Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Joey Logano: Logano won his second straight race, bumping Matt Kenseth out of the lead with five laps to go to win the Hollywood Casino 400.
“Let’s face it,” Logano said, “Kenseth’s tailspin started well before Kansas.
2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick left the pits with his gas can still attached with about 50 laps to go, incurring a drive-through penalty. Harvick finished 15th and has 3,071 points, just seven ahead of Kyle Busch in ninth.
“I just need to keep my nose clean at Talladega,” Harvick said, “and keep the No. 4 Chevrolet off the wall. It will be different than it was at Dover—-to keep my nose clean there, I intentionally had to hit the wall.”
3. Kurt Busch: Busch took sixth at Kansas, scoring his 17th top-10 of the year. He is third in the points standings, 13 ahead of ninth place.
“I’m in perfect position to advance to the Eliminator Round,” Busch said. “It doesn’t apply to my mental state, but I’m ‘in a good place.’”
4. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished second at Kansas and is now second in the points standings.
“Matt Kenseth will get Joey Logano back,” Hamlin said. “It’s gonna be hard for Matt to properly avenge himself at Talladega because Logano’s already advanced to the next round. So, Matt may be able to get some sort of revenge, but he won’t be able to exact revenge.”
5. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished eighth in the Hollywood Casino 400, posting his 13th top-10 of the year.
“Matt Kenseth is old enough to be Joey Logano’s father,” Edwards said. “In my eyes, Joey needs a beating; in Matt’s eyes, he needs a spanking.”
6. Martin Truex Jr.: A late pit mishap coast Truex a likely top-10 finish and he settled for 16th in the Hollywood Casino 400.
“We had a tire get away from us in the pits,” Truex said. “Up until that point, we were ‘rolling.’”
7. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski started on the pole and finished ninth at Kansas, recording his 21st top-10 of the year. He has 3,071 points in the standings, tied with Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon.
“Joey Logano’s won the last two races,” Keselowski said, “and five total this season. He’s looking like the favorite to win the Sprint Cup championship. He just has to avoid being overconfident. Can Joey avoid getting a ‘big head?’ I don’t think so; on that neck, any head looks big.”
8. Jeff Gordon: Gordon took 10th at Kansas and has 3,071 points in the standings, which places him seven points ahead of Kyle Busch in ninth.
“Advancing to the next round could come down to a single point,” Gordon said, “so every point matters. At Talladega, I’m just as worried about the ‘Little One’ as I am about the ‘Big One.’”
9. Kyle Busch: Busch posted his eighth top-5 finish of the season with a fifth in the Hollywood Casino 400. He is currently in ninth place in the points standings, six points behind eighth place.
“One week after the Hollywood Casino 400,” Busch said, “we’re heading to Talladega, where, fittingly, all bets are off.
“The level of tension will be such that you’ll be able to cut it with a knife. In the infield at Talladega, the level of alcohol will be such that you might get stabbed with a knife.”
10. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth was leading with five laps remaining at Kansas when Joey Logano bumped him, sending Kenseth’s No. 20 sliding up the track and out of the lead. Kenseth finished 14th and will likely need to win at Talladega to advance.
“With Halloween approaching,” Kenseth said, “Logano should be mindful of things that go bump in the night, as well as things that go bump in the face.”
