NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Grid 2016: Standings, Schedule Post-Hollywood Casino 400
Kevin Harvick can sleep easy Sunday night, having earned a spot in the next round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Harvick won the Hollywood Casino 400 in Kansas City, Kansas, and as a result, he's guaranteed to advance when the Chase field dwindles from 12 to eight drivers this time next week. Jimmie Johnson leads the field, having won the Bank of America 500 on Oct. 9.
Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott are all on the bubble with one more race to go before the Round of 8 begins.
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| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 3,082 | 3 |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | 3,048 | 4 |
| 3 | Matt Kenseth | 3,074 | 2 |
| 4 | Kyle Busch | 3,072 | 4 |
| 5 | Carl Edwards | 3,069 | 2 |
| 6 | Kurt Busch | 3,062 | 1 |
| 7 | Martin Truex Jr. | 3,058 | 4 |
| 8 | Joey Logano | 3,045 | 1 |
| 9 | Austin Dillon | 3,045 | 0 |
| 10 | Denny Hamlin | 3,039 | 3 |
| 11 | Brad Keselowski | 3,038 | 4 |
| 12 | Chase Elliott | 3,020 | 0 |
Here's a look at the remaining races this year:
| Sunday, Oct. 23 | Alabama 500 | 2 p.m. | Talladega Superspeedway | NBCSN |
| Sunday, Oct. 30 | Goody's Fast Relief 500 | 1 p.m. | Martinsville Speedway | NBCSN |
| Sunday, Nov. 6 | AAA Texas 500 | 2 p.m. | Texas Motor Speedway | NBC |
| Sunday, Nov. 13 | Can-Am 500 | 2:30 p.m. | Phoenix International Raceway | NBC |
| Sunday, Nov. 20 | Ford EcoBoost 400 | 2:30 p.m. | Homestead-Miami Speedway | NBC |
Failing to qualify for the next round would be a rough way to end an otherwise strong year for Keselowski. His four wins are tied for most in the series. After a 38th-place finish Sunday, anything short of win No. 5 may not be enough for the No. 2 car to climb into the top eight.
Keselowski's day ended early when he spun out and sustained major damage to his front end after driving into the infield. NASCAR on NBC shared a replay of his wreck:
He isn't letting the disappointment shake his confidence:
Hamlin, who made the contact leading to Keselowski's crash, is in a similarly precarious position. He was 30th in the Bank of America 500 and then 15th in the Hollywood Casino 400.
At this stage of the season, one mistake or one case of rotten luck can ruin a driver's chances of winning the championship. For Hamlin, his engine failure last week could be the moment his Chase hopes evaporated.
Joey Logano knows the lesson all too well. He looked destined for a title last year, collecting three straight wins to close out October. Then, Matt Kenseth exacted some revenge and wrecked Logano at Martinsville Speedway.
Logano couldn't recover over the subsequent two races and fell short of the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.
The 26-year-old may not even get that far this year. He finished third Sunday, which helped him move from 11th to eighth in the Chase standings. Logano was satisfied with the result:
Still, he's tied Austin Dillon on points (3,045), which doesn't provide much cushion before the Alabama 500 on Oct. 23. Logano doesn't need to drive the perfect race at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama, but he'll have to avoid making any critical mistakes.
Johnson and Harvick can't afford to rest on their laurels for too long. Once the Round of 12 is over, scores for the eight remaining drivers will reset to 4,000 points, leveling the playing field.
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