Harvick, Logano prepare for Chase in Homestead test

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Holly Cain

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Waiting out a morning shower in the Homestead-Miami Speedway garage on Wednesday, reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick was dressed casually but clearly at work, talking with his Stewart-Haas Racing crew as they hovered over laptop computers and gestured toward his plain gray No. 4 Chevrolet SS.

The last time this group was at this track, they were getting showered in champagne, not rain, celebrating Harvick’s 2014 Sprint Cup Series championship title, thanks to a victory in the season finale here.

But it was all business for Harvick Wednesday as he and nine other drivers came to the 1.5-mile track for a one-day open test for Sprint Cup teams, attended by three of last year’s four championship contenders, also including last week’s winner Joey Logano (Team Penske) and Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing).

“You know, I actually hadn’t even thought about it to tell you the truth,” a smiling Harvick said of his first time back at Homestead since his title-winning performance last November. “I know that doesn’t make for a great story, but no one [on the team] has even mentioned it. Everything happens so fast in this sport from a week-to-week basis and you get so caught up in what you need to do the next week.

“We’re always trying to look forward so I really hadn’t thought about everything that happened last year. We’re so focused on being in position, to hopefully have a chance to do that again and get back here.”

Harvick’s primary championship challengers were of similar mindset. And like all of the 10 drivers here — also including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Ty Dillon, Ryan Blaney, Clint Bowyer and Trevor Bayne — the lone opportunity to turn some extra test laps at Homestead is something not to be missed, even if track time boiled down to a couple late morning hours before heavier rains interrupted the schedule.

With the elimination-style format of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs heading into its second year, the importance of the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway has increased exponentially.

When the Sprint Cup Series arrives in South Florida in three months, four drivers will be eligible for the title – the highest finisher in this race will be crowned champion. Last year, Harvick won the race and therefore, the season trophy.

Logano, who collected his third win in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford last weekend at Bristol, also spoke about the emphasis teams now place specifically on being prepared for Homestead.

MORE: Logano victorious in Bristol night race

“Hopefully this test is very important for us,” Logano said with a slight laugh. “You hope it is [because that means you’re in the championship hunt.] Just getting to here (season finale) is a challenge.

“If we do, then this test today will be the most important test of the year. So we definitely want to put a lot into it and make sure we get a lot out of it and really understand what we learned out of it.”

Logano’s three wins would rank him right behind the season’s four-time winners Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch for the start of the Chase on Sept. 20 at Chicagoland Speedway and like Harvick, Logano believes his team is right where it needs to be at this point in the season.

“Right now, we’re peaking at the right spot, and getting a couple wins in the last three weeks is what we need to do heading into the Chase,” said Logano, who finished 16th in the 2014 Homestead race. “Winning the Bristol night race last year kind of propelled us into the Chase, I thought, and gave us good momentum into the Chase. Getting all the way to here [Homestead] was a heck of an accomplishment. And we just need to focus on what we need to do. I feel like as a team we learned a lot in terms of how to execute a championship weekend.”

It looks like everyone will have to raise their game to dethrone Harvick, however, who has a pair of wins and a series-best 17 top-five finishes highlighted by 10 runner-up showings already this season.

“We’ve struck a pretty good course in terms of being able to have a plan in place for the Chase, and everyone has done a good job in terms of being prepared when it comes time for Chicago,” Harvick said. “We’ve been ready every week. We’ve just got to keep doing those things. … No different than last year when we made it happen when it counted.”

WATCH: Harvick chases Logano in the closing laps at Bristol

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Staff Report

Ray Alfalla from Slipangle Motorsports held off a late charge from Gale Force Racing‘s Nick Ottinger at Phoenix International Raceway en route to his second victory in the 2015 NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series Powered by iRacing. Ottinger had to settle for second, less than one tenth of a second behind and a single position short in his quest for a third straight win. Polesitter Casey Tucker (Last Row Motorsports) finished third, followed by series championship leader Kenny Humpe (The TEAM) and PJ Stergios.

Alfalla, who led a race-high 86 of 156 laps, took advantage of some timely cautions and a solid pit strategy and found the winner’s circle for the first time since the season opener at Daytona. Ottinger appeared to have a slightly better car than anyone else on the long run but a decision to short-pit cost him when a caution flew for a wreck before the rest of the front runners made their stops. The untimely yellow trapped Ottinger back in traffic with just 45 laps to go which, later, lead him to remark that his second place finish “felt like a win.”

