Complete Analysis: Charlotte

6. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
Larson found the high line early in the race and was able to fly into the top 10 on a restart after the competition caution on Lap 25. The No. 42 Chevrolet driver even saw the lead for five laps. The Chip Ganassi Racing rookie has been consistent for his first Sprint Cup Series season — with eight top fives and now 16 top 10s, Larson’s sixth-place finish proves he’s a driver Chasers should be worried about now and in the future.

7. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
Newman was running in the top 15 when a spin from Danica Patrick collected him and sent the No. 31 shooting across the track. Newman started the race fifth, and despite his incident managed to rally a top-10 finish. Newman now sits fourth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings as he heads to Talladega. See Newman’s spin here.

8. Carl Edwards, No. 99 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
Starting 10th in the Bank of America 500, Edwards didn’t make any significant moves in the second race of the Contender Round of the Chase besides scoring his 13th top-10 finish at Charlotte. Looking ahead, Edwards is 12 points off of first in the standings. The No. 99 driver would need to finish 18th with no laps led, 19th with at least one lap led or 20th with most laps led at Talladega to advance in order to the clinch into the Eliminator Round of the Chase.

9. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
Hamlin started the race third and surprisingly didn’t see the lead until Lap 272 out of 334. Hamlin led 22 laps before falling short to eventual winner Kevin Harvick. The lead gave Hamlin enough momentum to remain in the top 10 from there on out. After the race on the cool down lap, Hamlin found himself tangled in post-race drama with Brad Keselowski. The No. 2 and No. 11 seemed to have a disagreement, causing Keselowski to try to wreck Hamlin. “He just tried to turn ya,” Hamlin’s crew chief explained to Hamlin. “Get out of there. Be smart. Don’t do nothing stupid. Let Tony (Stewart) handle it.” Get more in-race audio with RaceView. | View the video of the post-race drama here.

10. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
Kahne escaped the craziness of what was the Bank of America 500 with a top-10 finish and even moved a position higher in the Chase standings. Currently sitting in the eighth position in the standings, in order for Kahne to clinch a spot in the Eliminator Round of the Chase he would have to win at Talladega. Kahne has three top-fives in 21 starts at the superspeedway with an average finish of 21.5.

11. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing
The kind of run that Busch had at Charlotte was exactly the kind of run he needed earlier in the season to have remained in the Chase. Busch saw his way into the top five quickly after starting the race 11th in the field and even saw the lead for two laps. The No. 41 SHR driver finished 11th, more than 8 spots ahead of his average finishing position at the North Carolina track.

12. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing
Although no longer in the Chase, Allmendinger is still running in the top 15. The ‘Dinger started the race 26th and made significant positive movement in the race despite a pit road penalty on Lap 97 for equipment leaving his pit box. Allmendinger is also leading in the non-Chase driver standings.

13. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
Improving his previous Charlotte showing, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year competitor started the Bank of America 500 20th in the field and eventually led for a total of six laps during a flurry of green-flag pits stops. Dillon has shown he’s powerful on speedways, earning his first Coors Light Pole Award at the start of the year in the Daytona 500. Dillon’s previous trip to Talladega had him finishing 15th. Not bad for a rookie.

14. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing
In one of Truex’s better races this season, the Furniture Row Racing driver started 23rd and made huge gains by Lap 124 and was running as high as sixth. Truex’s average finish at Charlotte is 18.5 in 19 starts, so his 14th-place finish is a move in a positive direction. Truex Jr. moved up one spot in the standings.

15. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports
Still in his rookie season, Allgaier has only two Sprint Cup Series starts at Charlotte, his best run coming in the Bank of America 500. Not only was this Allgaier’s best run at Charlotte, it was also his best run of 2014. Could the HScott driver be catching on?

16. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske
Unlike Keselowski’s typical chamionship-worthy form, the No. 2 Team Penske driver fought to stay in the top 10 at Charlotte. It wasn’t until after the race that Keselowski started to heat up. During the cool-down lap, the No. 2 and No. 11 seemed to have a disagreement, causing Keselowski to go after Denny Hamlin. Once heading onto pit road Keselowski then went after Matt Kenseth and also crashed into Tony Stewart along the way. Stewart had no tolerance for it and reversed himself into Keselowski. Back in the garage area, Hamlin and Kenseth went after Keselowski and physical altercations broke out between the No. 2 and No. 20 team. All in all, with a finish of 16th, Keselowski now must battle at Talladega next week to keep his position in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Keselowski sits 19 points behind the eighth-place cut off for the Eliminator Round. View the video of the post-race drama here.

17. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
Better than his finish last week at Kansas, Johnson could have still had a better night in the Bank of America 500. In his 27 starts, Johnson had earned seven wins at the North Carolina track, his most recent coming in the spring race of this year. Unlike his typical calm and cool demeanor, Johnson let a bit of the pressure get to him, resulting in a heated exchange with crew chief Chad Knaus over the radio as Knaus was trying to adjust Johnson’s car. Hanging on the edge of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings in 11th, the Hendrick Motorsports driver must win at Talladega in order to clinch a spot in the next round. Johnson only has two wins in 25 starts at the Alabama superspeedway where he finished 23rd earlier this year. To hear the heated discussion click here.

18. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
Even though Biffle is out of the Chase, he still found a way to make an impact. Biffle’s 18th-place finish was not only better than his spring showing, but the non-Chaser took away a position that Kenseth and Dale Jr. were gunning for.

19. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
After starting the race in the rear for unapproved adjustments, winless Chase contender Kenseth worked his way through traffic and even saw the top five. It wasn’t until Lap 272 that things started to shake up. During a restart on that lap, Kenseth and Keselowski made contact and Hamlin ran away with the lead. The contact dropped Kenseth from fourth back to 18th-place. Following Harvick’s win, Kenseth was driving down pit road with his seat belt and HANS device off, and Keselowski charged from behind him to scrape the back side of the No. 20 Toyota Camry. Kenseth later found Keselowski on pit road and a fight broke out between the two teams. View the video of the post-race drama here.

20. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
Earnhardt Jr. needed Charlotte to be a success story. He even went as far as declaring his win a day before the race. “We’re gonna win this race,” Earnhardt said in a televised interview after Friday’s first practice at Charlote. “I’ve got a really good feeling about it.” Earnhardt Jr. pitted before pit road was open on Lap 138 and got a penalty, forcing him to restart in the rear. The No. 88 crew also had to deal with a broken shifter in the Hendrick Chevrolet. Earnhardt was also penalized for speeding on pit road which ultimately set him back further in the field. After a second penalty for speeding and constantly battling to stay on the lead lap, Dale Jr. finished the race 20th and is currently 12th in the Chase standings with one race left in the Contender Round. Junior has the best record at Talladega of any of the Chasers on the bubble going into next round with five wins, 10 top-fives and 14 top-10s in 29 career starts.

21. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing
It looked like a quiet night for Stewart. The SHR co-owner and driver started fourth in the field and by Lap 4 had stolen third from Hamlin. He eventually drifted back, occasionally making an appearance in the top 10. Stewart finished the race 21st and was heading down pit road when Keselowski made contact with the No. 14 as he was attempting to go after Kenseth. Stewart had zero tolerance for the No. 2’s behavior and put his SHR Chevrolet into reverse, crunching the hood of Keselowski. View the video of the post-race drama here.

22. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports
It’s a good thing Almirola is no longer in the Chase running. His poor showings at both Kansas (31st) and Charlotte (22nd) would be a surefire way to eliminate himself. The No. 43 team couldn’t seem to find their groove on Saturday night and caught themselves a lap down on Lap 85. After starting 15th, Almirola just dropped back. We know the RPM driver is capable of more because he finished 11th in the spring race this year. Perhaps, Almirola is experiencing more of a laid back attitude now that the Chase pressure is off his shoulders.

23. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Racing
With three previous DNFs at Charlotte, just finishing the race is an accomplishment for the No. 40 team. Cassill’s 23rd-place finish is his second best in nine starts at the track. His best was 18th in 2012. Although Cassill only finished 331 out of 334 laps, this is still a move in the right direction.

24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
While this isn’t Stenhouse’s worst finish at Charlotte, it isn’t his best either. The No. 17 RFR driver started 28th in the field and didn’t see much movement. Perhaps he was distracted by his contact he made with Mears on Lap 109. From the looks of it, it seemed intentional and Mears headed to pit road. If Stenhouse gets his mind back on racing, he might find himself in the top five at Talladega, as he was in 2013.

25. Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports
2014 hasn’t been Ambrose’s year at Charlotte. This weekend earning 25th, and then previously finishing 29th in the spring, he doesn’t seem like he’s looking to leave his mark on the Cup Series before he leaves after the end of the season. Moving forward, although the No. 9 is a road course expert, he did once earn a top five on Talladega Superspeedway.

26. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing
Patrick celebrated a small victory early in the race as she moved up 11 positions to fourth in the race off pit road following the competition caution on Lap 25. After that, the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing driver quickly fell into the 20s. Patrick brought herself back up to 11th but spun in Turn 2 after trying to get around Logano. Patrick collected Ryan Newman with her. “It was such a bummer for the GoDaddy team,” Patrick said. “We were having such a good night, and I really think we had a car that was capable of a top-10 finish tonight, and that got taken away from us for really no reason. It’s just really frustrating. Charlotte has not been good to me.” The No. 10 suffered damage to the right-rear and front end as she hit the wall but was able to continue with the race. Patrick ultimately finished 26th, her second-best finish at the track in five starts. See Patrick’s spin here.

