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

Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag at the STP 500 on Sunday, earning his first win of the 2015 Sprint Cup season and the fifth win of his career at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia.

Fox Sports 1 provided a look at Hamlin's long burnout after his win:

Hamlin fought off an in-form Brad Keselowski down the stretch to earn his first-place finish. It was a fine performance from Kez, who hasn't had too many great results at this track, per NASCAR Stats:

The top two drivers kept things extremely close over the final few laps. NBC Sports' Dustin Long passed along Hamlin's comments on his nervy finish with the contentious Keselowski:

Hamlin started in the 15th spot and led for a grand total of 91 laps. Pole winner Joey Logano utilized his excellent starting position to snag a third-place finish. Kevin Harvick finished eighth in the STP 500, snapping his phenomenal streak of top-two finishes at eight races.

Danica Patrick displayed some deft driving late in the race to earn her a seventh-place finish. NBC Sports' Nate Ryan noted she made a bit of history with her top-10 result:

Here's a look at the remaining Sprint Cup schedule following the STP 500:

Race	Track	Date
Duck Commander 500	Texas Motor Speedway	Saturday, April 11
Food City 500	Bristol Motor Speedway	Sunday, April 19
Toyota Owners 400	Richmond International Speedway	Saturday, April 25
GEICO 500	Talladega Superspeedway	Sunday, May 3
Spongebob Squarepants 400	Kansas Speedway	Saturday, May 9
Coca-Cola 600	Charlotte Motor Speedway	Sunday, May 24
NASCAR Sprint Cup May Dover Race	Dover International Speedway	Sunday, May 31
Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400	Pocono Raceway	Sunday, June 7
Quicken Loans 400	Michigan International Speedway	Sunday, June 14
Toyota-Save Mart 350	Sonoma Raceway	Sunday, June 28
Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola	Daytona International Speedway	Sunday, July 5
Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts	Kentucky Speedway	Saturday, July 11
NASCAR Sprint Cup July New Hampshire Race	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	Sunday, July 19
Crown Royal Presents the "Your Hero's Name Here" 400 at the Brickyard	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Sunday, July 26
Pennsylvania 400	Pocono Raceway	Sunday, Aug. 2
Cheez-It 355	Watkins Glen International	Sunday, Aug. 9
Pure Michigan 400	Michigan International Speedway	Sunday, Aug. 16
IRWIN Tools Night Race	Bristol Motor Speedway	Saturday, Aug. 22
Bojangles' Southern 500	Darlington Raceway	Sunday, Sept. 6
Federated Auto Parts 400	Richmond International Raceway	Saturday, Sept. 12
Challenger Round
2015 Sprint Cup Schedule Following Auto Club 400	Chicagoland Speedway	Sunday, Sept. 20
Sylvania 300	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	Sunday, Sept. 27
AAA 400	Dover International Speedway	Sunday, Oct. 4
Contender Round
Bank of America 500	Charlotte Motor Speedway	Saturday, Oct. 10
Hollywood Casino 400	Kansas Speedway	Sunday, Oct. 18
Alabama 500	Talladega Superspeedway	Sunday, Oct. 25
Eliminator Round
Goody's FAST PAIN RELIEF 500	Martinsville Speedway	Sunday, Nov. 1
AAA Texas 500	Texas Motor Speedway	Sunday, Nov. 8
Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500	Phoenix International Raceway	Sunday, Nov. 15
Championship Round
Ford EcoBoost 400	Homestead-Miami Speedway	Sunday, Nov. 22

Hamlin receives a nice boost in the standings for his effort, jumping up from 14th place after the Auto Club 400 to eighth following Sunday's win. Harvick's eighth-place finish was good enough to keep him in the top spot, while Logano holds onto second place. Patrick's strong finish bumps her up into the top 16. Here's a closer look at the standings after the STP 500, courtesy of NASCAR.com.

Pos.	Driver	Wins	Points
1	Kevin Harvick	2	263
2	Joey Logano	1	239
3	Martin Truex Jr.	0	231
4	Brad Keselowski	1	206
5	Kasey Kahne	0	193
6	Ryan Newman	0	180
7	Paul Menard	0	173
8	Denny Hamlin	1	172
9	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	0	172
10	Aric Almirola	0	170
11	Jimmie Johnson	1	168
12	Matt Kenseth	0	168
13	David Ragan	0	163
14	Casey Mears	0	125
15	Jamie McMurray	0	161
16	Danica Patrick	0	154

If there is one driver who would like to forget all about the STP 500, it's probably Dale Earnhardt Jr., as he was plagued by car trouble for much of the afternoon. Per Fox Sports' Jay Pennell, he wrecked on Lap 227, rear-ending Paul Menard in very close quarters and causing major damage to the front of his car.

At The Buzzer provided a look at the collision:

Earnhardt Jr. would finish in 36th place after a frustrating day, although he did sound optimistic about his team after the race.

Steve Helber/Associated Press

"You've got to be doing it right, and there's a lot of wrecks back there. It bit us today," he said, per Pennell. "I'm not going to second-guess what we're doing, and I feel like our team is strong; we won't have any problems coming back."

Harvick may be commanding the most attention in the start to this season with his excellent streak of results—which included two wins in three races on NASCAR's West Coast tour—but Keselowski has proved in these last two contests that he may be just as dangerous as Harvick.

As noted, Keselowski raced to his best finish at Martinsville on Sunday, earning plenty of points where he may not have expected them. His stunning late win at the Auto Club 400 could also prove to be a pivotal result for him, as NASCAR Stats noted that he was hardly prolific in his career at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California:

SB Nation's Jordan Bianchi noted that Keselowski and crew chief Paul Wolfe's attitude paid off in that race:

"

As he celebrated in Victory Lane, Keselowski commented that he stole this win since Busch and Kevin Harvick both had superior cars. Speed, however, isn't always the determining factor in who wins and who loses. It also takes guile -- something Keselowski and Wolfe possess in spades.

"

There is still plenty more rubber-burning to come, but Keselowski's aggressive driving will likely prove to be one of the big difference-makers as the season wears on. 

Another driver to keep an eye on is Martin Truex Jr., who now boasts six consecutive top-10 finishes to start the season. Of course, he's only powered his way into the top five once this season, but he could be a dark-horse threat in the elimination-style format—so long as he remains in Chase contention.