The night got underway with Humpe taking the lead on Lap Three and quickly opening a one second margin over the field. Humpe held the lead until the first yellow flew on Lap 29 and the field pitted for fresh tires and fuel. Humpe’s crew was sluggish, losing him three positions in the pits and handing the lead back to Tucker.

On the restart Ottinger jumped to the lead but, after a flurry of cautions, Alfalla went to the point as he raced hard for the clean air out front. After a few laps it was Ottinger who prevailed and the race settled into the longest green flag run of the night.

With nobody able to make it on fuel to the end, Ottinger decided to play some pit strategy and short-pitted as soon as his fuel window opened. The move was risky as it put him a lap down but if the pit stop cycle completed he would own a massive lead thanks to his fresh tires. Unfortunately for Ottinger, a crash on the frontstretch on Lap 104 trapped him a lap down as Alfalla and a handful of other cars had yet to make their stops. Ottinger would get back on the lead lap by taking the wave around but now had older tires than Alfalla and the rest of the frontrunners.

Ottinger received some help by way of another caution just 11 laps after taking the wave around which allowed him to pit for tires. When the race restarted with 31 laps remaining Ottinger was in fifteenth but now had fresher tires than the leaders and began charging back to the front. In just seven laps Ottinger was already up to eighth and yet another caution bunched the field up, playing right into his favor.

As so often happens at short tracks, cautions breed cautions and the frequent yellows at the end of the race enabled Ottinger to maximize the benefit of his fresh tires. After going from fifteenth to eighth, he picked up two more spots on the next restart and three additional places on the next before the ninth and final yellow flag of the night flew, setting-up a five lap shootout for the win.

Alfalla still led, Tucker was second, and Ottinger was behind the front row in third as the race went green. Ottinger made quick work of Tucker and started reeling-in Alfalla. By the time the white flag flew Alfalla had a mirror full of the 05 car but would not be denied as he calmly negotiated Turns Three and Four a final time to take the checkered flag with Ottinger right on his bumper.

The win allowed Alfalla to slightly close on Humpe in the championship standings but Humpe still enjoys a massive 109-point advantage. Alfalla also distanced himself from Stergios, who is now 39 points adrift in third. Bryan Blackford and Matt Bussa are tied for fifth, 23 points behind Stergios and three points in front of Chris Overland who fell in the standings due to last night’s disappointing 30th place finish.

With just three races remaining in the 2015 NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series the series shifts to Darlington Raceway, one of the toughest tracks on the circuit. Humpe will have a chance to officially clinch the championship if he can leave “The Lady in Black” with a 97 point lead, leaving Alfalla with some work to do if he hopes to keep the pressure on an additional week. Darlington generally favors the veteran sim racers so it would be no surprise to see Alfalla, Ottinger, and Humpe battling for the win once again. Can anyone else break up the dominant threesome? Tune into iRacingLive in two weeks’ time to find out!

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Official NASCAR Release

PHILADELPHIA — As part of its long-term partnership with NASCAR, Comcast announced today the creation of the Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award, honoring NASCAR team members for their outstanding charitable endeavors.

The annual award will celebrate the philanthropic efforts being made by race teams across all three national series. An individual from each national series will be honored, with one of the three earning the Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award. In recognition of their efforts, a donation of $60,000 will be made in the winner’s name to his or her affiliated charitable organization. A $30,000 contribution will be made to each of the remaining finalists’ charitable organizations.

“The Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award honors those members of NASCAR teams who share our commitment and give back to the communities we serve,” said Peter Intermaggio, Comcast Senior Vice President, Marketing Communications. “At Comcast, we work hard to make a difference in the places where our employees and customers live and work, and we want to recognize and encourage others who demonstrate that same community commitment.”

Nominations are to be submitted by NASCAR team members. Eligible recipients include team owners, drivers and all NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team employees.

“Our teams are competitive by nature, but have a unified goal to benefit the lives of people in need,” said Steve Phelps, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “Comcast shares our passion for community service, and we appreciate the effort to shine a light on the inspirational work being done by our teams.”

Nominees will be narrowed down to three finalists, with a panel of judges comprised of executives from Comcast, The NASCAR Foundation, a former NASCAR driver and a member of the national motorsports media, to determine the recipient of the award. The award will be presented at the NASCAR XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series Banquet at the end of the season in South Florida.

Comcast has a long track record of community service, aiding in the advancement of local organizations, developing programs and partnerships, mobilizing resources to connect people and inspiring positive and substantive change. Comcast’s annual corporate service day, known as Comcast Cares Day, is the largest corporate service effort of its kind. This year, NASCAR drivers Brad Keselowski, Ty Dillon and Cale Conley participated in a local Comcast Cares Day project restoring the local Boys and Girls Club in Richmond, Virginia.

