Sprint Cup Chase 2015: NASCAR Standings, Schedule Post-Irwin Tools Night

Joey Logano headed to Victory Lane at Bristol Motor Speedway for the second year in a row after winning the Irwin Tools Night Race.

Kevin Harvick gave Logano everything he could handle, closing the gap between the two cars to inside 20 feet during the last few laps. NASCAR posted a highlight of the thrilling finish:

It has certainly been a whirlwind few years for the 25-year-old star, per Ryan McGee of ESPN The Magazine:

In terms of the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings, Logano didn't exactly need another first-place finish. But it certainly won't hurt once the Contender Round gets underway. The bonus points issued for each win could prove pivotal toward a driver's chances of advancing to the next stage.

After Saturday night, Logano moved up to third, leapfrogging Harvick and Matt Kenseth. You can see the full standings below:

Pos.	Driver	Wins	Points
1	Jimmie Johnson	4	792
2	Kyle Busch	4	433
3	Joey Logano	3	865
4	Matt Kenseth	3	753
5	Kevin Harvick	2	908
6	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	2	819
7	Kurt Busch	2	713
8	Brad Keselowski	1	793
9	Martin Truex Jr.	1	771
10	Denny Hamlin	1	712
11	Carl Edwards	1	666
12	Jamie McMurray	0	696
13	Ryan Newman	0	683
14	Paul Menard	0	674
15	Jeff Gordon	0	672
16	Clint Bowyer	0	655

Those drivers on the outside looking in are likely beginning to sweat. Only five more races remain until the Contender Round. Here's a look at the rest of the Sprint Cup schedule:

Date	Race	Track	Time (ET)	TV Info
Sunday, Sept. 6	Bojangles' Southern 500	Darlington Raceway	7 p.m.	NBC
Saturday, Sept. 12	Federated Auto Parts 400	Richmond International Raceway	7:30 p.m.	NBCSN
Sunday, Sept. 20	myAFibRisk.com 400	Chicagoland Speedway	2 p.m.	NBCSN
Sunday, Sept. 27	Sylvania 300	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	2 p.m.	NBCSN
Sunday, Oct. 4	AAA 400	Dover International Speedway	2:30 p.m.	NBCSN
Contender	Round
Saturday, Oct. 10	Bank of America 500	Charlotte Motor Speedway	7 p.m.	NBC
Sunday, Oct. 18	Hollywood Casino 400	Kansas Speedway	2:15 p.m.	NBC
Sunday, Oct. 25	Alabama 500	Talladega Superspeedway	2:30 p.m.	NBCSN
Eliminator	Round
Sunday, Nov. 1	Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500	Martinsville Speedway	1:15 p.m.	NBCSN
Sunday, Nov. 8	AAA Texas 500	Texas Motor Speedway	2 p.m.	NBC
Sunday, Nov. 15	Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500	Phoenix International Raceway	2:30 p.m.	NBC
Championship	Round
Sunday, Nov. 22	Ford EcoBoost 400	Homestead-Miami Speedway	3 p.m.	NBC

Eleven drivers have already booked their places in the Chase, and you could increase that number if you assume the likes of Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Jeff Gordon don't experience massive reversals of fortunes.

Gordon in 15th is 52 points ahead of Aric Almirola, who currently sits in 17th. Almirola can technically close that gap over the next five races, but you don't like his chances.

For anybody hoping to climb into the Chase, Clint Bowyer may be the only driver on shaky ground, yet he helped himself out a lot with a fifth-place finish at Bristol.

"This was a big night for us. We needed this," said Bowyer after the race, per Fox Sports' Jay Pennell. "Great night for us given everything that's happened this week this was certainly what we needed as a group, as an organization to have two cars run in the top five."

The fact that the Sprint Cup will shift to Darlington Raceway next may not be good news for the No. 15 car, however. According to DriverAverages.com, Darlington is Bowyer's second-worst track on the Sprint Cup circuit. He's winless in nine tries and has an average finish of 20.11.

That could allow Almirola or Kasey Kahne, the two drivers with the most realistic chances of chasing down Bowyer, to narrow the gap in the standings.

One person you can all but assuredly eliminate from Chase discussion—barring a checkered flag between now and Oct. 4—is Kyle Larson. First Larson suffered a blown tire Saturday night, and then a wreck on Lap 359 knocked him out of the race for good:

Larson was despondent on social media afterward:

You can understand why he took the result so hard. He and his fellow drivers are really beginning to feel the pressure. The door is quickly closing on the Chase, and the point of no return will arrive before you know it.

The Sprint Cup Series will take a week off before the Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington, which is probably in everybody's best interest. The drivers can recharge their batteries and gear up for the final push ahead of the Contender Round.