NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Grid 2016: Standings, Schedule After Dover 400

The Round of 12 is set with the pressure heating up in the NASCAR Chase for the Cup.

Martin Truex Jr. took home first place in the Citizen Soldier 400 on Saturday at Dover International Speedway, although he and Kevin Harvick had already earned automatic bids to the next round with recent victories. The remaining 10 drivers used points to stay alive in the hunt for a championship.

Here is a look at the full list of contenders with seven races remaining in the season.

Pos.	Driver	No.	Points
	Eliminated
1	Martin Truex Jr.	78	3,000
2	Kevin Harvick	4	3,000
3	Kyle Busch	18	3,000
4	Matt Kenseth	20	3,000
5	Joey Logano	22	3,000
6	Chase Elliott	24	3,000
7	Brad Keselowski	2	3,000
8	Kurt Busch	41	3,000
9	Denny Hamlin	11	3,000
10	Carl Edwards	19	3,000
11	Jimmie Johnson	48	3,000
12	Austin Dillon	3	3,000
13	Tony Stewart	14	2074
14	Kyle Larson	42	2073
15	Jamie McMurray	1	2053
16	Chris Buescher	34	2045

The reset of points means everyone is equal heading into the second stage of the postseason. As was the case with the previous round, any victory will automatically clinch a spot in the Round of 8. Of course, simply finishing near the top five in each race will go a long way toward staying alive.

With some notable tracks on the upcoming schedule, things are certain to be interesting over the next few weeks.

	Round of 12
	Round of 8
	Championship 4
Date	Race	Location	Time (ET)
Oct. 8	Bank of America 500	Charlotte Motor Speedway	7 p.m.
Oct. 16	Hollywood Casino 400	Kansas Speedway	2:15 p.m.
Oct. 23	Alabama 500	Talladega Superspeedway	2 p.m.
Oct. 30	Goody's Fast Relief 500	Martinville Speedway	1 p.m.
Nov. 6	AAA Texas 500	Texas Motor Speedway	2 p.m.
Nov. 13	Can-Am 500	Phoenix International Speedway	2:30 p.m.
Nov. 20	Ford Ecoboost 400	Homestead-Miami Speedway	2:30 p.m.

It's difficult to make predictions with such a wide-open field, although momentum and recent success can play an important role.

No one goes into the Round of 12 hotter than Truex, who has simply been outstanding over the last three races. He earned wins in Chicagoland and then in Dover, yet Geoffrey Miller of Athlon Sports thinks he could have done even more:

Considering he led 141 laps in New Hampshire before ending up in seventh, this isn't that crazy of a statement.

These wins won't necessary help him stay in the Chase for the Cup, but his entire team has to be feeling extremely confident moving forward in this competition.

The rest of the field might not have as many positive emotions with so much pressure to win. 

"I don’t know if intensity is the right word," Brad Keselowski said before Sunday's race, per Tom Jensen of Fox Sports. "Maybe desperation. Yeah, desperation will certainly ramp up. Drama is a word for it. More desperation. Desperation can create drama."

Keselowski entered the day as the points leader and used a fourth-place finish at the Citizen Soldier 400 to advance to the next round. While he doesn't have any wins in the postseason yet, his consistency makes him one of the top threats to win a championship.

Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

Kyle Busch is also someone to watch after a pair of top-three finishes over the past two weeks. He clearly has the speed and talent to contend every week; the question is whether he can once again win when it counts to defend his Sprint Cup title.

Meanwhile, Kenny Wallace has his money on Denny Hamlin to win it all:

Hamlin hasn't looked great in the postseason and fell apart during the Chase last year, but he has the type of experience necessary to succeed in this field.

With everyone tied going into Saturday's Bank of America 500, however, fans should prepare for plenty of surprises. The drivers will give everything they can to pull out wins and stay in the hunt for a title, keeping the weekly battles as good as ever.

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