Comcast’s XFINITY brand is the title sponsor of the NASCAR XFINITY Series and Comcast’s NBCUniversal is a NASCAR broadcast partner through the 2024 season.

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Holly Cain

In the painful initial minutes after hearing Monday night’s news that his good friend and former teammate Justin Wilson had died of injuries suffered in an IndyCar Series racing accident, NASCAR driver AJ Allmendinger shared his raw and emotional reaction on social media.

“Life isn’t fair. We lost one of the great ones today.” Allmendinger said on Twitter.

He accompanied his tribute with a wonderfully telling old photo of himself — at 5-feet, 6-inches — standing on a racing tire alongside a smiling 6-foot-4 Wilson.

It was so appropriate because Wilson, 37, was a person that Allmendinger — and so many others — looked up to figuratively, literally, on-track and off.

“Justin was such a quiet guy, and the general public probably doesn’t know much about him, so I want to let them know he was such an amazing person,” Allmendinger said. “I want people to know he was a badass race car driver that, I felt, never got the credit he deserved. But the most important thing is as good as he was on the race track, he was so much better off it.”

“I truly looked up to him,” Allmendinger added, acknowledging the pun.

While the quiet Brit may not be a super familiar personality to many NASCAR fans, there are plenty of stock car connections to Wilson.

Sprint Cup drivers Danica Patrick and Allmendinger competed alongside Wilson in Champ Car and later the IndyCar Series, where Wilson was a seven-time winner.

Cup driver Michael McDowell and former Cup racer Marcos Ambrose teamed with Wilson in Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car races as did former Camping World Truck Series competitor Max Papis, who also raced against Wilson in the open-wheel ranks.

Allmendinger shared a seat with Wilson in five Rolex 24 races, and they were teammates as the long-shot small team Michael Shank Racing won the 50th anniversary edition of the Rolex 24. Wilson finished runner-up in Daytona’s 24-hour race in 2010 driving for Cup owner Chip Ganassi.

Of course, you didn’t have to have know Wilson to appreciate the kind of racer and the kind of person he was.

That’s evident in the racing community with all the supportive social media tributes and well wishes sent by NASCAR drivers past and present many who never even met Wilson. In the hours immediately after Sunday’s accident, three-time Cup champ Tony Stewart sent his plane to transport Wilson’s younger brother Stefan to be at his brother’s side in the hospital.

In many ways, Wilson’s racing career — and the way he went about it — spoke much more loudly than the reserved Wilson ever needed to.

Allmendinger recalls that he and Wilson were rookies together in Champ Car, except that Wilson was four years older than the young Californian at the time and fresh off a season in Formula One.

“I was intimidated by him,” Allmendinger said. “This guy was badass. It messed me up because I was so intimidated by it that all I wanted to do was beat him, because I knew if I beat him I was doing something pretty special.”

And Allmendinger considers his first major race win (2006 at Portland, Ore.) all the more special because it came after an intense duel with Wilson.

“Here he had just finished second place and yet he was the first to come into Victory Lane and hug me,” Allmendinger said. “It happened to come down to me and him battling for the win. I had just beat him and as I’m getting out of the car, he runs up and hugs me. That’s the type of guy he was.”

It’s a recurring theme when people speak of Wilson. He was one of those rare and exceptional individuals whom you never heard a harsh word spoken about. He was well respected as a person and a competitor, the latter sometimes under-appreciated.

Despite the impressive resume Wilson brought to America, he mostly drove for underfunded, smaller teams. But he succeeded against the odds and always provided the underdog a legitimate shot.

His win in 2012 at Texas Motor Speedway came for the small Dale Coyne Racing team. And just a few weeks ago — in the midst of a part-time ride with Andretti Autosport with little to no testing in the cars — he finished runner-up to Graham Rahal at Mid-Ohio. It was vintage Wilson.

“He was a guy that never got a great opportunity especially late in his career, I always hoped Penske or Ganassi would pick him up,” Allmendinger reflected Tuesday. “He was one of the best out there. But you know what, he always made the most out of it and never complained about it.”

I was always struck by what a strong family man he was — a doting husband, devoted dad to his two girls and a proud big brother to Stefan, a promising young racer in his own right.

“Justin was so good and always made me want to be at my best because I respect him so much,” Allmendinger said. “He always made sure you were happy, you were OK. Always pumped me up. It drove me to be the best I could.”

