Sprint Cup Chase 2015: NASCAR Standings, Schedule After Alabama 500

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is down to the final two phases following the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, with half of the 16 playoff contenders still alive after the Eliminator Round cutoff.

Points leader Joey Logano was named the winner in a bizarre series of green-white-checkered attempts that left the race ending under caution. Logan won all three races in the Contender Round and celebrated in style, courtesy of NASCAR:

Fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second and missed the cutoff for the next round of the playoffs. The other three eliminated were Ryan Newman (12th), Matt Kenseth (26th) and Denny Hamlin (37th).

Here are the updated standings with four races to go:

Rank	Driver	Points
1	Joey Logano	4,000
2	Carl Edwards	4,000
3	Jeff Gordon	4,000
4	Kurt Busch	4,000
5	Brad Keselowski	4,000
6	Martin Truex Jr.	4,000
7	Kevin Harvick	4,000
8	Kyle Busch	4,000

Perhaps most disappointing in Earnhardt’s plight is that he wasn’t afforded the chance to chase Logano for the win under green. But Earnhardt indicated it still may not have made a difference, per Bob Pockrass of ESPN:

The race required a green-white-checkered attempt, though a crash at the restart forced a caution. At any other track (other than Daytona), NASCAR would’ve allowed multiple GWC attempts, but this week in a notion of safety, the governing body limited restrictor-plate tracks to just one attempt. 

The crash occurred behind the leaders as the green waved but before most involved crossed the start-finish line, as shown by NASCAR:

Hamlin was among those involved in the second crash and, per Geoffrey Miller of Athlon Sports, wasn’t thrilled with Kevin Harvick in the melee:

Kenseth is a five-time winner this year and wasn’t happy about being eliminated in this relatively new points format, which was introduced last year and is still facing speculation over fairness. Kenseth expressed his angst to Ryan McGee of ESPN The Magazine:

Newman jumped five spots on the restart to finish 12th, but he would’ve needed a win to advance. 

The four eliminated each led at Talladega, with Earnhardt anchoring the pack a race-high 61 laps. 

On to Martinsville

Chris Trotman/Associated Press

The Chase will shift from NASCAR’s longest track to its shortest as the series moved to the half-mile paperclip at Martinsville. Five of the eight remaining Chasers finished among the top 10 at the spring race there, with Hamlin holding off Brad Keselowski to the final turn. 

Of the remaining Chasers, only Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick are former Martinsville winners. Riding to retirement, Gordon is still alive, yet seeking his first win of 2015. Perhaps that could come soon, as Gordon is an eight-time Martinsville winner.