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Johnson, Kenseth, Biffle represent manufacturers’ best hopes of notching another playoff berth

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For the first time in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup era, a season has started with six winners in six races. The last time there were seven different winners in the first seven races was 2003.

Based on driver rating at Texas Motor Speedway, each of the favorites heading into the Duck Commander 500 is winless this year, potentially equaling that mark from 11 years ago and moving NASCAR closer to an all-time mark. The record for different winners to start the season is 10, in 2000.

Over the last five years and 10 races at the Great American Speedway, only last spring’s winner (Kyle Busch) and the fall 2009 winner (Kurt Busch) have wins this year. So recent history is on the side of a seventh consecutive different winner to start 2014.

Here is a look at winless drivers through six races of the this season who have done well at Texas in previous years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jimmie Johnson
Tied with Carl Edwards for the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at the track with three, Johnson, the top Chevrolet driver at the track, has won two of the last three Texas races. Among all drivers at Texas, he is second only to Matt Kenseth in average finish (8.7) and driver rating (106.4). He has a series-best 488 fastest laps run and 66.4 percent of quality passes, or passing a car running in the top 15 under a green flag.

Matt Kenseth
The two-time Texas winner leads all drivers at the track with 19 lead-lap finishes, 775 laps led, 13 top-five finishes and is tied with Johnson for most top 10s with 16. Although both wins came in Fords, Kenseth leads the way for Toyota this weekend. He has the top driver rating of 107.2 with a series-best 4,827 laps in the top 15 or 80.1 percent of all laps run there over the last 18 races. Among all Cup drivers at Texas, he has the best average finish (8.3) and finished fourth in last fall’s Chase race at the track.

Greg Biffle
Third on the driver rating list at 101.8, Biffle has two Texas wins, and another will extend Jack Roush’s win total to 10, doubling nearest competitor Rick Hendrick’s five wins at the track. Biffle also will attempt to add onto Ford’s track-leading 11 wins. On the way to his April 2012 triumph, he set the Cup record for the fastest race at the track with an average speed of 160.577 mph, completing the 500 miles in 3 hours, 7 minutes and 12 seconds. He finished fourth in this race last season.

Denny Hamlin
Only the second driver to sweep both races in a season with his 2010 feat matching the mark Edwards set in 2008, Hamlin is fourth on the all-time list with a 10.7 average finish. After Brian Vickers finished eighth in the No. 11, sitting in for the car’s primary driver in this race last year, Hamlin finished seventh in the fall race at Texas. Joe Gibbs Racing put all three of its cars in the top 13 in both of last year’s races at the track with, Kyle Busch winning last spring’s event.

Tony Stewart
Fifth on the Texas driver rating list at 99.1, Stewart has led a series-best 12.5 percent of the laps led over the last 17 races at the track. Stewart is third on the all-time laps led list at Texas with 727, behind Kenseth (775) and Biffle (727). Stewart missed the fall race last year with an injury, but won in 2011 for his second Cup victory at the track. After back-to-back top-five finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway, he finished 17th at Martinsville Speedway but should bounce back at the track where he has an annual "Smoke Show" for fans at the facility.

Go deeper: Check out NASCAR’s Texas Statistical Analysis for more stats and notes for Monday’s Duck Commander 500.

Heading into the seventh race of NASCAR’s regular season, here is how the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings look:

Pos. Driver Chase berth
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Winner: Daytona
2. Carl Edwards Winner: Bristol
3. Kyle Busch Winner: Fontana
4. Brad Keselowski Winner: Las Vegas
5. Kurt Busch Winner: Martinsville
6. Kevin Harvick Winner: Phoenix
7. Matt Kenseth 2nd in points
8. Jeff Gordon 4th in points
9. Jimmie Johnson 5th in points
10. Joey Logano 8th in points
11. Austin Dillon 9th in points
12. Ryan Newman 10th in points
13. Paul Menard 11th in points
14. Denny Hamlin 12th in points
15. Brian Vickers 13th in points
16. Marcos Ambrose 14th in points

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Sprint Cup Series has seen six different race winners to start the 2014 season

RELATED: Full coverage of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format changes | Official news release | Changes explained | Chase Facts and FAQ | Chase Grid (PDF)

NASCAR brought its fans "knockout" qualifying for 2014, but has the sanctioning body also brought a "knockout" Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format?
 
As the list of different winners continues to grow, the possibility begins to take root.
 
The Sprint Cup Series has now seen six different winners in the first six races, something of an unusual, unlikely and unexpected occurrence. But there you have it, signed, sealed and delivered with Kurt Busch’s win in Sunday’s STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
 
A 16-driver field, consisting of winners and possibly others depending on how it all shakes out, will make up this year’s Chase grid after 26 races.
 
Barring any last-minute chicanery, of course.

What happens if there are more than 16 different race winners after the completion of 26 races? Or, after only six races, is it premature to even start down that road?
 
Multiple race wins and a top-30 points position are guarantees. Single victories would suddenly become less so.
 
Points positions will determine who is in and who is out. That will be the case regardless of whether the series sees six or 26 different winners.
 
A driver with a single win on a restrictor-plate track or road course, for example, wouldn’t necessarily be locked in if there happened to be more than 16 different winners.
 
Six different winners in the first six races means that, barring some sort of catastrophic incident, it appears that only 10 positions remain available for this year’s Chase. And 20 races remain until the cutoff.
 
The likelihood that there will be more than 16 seems to grow each week, but the reality of the situation is that it’s not a lot different than what has taken place in previous years.
 
Five different drivers won the first five races of 2013 before familiar faces started reappearing in victory lane.
 
