Sprint Cup Chase Standings 2014: NASCAR Grid, Schedule After Bank of America 500
It was a wild one in Charlotte on Saturday night, but in the end, Kevin Harvick won the Bank of America 500 and assured himself a spot in the next round of the Chase. As sweet as Harvick's win was, Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski's post-race brawl may have stole the show. Fox Sports: NASCAR and Orange Cone commented on the race:
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Upset that Keselowski bumped him during the last two laps of the race, the normally mild-mannered Kenseth went WWE on Keselowski between two Penske trailers. Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart were also victimized by what looked to be a frustrated man in the No. 2 car. At the end of the race, most of the fingers seemed to be pointing at Keselowski.
There appeared to be a few punches thrown, but mostly it was a lot of wrestling and holding by opposing crews and security. It seemed as though the audience should have been chanting: Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Jamie Little of ESPN and ABC, Jim Utter of The Charlotte Observer and Geoffrey Miller of Athlon Sports provided drivers' insight and comments on the post-race confrontation:
Once the fisticuffs had subsided, attention shifted back to the Sprint Cup standings and the next round of the NASCAR playoffs.
Harvick had to breathe a major sigh of relief as he captured this win. He had won twice before this season but not since April at the Bojangles Southern 500.
He'd captured the pole position in the last two races and five other times since the win at Darlington but not the top podium spot. Finally he gets another checkered flag.
Things are getting good. Here's the updated standings, per NASCAR.com.
| 22 | 5 | 1 | |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | |
Joe Gibbs Racing | 18 | 1 | ||
| 31 | 0 | ||
| 99 | 2 | ||
| 24 | 4 | ||
| 11 | 1 | ||
| 5 | 1 | ||
| 20 | 0 | ||
| 2 | 5 | ||
| 48 | 3 | ||
| 88 | 3 |
Remaining Schedule
The Chase moves to Talladega next week with another automatic spot in the next round up for grabs. After such an exciting day in Charlotte, anticipation is high for the next race.
There's only eight spots in the next round, thus four of the drivers in the Chase will be left out in the cold. None of the drivers are technically out of the running just yet, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson are dangerously close.
Anything short of a win at Talladega may push them so far off the pace that their quest for advancement could become a lost cause. As the spots dwindle down, the pressure will only mount, and competitors will do their best to make sure the winless drivers stay that way.
Here's a look at the remaining schedule culminating with the final race on Nov. 16.
| Sunday, Oct. 19 2 p.m. ET | Geico 500 at Talladega Talladega Superspeedway |
| Sunday, Oct. 26 1:30 p.m. ET | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville pres. by AutoZone Martinsville Speedway |
| Sunday, Nov. 2 3 p.m ET | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Texas Texas Motor Speedway |
| Sunday, Nov. 9 3 p.m. ET | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Phoenix Phoenix International Raceway |
| Sunday, Nov. 16 3 p.m. ET | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Homestead-Miami Speedway |
Though NASCAR won't openly condone fights after races, they will gladly accept the attention the final five races will receive after an explosive run at Charlotte.
Let's keep the intensity going at Talladega.
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