The First Reid: Pre-Chase favorites need misfortune to others
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
No more Mr. Nice Guy.
You won’t hear Chase drivers, particularly those wiped out in Sunday accidents at Kansas Speedway, mouthing vanilla mantras like “I wouldn’t wish misfortune on any of my competitors.”
In fact, rampant misfortune to other Chase drivers is precisely what Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are hoping for.
“There is still a lot of racing left,” Johnson said Sunday, standing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage as his team repaired the No. 48 Chevrolet, wrecked in a multicar incident on Lap 85. “Stuff can happen.
“We’ll see how the other Chasers fare. If I can get taken out today, somebody else can later in this event or at Charlotte.”
Johnson’s words proved prophetic. Earnhardt popped a tire and slammed into the Turn 4 wall on Lap 122. Keselowski blew a right front and whacked the Turn 2 wall on Lap 160.
Keselowski likened his misfortune to losing a game of Russian Roulette. To extend the analogy, if other Chase drivers don’t find a bullet in the chamber during the next two races, Keselowski is in serious trouble, along with Earnhardt and Johnson.
For those three drivers, the best-case scenario is to miss a “Big One” at Talladega that gobbles up the rest of the Chase field. Remember 2008, when missing a wreck that collected half the Chasers launched Johnson to his third straight series title.
So if you hear Johnson, Keselowski or Earnhardt say they don’t want to advance because of others’ misfortunes, don’t believe it.
They don’t mean it.
@nascarcasm
The Contender Round begins. Points earned from wins in the Challenger Round? Gone. Points earned from NOT winning in the Challenger Round? Still there. Sorry, Biffle and all you other suckas.
Here’s what happened at Kansas. Joey Logano won. And based on the number of Chasers who had trouble, I think Joey Gase advanced to the Eliminator Round.
Sunday marked Clint Bowyer’s first race as the father of a new baby boy. He required lots of attention, didn’t fuss much, and frequently needed a bottle. His son, too.
Kyle Larson is clearly knocking on the door of victory. The problem is that victory hasn’t answered yet because it thinks he’s a 4th-grader selling tins of popcorn for an elementary-school fundraiser.
(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
By Reid Spencer
8: The series-best number of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series poles won this year by Kevin Harvick, who added his eighth of the season last Friday at Kansas Speedway. The bad news? The only pole Harvick has converted into a victory this year came at Darlington back in April.
5: The number of NASCAR Sprint Cup victories recorded this season by Joey Logano, Sunday’s winner at Kansas Speedway. Logano and Team Penske shop mate Brad Keselowski share the series lead in victories, but their fortunes at Kansas couldn’t have been more disparate. Logano won. Keselowski finished 36th after a blown tire sent him rocketing into the wall.
1: The number of top-five finishes posted by Kyle Busch in 15 starts at Kansas Speedway. With his breakthrough third-place run at Kansas on Sunday, Busch now boasts at least one top five at every active Sprint Cup track.
44: In points, Jimmie Johnson’s deficit to Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup leader Joey Logano after the first race in the Contender Round. More to the point, Johnson trails eighth-place Jeff Gordon by 27 points with only two races left to survive the cut from 12 to eight drivers.
3.25: The average finish of Sunoco rookie of the year leader and Kansas runner-up Kyle Larson in the first four Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. Only Joey Logano, winner of two of the first four Chase races, has a better average—2.5. The only problem for Larson? He isn’t in the Chase.
NASCAR NOTES
Joey Logano punched his ticket to the Eliminator Round by winning at Kansas on Sunday. The 24-year-old led 122-of-267 laps (45.7%) and registered a 144.7 driver rating on his way to Victory Lane. He has been dominant in four Chase for the NASCAR Sprint races with two wins and a series-best average finish of 2.5. … Too bad Kyle Larson missed out on qualifying for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. He has accumulated the second-most points through the first four Chase races (164) and has an average finish of 3.25. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year frontrunner will attempt to notch his first-career victory this Saturday in the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. on ABC). … Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup favorites Brad Keselowksi, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson are in danger of missing the cut after disappointing finishes at Kansas on Sunday. Luckily, they all have experienced success at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where they will try to win or gain back ground in Saturday’s Bank of America 500 (7:30 p.m. on ABC). Johnson won this year’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and holds the track record with seven all-time wins. Keselowski took the checkered flag in last season’s October race in the Queen City, while Earnhardt claims 11 top-10 finishes in 29 Charlotte starts.