The 2012 season opened with four different winners; the 2011 season saw five again.
 
The wide variety of tracks to begin the season lends itself to multiple winners. A restrictor-plate race followed by a one-mile venue followed by a 1.5-miler. No two are quite the same. Just as some types of tracks play into a particular team’s current strengths, some exploit their weaknesses.
 
Even the series’ short tracks call for vastly different setups and approaches. Martinsville fell only two weeks after Bristol. Both are roughly half mile tracks. Yet the two are so different – Bristol featuring towering high banks and lots of speed, while Martinsville is tight and pancake flat, requiring more finesse than flash.
 
NASCAR Sprint Cup competition isn’t a marathon and it isn’t a 100-meter sprint. It’s more of a decathlon, where excellence in a variety of endeavors (or in this instance, venues) is required.
 
Eventually, however, the preponderance of intermediate-sized tracks will no doubt begin to sort and shift the field, separating the haves from the have-nots. Weeks from now, 16 different winners might seem more fairytale than fact.
 
Still, such a list, one made up of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards and brothers Kyle and Kurt Busch, this early in the season doesn’t go unnoticed. Especially when one looks at those that have yet to join the 2014 winners’ club.
 
It’s an impressive list, and somewhat surprising. Its current members include six-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson; four-time Cup champ Jeff Gordon; three-time Cup champ Tony Stewart.
 
Matt Kenseth, winner of a series-best seven races a year ago, and Kasey Kahne, twice a winner in each of the two most recently completed seasons, are also seeking that first win of the year.
 
Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman, drivers NASCAR fans are used to seeing winning and contending for wins, are in the group as well.
 
Joey Logano and Jamie McMurray were race winners a year ago, and the expectations are that they will win again.
 
If they all do, the list of winners will have reached 16. Toss in a few others very capable of visiting victory lane and the "win and you’re in" format appears to be less of a guarantee.
 
Two months ago, winners exceeding the number of available grid spots for the Chase didn’t seem likely.
 
With 20 more opportunities ahead, that may no longer be the case.
 
The positions are filling up quickly. And there are plenty of capable teams still waiting in the wings.

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Rookie Dylan Kwasniewski is the first to go out in Friday’s qualifying

Friday’s qualifying is scheduled to begin at 4:10 p.m. ET (FS1)

Entry No. Driver Sponsor
1 31 Dylan Kwasniewski # Rockstar Chevrolet
2 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet
3 52 Joey Gase BBB Chevrolet
4 43 Dakoda Armstrong # WinField Ford
5 40 * Josh Wise(i) Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
6 42 Kyle Larson(i) Cartwheel Chevrolet
7 13 * Matt Carter Headrush Toyota
8 84 * Chad Boat # RedFest Music Festival Chevrolet
9 3 Ty Dillon # WESCO Chevrolet
10 44 David Starr Whataburger Toyota
11 54 Kyle Busch(i) Monster Energy Toyota
12 19 Mike Bliss Heroes Behind The Camo Toyota
13 99 James Buescher Rheem Toyota
14 17 * Tanner Berryhill # BWP Bats Dodge
15 2 Brian Scott Shore Lodge Chevrolet
16 74 * Mike Harmon WCIParts.com Dodge
17 7 Regan Smith TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
18 14 Eric McClure Hefty Ultimate/Reynolds Wrap Toyota
19 5 Kevin Harvick(i) Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet
20 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Willbros Chevrolet
21 87 Kevin Lepage Chevrolet
22 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford
23 88 * Dale Earnhardt Jr.(i) Ragu Chevrolet
24 9 Chase Elliott # NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
25 16 Ryan Reed # ADA Drive to Stop Diabetes presented by Lilly Diabetes Ford
26 70 * Derrike Cope CharlieSoap.com Chevrolet
27 46 * Matt Dibenedetto Chevrolet
28 62 Brendan Gaughan South Point Chevrolet
29 10 * Blake Koch SupportMilitary.org Toyota
30 11 Elliott Sadler OneMain Financial Toyota
31 22 Ryan Blaney(i) Discount Tire Ford
32 20 Matt Kenseth(i) GameStop/Lego The Hobbit Toyota
33 76 * Tommy Joe Martins # Dodge
34 60 Chris Buescher # Roush Performance Parts Ford
35 39 Ryan Sieg # RSS Racing Chevrolet
36 01 Landon Cassill G&K Services Chevrolet
37 55 Jamie Dick Viva Auto Group Chevrolet
38 93 JJ Yeley Dodge
39 28 Derek White Headrush Dodge
40 4 Jeffrey Earnhardt Flex Seal Chevrolet

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NASCAR.com experts weigh in with picks for Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contenders

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While college basketball closes in on crowning a champion this weekend in nearby Arlington, Texas, NASCAR will be putting on its own high-speed show across town at Texas Motor Speedway.

While the NCAA Tournament has boiled down to its last four teams just as the NASCAR season is only a sixth of the way into the books, it’s never too early to offer fearless predictions on who the four title contenders will be in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16.

Based on new rules in place for 2014, an expanded field of 16 competitors in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff format will methodically pare the pool of title-eligible drivers down in a series of eliminations until only four remain.

Our panel of NASCAR.com experts, which also participates weekly in the NASCAR.com Power Rankings, offers opinions on how the new Chase will shake out with predictions on the title-eligible drivers for the winner-take-all season finale.

