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Sprint Cup
CUP: Chase Rolls On Minus One
Bank of America 500 is fifth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup…
Jimmie Johnson (Left) and Brad Keselowski (Right) talk in the Charlotte Motor Speedway garage. (Photo: Getty Images)
The Chase for the Sprint Cup reaches a possible turning point in tonight’s Bank of America 500, but a chunk of the evening’s focus will be not on what is happening but what is not.
For the first time in hundreds of races, an Earnhardt will not be in the starting lineup when the 500 unfolds. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has started 461 straight Sprint Cup events but is not even scheduled to be on the track property tonight at the green flag.
Junior will sit for at least two races – tonight and next week at Kansas Speedway – as he recovers from a concussion suffered last week at Talladega and the lingering effects of a brutal crash in tire testing at Kansas in late August.
Although Junior won’t be in the race, his car – the familiar Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 – will. The spotlighted driver is Regan Smith, who quickly accepted an invitation to substitute for Earnhardt Jr. this week. Smith qualified 26th but was second in Happy Hour practice Friday night and could be a contender tonight.
Earnhardt Jr. said earlier this week that he didn’t plan to attend tonight’s race because he needed the time to relax and recover and because he didn’t want to be a distraction to the team.
Earnhardt Jr. is one of the 12 Chase drivers, but his shot at the championship – already slim with his 11th-place standing – disappeared with his decision to sit out the next two races.
The leaders in the Chase run with six races remaining are Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson (14 points back) and Denny Hamlin (23 points behind).
Keselowski will start 20th tonight. Johnson is fifth, and Hamlin is ninth. Starting positions are mostly meaningless, however, over a long evening.
The Chaser with the most space to make up is Tony Stewart, who will start 32nd.
Keselowski, Johnson and Hamlin have separated themselves from the rest of the Chasers. Fourth-place Kasey Kahne is 13 points behind the third-place Hamlin.
The Chase drivers in the group behind the leaders basically need very strong finishes tonight to keep hopes alive for a run at the title.
“Right now, we’re looking at performance and trying to win races,” said Matt Puccia, Greg Biffle’s crew chief. “That’s the only shot we’ve got right now is to win races, so if we have to take chances to do that, we’re going to do that. If those guys (the leaders) are going to have any problems, we’ve got to be able to be in position and pounce, and the only way we’re going to do that is if we get some wins and have solid runs.
“I feel good about the races we have in front of us and where we’re at with our program. We just have to be able to capitalize on the good days and minimize the bad days.”
In addition to the buzz about the Chase and Earnhardt Jr.’s absence, the night will include first runs for two notable drivers. Kurt Busch will start 21st in his first drive in the Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet, a car formerly driven by Smith. And AJ Allmendinger will drive the Phoenix Racing Chevrolet, which Smith was scheduled to drive before the invitation to replace Earnhardt Jr. It will be Allmendinger’s first race since he was suspended this summer after he failed a NASCAR drug test.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
For the first time in hundreds of races, an Earnhardt will not be in the starting lineup when the 500 unfolds. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has started 461 straight Sprint Cup events but is not even scheduled to be on the track property tonight at the green flag.
Junior will sit for at least two races – tonight and next week at Kansas Speedway – as he recovers from a concussion suffered last week at Talladega and the lingering effects of a brutal crash in tire testing at Kansas in late August.
Although Junior won’t be in the race, his car – the familiar Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 – will. The spotlighted driver is Regan Smith, who quickly accepted an invitation to substitute for Earnhardt Jr. this week. Smith qualified 26th but was second in Happy Hour practice Friday night and could be a contender tonight.
Earnhardt Jr. said earlier this week that he didn’t plan to attend tonight’s race because he needed the time to relax and recover and because he didn’t want to be a distraction to the team.
Earnhardt Jr. is one of the 12 Chase drivers, but his shot at the championship – already slim with his 11th-place standing – disappeared with his decision to sit out the next two races.
The leaders in the Chase run with six races remaining are Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson (14 points back) and Denny Hamlin (23 points behind).
Keselowski will start 20th tonight. Johnson is fifth, and Hamlin is ninth. Starting positions are mostly meaningless, however, over a long evening.
The Chaser with the most space to make up is Tony Stewart, who will start 32nd.
Keselowski, Johnson and Hamlin have separated themselves from the rest of the Chasers. Fourth-place Kasey Kahne is 13 points behind the third-place Hamlin.
The Chase drivers in the group behind the leaders basically need very strong finishes tonight to keep hopes alive for a run at the title.
“Right now, we’re looking at performance and trying to win races,” said Matt Puccia, Greg Biffle’s crew chief. “That’s the only shot we’ve got right now is to win races, so if we have to take chances to do that, we’re going to do that. If those guys (the leaders) are going to have any problems, we’ve got to be able to be in position and pounce, and the only way we’re going to do that is if we get some wins and have solid runs.
“I feel good about the races we have in front of us and where we’re at with our program. We just have to be able to capitalize on the good days and minimize the bad days.”
In addition to the buzz about the Chase and Earnhardt Jr.’s absence, the night will include first runs for two notable drivers. Kurt Busch will start 21st in his first drive in the Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet, a car formerly driven by Smith. And AJ Allmendinger will drive the Phoenix Racing Chevrolet, which Smith was scheduled to drive before the invitation to replace Earnhardt Jr. It will be Allmendinger’s first race since he was suspended this summer after he failed a NASCAR drug test.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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