27. Reed Sorenson, No. 36 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing
Sorenson started 30th in the field and finished just three positions better. The No. 36 driver finished 42nd in the spring race, ultimately improving his finish by 15 positions in the fall race. Looking ahead, Sorenson has four DNFs at Talladega, his most recent coming in the spring. The Tommy Baldwin Racing driver’s best finish at the superspeedway is 10th in 2007.

28. Cole Whitt, No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing
Sunoco Rookie of the Year competitior Whitt made his fourth Sprint Cup Series start at Charlotte and scored his second-best finish. Whitt started 36th and finished 28th, raising him one spot in the Cup standings.

29. Michael McDowell, No. 95 Ford, Leavine Family Racing
Scoring his best finish at Charlotte in 11 starts, McDowell might be on to something. Although he only improved two spots from his starting position, the No. 95 driver is chipping away at his high average finish of 36.3

30. Alex Bowman, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing
In his second career start at Charlotte, rookie Bowman may have had a finish barely inside the top 30, but it’s the better of his two appearances, so that has to be a step in the right direction. His pit crew, on the other hand, might be what’s slowing him down. On Lap 330, nearing the end of the race, Bowman pitted and was penalized for a missing lugnut on his car. Without that, could the No. 23 rookie have pulled off a top-20 finish?

31. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing
It’s been about seven years, but Mears knows what it feels like to win at Charlotte. More often than that, though, he knows how it feels to get a DNF at the track. Thankfully, the No. 13 driver avoided the latter, but finished several positions off his average of 23.6.

32. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports
Finishing two spots behind his position a week prior at Kansas, it seems like Gilliland might only drop off the map from here on out, or we could see another top 10 performance at Talladega like he put on in 2013. Although the No. 38 driver gained five positions from his starting spot, he still finished a few places behind his average of 29.8.

33. Michael Annett, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing
Annett got into the wall on Lap 266, bringing out a caution at Charlotte. The No. 7 driver also experienced leakage earlier in the race, but finished 33rd despite his shortcomings. Annett finished 28th in his first start at Charlotte in the spring.

34. David Ragan, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports
Ragan saw no movement at Charlotte after starting the race in the same position as he ended. Ragan’s average finish at Charlotte is 23.7, but his last six efforts have all been worse than that. Looking ahead, the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports driver actually has a win at Talladega than came in the spring of 2013.

35. Corey LaJoie, No. 77 Ford, Randy Humphrey Racing
Making his second career Cup start and his first at his hometrack, LaJoie didn’t exactly make a grand entrance. The 23 year old started the race 42nd, so to say he didn’t make any gains would be a lie, they were just few and far between.

36. Timmy Hill, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport
Spilled gasoline in Hill’s pit box brought a small fire that was quickly extinguished on pit road. If only the No. 33 brought the same heat to the track. Hill finished 36th in his fourth start at Charlotte. This is the third time out of those four starts that Hill has finished 36th.

37. Brian Vickers, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing
Vickers was running in the top 15 when he spun in Turn 2, bringing out a caution on Lap 237. Vickers was then running 20th when his engine blew on Lap 328, bringing out another caution. Vickers finished 37th after starting the race eighth. This is Vickers’ second time finishing 37th in 17 starts at Charlotte.

38. J.J. Yeley, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing
Yeley’s best performance at Charlotte came in 2007 when he finished second. Since then, the No. 83 driver has hardly seen finishes inside the top 30. Although this isn’t Yeley’s worst finish at Charlotte, he’s seen better days.

39. Blake Koch, No. 32 Ford, FAS Lane Racing
Koch’s 39th-place finish in the Bank of America 500 was the worst position the driver has earned in his total of three starts at the track. The only other tracks Koch has raced s Cup car are Phoenix and Dover. Some experience on different styles of tracks could help out the 29-year-old.

40. Brett Moffitt, No. 66 Toyota, Jay Robinson Racing
In his first start at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the 22-year-old Sprint Cup part-timer was just getting his feet wet. Moffitt has made four other Cup starts this season, scoring his best finish of 22nd in his series debut at Dover.

41. Josh Wise, No. 98 Chevrolet, Phil Parsons Racing
Wise had to head to the garage for vibrations on Lap 81, but returned on Lap 116. Not making any big moves, the No. 98 came down the apron, car smoking at Lap 221 bringing out a caution. Wise ultimately finished 41st and 156 laps behind.

42. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
On Lap 136, Menard brought out a caution as the No. 27 blew an engine and was forced to the garage. This was Menard’s second career DNF at Charlotte, his first coming in 2008. Menard started sixth in the race and had showed potential of a top-10 finish.

43. Clint Bowyer, No 15 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing
Bowyer faced engine issues on Lap 96, which brought out a caution, and ultimately had to take the No. 15 Toyota to the garage. This is Bowyer’s first DNF at Charlotte and his fourth of 2014, his first coming in the season-opening Daytona 500.

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