Zack Albert

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Jimmie Johnson
Matt Kenseth
Brad Keselowski

It’s difficult to find a weak spot among the drivers in this fearsome foursome, each of whom can claim a level of expertise on the tracks that make up the 10-race Chase. Jimmie Johnson’s history of turning up the wick once the Chase begins certainly guarantees him a spot among the title contenders, and the momentum that Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. has shown dating back to the end of 2013 will likely push him into the title mix at Homestead. Add in Kenseth’s recent excellence on 1.5-mile tracks and the sheer speed shown by Keselowski and the Team Penske camp at nearly every venue so far, and these four are the likeliest to not only survive, but thrive and advance in the new format on the road to Homestead.

Kenny Bruce

Kyle Busch
Kevin Harvick
Jimmie Johnson
Matt Kenseth

The majority of the nine tracks leading up to the season-ending championship at Homestead have been kind to these four drivers. Johnson and Kenseth have won on eight of the nine, while Harvick and Busch have earned wins on seven. With winning races guaranteeing advancement into the next round, it’s hard to discount what these drivers and their respective teams have accomplished at these particular facilities in the past.

Holly Cain

Jimmie Johnson
Kyle Busch
Brad Keselowski
Kevin Harvick

Johnson, Busch and Keselowski seem like gimme picks based on their history, their current performance and their potential down the stretch. The fourth choice was between Jeff Gordon — who is having a better than average year, can never be counted out and I think is racing with a sense of career urgency; and Kenseth, who is fresh off a career year in wins during a new era that rewards that. But in considering the new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format, Harvick looks like the best choice, having proven himself in the clutch and boasting an enviable track record at most of the 10 tracks that comprise the Chase. In the end, Johnson will be hoisting trophy number seven, having proven himself once again in yet another championship format.

David Caraviello

Jimmie Johnson
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Matt Kenseth
Brad Keselowski

Johnson may not yet have a victory, but the Chase tracks are still very good to him, and given his history, no one seems better suited to recording wins in each round. Earnhardt has been on a tear since last fall. He’s only growing more confident, and his high finishes should keep him in contention even if he doesn’t win more often. No one combines winning and consistency better than Kenseth, who’s currently lurking second in points despite what’s seemed a sluggish start to the year. And after an off season Keselowski has returned to form, and is showing more raw speed than just about any other driver on the circuit.

Alan Cavanna

Jimmie Johnson
Brad Keselowski
Kevin Harvick
Dale Earnhardt Jr.

A final four without a Joe Gibbs Racing car? I can’t believe it either. But it comes down to scheduling and the three races before Homestead. Jimmie Johnson will win Martinsville, Brad Keselowski will win Texas, and Kevin Harvick will continue his streak at Phoenix. The final spot in the championship race goes to the most consistent driver of the year: Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

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Posted on by Brad Norman

Catch up quickly before Friday’s running of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300

What: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300
Where: Texas Motor Speedway
When: Friday, April 4
TV/Radio: ESPN2, PRN (8:30 p.m. ET)
Distance: 200 laps; 300 miles

Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Caution Car Speed: 55 mph

Front row
1. Kevin Harvick, JR Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet (184.963 mph)
2. Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota (184.464 mph)

Defending race winner
Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Toyota

Former Texas winners in the field
Kyle Busch (6), Kevin Harvick (5), Matt Kenseth (2), Trevor Bayne (1), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1)

Fastest in practice
First practice: Ty Dillon, Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet (180.505 mph)
Second practice (shortened 20 minutes by rain): Ty Dillon, Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet (180.361mph)

From the box: Crew chief Chris Rice serves as a guest analyst for NASCAR.com this year. His quick outlook on the race: "It’s going to be a really good race with a lot of side-by-side action. I still think Kyle Busch will be crazy fast, him and the 22 (of Ryan Blaney). Kevin Harvick’s here so he’s going to be good, Dale Jr.’s here. There’s a lot of Sprint Cup talent in the field, and it forces all of us Nationwide Series teams to step up and be better."

From the garage: A familiar face was spotted in an unfamiliar location before Thursday’s practices got underway. Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief for his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, was peekingunder the hood of Junior’s Nationwide Series ride, chatting with crew members and giving advice. No, Letarte will not serve as Earnhardt’s crew chief in Friday night’s race. He will be a consultant, though, helping out a JR Motorsports organization that will field four entries for the first time in its 10-year history.

He said it: "We only live about 100 yards from each other. He lives right up the hill and we see each enough to where I’m ready to get away from him." — Ty Dillon on his relationship with brother, Austin, with both drivers moving up a series this year.

He said it II: "It’s been a really smooth transition to me. We haven’t had any rough days, but we know that those days will come. And we’ll have to handle them when they do." — Trevor Bayne, tied for the points lead, on working with new crew chief Chad Norris.

Hold on, there: Kyle Busch was given a 15-minute penalty in Thursday’s second practice due to his team being late for qualifying inspection at Auto Club.

Double duty: Nine drivers in Friday’s race are on the entry list for Sunday’s Duck Commander 500 Sprint Cup Series event: Trevor Bayne, Kyle Busch, Landon Cassill, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Larson, Josh Wise and J.J. Yeley.

Right at home: Travel was a little less hectic for James Buescher this week. The Texas native lives approximately four hours from the track. He drove to the facility Thursday morning with his family — and dog. This is Buescher’s first Nationwide Series race here with RAB Racing, but the No. 99 team earned the pole at both Texas races last year with driver Alex Bowman. "This is going to be our first week back to our baseline package," crew chief Chris Rice said. "We experimented the first five races with James, and we’ve had some success, but also we’ve had some not-so-good results. So we’re back to what we call our RAB baseline."

Rookie revival: At least two Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates have finished in the top 10 in every race this season.

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In five starts this season, Dillon has claimed four top-10 finishes

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FORT WORTH, Texas — It was five months ago when Ty Dillon was sprayed with champagne in Victory Lane here at Texas Motor Speedway, when he lifted a sterling black trophy above his cowboy-hat fitted head as brother Austin Dillon and grandfather Richard Childress engulfed him.

