Martin Truex Jr. dominated the NASCAR Chase Round of 16 with two wins in three races. And after the first cut of four driver eliminations, the Round of 12 now kicks of in Charlotte, where, surprise, surprise, Truex has also been very successful. Will Martin make it three wins in four or can anyone from the dirty dozen finally chase him down?
Let’s preview this weekend’s Bank of America 500 with a look at the top three favorites to win in Charlotte, as well as a sneaky sleeper and a long shot to watch out for.
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Martin Truex Jr. is on freakin’ fire right now. The Furniture Row Racing driver has won two of the first three Chase races, and three of his last five races overall. And he looks well placed to continue his fine run in Charlotte.
Prior to his insane winning run, the one race he did win earlier in the season was in Charlotte, a race he dominated from start to finish. After winning pole, Truex led 392 out of 400 laps en route to the checkered flag.
Truex has been absolutely dominant on intermediate tracks this season. He has three wins in eight races, and has finished in the top 10 in three others. He has also close to 400 more laps led in those races than his closest competitor (845 to 475). There are no sure things in NASCAR, but a Truex win in Charlotte is one of the closest things to one.
Kevin Harvick
Harvick’s performance in the Chase Round of 16 was pretty up-and-down. He’s finished 20th in Chicagoland and 37th in Dover, uncharacteristically low finishes for the ever-consistent driver. However, he does have a win in New Hamsphire sandwiched in between, a nice reminder that he was the 2014 Sprint Cup champ for a reason.
Speaking of consistency, Harvick has been one of the most dependable drivers in Charlotte over the past few years. He’s finished first or second in five of his last seven starts on the track. Look for Harvick to bounce back and be one of Truex’s main competitors this week.
Jimmie Johnson
Johnson has been on a prolonged slump all year long. The No. 48 hasn’t visited Victory Lane since the fifth race of the season, and hasn’t really been a legitimate threat to win any of the first three Chase races.
However, never count JJ out in Charlotte. After all, Johnson leads all active drivers with seven career wins at the track. He has also finished in the top five in 14 of 30 career starts, including a third place finish earlier this year. If there’s ever a race that can get JJ back on track, it’s this one.
Sleeper
Kurt Busch
Busch may not be as good a bet as brother Kyle to get the win in Charlotte, but don’t sleep on his chances altogether. Kurt has had some decent success on intermediate tracks like Charlotte this season. Busch is fifth in average finish (10.2) in eight races on intermediate tracks this year, with three top-5 finishes. He finished sixth at the Coca-Cola 600 earlier this season. Furthermore, Kurt ranks eighth in driver rating at the track over the last five races.
Long Shot
Ryan Newman
Ryan Newman is a pretty significant long shot to get the win in Charlotte. Newman’s last taste of the checkered flag was all the way back in 2013 in Indianapolis. However, if there’s a track where he can roll back into Victory Lane, it’s a track like Charlotte.
Newman has finished inside the top 10 in four of his last five races on 1.5-mile tracks. That includes a respectable 10th place finish at the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte earlier this year. With a few lucky breaks, Newman could yet break his three-year long winning drought this weekend.
Writer’s Prediction
Martin Truex Jr. makes it four wins in six races with another dominant win in Charlotte.
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