Sprint Cup Chase 2015: NASCAR Standings and Schedule After Atlanta 500

The 2015 Chase for the Sprint Cup commenced with NASCAR's brightest young star in Joey Logano winning, but Sunday's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 in Atlanta saw Jimmie Johnson's most familiar face in Victory Lane. NASCAR announced the win via Twitter:

Johnson won for the fourth time at Atlanta Motor Speedway, positioning himself well to start the season as he bids for his seventh championship.

Here is a look at the standings and schedule following Sunday's action:

Pos.	Driver	Points	Wins	Top 5	Top 10
1	Joey Logano	88	1	2	2
2	Jimmie Johnson	87	1	2	2
3	Kevin Harvick	86	0	2	2
4	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	84	0	2	2
5	Martin Truex Jr.	75	0	0	2
6	Casey Mears	68	0	0	1
7	Kasey Kahne	65	0	0	1
8	AJ Allmendinger	62	0	0	1
9	Aric Almirola	62	0	0	0
10	Clint Bowyer	58	0	0	1
11	David Gilliland	56	0	0	0
12	Sam Hornish Jr.	55	0	0	0
13	Greg Biffle	54	0	0	1
14	Carl Edwards	54	0	0	0
15	David Ragan	53	0	0	0
16	Danica Patrick	51	0	0	0

Race	Track	Date	Time
Kobalt 400	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	Sun., March 8	3:30 p.m. ET
CampingWorld.com 500	Phoenix International Raceway	Sun., March 15	3:30 p.m. ET
Auto Club 400	Auto Club Speedway	Sun., March 22	3:30 p.m. ET
STP 500	Martinsville Speedway	Sun., March 29	1 p.m. ET
Duck Commander 500	Texas Motor Speedway	Sat., April 11	7:30 p.m. ET
Food City 500	Bristol Motor Speedway	Sunday, April 19	1 p.m. ET
Toyota Owners 400	Richmond International Speedway	Saturday, April 25	7 p.m. ET
GEICO 500	Talladega Superspeedway	Sunday, May 3	1 p.m. ET
NASCAR Sprint Cup May Kansas Race	Kansas Speedway	Saturday, May 9	7:30 p.m. ET
Coca-Cola 600	Charlotte Motor Speedway	Sunday, May 24	6 p.m. ET
NASCAR Sprint Cup May Dover Race	Dover International Speedway	Sunday, May 31	1 p.m. ET
Axalta 'We Paint Winners' 400	Pocono Raceway	Sunday, June 7	1 p.m. ET
Quicken Loans 400	Michigan International Speedway	Sunday, June 14	1 p.m. ET
Toyota-Save Mart 350	Sonoma Raceway	Sunday, June 28	3 p.m. ET
Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola	Daytona International Speedway	Sunday, July 5	7:45 p.m. ET
Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts	Kentucky Speedway	Saturday, July 11	7:30 p.m. ET
NASCAR Sprint Cup July New Hampshire Race	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	Sunday, July 19	1:30 p.m. ET
Crown Royal Presents the 'Your Hero's Name Here' 400 at the Brickyard	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Sunday, July 26	3:30 p.m. ET
Pennsylvania 400	Pocono Raceway	Sunday, Aug. 2	1:30 p.m. ET
Cheez-It 355	Watkins Glen International	Sunday, Aug. 9	2 p.m. ET
Pure Michigan 400	Michigan International Speedway	Sunday, Aug. 16	2:30 p.m. ET
IRWIN Tools Night Race	Bristol Motor Speedway	Saturday, Aug. 22	7:30 p.m. ET
Bojangles' Southern 500	Darlington Raceway	Sunday, Sept. 6	7 p.m. ET
Federated Auto Parts 400	Richmond International Raceway	Saturday, Sept. 12	7:30 p.m.
Challenger Round	Track	Date	Time
MyAFibStory.com 400	Chicagoland Speedway	Sunday, Sept. 20	3 p.m. ET
Sylvania 300	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	Sunday, Sept. 27	2 p.m. ET
AAA 400	Dover International Speedway	Sunday, Oct. 4	2:30 p.m. ET
Contender Round
Bank of America 500	Charlotte Motor Speedway	Saturday, Oct. 10	7 p.m. ET
Hollywood Casino 400	Kansas Speedway	Sunday, Oct. 18	2:15 p.m. ET
Alabama 500	Talladega Superspeedway	Sunday, Oct. 25	2:30 p.m. ET
Eliminator Round	Track	Date	Time
Goody's FAST PAIN RELIEF 500	Martinsville Speedway	Sunday, Nov. 1	1:15 p.m.
AAA Texas 500	Texas Motor Speedway	Sunday, Nov. 8	2 p.m. ET
Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500	Phoenix International Raceway	Sunday, Nov. 15	2:30 p.m. ET
Championship Round	Track	Date	Time
Ford EcoBoost 400	Homestead-Miami Speedway	Sunday, Nov. 22	3 p.m. ET

Jeff Gluck of USA Today alluded to how significant the win is for Johnson, as he's essentially secured a spot in the Chase with a checkered flag in tow:

Logano has all the makings of a champion driver, though. After winning the Daytona 500 last week, he was leading for the early going on Sunday and was ahead for 84 laps, third only to Johnson and runner-up Kevin Harvick.

Despite a second straight second-place consolation prize following his close call in Daytona Beach, Harvick was still supportive and appreciated the competition afterward:

It seems as though Harvick will break through for a win at some point this year, and based on his early form, he looks to be a prominent Chase contender down the line.

The top of the standings didn't really change much from the Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a third-place finish for his second start in a row, getting his own 2015 campaign off to a promising start, fresh off a commendable defense at The Great American Race.

NASCAR Stats noted how strong Earnhardt's track record was in Atlanta, so it wasn't too much of a surprise to see him finish on the podium:

What was most impressive about Johnson finishing ahead of his prolific peers is the fact that he started Sunday's race in 37th place. Although extenuating circumstances and numerous cautions helped his cause, it still took an immense amount of skill from Johnson and his crew to get into position to win.

Even Johnson, with all his experience and past prowess, could hardly believe how well his No. 44 car drove, via Hendrick Motorsports:

Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, spoke about the quality of racing that's been abundant thus far (via NASCAR):

What was most exciting about Sunday's finish that featured a red-flagged wreck toward the end is that it still saw many of NASCAR's best finish near the top. The hope is that it's a sign of things to come in what's been quite a thrilling kickoff to the 2015 season.

Next on the schedule is the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Interesting enough, Johnson has won an unprecedented four times at that track as well, though not since 2010.

There's history to suggest Johnson has a shot at back-to-back wins. However, with the way Harvick, Logano and Earnhardt are competing now, not to mention the other drivers due for a breakthrough, the showcase in Las Vegas ought to be well worth watching for stock-car racing enthusiasts.