Before Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, there were several drivers that needed a victory to earn their spot into the Chase for the Sprint Cup. As we enter the closing weeks to NASCAR’s new point system that rewards victories over standard points, just 12 drivers had scored a win in 2014 leaving 4 spots still opened to drivers with the highest point totals from the season. In our Sprint Cup Chase outlook last week, we identified the drivers that appeared to be “in” and those that were “out.” However we warned that Kasey Kahne may be the only driver outside of those drivers that were currently listed as “in” that could spoil the picture. Well that is exactly what happened this Sunday night as Kasey Kahne scored a dramatic win at Atlanta by capturing the victory in the Oral-B USA 500. Not only did Kahne secure his spot into the Chase with the victory, but the door has nearly closed on a few of NASCAR’s biggest names.
Kahne’s victory took away another automatic spot in the Chase by becoming the 13th driver in 2014 to score a win. With just 3 spots left in the top 16 for the Chase, Matt Kenseth is already clinched his spot with 794 points. Currently Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle occupy the 15th and 16th positions with one race to go heading into Richmond this Saturday night. Perhaps the biggest storyline or surprise of the weekend outside of Kahne’s victory included the misfortunes for Clint Bowyer. Bowyer entered Atlanta in really good position to make the Chase on points. However, Bowyer’s #15 car had problems Sunday night due to a broken gear shifter which caused the team to suffer a miserable 38th place finish. The misfortunes along with Kahne’s win which took up another automatic Chase spot now have Bowyer on the outside looking in. Bowyer currently sits 17th in the points and trails 16th place Greg Biffle by 23 points.
Needleses to say Bowyer not only needs to run well but they would need Biffle to have a rather poor performance at the same time. Oh my, what a difference a week makes! Joining Bowyer on the outside looking in crowd, include guys like Kyle Larson, Paul Menard, Austin Dillon, Jamie McMurray, and Tony Stewart. Mathematically Larson is the only driver along with Bowyer that can race their way into the Chase. Larson is currently in the 18th position just 1 point behind Bowyer. Not only would Larson need to beat Bowyer at Richmond but he would also need to beat Biffle by 24 positions to make up the considerable difference in the points gap. Of course we have seen much stranger and crazier outcomes in the past so it is hard to say either driver is truly “out.” Just look at the events and circumstances that transpired last year at Richmond. However, the prognosis for those drivers currently outside the top 16 does not look good.
Among those drivers that are on the outside include 3 time Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart. Stewart made his return to racing last week at Atlanta after missing 3 weeks of action after being involved in the tragic accident that claimed the life on Kevin Ward Jr in a sprint car at Canandaigua Motorsports Park on August 9th. Stewart made a charge towards the front early in the Oral-B USA 500 but ran into trouble with a blown tire at the midway point of the race which ultimately ended his night. While Stewart’s chances of making the Chase appear slim, he does have 3 victories at Richmond International Raceway and supports the 3rd best average finish among active drivers. There has not been any other team in NASCAR that has faced more adversity this season than Stewart and the #14 team due to the accident at Canandigua. Perhaps a win could salvage the 2014 season, in some aspects, for the #14 team this week. However several other drivers currently outside the top 16, desperately need a victory as well to salvage their seasons which will provide some exciting storylines as the Sprint Cup Series goes night racing at Richmond in the Federated Auto Parts 400 this Saturday.
