NASCAR Nationwide Series at Kentucky 2014: Full Schedule, Rankings and Preview
Serving as a tuneup for the first Chase race of the season, the Chicagoland Nationwide race saw several Sprint Cup drivers finish at the top of the leaderboard. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson, two drivers who battled for the lead on Sunday, finished first and second in the Nationwide event.
Harvick was ultimately unable to win the Sprint Cup race but led 43 laps in Chicago prior to the premier series. As Harvick and the Sprint Cup series head to New Hampshire, the Nationwide drivers will be in Kentucky and continue the race to a points title.
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Not only was the afternoon another great one for Harvick, but for JR Motorsports as a whole. Chase Elliott and Regan Smith both finished inside the top 10 and continued to sit at No. 1 and 2 in the standings.
Before the green flag waves in Kentucky, here's a look at the schedule, standings and preview ahead of the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300.
Race Information
Where: Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Kentucky
When: Saturday, Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m. ET
Watch: ESPNews
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Performance Racing Network
| 1 | Chase Elliott | 951 | 3 | 12 | 20 |
| 2 | Regan Smith | 933 | 1 | 6 | 22 |
| 3 | Ty Dillon | 911 | 1 | 4 | 19 |
| 4 | Elliott Sadler | 900 | 1 | 5 | 19 |
| 5 | Brian Scott | 895 | 0 | 5 | 16 |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne | 871 | 0 | 5 | 17 |
| 7 | Chris Buescher | 780 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 8 | Brendan Gaughan | 751 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 9 | Ryan Reed | 706 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | James Buescher | 697 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Race Preview
JR Motorsports may be putting together a strong year, but Harvick won't be in the field on Saturday at Kentucky. That leaves the weight on Elliott and Smith, who both missed out on a top-10 result in June.
Smith had one of his worst results of the season at Kentucky earlier this season, finishing 28th. But with the season winding down, he hopes to catch his JRM teammate, via Brad Norman of NASCAR.com:
"We don't know if (Elliott) has any weak points. It's going to be our job to put pressure on him and to see if he does, to see if he cracks any. Those cars have had speed all year long, and that hasn't changed, so I don't think we can say, 'Oh he's going to run 15th.' It's probably not realistic to look and think that way. That being said, we're going to have to do things to put pressure on him and maybe see if something happens.
"
The finish for Elliott and Smith came behind several Sprint Cup regulars like Harvick and Brad Keselowski. In order for JRM to maintain the points lead, they'll need to perform better at Kentucky with Ty Dillon and Elliott Sadler on their heels.
Of the title contenders, Dillon was the closest to the lead in seventh behind Brendan Gaughan. The younger brother of Austin Dillon has top-10 finishes in eight of the last nine events, including his lone win at the Brickyard.
Dillon is attempting to close the gap like Smith and was the top rookie over the weekend, per NASCAR Nationwide:
Elliott is also a rookie, but neither have looked inexperienced this season behind the wheel.
Looking to gain ground on Elliott and a fifth straight top 10 at Kentucky, Dillon has a chance to do both. Thanks to the Sprint Cup regulars not being involved, this might be the Richard Childress driver's best chance at a second victory this year.
In order to get that win, he'll have to hold off some of the best young talent in the sport. If Elliott has anything to say about it, Saturday might be a battle to the finish between the top rookies.
Follow R. Cory Smith on Twitter:
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