The scene at the fall NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race carried an air of history as well — Dillon’s win was the 100th for Richard Childress Racing in a national series vehicle carrying the iconic No. 3.

The memory of that race, though, is just that for Ty Dillon. History is history, and the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver is more focused on what he wants to accomplish in the future than what he already has in the past. 

"I’m the kind of a guy that wipes my slate clean every time I come to the race track," Dillon said Thursday. "I don’t want to have lingering thoughts of, ‘I came here and won last year and know exactly what to do.’ I want to always push myself to be better. Now, it’s cool to have confidence coming to a place you’ve won at and I just want to continue that over to the Nationwide Series. I love this track, and it’s been very good to me."

It’s been very good to the No. 3 program and crew chief Danny Stockman as well. In the previous two years, Austin Dillon drove the No. 3 to four finishes of sixth or better in the Nationwide Series. Stockman, in his first year working with Ty Dillon, has recorded top-fives in four of his past six races here. He called RCR’s 1.5-mile program "one of the best in the sport."

That history, along with Dillon’s successful ascent into the Nationwide Series, tells the story of a team that could be considered among the favorites for Friday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2). Dillon certainly looked capable of leading the pack during Thursday’s practice sessions, in which the driver posted top speeds of 180.505 mph and 180.361 mph, respectively.

That opening session speed of 180.505 mph equated to a time of 29.916 seconds, which was 0.053 seconds faster than second-place Kyle Busch.

"Even though I’m a rookie, I don’t compare myself to other rookies," Dillon said. "I try to compare myself to the Cup drivers, because that’s what I want to be. I keep my eye on the rookie battle, too, because it’s a good one and I feel like that’s going to be part of the championship battle."

Running consistently while notching a win or two is the path to a series title, and Dillon has already started down that road. 

In five starts this year, he has four top-10s and an 11th-place finish to boost up a rookie class in which the 22-year-old Dillon is practically a geriatric.

Racing cars his entire life, though, has forged an identity in Dillon that makes it OK to accept an 11th-place finish occasionally, but not embrace it. 

"Things have gone pretty smooth this year, but me and Danny are very competitive," Dillon said. "We haven’t been happy with some of our finishes, and we want to be up front battling for wins. I’m here to win races, not to finish fifth."

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Kenseth’s Texas record untouchable; Johnson, Stewart in play for first win

Editor’s note: The following drivers are ranked according to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. Driver Reports includes the top 16 in the points standings and drivers currently in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field.

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88)

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

Standing: Earnhardt Jr. leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings with 227 points.
Past five races: 3rd at Martinsville, 12th at Auto Club, 24th at Bristol, 2nd at Las Vegas, 2nd at Phoenix.
Season stats: 1 win, 4 top-fives, 4 top-10s.
Track history: At Texas, Earnhardt Jr.’s average finish is 14.4 and his average running position is 11.5 over the past nine years. In 23 career starts at Texas, he has one win, four top-fives, 13 top-10s and two poles.
Quick hit: Junior’s first start at Texas resulted in his lone victory in the Lone Star State, and he’s been searching for his second in the following 22 starts. Earnhardt has finished better in the Texas fall race (day) than the spring race (night) for the past three years, so maybe running in the daytime on Monday is to his advantage.

2. Matt Kenseth (No. 20)

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota 

Standing: Kenseth is second in the standings with 218 points.
Past five races: 6th at Martinsville, 4th at Auto Club, 13th at Bristol, 10th at Las Vegas, 12th at Phoenix.
Season stats: 1 top-five, 4 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Texas, Kenseth’s average finish is 6.5 and his average running position is 9.0 over the past nine years. In 23 career starts at Texas, he has two wins, 13 top-fives and 16 top-10s.
Quick hit: Kenseth’s two wins here aren’t the most among active drivers, but check out those top-fives — a staggering 13 in 23 starts, meaning Kenseth has finished in the top five in 57 percent of his career starts here. His average finish at Texas over the past seven races is 4.6, with six top-five finishes. He’s the favorite to become the seventh different driver to win this year.

3. Carl Edwards (No. 99)

Roush Fenway Racing, Ford 

Standing: Edwards is third in the standings with 217 points.
Past five races: 13th at Martinsville, 10th at Auto Club, 1st at Bristol, 5th at Las Vegas, 8th at Phoenix.
Season stats: 1 win, 2 top-fives, 4 top-10s.
Track history: At Texas, Edwards’ average finish is 15.6 and his average running position is 12.3 over the past nine years. In 18 career starts at Texas, he has three wins, six top-fives, eight top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Edwards once won back-to-back races here, and he was on the pole last fall before running into engine issues. This is one of Roush Fenway Racing’s best tracks, too, so the company as a whole should put forth a good — and sorely needed — effort.

4. Jeff Gordon (No. 24)

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet 

Standing: Gordon is fourth in the standings with 216 points.
Past five races: 12th at Martinsville, 13th at Auto Club, 7th at Bristol, 9th at Las Vegas, 5th at Phoenix.
Season stats: 2 top-fives, 4 top-10s.
Track history: At Texas, Gordon’s average finish is 17.8 and his average running position is 14.8 over the past nine years. In 26 career starts at Texas, he has one win, eight top-fives, 11 top-10s and two poles.
Quick hit: For all his talent and experience, this is one track Gordon has yet to master. Sure, he’s won here, but his average finish ranks outside of the top 10 among current drivers, a rarity for Gordon. He finished 38th in both races last year and has four finishes outside the top 30 since 2010.

