NASCAR at Charlotte 2014: Start Time, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
With many of the top drivers in NASCAR floundering in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Saturday night's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway could be a true game-changer.
If Chase eliminations were to be held today, elite drivers such as Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. would all be out after a tough start to the second leg. There is still time to make up ground, though, especially since a win means automatic advancement to the next round.
Finishing well, even without entering victory lane, is still paramount, however, due to next week's race at Talladega. Since that race could easily crush some dreams with big wrecks, it is important to be within striking distance of the cutoff line heading into it.
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With a berth in the eliminator round on the line, here is everything you need to know about the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte.
Where: Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina
When: Saturday, Oct. 11, at 7:30 p.m. ET
Watch: ABC
Live Steam: ABC.com
Radio: Performance Racing Network
Qualifying Order
| 1 | Kyle Busch | 18 |
| 2 | Jeff Gordon | 24 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 11 |
| 4 | Tony Stewart | 14 |
| 5 | Ryan Newman | 31 |
| 6 | Paul Menard | 27 |
| 7 | Kevin Harvick | 29 |
| 8 | Brian Vickers | 55 |
| 9 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 88 |
| 10 | Carl Edwards | 99 |
| 11 | Kurt Busch | 41 |
| 12 | Greg Biffle | 16 |
| 13 | Joey Logano | 22 |
| 14 | Danica Patrick | 10 |
| 15 | Aric Almirola | 43 |
| 16 | Justin Allgaier | 51 |
| 17 | Brad Keselowski | 2 |
| 18 | Jamie McMurray | 1 |
| 19 | Kasey Kahne | 5 |
| 20 | Austin Dillon | 3 |
| 21 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 |
| 22 | Matt Kenseth | 20 |
| 23 | Martin Truex Jr. | 78 |
| 24 | Kyle Larson | 42 |
| 25 | Clint Bowyer | 15 |
| 26 | A.J. Allmendinger | 47 |
| 27 | Marcos Ambrose | 9 |
| 28 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 17 |
| 29 | Casey Mears | 13 |
| 30 | Reed Sorenson | 36 |
| 31 | Michael McDowell | 95 |
| 32 | Landon Cassill | 40 |
| 33 | Alex Bowman | 23 |
| 34 | David Ragan | 34 |
| 35 | Michael Annett | 7 |
| 36 | Cole Whitt | 26 |
| 37 | David Gilliland | 38 |
| 38 | Josh Wise | 98 |
| 39 | Brett Moffitt | 66 |
| 40 | Timmy Hill | 33 |
| 41 | J.J. Yeley | 83 |
| 42 | Corey Lajoie | 77 |
| 43 | Blake Koch | 32 |
Drivers to Watch
Jimmie Johnson
Charlotte Motor Speedway is Johnson's home track, and it has become quite clear over the years that he is very comfortable racing there. In fact, no active driver can match Johnson's seven wins at the 1.5-mile quad oval.
Johnson is also a six-time Sprint Cup champion, but his chances to win a seventh are starting to fade. JJ is 12th in the standings and trails the all-important eighth spot by 27 points following a poor showing at Kansas.
Johnson has acknowledged that the odds are stacked against him moving on unless he can pick up a victory, according to Jared Turner of FoxSports.com:
"The mindset is really to come in and try to take a trophy out of here. That really solves our problem in the points that we have right now. If we can't, we still need to focus on finishing as high as we can. And, the reason that leaves a little bit of hope is that if you miss the 'big ones' in Talladega, you could assume that some of the Chasers will be involved in one or two of those, and you might have another chance. It is a fading chance, in the position I'm in, I believe, but it is still an opportunity and it is something for us to consider.
"
Although this season hasn't been a typically great one for the No. 48 team, Johnson does have three wins and is capable of pulling off another at any time. One of his three victories came in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte earlier in the season, so there is no question that the future Hall of Famer has the tools necessary to score a desperation win.
He will have to come from behind in order to do so with the 21st starting position, but Johnson is a clutch driver who should never be counted out until he has been officially eliminated.
Kasey Kahne
It took Kasey Kahne much of the season to earn his way into the Chase with a win, but he is certainly making the most of it now that he is in contention. Kahne is currently eight points behind eighth place, so he isn't in an ideal position, but he is within striking distance.
The good news for the No. 5 team is that Charlotte Motor Speedway may very well be Kahne's best track. He has won there on four occasions, which is more than any active driver aside from Hendrick Motorsports teammates Johnson and Jeff Gordon. The 34-year-old veteran has also finished in the top five in nearly half of his starts at Charlotte, which makes him a threat to take the checkered flag Saturday night.
While Kahne is starting back in the 19th position, that doesn't reflect how good his car may actually be. He inexplicably struggled in the second round of qualifying, but he managed to set a new track record during the first round, according to NASCAR on ESPN:
"These cats are flat-flyin' as Kasey Kahne sets a track record with a lap of 197.976 mph. Yes, 197.976 mph on a 1.5-mile track.
— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) October 9, 2014"
As long as Kahne can harness that speed and work his way through the field, he is going to be a factor in this race. He has been an afterthought for much of the season, but a win in a Chase race can change that very quickly.
Joey Logano
Although much of the focus this season has been on the likes of Gordon, Johnson and Keselowski, Joey Logano made it clear last week at Kansas that he is a major threat to win the first Sprint Cup championship of his young career.
The 24-year-old star has five victories on the season, and his win last week earned him a spot in the next round of the Chase. That means there is absolutely no pressure on Logano and the No. 22 team over the next couple of races, but that doesn't mean they won't go for the gusto.
Per Tom Jensen of FoxSports.com, Logano doesn't plan on taking a different approach, despite the security of an eliminator-round berth:
"Our mindset now is basically the same thing as what we had—to keep going at these race tracks, keep attacking and keep that momentum going. I feel like we can have a good showing here again at Charlotte and then we don't have to worry about Talladega as much anymore, so that's nice. When we get to the next round, we'll try to win Martinsville and hopefully be in the same shoes again. For now, our mindset is to go out there and win just like we've been doing.
"
Not only does Logano have the luxury of playing with house money, but he also has had a lot of success at Charlotte. Although he has yet to win a Sprint Cup race there, his average finish is just outside 10th place, which is the best among active drivers.
Logano is on an absolute roll right now, and it won't be too surprising if it continues Saturday.
Prediction
Johnson, Kahne and Logano all have an excellent chance to take the checkered flag this weekend, but they are far from the only contenders at Charlotte.
In terms of Chase drivers, Gordon, Keselowski, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick have all won at least one race at this track. They are all also in sixth place or worse right now, so a victory would alleviate any concern about missing out on the next round.
Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch are inside the top five of the Chase standings, and while they have never won at Charlotte, they are among the best drivers in terms of average finish at the track.
There are always non-Chase drivers looking to play spoiler, and the likeliest candidates in that regard are Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer and two-time Charlotte winner Jamie McMurray.
When push comes to shove, though, Johnson and the No. 48 team will dig deep to win yet again at Charlotte and keep the title hopes alive and well.
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