeedway October 17-19 for the GEICO 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race and fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event. NASCAR’s Most Competitive Tracks (record 88 lead changes in 188 laps), with the circuit’s steepest banking (33 degrees) and longest distance (2.66 miles), is also the most fun and fan-friendly, offering up hundreds of acres of free camping, amazing kids ticket prices and special offers for military members and college students. Talladega Superspeedway is NASCAR’s “Party Capital” thanks to the track’s infamous infield and world renowned Talladega Blvd. The historic venue has always worked hard to enhance the fan experience in every way and now features the most comfortable seats in motorsports, large video viewing boards (a new initiative planned for future implementation at all ISC tracks) lining the frontstretch and endless activities for fans throughout its event weekends. Log on to www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 877-Go2-DEGA for more.
