Sprint Cup Chase Standings 2014: NASCAR Grid, Schedule After Martinsville 500
It was a good day at Martinsville for Hendrick Motorsports, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the checkered flag and teammate Jeff Gordon crossed second. Earnhardt earned his first-career Grandfather Clock on Sunday in a fitting conclusion to a race being held just days after the 10-year anniversary of the tragic HMS plane crash.
Here's a look at the decal each HMS car displayed during the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500:
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Earnhardt rolled into Victory Lane at Martinsville for the first time:
The HMS official Twitter account relayed the selfie of a very happy Earnhardt following the race:
Martinsville marked a wild race full of collisions and mishaps, as several Chase contenders didn't fare well due to some on-track incidents. The final eight Chase drivers began Sunday with 4,000 points each due to a points reset to begin the Elimination Round. There's already quite a gap in the updated standings.
Here's a look at the updated standings following Sunday's action:
| 1 | Jeff Gordon | 4,044 | Leader |
| 2 | Ryan Newman | 4,041 | -3 |
| 3 | Joey Logano | 4,040 | -4 |
| 4 | Matt Kenseth | 4,039 | -5 |
| 5 | Denny Hamlin | 4,037 | -7 |
| 6 | Carl Edwards | 4,024 | -20 |
| 7 | Brad Keselowski | 4,013 | -31 |
| 8 | Kevin Harvick | 4,011 | -33 |
Standings courtesy of NASCAR.com.
Gordon put himself in great position going forward following his runner-up finish at Martinsville. He handled the No. 24 car nicely, dominating most of the race by leading for a total of 130 laps. He just couldn't find a way around his teammate to notch the win on Sunday.
Other Chase drivers didn't fare so well.
A wreck on Lap 435 was the end result of Brad Keselowski's transmission breaking, causing his car to slow down. He was then hit by Casey Mears, and several other drivers took damage as well.
Take a look at the wreck involving Keselowski:
Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth also connected earlier in the race. Kenseth was able to recover rather quickly, but the wreck resulted in Harvick's 33rd-place finish.
USA Today Sports tweeted what the wreck means for Harvick for the remainder of the Chase:
While poor finishes from Keselowski, Harvick and Carl Edwards don't bode well going forward, they are not out of Chase contention just yet with two more races taking place before the Championship Round. The intensity will only continue to grow from here on out, so let's take a look at what's in store for these drivers.
Remaining Schedule
Next on the slate is the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. This race was won by a HMS driver the last two years; although, that driver was Jimmie Johnson. We could expect to see things tighten up due to the success of current Chase contenders Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin at Texas.
Texas Motor Speedway tweeted what's in store in the near future:
From there, the series moves to Phoenix International Speedway for the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500. This race marks the end of the Eliminator Round. Harvick could have a chance to make some noise here, as he'll be attempting to earn the checkered flag for the third consecutive year.
After Phoenix, the Chase field will be reduced to just four cars before the series heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400, where several current contenders have seen plenty of success.
Here's a look at the full remaining schedule:
| AAA Texas 500 | Sun., Nov. 2 | 3 p.m. | ESPN |
| Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 | Sun., Nov. 9 | 3 p.m. | ESPN |
| Ford EcoBoost 400 | Sun., Nov 16 | 3 p.m. | ESPN |
Based on past results of these impending races, we will certainly be in for a wild ride that could feature some unexpected results. The white-knuckle action will only increase from here.
Get ready for one crazy November.
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