Sprint Cup Chase 2015: NASCAR Standings, Schedule Post-Axalta 400
The wait is finally over for Martin Truex Jr. After coming up just short on so many occasions this year, the 34-year-old earned his first checkered flag of the 2015 Sprint Cup season Sunday at the Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400.
Entering the day, Truex had finished in the top 10 in 12 of his last 13 races. Over the previous two events, he had led at least 100 laps, only to fade down the stretch.
Standing in Victory Lane, a victorious Truex told Fox Sports that he knew his luck would turn around sooner or later.
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Ryan Truex's comments on Twitter echoed the same sentiment:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. hopes the elder Truex brother truly enjoys his win:
Kevin Harvick added that the fact Truex was the driver who topped the field tempered his disappointment from his finish, per Fox Sports' Tom Jensen:
You can't understate the importance of this result in terms of the points standings. Truex rose from 10th to third following the Axalta 400. More importantly, he doesn't have to worry about getting into the Chase either. His place in the final 16 is all but assured.
There's a chance that Truex's point total would've been enough to get him there if he had kept up his incredible run; Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman all qualified last year without winning a race.
However, banking that victory will be a huge monkey of Truex's back. It's probably unrealistic to expect him to keep stringing together top-10 finishes, and in the event his performance tails off, his future is secure.
You can view the full Chase standings below, courtesy of ESPN.com:
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 481 | 4 |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | 559 | 2 |
| 3 | Martin Truex Jr. | 520 | 1 |
| 4 | Joey Logano | 480 | 1 |
| 5 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 465 | 1 |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | 441 | 1 |
| 7 | Matt Kenseth | 415 | 1 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | 379 | 1 |
| 9 | Denny Hamlin | 379 | 1 |
| 10 | Carl Edwards | 368 | 1 |
| 11 | Jamie McMurray | 427 | 0 |
| 12 | Kasey Kahne | 417 | 0 |
| 13 | Jeff Gordon | 411 | 0 |
| 14 | Paul Menard | 385 | 0 |
| 15 | Aric Almirola | 379 | 0 |
| 16 | Ryan Newman | 374 | 0 |
With Sunday's race out of the way, only 12 more events remain until the Challenger Round kicks off, with another 10 to determine the Sprint Cup champion. Here's a look at the rest of the 2015 schedule, per NASCAR.com:
| Quicken Loans 400 | Michigan International Speedway | Sunday, June 14 | 1 p.m. ET |
| Toyota-Save Mart 350 | Sonoma Raceway | Sunday, June 28 | 3 p.m. ET |
| Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola | Daytona International Speedway | Sunday, July 5 | 7:45 p.m. ET |
| Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts | Kentucky Speedway | Saturday, July 11 | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| NASCAR Sprint Cup July New Hampshire Race | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | Sunday, July 19 | 1:30 p.m. ET |
| Crown Royal Presents the 'Your Hero's Name Here' 400 at the Brickyard | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Sunday, July 26 | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| Pennsylvania 400 | Pocono Raceway | Sunday, Aug. 2 | 1:30 p.m. ET |
| Cheez-It 355 | Watkins Glen International | Sunday, Aug. 9 | 2 p.m. ET |
| Pure Michigan 400 | Michigan International Speedway | Sunday, Aug. 16 | 2:30 p.m. ET |
| IRWIN Tools Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | Saturday, Aug. 22 | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| Bojangles' Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway | Sunday, Sept. 6 | 7 p.m. ET |
| Federated Auto Parts 400 | Richmond International Raceway | Saturday, Sept. 12 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Challenger Round | |||
| MyAFibStory.com 400 | Chicagoland Speedway | Sunday, Sept. 20 | 3 p.m. ET |
| Sylvania 300 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | Sunday, Sept. 27 | 2 p.m. ET |
| AAA 400 | Dover International Speedway | Sunday, Oct. 4 | 2:30 p.m. ET |
| Contender Round | |||
| Bank of America 500 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Saturday, Oct. 10 | 7 p.m. ET |
| Hollywood Casino 400 | Kansas Speedway | Sunday, Oct. 18 | 2:15 p.m. ET |
| Alabama 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | Sunday, Oct. 25 | 2:30 p.m. ET |
| Eliminator Round | |||
| Goody's FAST PAIN RELIEF 500 | Martinsville Speedway | Sunday, Nov. 1 | 1:15 p.m. |
| AAA Texas 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | Sunday, Nov. 8 | 2 p.m. ET |
| Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 | Phoenix International Raceway | Sunday, Nov. 15 | 2:30 p.m. ET |
| Championship Round | |||
| Ford EcoBoost 400 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | Sunday, Nov. 22 | 3 p.m. ET |
Aside from Truex's surge up the standings, the Chase outlook remains relatively the same.
Paul Menard moved up a spot into 14th; he's six points ahead of Aric Almirola. Almirola had a rough day, making it only 88 laps and finishing dead last.
As a result of the No. 43 car's struggles, Jeff Gordon consolidated his position a bit more at 13th. Gordon's cushion between himself and the 14th-ranked driver increased from just two points to 26.
Looking down a little further, Danica Patrick slipped two spots from 18th to 20th. She only completed 153 of the 160 laps, eventually finishing 37th.
The first three drivers on the outside looking in on the Chase are Clint Bowyer, Biffle and Kyle Larson. They're 20, 31 and 41 points, respectively, off Ryan Newman, who holds the No. 16 place.
The Sprint Cup will head next to the Michigan International Speedway for the Quicken Loans 400. Biffle's last win came at Michigan in 2013, and he also won there in August 2012. That might bode well for his chances next week.
Meanwhile, Jamie McMurray now takes Truex's place as the driver with the most points yet to find a win in 2015.
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