And now Allmendinger and so many others in the racing community will honor their friend by doing the same for Wilson’s family.

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Staff Report

RELATED: Homestead tire test | Updated Chase Grid

As Dale Earnhardt Jr. enters the final idle weekend for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, he acknowledges that his Hendrick Motorsports team needs to do some homework to improve their chances in the postseason Chase. But on a personal level, he’s also going to take time to do his own homework, gathering ideas for how his upcoming wedding might unfold.

Earnhardt recounted an eventful night at Bristol Motor Speedway, assessed his team’s playoff hopes and talked nuptials during this Tuesday’s edition of the “Dale Jr. Download” podcast on Dirty Mo Radio.

Earnhardt Jr.’s playoff eligibility is safe, thanks to two regular-season victories that have sealed his spot on the 16-driver Chase Grid. But the 40-year-old driver said his No. 88 team needs to make headway against its rivals in the performance department. Joe Gibbs Racing has won six of the last nine Sprint Cup events, and Team Penske‘s Joey Logano has captured two of the last three checkered flags.

“We’ve got to work on this Chase. We’ve got to get ready for that,” Earnhardt said. “We’ve got a couple of races left before that happens, so we’ll try to learn as much as we can. I think that it’s been commented on in the media, and Jeff (Gordon) and myself and (Hendrick Motorsports GM Doug) Duchardt and all the people at Hendrick are certainly aware that we need to make some gains and work real hard to try to improve to put ourselves in a more comfortable position going into the Chase so we’re more confident about our opportunity to win a championship because we’re definitely seeing some teams perform really well right now and just trying to figure out where we need to improve to give them a hell of a run for it.

“Not too concerned. You know the sport can cycle pretty quickly, and hopefully we’ll peak at the right time.”

Before joining the Sprint Cup circuit in taking a rare weekend off, Earnhardt said he would participate in an open test at Homestead-Miami Speedway, site of the championship finale race Nov. 22. Then it’s off to be a part of a friend’s wedding, which he said could prepare him for the planning stages with fiancée Amy Reimann.

“Looking forward to that. Maybe I’ll take some notes and try to recharge our batteries this last off weekend for the rest of the season. This season went by pretty fast and I think the end of it’s going to go by just as quick.”

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Staff Report

Chat with race fans during the Road America and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park week-long action

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Staff Report

The NASCAR XFINITY Series will head to Road America while the Camping World Truck Series will be racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this week. The Sprint Cup Series is off for the week.

RACES
XFINITY Series: Road America 180 Fired by Johnsonville (Saturday Aug. 29, 3 p.m. ET, NBCSN/Live Extra, MRN Radio, SiriusXM)
Camping World Truck Series: Chevrolet Silverado 250 (Sunday Aug. 30, 1:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM)

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Click here for on-track times and leaderboards.

RACE DAY
• NXS leaderboard
• NCWTS leaderboard
• NXS Lap-by-Lap
• NCWTS Lap-by-Lap

PRODUCTS
• Scanner: In-car audio only.
• Mobile Apps: Follow the leaderboards live from your device.

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA
Web stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Mobile app: iOS/Android

NBC Sports Live Extra will stream NASCAR coverage on NBC and NBCSN via “TV Everywhere”, giving consumers additional value to for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store and Apple TV. For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra.

FOX SPORTS GO

The Camping World Truck Series race will also be available through FOX Sports GO; which is an online and mobile streaming product that allows subscribers of participating TV providers to watch live sports and shows from FOX, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Deportes. FOX Sports GO is currently available for download on iTunes for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices or can be accessed online at FOXSportsGO.com. The app is also available via Google Play, Kindle Fire and from the Windows Store.

Access to programming in FOX Sports GO requires a pay TV subscription of FOX Sports 1 with a participating TV provider. Login credentials are the same username and password used to access online accounts with your TV provider.

FANTASY
• NASCAR Fantasy Live: Catch up on how you have fared this season, check your progress
• Streak to the Finish: Play in all the national series that are in action this week

Stay tuned to NASCAR.com throughout the weekend for the latest news.

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Staff Report

Anheuser-Busch confirmed Tuesday that it will be shifting its brand on reigning Sprint Cup Champion Kevin Harvick‘s No. 4 Chevy from Budweiser to Busch for the 2016 season.

“NASCAR continues to be a priority platform for our beer portfolio,” said Lucas Herscovici, vice president of consumer connections at Anheuser-Busch. “We are committed to the sport of racing, the fans and the Stewart-Haas Racing team we support — specifically the No. 4 car of Kevin Harvick.