Tune-In: NASCAR On Television, October 6-12
Monday, October 6
4:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
Tuesday, October 7
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
Wednesday, October 8
5:30 a.m., The 10: NASCAR’s Most Bizarre Moments (re-air), FOX Sports 1
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
7:30 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8:30 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
11 a.m., TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Race at Road Atlanta (re-air), FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
7:30 p.m., The 10: NASCAR’s Closest Calls (re-air),
FOX Sports 2
Thursday, October 9
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
7:30 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8:30 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice, ESPN2
7 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, ESPN2
1:30 a.m. (Fri.), NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
2 a.m. (Fri.), NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
2:30 a.m. (Fri.), NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
Friday, October 10
7:30 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
8:30 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBC Sports Network
3 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice, ESPN2
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice, ESPN2
7 p.m., NNS Countdown, ESPN2
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Nationwide Series Race at Charlotte, ESPN2
Saturday, October 11
11 a.m., The 10: NASCAR’s Greatest Races (re-air),
FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race at Dover (re-air), FOX Sports 2
6 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FOX Sports 2
7 p.m., NSCS Countdown, ABC
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Charlotte, ABC
2:30 a.m. (Sun.), NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
3 a.m. (Sun.), NASCAR Victory Lane, FOX Sports 1
3 a.m. (Sun.), NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Charlotte (re-air), ESPN2
Sunday, October 12
9:30 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane (re-air), FOX Sports 1
Noon, Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Race at Road Atlanta, FOX Sports 1
12:30 a.m. (Mon.), NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
1 a.m. (Mon.), NASCAR America: Scan All 43 Special (re-air), NBC Sports Network
National Series Schedule
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
The Next Race:Bank of America 500
The Place:Charlotte Motor Speedway
The Date/Time:Saturday, Oct. 11, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: ABC
Radio: PRN, Sirius XM Channel 90
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
The Next Race:Drive for the Cure 300 Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
The Place:Charlotte Motor Speedway
The Date/Time:Friday, Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN2
Radio: PRN, Sirius XM Channel 90
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
The Next Race:Fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola
The Place:Talladega Superspeedway
Date/Time:Saturday, Oct. 18, 1:00 p.m. (ET)
TV: FOX
Radio: MRN, Sirius XM Channel 90
NASCAR National Series Standings
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field was trimmed down to 12 for the Contender Round, after the four winless drivers with the lowest points totals following Dover were eliminated.
Points for all championship-qualifying drivers, regardless of Challenger Round victories, were reset to 3,000.
This year, wins matter more than in any season in the 65-year history of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Just like the Challenger Round, a victory in the Contender Round automatically advances a championship-qualifying driver into the next segment of the Chase.
At the conclusion of the Contender Round’s third race (Talladega), the four winless drivers with the lowest points totals will again be eliminated.
*Advanced to Eliminator Round with a win
Chase Standings
Pos Driver Points
1 Joey Logano* 3,048
2 Kyle Busch 3,042
3 Carl Edwards 3,039
4 Ryan Newman 3,039
5 Denny Hamlin 3,037
6 Kevin Harvick 3,033
7 Matt Kenseth 3,031
8 Jeff Gordon 3,031
9 Kasey Kahne 3,023
10 Brad Keselowski 3,009
11 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3,006
12 Jimmie Johnson 3,004
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Pos Driver Points
1 Chase Elliott # 1,068
2 Regan Smith 1,030
3 Ty Dillon # 1,028
4 Brian Scott 1,011
5 Elliott Sadler 1,008
6 Trevor Bayne 971
7 Chris Buescher # 874
8 Brendan Gaughan 846
9 Ryan Reed # 791
10 James Buescher 779
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Pos Driver Points
1 Matt Crafton 644
2 Johnny Sauter 625
3 Ryan Blaney 617
4 Darrell Wallace Jr. 611
5 Joey Coulter 562
6 German Quiroga 559
7 Timothy Peters 549
8 Ben Kennedy # 546
9 Jeb Burton 527
10 Ron Hornaday Jr. 484
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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