5. Jimmie Johnson (No. 48)

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

Standing: Johnson is fifth in the standings with 209 points.
Past five races: 2nd at Martinsville, 24th at Auto Club, 19th at Bristol, 6th at Las Vegas, 6th at Phoenix.
Season stats: 2 top-fives, 4 top-10s.
Track history: At Texas, Johnson’s average finish is 8.9 and his average running position is 10.3 over the past nine years. In 21 career starts at Texas, he has three wins, 10 top-fives, 16 top-10s and three poles.
Quick hit: Johnson is — again — among the favorites this week. He’s won twice in the past four races at Texas (and also has a runner-up during that span) and his Chase performance last year was an absolute masterpiece — 255 laps led in a victory that defined his sixth championship.

6. Kyle Busch (No. 18)

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota 

Standing: Busch is sixth in the standings with 189 points.
Past five races: 14th at Martinsville, 1st at Auto Club, 29th at Bristol, 11th at Las Vegas, 9th at Phoenix.
Season stats: 1 win, 1 top-five, 2 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Texas, Busch’s average finish is 14.0 and his average running position is 11.0 over the past nine years. In 17 career starts at Texas, he has one win, six top-fives, seven top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Busch’s victory last year in the spring race was the first at the 1.5-mile track for Toyota. That bodes well for ‘Rowdy’ entering Sunday. In 2013, Busch also won at Auto Club to give Toyota its first victory at that track. Busch won again at Fontana this year, so if the trend holds true, Busch will be in Victory Lane at Texas — again.

7. Brad Keselowski (No. 2)

Penske Racing, Ford 

Standing: Keselowski is seventh in the standings with 188 points.
Past five races: 38th at Martinsville, 26th at Auto Club, 14th at Bristol, 1st at Las Vegas, 3rd at Phoenix.
Season stats: 1 win, 3 top-fives, 3 top-10s.
Track history: At Texas, Keselowski’s average finish is 19.9 and his average running position is 19.5 over the past nine years. In 11 career starts at Texas, he has one top-five and three top-10s.
Quick hit: Keselowski has a lot going on this week. He exchanged words with Kurt Busch last weekend, and he’s returning to the race in which his car continually failed pre-race inspection in 2013 and eventually resulted in a massive penalty. The bet here is that the outspoken veteran compartmentalizes that and rises to the occasion with one of his best showings of the year.

8. Joey Logano (No. 22)

Penske Racing, Ford 

Standing: Logano is eighth in the standings with 187 points.
Past five races: 4th at Martinsville, 39th at Auto Club, 20th at Bristol, 4th at Las Vegas, 4th at Phoenix.
Season stats: 3 top-fives, 3 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Texas, Logano’s average finish is 20.0 and his average running position is 20.6 over the past nine years. In 11 career starts at Texas, he has three top-fives and three top-10s.
Quick hit: Three times this year, Logano has finished exactly fourth place. His three top-fives this year are second best in the series, along with Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski. Couple that with the knowledge that the No. 22 was among the best cars at the only previous race this year at a 1.5-mile track, and you have a driver with a real shot at winning.

9. Austin Dillon (No. 3)

Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet  

Standing: Dillon is ninth in the standings with 179 points.
Past five races: 15th at Martinsville, 11th at Auto Club, 11th at Bristol, 16th at Las Vegas, 24th at Phoenix.
Season stats: 1 top-10, 1 pole.
Track history: At Texas, Dillon’s average finish is 27.5 and his average running position is 29.3 over the past nine years. In two career starts at Texas, his best finish was 22nd in 2013.
Quick hit: Six races into the season, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender has been among the most consistent drivers on the circuit. A Richard Childress Racing driver hasn’t won here since 2007, though, so Dillon is a better bet to record another top-15 than he is to breakthrough for his first top-five.

10. Ryan Newman (No. 31)

Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet 

Standing: Newman is 10th in the standings with 174 points.
Past five races: 20th at Martinsville, 20th at Auto Club, 16th at Bristol, 7th at Las Vegas, 7th at Phoenix.
Season stats: 2 top-10s.
Track history: At Texas, Newman’s average finish is 18.0 and his average running position is 20.4 over the past nine years. In 21 career starts at Texas, he has one win, three top-fives, five top-10s and two poles.
Quick hit: Newman has steadily improved at Texas over the past three races, going from 12th to 10th to ninth. His previous single-digit finish before last fall’s race was in 2008, and he finished seventh earlier this year at another 1.5-mile track in Las Vegas.

11. Paul Menard (No. 27)

Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet 

Standing: Menard is 11th in the standings with 168 points.
Past five races: 10th at Martinsville, 9th at Auto Club, 21st at Bristol, 3rd at Las Vegas, 23rd at Phoenix.
Season stats: 1 top-five, 3 top-10s.
Track history: At Texas, Menard’s average finish is 20.6 and his average running position is 20.8 over the past nine years. In 15 career starts at Texas, he has one top-five and two top-10s.
Quick hit: Menard has finished on the lead lap at Texas just once in the past four races, and his Loop Data stats rank him outside the top 20 drivers over the past nine years. RCR’s consistency this year though — its drivers are ranked ninth, 10th and 11th in the points standings — might mean that Menard finishes above expectation.

12. Denny Hamlin (No. 11)

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota 

Standing: Hamlin is 12th in the standings with 165 points.
Past five races: 19th at Martinsville, DNS at Auto Club, 6th at Bristol, 12th at Las Vegas, 19th at Phoenix.
Season stats: 1 top-five, 2 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Texas, Hamlin’s average finish is 10.7 and his average running position is 12.7 over the past nine years. In 16 career starts at Texas, he has two wins, five top-fives and nine top-10s.
Quick hit: Hamlin is another driver that has won back-to-back races here before. But following that feat in 2010, his average finish in the seven races since is 14.8 — four spots worse than his Loop Data performance over the past nine years.

13. Brian Vickers (No. 55)

Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota 

Standing: Vickers is 13th in the standings with 165 points.
Past five races: 16th at Martinsville, 7th at Auto Club, 9th at Bristol, 13th at Las Vegas, 25th at Phoenix.
Season stats: 2 top-10s.
Track history: At Texas, Vickers’ average finish is 23.6 and his average running position is 22.5 over the past nine years. In 15 career starts at Texas, he has one top-10 and one pole.
Quick hit: Vickers only has one top-10 here, but that at least came in the 2013 spring race in a part-time role with Michael Waltrip Racing. The bigger issue, though, is that Vickers’ full-picture numbers aren’t very good, and in the Cup Series’ past four races here, Vickers has started in just one.

14. Marcos Ambrose (No. 9)

Richard Petty Motorsports, Ford 

Standing: Ambrose is 14th in the standings with 162 points.
Past five races: 5th at Martinsville, 30th at Auto Club, 5th at Bristol, 24th at Las Vegas, 21st at Phoenix.
Season stats: 2 top-fives, 2 top-10s.
Track history: At Texas, Ambrose’s average finish is 19.5 and his average running position is 14.6 over the past nine years. In 11 career starts at Texas, he has one top-10.
Quick hit: Ambrose has improved mightily since breaking into the Sprint Cup Series in 2007. Ovals still give him problems, though, and Texas can be tricky with its high banks and old pavement. A top-15 — of which he has five in 11 starts here — would be a good finish for the No. 9 team.

15. Tony Stewart (No. 14)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet  

Standing: Stewart is 15th in the standings with 154 points.
Past five races: 17th at Martinsville, 5th at Auto Club, 4th at Bristol, 33rd at Las Vegas, 16th at Phoenix.
Season stats: 2 top-fives, 2 top-10s.
Track history: At Texas, Stewart’s average finish is 12.7 and his average running position is 10.8 over the past nine years. In 23 career starts at Texas, he has two wins, six top-fives, 12 top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Stewart ended his two-race streak with a top-five finish at Martinsville, but still climbed in the standings. He appears to be getting more comfortable in the car, but his performance this Sunday is more dependent on the work crew chief Chad Johnston and the No. 14 team have put in on the intermediate package since Las Vegas.

16. AJ Allmendinger (No. 47)

JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet  

Standing: Allmendinger is 16th in the standings with 152 points.
Past five races: 11th at Martinsville, 8th at Auto Club, 25th at Bristol, 18th at Las Vegas, 26th at Phoenix.
Season stats: 1 top-10.
Track history: At Texas, Allmendinger’s average finish is 21.6 and his average running position is 21.9 over the past nine years. In 10 career starts at Texas, he has two top-10s.
Quick hit: Allmendinger last raced at Texas in 2012, and his two starts that year came for two different teams. His renaissance is among one of the more intriguing story lines so far this year, but his lack of recent experience at the 1.5-mile track is a detriment.

20. Kurt Busch (No. 41)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet

Standing: Busch is 20th in the standings with 146 points.
Past five races: 1st at Martinsville, 3rd at Auto Club, 35th at Bristol, 26th at Las Vegas, 39th at Phoenix.
Season stats: 1 win, 2 top-fives, 2 top-10s.
Track history: At Texas, Busch’s average finish is 22.8 and his average running position is 16.7 over the past nine years. In 13 career starts at Texas, he has one top-five, three top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Busch’s best finish in the first four races was 21st at Daytona. Now he has consecutive back-to-back top-five efforts. His Texas history isn’t sterling (one top-10 in the past five races), but expect an improvement this year now that he has a more reliable machine under him.

25. Kevin Harvick (No. 4)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet 

Standing: Harvick is 25th in the standings with 135 points.
Past five races: 7th at Martinsville, 36th at Auto Club, 39th at Bristol, 41st at Las Vegas, 1st at Phoenix.
Season stats: 1 win, 1 top-five, 2 top-10s.
Track history: At Texas, Harvick’s average finish is 11.7 and his average running position is 14.8 over the past nine years. In 22 career starts at Texas, he has three top-fives and 11 top-10s.
Quick hit: Harvick is consistently good at Texas but rarely great. His best finish of third came in 2006, but his last four races produced three top-10s and a 13th-place finish. Given how good his cars have been this year, don’t be surprised if he’s in contention for a top-three run.

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Count down Keselowski’s most outspoken and outlandish moments

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Brad will be Brad.

Thankfully.

We saw that much again this past weekend at Martinsville Speedway, when Brad Keselowski pulled no metaphorical punches — and hinted at delivering some physical ones — after his run-in with eventual race winner Kurt Busch on pit road early in the event. The moment was vintage Keselowski, honest and outspoken, leaving little to the imagination, and echoing through the social media universe at the speed of the No. 2 car on a pole run.

The 2012 champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series certainly keeps things interesting, which was indeed the case when his battered race car — looking like a modified without its hood — returned to the track and traded paint with Busch for several laps. Like him or loathe him, there’s no doubt that Keselowski makes NASCAR more exciting, even if sometimes he may push things too far. Better that than not push at all, even if some series executives may sometimes disagree.

So now NASCAR’s premier series returns to Texas Motor Speedway, where last spring saw a defiant Keselowski in the wake of rear-end housings confiscated from both Team Penske cars. On the eve of that anniversary, and on the heels of this past Sunday’s shenanigans at Martinsville, there seems no better time to count down the top 10 moments of Brad Keselowski being his sometimes maddening, always quotable, and often gloriously controversial self.