“To that point, and given we evaluate all of our sports properties on an annual basis, we will be shifting our brand equity in Harvick’s car and team from Budweiser to our Busch beer portfolio for the 2016 NASCAR season.

“The Busch brand is well positioned for this partnership given the brand’s storied history with the sport. We have a lot of exciting plans in development with SHR for 2016 and will share those details once finalized.”

Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing team similarly celebrated the decision to bring one of the sport’s iconic brands back to the spotlight.

“Anheuser-Busch and specifically the Budweiser team has been a valuable team partner for the No. 4 car driven by Kevin Harvick,” SHR Executive Vice President Brett Frood said.

“We’ve had tremendous successes with their logo donning our car and look for that to continue as we close out the 2015 racing season. With that said, we are excited to celebrate the Busch brand not only returning to NASCAR, but returning to the sport on our team.”

Busch beer was the longtime sponsor (1984-2007) of what is now called the XFINITY Series.

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Zack Albert

MORE: Burton discusses throwback scheme and more on “Dirty Air Podcast”

When Jeb Burton decided to join the wave of throwback paint schemes for Labor Day weekend at Darlington Raceway, he didn’t have far to look for inspiration.

BK Racing announced Tuesday that Burton’s BK Racing entry for the 66th running of the Bojangles’ Southern 500 will pay tribute to the career of his father, Ward Burton, a two-time winner at NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway. But the tradition-rich race will also feature another notable switch: The Ron Devine-owned team also announced Tuesday that it will make an intrateam driver swap starting at Darlington, with Burton taking over the No. 23 Toyota from J.J. Yeley, who will drive the No. 26 Toyota.

RELATED: See all the throwback looks for Darlington

The change in driving duties puts the younger Burton that much closer numbers-wise to the Bill Davis Racing No. 22 that his father campaigned during his heyday from 1999-2003. The yellow-and-black paint scheme for team sponsor Estes Trucking — with its similar corporate colors to his father’s longtime sponsor Caterpillar — leans heavily on his family’s racing tradition.

“I saw all the throwback stuff and Estes has the same colors as Dad had, so I just thought about the idea and I got the PR team to come up with a design,” Jeb Burton said. “I saw it and I thought it’d be a cool idea so we went on with it.”

Ward Burton caught his first glimpse of the car’s vintage look ahead of last weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The resemblance — both in colors and its similarly styled numbers — is uncanny.

“It’s really cool,” the 53-year-old Burton said. “We had a lot of success at Darlington, but more importantly I really appreciate Jeb thinking about me.”

Ward Burton flew the Caterpillar flag for his most prominent wins in NASCAR’s premier series, foremost among them the 2002 Daytona 500. The yellow-and-black look was also front and center for Burton and crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr. when the Davis-owned team found a sweet spot at Darlington, yielding two victories at the 1.366-mile track, including the 2001 Southern 500.

“Tommy and I’d hit a set-up at Darlington. For about three years there, we were on the top of the board whenever we showed up,” Burton said. “Rain got us twice, a wreck got us one other time, a lug nut got us another, but we had the car to beat many times. I liked that place ever since I went there.”

Jeb Burton, 23, hopes the knack for the “Lady in Black” doesn’t skip a generation as he prepares for his first Darlington start. His uncle, Jeff Burton, also won twice at Darlington, sweeping the season’s two events there in 1999.

The younger Burton got his first taste of driving the treacherous egg-shaped oval in an open test for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on June 10.

“Darlington is its own animal,” Burton said. “We went there and tested, and I struggled a little bit and was running the track a little wrong. Right there at the end of the session, I got behind Joey Logano and learned a lot, followed him and actually kept up with him. I thought that was really good, and our team did their best.”

BK Racing aims to jump-start its performance with next weekend’s driver shakeup. Burton’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidacy has been a rocky path thus far, with the No. 26 missing seven races and cracking the top 30 just twice this season. He ranks 39th in the driver standings. Yeley has run 23 of 24 in the Sprint Cup Series this season but is eligible for championship points only in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. (The team made a driver switch at Richmond with Burton in the No. 23 instead of Yeley.) The No. 23 team stands 39th in the car owner points; BK’s No. 26 sits 44th after Bristol.

Patrick Donahue will remain the crew chief on the No. 26 team, while Joe Williams will remain the crew chief on the No. 23 team.

It’s all been a learning process for Burton, who made the jump to Sprint Cup this year after two solid seasons in the Camping World Truck Series.

“Coming into it, I didn’t think it’d be as tough as it was because I had somewhat success,” Burton said, “but in the Truck Series and the (XFINITY) Series, the competition level is high up front, but it’s … one through 43 in the Cup Series is the best of the best. The best people, the best drivers, the best teams. You’ve got to be on it and our guys are working hard as a low-budget team. We’re getting better every week.”

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Pat DeCola

Kevinharvick

In addition to his two wins, Harvick has 10 (10!) runner-up finishes in 2015. Imagine for a second — if even half of those resulted in wins, the champ could’ve been rolling into the Chase with at least seven wins. The momentum he’s got built up ain’t too shabby.

MORE: Harvick nabs 10th 2015 runner-up finish

Joeylogano

Logano has now won two of the past three races, his victories coming at two of NASCAR’s toughest tracks in Watkins Glen and Bristol. Sure seems like he’ll be battling at least Kevin Harvick at Homestead in November.

MORE: Never too early to talk Homestead

KyleBusch

-1

Busch led 192 laps but came away with just an eighth-place finish. Overall a good race — he showed how dominant he can be, but stayed cautious enough to avoid trouble.

DaleEarnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt has been consistently fast all summer, and win No. 3 feels imminent, despite overall performance woes at Hendrick. Junior makes a good sleeper pick to earn his first Southern 500 win — and just think how much that would mean to him.

MORE: Junior reveals Darlington throwback

BradKeselowski

Keselowski is about as supportive a teammate as they come, but don’t think for a second he isn’t well aware of the fact that Joey Logano has three wins to his one.

JimmieJohnson

Over the weekend Johnson acknowledged he knows full well that his No. 48 team tends to dip in the summer. He responded with his first top five since Daytona.

Mattkenseth

-1

Two wins in the three races ahead of Bristol and a win at the Last Great Colosseum earlier this year certainly makes Kenseth’s engine failure a little more palatable for him.

Martintruex jr

-1

With an average finish of 20.89 stretching back to Sonoma, Truex is due for a solid run. The low-downforce package would seem to play into his favor at Darlington, but it’s tough to tell if it’ll benefit him enough — he’s only managed three top 10s in nine starts there.

DennyHamlin

With his third-place finish, Hamlin showed his short track chops are still finely-tuned. Those will come in handy sometime around November 1.

Kurtbusch

-1

Busch isn’t running poorly enough to worry just yet, but it does seem that he’s lacking the speed he had earlier in the season.

Carledwards

Edwards continues to be a top performer at Bristol — just like he is at Darlington. No, he’s never won the Southern 500, but he’s also finished outside the top 10 just four times in 11 starts.

Jamiemcmurray

Remember how fast McMurray was at times during the Chase last year — despite not being in it? It’s hard to envision him not being in the postseason this time around, and his consistency might help him make some noise.

Ryannewman

Newman’s No. 31 Chevrolet hasn’t been the fastest of the bunch by any means, but it’s easy to say it has been as consistent as they come.

Jeffgordon

-1

Many dreams were crushed when fans realized Gordon wouldn’t be wheeling his No. 24 throwback rainbow paint scheme Chevy to Victory Lane in its final go-about, but bigger issues remain. Gordon is in dangerous territory. Like, 15th-in-the-Chase-Grid-out-of-16-drivers dangerous territory.

MORE: Leo Gordon gets behind the wheel

Kaseykahne

As poor of shape that Jeff Gordon is in, his teammate, Kasey Kahne is in even worse shape. The No. 5 driver wouldn’t even make the Chase if it started today.

MORE: Chase Bubble: Who’s in, out?

Paulmenard

-3

Menard is still in a good position, but a 24th-place finish at Bristol ahead of one of his worst tracks in Darlington (no top 10s) doesn’t bode well for him.

ClintBowyer

A win at Bristol amid everything that is ongoing at Michael Waltrip Racing would’ve been the ultimate for Bowyer, but a top five is almost as good.

MORE: NASCAR addresses MWR situation

Aricalmirola

-1

Almirola knows he’s only been getting top-15 cars from his race shop — and has been fulfilling that for the most part — but he also knows he’ll need faster rides to compete in the Chase.

AustinDillon

Dillon has really shown his strength for most of the past nine races and he’s coming along well — at just the right time.

Kylelarson

-1

Larson, on the other hand, is struggling badly and doesn’t look bound for the Chase for the second time in his two Sprint Cup Series seasons.