Sprint Cup Chase 2015: NASCAR Standings, Schedule Post-SpongeBob SquarePants 400

Sooner or later, a win has to come for Martin Truex Jr., right? The No. 78 car led more laps than any other driver in Saturday night's SpongeBob SquarePants 400 but could only manage a ninth-place finish.

It's Truex's 10th top-10 finish in 11 Sprint Cup races. While he is one of the hottest drivers on the circuit, the fact that he hasn't translated this impressive run into a trip to Victory Lane might come back to haunt him later in the year.

"It's kind of disappointing, but at the same time proud of the way we ran, and I think it's something we can build off of," said Truex of his performance in Saturday's race, per ESPN.com's Mark Ashenfelter. "Felt like we were in a decent position there towards the end. Really hate when it comes down to fuel mileage; seems like I'm always on the wrong end of that deal."

The good news is that Truex remains well on track to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. His 391 points are the most among drivers searching for their first win, and he's more than a hundred points clear of Clint Bowyer in 16th.

Pos.	Driver	Points	Wins
1	Jimmie Johnson	389	3
2	Kevin Harvick	437	2
3	Joey Logano	375	1
4	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	360	1
5	Brad Keselowski	343	1
6	Matt Kenseth	331	1
7	Kurt Busch	292	1
8	Denny Hamlin	284	1
9	Martin Truex Jr.	391	0
10	Jamie McMurray	328	0
11	Jeff Gordon	317	0
12	Kasey Kahne	313	0
13	Aric Almirola	312	0
14	Paul Menard	306	0
15	Ryan Newman	305	0
16	Clint Bowyer	272	0

Race	Track	Date	Time
SpongeBob SquarePants 400	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	Track	Date	Time
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

While Truex can't buy a win, Jimmie Johnson can't stop winning. He's the first driver to reach three checkered flags in 2015 after topping the field in the SpongeBob SquarePants 400. Although his 389 points are only the third-highest total, those three wins vault him to the top of the Chase standings.

Johnson already booked his place in the Chase. The rest of the season is all about jockeying for position and ensuring he's ready for the Challenger Round.

In the meantime, he can at least provide his children with a wholly unique SpongeBob SquarePants toy, per Team Lowe's Racing:

Looking a little further down the standings, there is quite the battle happening for 16th place. Bowyer is just a mere two points ahead of Danica Patrick and seven points ahead of Carl Edwards.

Qualifying for the Chase would be a major step for Patrick. She finished 27th and 28th in the standings during her first two full-time seasons in Sprint Cup. For Edwards, anything short of a Chase place would be a disappointment. He has never finished lower than 15th as a full-time Sprint Cup driver.

Either way, both Patrick and Edwards are sitting prettier than Tony Stewart, who continues to languish in the standings. He's 30th, 93 points off Bowyer.

Saturday's race played out much as Stewart's entire season has. His car got dinged up after contact with Brett Moffitt, and things never improved from there, per Fox Sports:

During the race, Stewart vented some of his frustrations to his pit crew, per Lee Spencer of Motorsport.com:

"

When @TonyStewart is told his car is still smoking in the corners, he replies,"We'll just run it until I blow it up and crash it." #NASCAR

— Lee Spencer (@CandiceSpencer) May 10, 2015"

The 43-year-old is one of the more notable absences from the top 16, and it wouldn't appear things are going to turn around anytime soon. Then again, all it takes is one win, and Stewart's fortunes will completely turn around.

Next week is the Sprint Showdown and All-Star Race. Maybe Stewart can rebuild his confidence over the weekend in an event where his Sprint Cup standing won't be affected.