Chase Spots Shrinking With Three Races Left To Cutoff

With three regular season races remaining, several NASCAR Sprint Cup teams race into this weekend's event at Michigan International Speedway hoping to nail down one of the dwindling spots in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images

With three regular season races remaining, several NASCAR Sprint Cup teams race into this weekend’s event at Michigan International Speedway hoping to nail down one of the dwindling spots in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images

Last weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway changed everything.

Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the resulting Chase Grid looks very different now than it did prior to Bristol.

Consider the following…

• Chris Buescher finished fifth, which catapulted him into the top 30 by 13 points – thereby placing him firmly in Chase contention for the first time since his victory at Pocono. All 12 race winners are now on the Chase Grid.

• Buescher’s finish, paired with Kyle Larson’s 24th-place run, pushed Larson off the Grid.

• Ryan Newman finished 28th, which dropped him three spots in the standings, and likewise, the Chase Grid. He’s now 16th on the Grid, and if there’s a new winner in the next three races, he’s in danger of missing the playoffs.

• Austin Dillon (4th) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2nd) both turned in top fives, which either solidified their Chase standing (Dillon) or bolstered their chances (Stenhouse).

So, what does all that mean? Paste the above four bullets into Google Translate, and you may get this (but probably not): “Just win. It’s a lot easier.”

Win and you’re in. That’s the goal – and only surefire way to land a Chase spot – for those with ‘zeroes’ in the win column.

One winless driver, in particular, could threaten at Michigan International Speedway: Greg Biffle. For one, Biffle’s Roush Fenway Racing team leads all organization in wins at Michigan, with 13. Secondly, Biffle boasts the Michigan wins lead among active drivers with four.

NASCAR Xfinity Series And Road America Are Known For First-Time Winners

Over the last six and half seasons (2010-2016) the NASCAR Xfinity Series has seen 20 first-time series winners, and over that time, six (30%) have come from two tracks: Road America and Texas Motor Speedway. The two are tied for the series-most first-time winners with three each during that time.

Road America’s series first-time winners are Nelson Piquet, Jr. (2012), A.J. Allmendinger (2013) and Brendan Gaughan (2014).

Texas Motor Speedway’s series first-time winners are Trevor Bayne (2011), Chase Elliott (2014) and Erik Jones (2015).

This season, the NASCAR Xfinity Series has seen two new first-time winners – Daniel Suárez at Michigan and Justin Marks at Mid-Ohio.

Brennan Poole, Brandon Jones, Darrell Wallace, Jr., Blake Koch and Ryan Sieg are all drivers inside the top-12 in points that are still looking for their first NASCAR Xfinity Series career win.

Three To Go: Wins At A Premium Before NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase

With six winners – a likely six of the eight Chase spots locked up – the pressure is squarely on those drivers with a ‘zero’ in the wins column.

Right now, six drivers are all-but-guaranteed a playoff spot via their win(s): William Byron (5 victories), Matt Crafton (2), Johnny Sauter (1), Christopher Bell (1), Ben Kennedy (1) and John Hunter Nemechek (1).
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Daniel Hemric (39 points ahead of Cole Custer on the cutoff line) and Timothy Peters (+29) hold the final two spots on points.

The first four out at the moment are Custer (-29 points behind Timothy Peters for the final Chase berth), Tyler Reddick (-32), Cameron Hayley (42), Spencer Gallagher (-65) and Ben Rhodes (-66).

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will race at Michigan International Speedway, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Chicagoland Speedway before the Chase begins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 24.

Among the Michigan winners in Saturday’s filed: Travis Kvapil (2) and Johnny Benson (1).

Race Weekend Guide

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Next Race: Pure Michigan 400
The Place: Michigan International Speedway
The Date: Sunday, Aug. 28
The Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN, 1 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 400 miles (200 laps)

NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Road America 180 Fired Up By Johnsonville
The Place: Road America
The Date: Saturday, Aug. 27
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN, 2:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 182.16 miles (45 laps)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: Careers For Veterans 200
The Place: Michigan International Speedway
The Date: Saturday, Aug. 27
The Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 200 miles (100 laps)

 

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