Analysis
NASCAR Cup
Chase spots going fast, time is running out
Six drivers need only to attempt to qualify for the remaining six races to "officially" earn a spot in the Chase.
Edited: Jul 31, 2014, 9:45 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Four more drivers cleared the two toughest hurdles for entry into the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, joining Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski, both of whom locked up a spot on the Chase Grid July 13 at New Hampshire.
At Indianapolis last Sunday, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Joey Logano all either scored a second win (Gordon) or clinched a top 30 points spot (Johnson, Edwards and Logano). Now, those six drivers need only to attempt to qualify for the remaining six races to "officially" earn a spot in the Chase.
As a reminder, any driver with multiple wins guarantees himself a spot in the top 15 (or top 16, if the points leader after race No. 26 has a win). Any driver who left Indy with a 289-point lead on 31st place clinched spot in the top 30.
This weekend, the series shifts to Pocono Raceway, where four more drivers have a chance to clinch a spot in the Chase. The magic number is 241 – any driver 241 points ahead of 31st place clinches a top 30 position. If a driver does that and has multiple wins, he clinches a postseason berth.
Those who can do it at the Long Pond, Pa., track: Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola. Harvick’s two wins mean he needs only to clinch a top 30 spot—an almost certainty—and will get there if he can score eight points (and that’s if 31st place David Gilliland wins and leads the most laps). Busch has secured a top 30 spot, but needs another win to clinch. Hamlin has yet to clinch a top 30 position. A win would guarantee that, and would give him multiple victories.
Almirola would require a victory Sunday to clinch, and get a good bit of help to also lock up a spot in the top 30.
Conversely, for the drivers still trying to make the Chase, time is running out. The driver to watch this weekend is last season’s GoBowling.com 400 winner, Kasey Kahne. A victory would catapult Kahne squarely onto the 16-driver Chase Grid while becoming the 12th different winner this season. Though he is currently on the outside looking in, Kahne's solid runs have put him in position to “back” into the Chase Grid. With 555 points, Kahne is only four points behind Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Austin Dillon, who currently resides in the 16th spot on the Chase Grid Outlook. But, the No. 5 Hendrick Chevrolet driver is focused squarely on winning his way in.
"We have five more good tracks for us and six more races, so hopefully we can get a win at one of those places," Kahne said.
Meanwhile, Earnhardt has the opportunity to pull off the season sweep at the "Tricky Triangle" and become the seventh driver in premier series history to sweep both Pocono races in a single season. He would join NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison (1982) and Bill Elliott (1985), along with Tim Richmond (1986), Bobby Labonte (1999), Jimmie Johnson (2004) and Denny Hamlin (2006). Earnhardt, whose only other career track sweep came at Talladega in 2002, is currently seeded fourth in the Chase standings, but a Pocono win could possibly elevate him to the top of the Chase seeding chart.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article The ultlmate driver coach
Next article The ultimate driver draft
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Kasey Kahne
It's Kasey Kahne Friday every other week in the 2027 NASCAR Truck season
NASCAR Truck
NASCAR Truck
Charlotte II
It's Kasey Kahne Friday every other week in the 2027 NASCAR Truck season
Kasey Kahne officially ends NASCAR retirement for full-time Spire Truck ride
NASCAR Truck
NASCAR Truck
Kasey Kahne officially ends NASCAR retirement for full-time Spire Truck ride
Kasey Kahne is as passionate and competitive as ever at Knoxville Nationals
Sprint Car
Sprint Car
Kasey Kahne is as passionate and competitive as ever at Knoxville Nationals
Latest news
2026 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix – How to watch, session times & more
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Indonesian GP
1 min
2026 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix – How to watch, session times & more
There will be even less drag in Cup cars at Talladega on Sunday
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
3 min
There will be even less drag in Cup cars at Talladega on Sunday
Kimi Antonelli delivers Austin surprise pole in tricky Mercedes: "Finally we're seeing the results"
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
Kimi Antonelli delivers Austin surprise pole in tricky Mercedes: "Finally we're seeing the results"
Why Ferrari failed to deliver on its hype in F1's United States GP qualifying
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
Why Ferrari failed to deliver on its hype in F1's United States GP qualifying
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe