10 Drivers Who Are Aiming for the Wild-Card Chase Spots

Now that we are halfway through the races leading to the Chase, the chances for many drivers to make a run for the NASCAR Sprint Cup title diminish. The only hope is to find a way to Victory Lane for some.

Winning one race during the 26-week preseason is no longer sufficient. It will take two or more victories to secure the coveted wild-card slot, if you are out of the top 10 in the point standings.

Points are precious and consistency only works if you are solid in the points. Once you lag behind those who look to be strong contenders for the Chase, one or more bad finishes can be devastating.

There are but a few drivers with wins that give them a strong shot at the wild-card positions. Other drivers have faced a variety of problems that have them fighting for wins and those critical points.

Drivers who have their sights set on making the Chase will be highlighted in this slideshow. For some, it may be an impossible goal.

Brad Keselowski

Brad Keselowski, driver of the Miller Lite No. 2 for Penske Racing, has won twice this season at Talladega and Bristol.

He is ranked 11th in the point standings, 86 markers out of the lead. He has four top-five and six top-10 finishes.

Keselowski is already pretty much locked into a wild-card slot, but chances are good that he will win another race.

The driver of the Blue Deuce may make his way to the Chase by virtue of wins and points, having no need for the wild-card opportunity.

Joey Logano

Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, is ranked 16th in the standings, 136 points out of the lead.

Logano has been hot in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with four wins, but he only has four top-10 finishes in the Cup series.

This driver is in a contract year with JGR and has a major sponsor who expects much more for the kind of sponsorship dollars they invested in the team.

It is becoming critical for Logano to perform considerably better than he has. He needs to win races, and that will be his only chance to get a wild-card shot at the Chase.

Perhaps it is time for Logano to drop back to Nationwide in 2013 and run for the title in that series.

Ryan Newman

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S.Army Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, is 13th in the standings, 120 points behind the leader.

Newman has one win at Martinsville and a total of two top-five finishes this season.

This driver is in a contract year, and it appears he may not be staying with SHR. This team has every resource it needs, but the performance is still not what it should be.

Newman will likely need one more win to get a chance at the wild-card slot for the Chase. That may be tough for him considering he has been pretty inconsistent with finishes.

A. J. Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger got the ride of his life when he filled the seat of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge at Penske Racing this season.

He has top-tier equipment, but he has only been able to wrangle one top-five finish and one pole. The driver is 23rd in the point standings, 194 markers out of the lead.

His car has been fast at times, and he looked to be a contender in several races, but he has failed to close the deal. Some of his finishes have been due to problems beyond his control.

Allmendinger is under a one year contract and very much wants to prove his worth at Penske. His only shot is to get a couple wins and somehow snag a wild-card slot.

Kasey Kahne

Kasey Kahne's first season with Hendrick Motorsports started out pretty rough with his No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet.

He is 14th in the standings, 121 points behind the leader. Kahne has put together a string of seven consecutive top-10 finishes that includes winning the Coca-Cola 600. He also has two poles.

Kahne will likely win another race or two and should have no problem securing a wild-card slot. It just may be that he'll work his way into the top 10 when the Chase rolls around.

Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon is the worst performer at Hendrick Motorsports with his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet. His season has been dismal with uncharacteristic problems, many not of his making.

He is 21st in the standings and 175 points out of the lead. Gordon has one pole, one top-five and three top-10 finishes.

Gordon has had fast cars that have allowed him to run in the lead pack, but lady luck tends to step in and turn the tables on him. He led laps at Dover only to have a loose wheel take him out of contention.

It is mandatory for this driver to win races. Finishing in the top 10 without a win won't get him a crack at the wild-card slot.

Carl Edwards

Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, looked forward to a strong 2012 season after being runner-up for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup title.

For some reason, he and his team have just not been able to regain momentum this season. Edwards is 12th in the standings, 96 points out of the lead with one pole, two top-five and eight top-10 finishes.

Edwards has had some erratic finishes, one of which included an accident, and there have been other problems with the car.

Should this driver have more bad luck with finishes and not win races, there is a real chance he could miss the Chase. It is time for him to find Victory Lane and consistent finishes heading into the Chase.

Aric Almirola

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports, was offered quite the ride when he moved full time to the Cup series this year. As noted in a FOX 13 (Tampa Bay) report, he is humbled by the history of the legendary car number.

The addition of Mike Ford as his crew chief, along with the support from Ford and Roush/Yates, has amped up the performance at RPM.

Almirola is 17th in the standings, 157 points out of the lead. He has one pole and two top-10 finishes. Though those aren't stellar statistics, we are seeing improved consistency.

The driver of the No. 43 can run the car with the lead pack and mix it up with the contenders. It would not be a surprise to see him get a win this year, though it may be tough to get two before the Chase.

Almirola is gaining confidence, and with the guidance of Ford, there is an outside chance he could grab one of the wild-card slots.

Jeff Burton

Jeff Burton, driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, is 18th in the point standings, 164 markers out of the lead. He has one top-five and three top-10 finishes.

Burton has a loyal, heavy-duty sponsor with Caterpillar who extended their sponsorship on the car.

This is a driver who made the Chase in 2010 for the fourth time in five seasons. He was 17th in 2009 and 20th last year.

Burton is a highly respected driver, but his teammate Kevin Harvick is the top performer at RCR. There has been a crew chief change on this team, and they are still trying to get their footing.

The driver of the No. 31 is expected to make the Chase, but his inconsistent performance and engine problems have him struggling to find consistent top-10 finishes and a win. Don't count him out though.

Marcos Ambrose

Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 Stanley Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports. He is currently 19th in the standings, 165 points out of the lead.

Ambrose often runs strong with the contenders, but he finishes not far out of the top 10 most of the time. During the last three races, he has two top-10 finishes.

This driver is a road-course pro, and we have two road-course races coming up during the summer. It would not be a surprise to see him get at least one win with the winding courses.

Ambrose is running better than he has ever run overall in NASCAR, so he just might take that checkered flag at any given race. It would not be a stretch to see him capture a wild-card slot with two wins.