Sprint Cup Chase 2015: NASCAR Standings, Schedule After Duck Commander 500

Jimmie Johnson is a force to be reckoned with at Texas Motor Speedway, and he once again proved why Saturday with a dramatic victory at the Duck Commander 500. He overcame Kevin Harvick and Jamie McMurray late and powered his way to his second victory in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

NASCAR noted that picking up checkered flags has become old habit for the No. 48 car, while Hendrick Motorsports passed along the celebration as well as the fact that it was Johnson's fifth victory at Texas Motor Speedway in his career:

Johnson's victory did not come easy, though, as he found himself behind both Harvick and McMurray with 14 laps remaining. However, he made an incredible move to jump from third to first in a single maneuver and never looked back on his way to the title. 

It was the type of move that only the elite racers in the world can pull off, and Johnson demonstrated why he has been so successful at Texas before. Fox Sports NASCAR shared a highlight of the critical moment of the race:

Johnson discussed his victory in the aftermath, per Jeff Gluck of USA Today: "A great, great racecar. We kept plugging away at it all race. The off week was good for us, gave us a chance to reboot, relax and get back in the swing of things."

In all, Johnson led the field for 128 laps during Saturday's race, while Harvick paced it for 96, Brad Keselowski for 27, Joey Logano for 19 and McMurray for nine. Harvick seized the lead at Lap 285 over Logano and looked like he was going to win for some time before Johnson made his move.

Even the race for second place, which Harvick secured, was filled with drama, as Fox Sports NASCAR, NASCAR and NASCAR Stats all noted during the stretch run:

Eventually, Johnson won, Harvick finished in second, Dale Earnhardt Jr. in third, Logano in fourth, Keselowski in fifth and McMurray in sixth.

Here is a look at the remaining Sprint Cup schedule following the Duck Commander 500, courtesy of NASCAR.com:

Race	Track	Date
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

Perhaps most importantly moving forward, Johnson picked up some critical points for his efforts Saturday and now sits in sixth place in the 2015 Sprint Cup standings. Harvick is still pacing the overall 2015 leaderboard and did nothing to change that with a strong showing at Texas.

Here is a look at the updated 2015 Sprint Cup standings after the Duck Commander 500, courtesy of NASCAR.com:

Pos.	Driver	Wins	Points
1	Kevin Harvick	2	306
2	Joey Logano	1	280
3	Martin Truex Jr.	0	266
4	Brad Keselowski	1	246
5	Kasey Kahne	0	230
6	Jimmie Johnson	2	216
7	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	0	213
8	Denny Hamlin	1	205
9	Aric Almirola	0	195
10	David Ragan	0	194
11	Jamie McMurray	0	193
12	Matt Kenseth	0	189
13	Jeff Gordon	0	186
14	Carl Edwards	0	182
15	Casey Mears	0	178
16	Paul Menard	0	177

Johnson made the most dramatic move of the day Saturday when he jumped from 11th to sixth in the standings after his victory. You can go ahead and cue the Jaws music for the rest of the field now, because he has plenty of momentum on his side with two victories this year and plenty of racing on the horizon before things get really interesting.

It would not be a surprise at all if he continues to creep up the standings to put himself in an ideal position before crunch time at the end of the calendar.

ESPN Stats & Info pointed out the incredible streak that Johnson is in the midst of after his win Saturday:

Johnson is one of the best of all time and is not the type of racer you want chasing you in the standings, but Harvick and Logano both deserve plenty of credit in their own right for strong races. They are in first and second place, respectively, in the standings and picked up plenty of points with their performances.

Perhaps the biggest challenge when it comes to the eventual challenger, contender, eliminator and championship rounds will be holding off Johnson as he goes for the title.

If he continues to race like he did Saturday, that challenge will be nearly impossible.