10. Ranting on Ragan

Keselowski was steaming last spring over a lane change made by eventual race winner David Ragan before a green-white-checkered restart at Talladega, calling the move "blatantly wrong" on Twitter. "That lane won. BS." What Keselowski didn’t know at the time was that NASCAR had ordered Ragan to move to correct the running order, and the 2012 champ quickly issued an apology on his website. "I placed blame on David Ragan for the restart lineup confusion when it wasn’t his fault," he wrote. But true to form, there were no regrets over getting worked up in the first place. "Passion," he added, "is not something I will apologize for."

9. Calling out Kyle

There also weren’t any apologies in August of 2010, when Keselowski delivered what still may be the most famous moment ever during driver introductions at Bristol — where drivers take the microphone to introduce themselves. Keselowski wasn’t happy about an incident the night before in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race, when he bumped Kyle Busch out of the way and got taken out in response, and he let everybody know it. "Kyle Busch is an ass!" he shouted to the crowd, which roared its approval. "Just say what you mean and be real," Keselowski explained later. "They appreciate that." On that night, at least, they certainly did.

8. Jawing with Johnson

They weren’t dueling for the title as they had the season before, but the rivalry between the teams of Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson was still on a low simmer last fall. After winning at Texas, No. 48 crew chief Chad Knaus opined that their current rival for the title, Matt Kenseth, was "a little more formidable" than who they’d faced the season before. So Keselowski offered Kenseth some friendly advice on how to beat Johnson. "For them, I wouldn’t want to race somebody that’s going to race me hard. That’s not their wheelhouse," Keselowski said. "… I’d say, use the s— out of him. Every time you get, run him hard, because that’s his weakness."

7. Banging on Busch

In the tight quarters of Martinsville, even pit road can be hazardous. That was the case in the STP 500, when Keselowski and Kurt Busch made contact during an early yellow-flag stop, and the No. 2 car spent 30 laps undergoing repairs. When Keselowski returned he aimed his displeasure toward Busch, whom he banged into and then directed a strategic digit. "He does awesome things for charity, and he’s probably the most talented race car driver, but he’s also one of the dumbest," Keselowski said, "so you can put those three together." Busch seemed surprised by what he termed a "punk-ass move." After the race, Keselowski sounded ready to rumble for real. "He knows where I’m at. Leave Victory Lane," he said. "We’ll go."

6. Airborne at Atlanta

Talk about rumble — Keselowski and Carl Edwards did just that in a vehicular sense in the spring of 2010. Tensions were still high from their controversial finish at Talladega the previous season when Edwards, more than 100 laps down, took out Keselowski near the end of a top-10 run at Atlanta. Even worse, Keselowski’s car flipped into the air. "If they’re going to allow people to intentionally wreck each other at tracks this fast, we will hurt someone," Keselowski contended. NASCAR called in both drivers for a summit the next week, which seemed to cool things — until they tangled again four months later at the end of a Nationwide race.

5. Perseverance at Pocono

The photos posted to Twitter were not pretty — not of Keselowski’s race car, which had crashed head-on into an unprotected wall when his brakes failed during a test at Road Atlanta in August of 2011, or of his broken left ankle, which had swollen to the size of a softball as a result. But Keselowski not only raced at Pocono that next weekend, he scored a victory that would prove crucial to his playoff hopes. Dealing with foot and back pain and wearing a left shoe bigger than the right, Keselowski led the final 16 laps. Yes, the kid did more than talk tough. "I know it just hurt," he said then, "and it felt a whole lot better on the way to that checkered flag."

4. Fuming in Fort Worth

Keselowski’s penchant for outspokenness turned to defiance a year ago at Texas, after NASCAR confiscated the rear end housings of both Penske cars. The saga would continue for weeks, with NASCAR levying harsh penalties that would be amended somewhat on final appeal. Even so, the immediate aftermath left Keselowski stinging. "The things I’ve seen over the last seven days have me questioning everything that I believe in, and I’m not happy about it," he said after the race in Fort Worth. "I feel like we’ve been targeted over the last seven days more than I’ve ever seen a team targeted."

3. Swigging in South Florida

Who knew that Keselowski could celebrate as hard as he raced? He certainly showed that after clinching his first Sprint Cup title at Homestead in 2012, taking to the championship stage holding a beer glass half as big as he is, and filled to the brim with Miller Lite. Keselowski swigged from it regularly as the crowd chanted "Brad needs beer! Brad needs beer!" and then the new champion conducted a memorable interview with ESPN’s SportsCenter. How did it feel? "Pretty damn awesome," he told the studio anchor. "I’ve got a little buzz going here. I’ve been drinking for a little bit. It’s been pretty good, man. I can’t lie."

2. Triumph at Talladega

It was another victory in 2009 that introduced the brash, opinionated Keselowski to the public at large. Charging to the finish at Talladega, Keselowski remembered Regan Smith being black-flagged the previous fall because he had dipped below the yellow line. So when Carl Edwards came down the track approaching the checkered, Keselowski didn’t budge — and the resulting contact sent Edwards hurtling into the fence, injuring several fans. Afterward, the winner was unapologetic. "I was here to win," Keselowski said. "… Holding your line was the way to do it. I’m sorry it caused a wreck and for those that are hurt. But that’s just the situation with the rules, and the way it is."

