NASCAR at Charlotte 2014: Latest NASCAR Team News, Drivers to Watch and More
Much like the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, a Team Penske driver took the opening race of the Contender Round. Only this time, his teammate would be near the bottom of the Chase Grid.
Joey Logano equaled Brad Keselowski with his fifth victory of the season to secure a berth into the Eliminator Round. Unfortunately, Keselowski had issues on the track and finished 36th to drop to 10th in the standings.
Along with Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson were mixed up in accidents and sit 11th and 12th in the Chase Grid, respectively. With eight spots in the next round, just one Hendrick driver is currently in as Jeff Gordon sits eighth.
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Before the green flag waves in Charlotte, let's take a look at the current standings, team news and top drivers for the Bank of America 500.
| 1 | Joey Logano* | 3048 | 5 | 14 | 19 |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 3042 | 1 | 7 | 13 |
| 3 | Carl Edwards | 3039 | 2 | 7 | 12 |
| 4 | Ryan Newman | 3039 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| 5 | Denny Hamlin | 3037 | 1 | 6 | 13 |
| 6 | Kevin Harvick | 3033 | 2 | 10 | 15 |
| 7 | Matt Kenseth | 3031 | 0 | 11 | 18 |
| 8 | Jeff Gordon | 3031 | 4 | 11 | 19 |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | 3023 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 10 | Brad Keselowski | 3009 | 5 | 13 | 16 |
| 11 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 3006 | 3 | 11 | 17 |
| 12 | Jimmie Johnson | 3004 | 3 | 10 | 18 |
Latest Team News
This time of the year, the focus is solely on the Chase and implications for each team. Coming away from the first race of the Contender Round, all eyes are on two of the top teams throughout the 2014 season.
Prior to the Chase, the postseason was perceived as a showdown between Hendrick and Penske. Now with the aforementioned struggles of both—Keselowski is half of Penske, after all—the conversation is turning.
Keselowski will need to rally to make his way to the round of eight, but the dreadful day for Rick Hendrick was the story in Kansas. Jim Utter of The Charlotte Observer and Jeff Gluck of USA Today offered their take on the rough weekend:
Johnson, who has won two races in Kansas during his career, saw his hopes of a title take a huge hit Sunday. Not only is he last in the Chase standings, but Johnson is also currently 27 points behind Gordon for eighth.
The poor finish for Earnhardt hasn't put a damper on his hopes, despite leading 45 laps. Just days before his 40th birthday, Junior feels there is less pressure on him now than before:
Two races remain before the next round of the Chase gets underway, so there is still time for myriad shakeups in the hunt for a title. But with some of the biggest names in the sport experiencing issues, it will certainly be a story to watch moving forward.
Drivers to Watch
Jimmie Johnson
Kansas was a disappointing weekend for JJ, but he now heads to one of his favorite tracks in North Carolina.
During his career, Johnson has seven wins in points races and visited Victory Lane earlier this season. Thanks to that success at the track, Nascarcasm tabbed him and Junior as one of the two drivers to win:
A six-time champion and 2013 winner, Johnson knows all about driving well under pressure. Heading into a stretch of races that includes Charlotte and Talladega, the history of success is certainly there for Johnson.
Despite visiting the garage in Kansas, Johnson spoke about exactly what he needs to do in the final two events, per Fox Sports: NASCAR:
If Johnson had barely made it through to the Contender Round, there might be reason for concern. But with the comfort that he has in Charlotte, coming away with a checkered flag seems like a distinct possibility for JJ on Sunday.
I've said it before and I'll say it again—if you need to pick a driver to excel on the track, Kyle Busch is your man.
Lost in all the hoopla of the Chase contenders winning races, Busch has been one of the most consistent drivers in the postseason. In the first four races, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has top 10s in every event.
Busch referenced his recent success and what he needs to do in Charlotte, via Tom Jensen of Fox Sports:
"We just need to go next week, have a good week at Charlotte, finish top 10, top five if we can, and take a win, sure, but first things first; let's get to finishing top five and racing these guys for wins and then we'll go start shooting for wins.
Like I said, another solid week will put us in a good position going to Talladega where guys that had a bad week this week and if they have a good week next week they're still going to be behind us and leaves our situation better come Talladega.
"
Shaking off his streak of bad luck at Kansas put him at second in the points standings. In Charlotte, he'll simply need to repeat his recent string of good fortune in points races.
In 13 of the last 16 races at Charlotte, Busch has finished inside the top 10 and has eight top-five results in that time. Moving forward, Busch's success might just put him in the final four as a championship contender.
Brad Keselowski
Like his Hendrick counterparts, Keselowski didn't have a day to remember at Kansas. Finishing near the end of the pack, Keselowski needs a strong race to even sniff the eighth spot unless he wins.
Luckily, he also has a long history of massive success in Charlotte. In fact, he won the October race last season in North Carolina after missing out on the Chase during a disappointing season.
Regardless of his five wins this season, not making it to the final eight is far from the finish this team wants in 2014. Eyeing his second championship in three years, Keselowski will get back on track in Charlotte and might even secure a berth into the Eliminator Round with a victory.
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