The Chase is (almost) on. With the NASCAR regular season nearing its end, the Chase is finally about to narrow down the field bit by bit until the 2015 Sprint Cup champion is crowned. But before the real excitement begins in just a few weeks’ time, let’s first run through a handful of the most important things to know at this stage of the NASCAR season.
Meanwhile, get to know the 10 quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers who are expected to be the best in their respective positions in the upcoming NFL season.
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Five Things to Know for the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Four Races Left Before the Chase
There are just four races left before the Chase for the Sprint Cup finally begins in earnest. The last four pre-Chase races on the schedule are: the Pure Michigan 400 (Aug. 16), the Irwin Tools Night Race (Aug. 22), the Bojangles’ Southern 500 (Sept. 6) and the Federated Auto Parts 400 (Sept. 12).
[sc:NASCAR240banner ]For anyone in need of a refresher, the Chase will follow the format implemented last season, wherein the top 16 drivers eligible for the Chase after the 26th race of the season will enter the Chase “Challenger Round,” which begins with the Monster Energy 400 on Sept. 20.
The 16 drivers will reset with the same number of points for the Challenger Round. The four drivers with the least amount of points over the next three races will be eliminated. The same process – a reset in points and the bottom four after three races to be eliminated – will repeat for the next two (Contender and Eliminator) rounds.
That’ll leave only four drivers left in contention in the final race of the season. The driver that has the best finish in that final race will be crowned champion.
10 Spots Sealed on the Grid
After the most recent race at Watkins Glen, 10 of the 16 spots in the Chase Grid are now locked up. The 10 are: Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Kesolowski, Denny Hamlin, and Carl Edwards.
That leaves just six spots still up for grabs in the final four races before the cut-off. If the season ended today, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch would be the other six joining them in the Chase.
McMurray, Menard, Gordon, Newman, and Bowyer have no wins this season, but would get in by virtue of having the highest points among winless drivers. As for Busch, more on him later.
Jeff Gordon on the Bubble
Four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon’s chances of making the Chase remain very much in the balance, though. Gordon, who has gone winless this season, has had two very disappointing outings in his last three races. He finished 42nd at The Brickyard and 41st at Watkins Glen, his worst finish ever at the track. Sandwiched in between is a third-place finish at Pocono.
Gordon, who is driving his last full season in NASCAR, is currently 12th in the Sprint Cup standings with 620 points. The only time Gordon has missed out on the Chase in his illustrious career was way back in 2005.
Kyle Busch Making a Late Run
While Gordon stumbles, Kyle Busch continues to come on strong. Busch, who has started just half of the season’s 22 races to date due to injury, has been absolutely on fire over the past couple of months. He’s won four of the last seven races, which included a three-race winning streak at Kentucky, New Hampshire and The Brickyard in July.
He finished second last time out at Watkins Glen, which put him up to 30th in the Sprint Cup standings. Because of a special exception due to his injury, he’s now qualified to enter the Chase if he maintains that position at the end of the season.
Busch should stand a great chance of improving upon his current spot during the last four races of the year. He owns a win in three of the last four tracks on the schedule: the Michigan International Speedway (2011), Bristol Motor Speedway (2010 and 2011) and Darlington Raceway (2008).
Kevin Harvick Still the Man to Beat
If Busch can indeed continue his impressive run, he should be stand as one of, if not the biggest challenge to Kevin Harvick’s reign. The defending champion has been terrific once again this season with two wins, 15 top-five finishes and 19 top-10 finishes.
Harvick turned it on during last year’s Chase, where he won three of the 10 races – including the final two of the season – to clinch his first ever Sprint Cup championship.
Create a betting account now and get ready to Chase down massive winnings in NASCAR’s very exciting second season.
