Sprint Cup Chase Standings 2014: NASCAR Grid and Schedule After GEICO 500
In a heart-pounding finish marred by late contact and caution flags, Brad Keselowski held off a hungry field to win the Sprint Cup Series at Talladega GEICO 500 to advance to the Chase's Eliminator Round.
Keselowski would not be denied, as anything other than a victory would have eliminated him from contention. Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson gave him an incredible fight down the stretch, but he rose up to the challenge.
NASCAR recounted the crazy finish:
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Johnson needed a victory as well to advance and raced like it, leading the race for all of 83 laps. But a late caution with four laps remaining thwarted his spot at the top, and with no help around him he was pushed to the outside and finished way back in 24th.
Here's a look at the eight who will advance to the Eliminator Round, per NASCAR:
It wasn't a great day for Hendrick Motorsports. Along with Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne were eliminated. Earnhardt Jr. needed a win and finished 31st, while Kahne was bounced from the eighth and final spot thanks to Keselowski's win and a second-place finish from Matt Kenseth.
Jeff Gordon—the lone Hendrick driver to advance—was just happy to make it through himself, as per NASCAR on ESPN:
"Gordon: "I'm just mentally drained. ... I'm proud of this team for the job we did. ... I'm just glad we made it (to the Eliminator Round)."
— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) October 19, 2014"
Everything was on the line heading down the stretch when Johnson and Keselowski were battling for the lead and that final Chase spot. But another caution was called with four to go, guaranteeing a green-white-checkered finish, and that ruined an otherwise crazy finish, per NBC Sports' Jay Busbee:
Johnson was pushed back shortly after that, but he didn't hang his head following the elimination:
"Jimmie: "We'll be back next year. The rules will change and we'll start looking to 15 now."
— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) October 19, 2014"
The story wasn't about Johnson or any of the eliminated players Sunday, but rather Keselowski. After quite the tumultuous week stemming from last weekend's fight with Matt Kenseth, Keselowski was happy to turn the focus on the future again, per NASCAR on ESPN:
Saturday's race might have marked the end of the season for four drivers, but it's only beginning for eight others. With three upcoming Eliminator Round races deciding the four who will enter the finale in contention, the exciting action is sure to continue.
Here are the latest Chase standings, per NASCAR.com. Every driver will enter the next race as equals with 4,000 points apiece:
| 1 | Joey Logano | 22 | 4,000 | 5 |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | 4,000 | 3 |
| 3 | Ryan Newman | 31 | 4,000 | 0 |
| 4 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | 4,000 | 1 |
| 5 | Matt Kenseth | 20 | 4,000 | 0 |
| 6 | Carl Edwards | 99 | 4,000 | 2 |
| 7 | Jeff Gordon | 24 | 4,000 | 4 |
| 8 | Brad Keselowski | 2 | 4,000 | 6 |
Remaining Schedule
| Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1:30 p.m. | Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 | Martinsville Speedway |
| Sunday, Nov. 2 at 3 p.m. | AAA Texas 500 | Texas Motor Speedway |
| Sunday, Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. | Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 | Phoenix International Raceway |
| Sunday, Nov. 16 at 3 p.m. | Ford EcoBoost 500 | Homestead-Miami Speedway |
With the three-race Contender Round in the books, NASCAR's best will now have their Sprint Cup hopes come down to three more races with the start of the Eliminator Round.
And it could be the mark of a new age in racing, with five drivers having the chance to win their first title, as Kyle Pokrefky of TheFourthTurn.com noted:
While Joey Logano topped the Chase standings in the last round, everyone will move forward with a clean slate. All eight drivers will start out even with 4,000 points apiece heading into Martinsville Speedway for the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500.
Next weekend's action at Martinsville will be followed by a trip to Texas Motor Speedway for the AAA Texas 500 on Nov. 2, and drivers will finish out the Eliminator Round in Phoenix for the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500.
A win for any of the eight contending drivers at any of the three venues will result in an automatic qualification to the Championship Round.
Of course, the four drivers who advance that far will battle Nov. 16 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, with the highest-placed finisher taking the Sprint Cup title.
The tensions are more than high for everyone in contention at this point in the season, as told by the fireworks we've seen both on and off the track in recent weeks. Now that Keselowski and Kenseth have punched their tickets, there are even more big names in the fold than previously thought.
But the six-time winner in Johnson is gone, and that inevitably opens things up for a crop of drivers who are looking for the biggest wins of their careers. Needless to say, the last four races of the season won't disappoint.
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