Sprint Cup Chase 2015: NASCAR Standings, Schedule Post-Cheez-It 355 at the Glen
The weekend belonged to Joey Logano.
On Sunday afternoon, Logano won the Cheez-It 355 to complete a weekend sweep at Watkins Glen. On Saturday, he won the Zippo 200 on the NASCAR Xfinity series. NASCAR on Twitter congratulated Logano on both of his victories:
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Logano had to show patience to earn his latest victory. Sprint Cup points leader Kevin Harvick had the lead coming down the stretch and had led for a race-high 29 laps, but he ran out of gas.
The fuel miscalculation was costly, as Logano passed him to take the win. The final lap was the only one Logano led in the race. It was the 25-year-old Team Penske representative's second win in the Sprint Cup series this year. The first was his victory at the Daytona 500 where he also outdueled Harvick.
Here's a look at the top 10 finishers from Sunday's race and the updated top-10 standings:
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | 16 | 1 | 47 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | 8 | 3 | 43 |
| 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | 29 | 43 |
| 4 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | 26 | 2 | 41 |
| 5 | 41 | Kurt Busch | 14 | 0 | 39 |
| 6 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | 18 | 0 | 38 |
| 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | 11 | 27 | 38 |
| 8 | 19 | Carl Edwards | 15 | 0 | 36 |
| 9 | 9 | Sam Hornish Jr | 24 | 0 | 35 |
| 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | 9 | 0 | 34 |
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | 823 | Leader | 2 |
| 2 | Joey Logano | 22 | 781 | -42 | 2 |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | 88 | 750 | -73 | 2 |
| 4 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | 747 | -76 | 4 |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski | 2 | 719 | -104 | 1 |
| 6 | Martin Truex Jr | 78 | 714 | -109 | 1 |
| 7 | Matt Kenseth | 20 | 703 | -120 | 2 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | 41 | 659 | -164 | 2 |
| 9 | Jamie McMurray | 1 | 635 | -188 | 0 |
| 10 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | 631 | -192 | 1 |
Also passing Harvick and finishing second was the red-hot Kyle Busch.
He didn't get what would have been his fourth win in his last five races and fifth victory overall, but he did move into 30th place in the Sprint Cup standings. That's significant because drivers have to be in the top 30 to qualify for the Chase.
As long as Busch doesn't fall back, he's in and a scary force to be reckoned with in the playoff format. Per Fox Sports: NASCAR, Busch wasn't surprised he was able to climb into the top 30 in the standings:
Despite missing much of the season with a broken leg, Busch has been on fire with the impressive No. 18 car blowing away the competition at points during each of the last six races.
His fellow drivers had to hoping he'd somehow be slowed down, but barring some unforeseen issue between now and September 20 when the Challenger Round begins, Busch has established himself as one of the favorites heading into the Chase.
Here's a look at the remaining schedule in the NASCAR Sprint Cup season:
| Pure Michigan 400 | Michigan International Speedway | Sunday, Aug. 16 | 2:30 p.m. |
| IRWIN Tools Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | Saturday, Aug. 22 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Bojangles' Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway | Sunday, Sept. 6 | 7 p.m. |
| Federated Auto Parts 400 | Richmond International Raceway | Saturday, Sept. 12 | 7:30 p.m. |
| NASCAR Sprint Cup September Chicagoland Race | Chicagoland Speedway | Sunday, Sept. 20 | 3 p.m. |
| Sylvania 300 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | Sunday, Sept. 27 | 2 p.m. |
| AAA 400 | Dover International Speedway | Sunday, Oct. 4 | 2:30 p.m. |
| Bank of America 500 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Saturday, Oct. 10 | 7 p.m. |
| Hollywood Casino 400 | Kansas Speedway | Sunday, Oct. 18 | 2:15 p.m. |
| Alabama 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | Sunday, Oct. 25 | 2:30 p.m. |
| Eliminator Round | |||
| Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 | Martinsville Speedway | Sunday, Nov. 1 | 1:15 p.m. |
| AAA Texas 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | Sunday, Nov. 8 | 2 p.m. |
| Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 | Phoenix International Raceway | Sunday, Nov. 15 | 2:30 p.m. |
| Ford EcoBoost 400 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | Sunday, Nov. 22 | Ford EcoBoost 400 |
What's Next?
The drivers and crews will head to the Midwest for the Pure Michigan 400 next week. Jeff Gordon won last year's event, but confidence can't be too high for car No. 24 heading into this year's race. Gordon finished 41st on Sunday and fell two spots to 12th in the standings.
Harvick was second last year, and he'd love to get his third win of the season to put a little more distance between himself and the hard-charging Logano, who is just 42 points behind him after Sunday's win.
It's crunch time—and the fun is just beginning.
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