1. Shot seen ’round the world

And yet, if there were three words which cemented Keselowski as the motorsports force of nature he has become, they were these, typed into his iPhone during a red flag that interrupted a 2012 Daytona 500 pushed to Monday night by rain: "Fire! My view." The accompanying image of Juan Pablo Montoya’s collision with a jet dryer went viral, landing Keselowski 160,000 new followers on Twitter. Suddenly, he wasn’t just a driver. He was a social media trailblazer — posting from the seat of a race car! It was creative and crazy and a little rebellious all at the same time. The practice was ultimately banned, but not before Keselowski sent a Twitter photo that captured the attention of not just NASCAR, but sports fans around the world.

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Busch’s win at Martinsville marked his first trip to Victory Lane since 2011

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It was at Martinsville Speedway two years ago when the depth of the professional purgatory Kurt Busch had been cast into began to be truly defined. Starting his sixth race for a Phoenix Racing team operating on a financial shoestring, Busch had issues in qualifying and rolled off 40th. He suffered two tire failures, and as his crew attempted to repair one of them, the air gun broke. He wound up 18 laps down in 33rd place — so far from a grandfather clock, it was impossible to see the hands on the dial.

At that point, it was natural to wonder if the Busch who had claimed the 2004 championship and won races in every season since would ever return to the same level again. That he was immensely talented, there was no doubt — he had coaxed a rain-shortened ninth-place finish out of the same No. 51 car just a week earlier at Fontana — but he had also burned bridges at two powerhouse organizations and was running short on options. No matter who had instigated it, no matter whether it was a mutual parting or not, his split from Penske Racing had cast him into a wilderness with no obvious return route.

Two years later, Busch was back at Martinsville, not just within reach of a Ridgeway clock but packing one up to bring home. His victory Sunday at the half-mile oval constituted the apex — so far — of one of the more amazing career comebacks in NASCAR history, one for which there is no true comparison or precedent. There he was dueling with old rival Jimmie Johnson again, just as he had done at the height of his Penske days, as if nothing had ever changed. But so much has. The 84-race span between Busch’s two most recent wins represents a fall and rise unlike anything the sport has ever seen.

Now, NASCAR is no stranger to comebacks — if anything, this is a sport built for them, given how long drivers can compete relative to athletes in other fields, and the multitude of factors capable of derailing a racer’s career. In fact, Busch isn’t the only current driver making one; the co-owner of his No. 41 car, Tony Stewart, is back behind the wheel after missing the final three months of last season with a broken leg, and AJ Allmendinger is embarking upon a hopeful first full-time campaign since losing his ride over a positive drug test. Even Dale Earnhardt Jr. could be termed in the midst of a comeback, one that hit full stride late last season after a lull in his career.

But Busch’s is unique in so many ways — he reached such heights, and he fell so far, and for such uncommon reasons before digging himself out again. Think back to December of 2011: here was a champion driver with 24 career wins who had made the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in four of his six years with Penske, cut loose after an acrimonious season with zero top-tier options available to him. He spent a season toiling with cash-strapped Phoenix, then a season pulling unheralded Furniture Row Racing into relevance, and returned to an elite team after a fortuitous conversation with Gene Haas at a Chevrolet dinner. Now he’s a winner again, and likely back in the Chase. Think what you might about the elder Busch brother, but if his comeback continues trending in its current direction, it could be nothing short of legendary.

Does anything compare? There’s Cale Yarborough, who won 13 races driving for the Wood Brothers, and left for open-wheel racing due to manufacturer cutbacks before returning to win three championships with Junior Johnson. There’s David Pearson, who won three titles with Cotton Owens and Holman-Moody, who left due to a pay decrease and struggled in a brief stint with the team owned by Chris Vallo and Ray Nichels before returning to prominence with the Woods. There’s Buddy Baker, who didn’t click with Bud Moore’s team and moved on to join forces with Harry Ranier. And yet, none of those examples quite match up with the saga Busch has been on the past two years.

And then there are the drivers who, like Stewart, returned from health issues or injuries to compete again at a high level. Ernie Irvan was a 12-time winner at NASCAR’s highest level before suffering a head injury in a 1994 crash at Michigan, and after more than a year of recovery he returned to win three more times. Tim Richmond was an 11-time winner who missed nearly a dozen events in 1987 due to complications of the condition that would ultimately take his life, but returned to win back-to-back races before his career drew prematurely to a close. Darrell Waltrip missed five races with a broken leg in 1990, and returned to win five more races over the following two seasons.

Now, clearly, comebacks from physical illness or injury comprise a special category unto themselves, given the pain involved in recovery and the potential for skills to be diminished in the aftermath. The fact that Irvan returned from such a devastating injury — doctors originally gave him just a 10 percent chance of survival — to once again win races, and might have kept on winning them if not for another accident, almost certainly stands as the most impressive NASCAR career comeback of all time. But that’s not to denigrate the rebound we’re witnessing now by Busch, who’s had to do a different kind of healing, a type that’s involved repairing his reputation and regaining the trust of some in the garage area.

And in the process, complete a comeback with no equal. Some may draw parallels to the story of Curtis Turner — who won 16 races before being banned by NASCAR for trying to form a driver’s union, and sat out four years before returning to claim his final career victory — but Turner never ran a full season, never won a title, and had been out of racing for two years by the time of his fatal airplane crash. There’s no real equivalent to the steepness of Busch’s career arc, and the reason for the sudden trough in the middle. And anyone who doubts his continued rise need only to look back at the past two seasons, during which Busch rebuilt himself without benefit of the resources he has surrounding him now.

So yes, for Kurt Busch it has indeed been an eventful two years between those Martinsville races of 2012 and 2014 — one representing the bottom, and the other the highest crest since. The career comeback in between has been nothing short of extraordinary, even in a sport that’s seen just about everything. And the really interesting thing? It’s only just beginning.

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