AJ Allmendinger and 10 Under-the-Radar Drivers Who Could Make the Chase
A look at who the 12-driver field for the Chase for the Sprint Cup would consist of if the season ended today finds the usual suspects making the 10-race playoff for the title.
All four Hendrick Motorsports teams (Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr.) would make the Chase, along with the two Stewart-Haas Racing cars (Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman) and two each from Richard Childress Racing (Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick) and Roush Fenway Racing (Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth).
It goes almost without saying that Kyle Busch would be in the Chase as well.
On the other hand, there are plenty of drivers who are quietly putting together solid seasons and could puncture their way into the Chase field come September.
With two wild-card spots open to drivers who win a race and rank in the top 20 in driver points, making the Chase could be a bit easier than in years past.
Without further ado, there are 10 under-the-radar drivers that could sneak into the Chase.
AJ Allmendinger
1 of 10
Out of all of the turmoil that occurred regarding the future of Richard Petty Motorsports over the offseason, few would have expected that the two-car team would be competitive and contending on a week-to-week basis.
The now-flagship driver, AJ Allmendinger, may be the best driver on the Sprint Cup circuit never to reach Victory Lane...but he could be the driver who brings the iconic No. 43 there for the first time since John Andretti did so at Martinsville in April 1999.
The Champ Car vet has just two top-10s to his credit this season (seventh at Richmond in May and ninth at Phoenix in February), but nine top-20s indicate a level of consistency.
Looking ahead, Allmendinger has run well at some of the tracks down the stretch, with average finishes of 15th or better at Atlanta, Indianapolis, Kansas and Watkins Glen.
Of course, the addition of Kentucky on the schedule could also help his cause, as inaugural races at tracks are sometimes conducive for young drivers to earn victories.
Marcos Ambrose
2 of 10
The other half of Richard Petty Motorsports, Marcos Ambrose, is putting together a solid campaign that could certainly be boosted by the Tasmanian's exceptional road-course prowess.
Currently 20th in the Sprint Cup standings, Ambrose has two top-five finishes (fourth at Las Vegas in March and third at Dover in May) and three top-10 results (sixth at Texas in April).
The driver of the No. 9 Ford led last season's race at Infineon Raceway in dominant fashion until an accidental engine shutdown late cost him the victory, along with a 2.3 average finish at Watkins Glen, losing a late duel to Juan Pablo Montoya last season.
It's certainly a matter of if, not when, for Ambrose to earn his first Sprint Cup win and move one step closer to making the Chase.
Juan Pablo Montoya
3 of 10
Speaking of road-course greats, Juan Pablo Montoya may need to buoy his early-season success with a road-course win or two.
After beginning the 2011 slate with two top-fives (third at Las Vegas in March and fourth at Martinsville in April) and four top-tens (sixth at the Daytona 500 and 10th at Auto Club Speedway in March), Montoya has had just one top-20 finish since then--plummeting from seventh to 15th in Sprint Cup points as a result.
However, Montoya may be the best road-course driver on the circuit, with wins at both Infineon and Watkins Glen to his credit.
Additionally, Montoya has been dominant at the "Brickyard" the past two seasons, with a pit-road penalty in 2009 and a late crash in 2010 preventing him from kissing the bricks.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Regan Smith
4 of 10
In probably the longest of long-shots to make the Chase, Regan Smith is currently 29th in Sprint Cup points heading into Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway; however, his win at Darlington basically requires his inclusion on this list.
He's currently 75 points behind Ambrose for 20th position at this point, and he'll need nothing but solid top-20 (at least) finishes to have a legitimate shot of qualifying for the Chase.
Kasey Kahne
5 of 10
It took a bit, but the one-year era of Kasey Kahne at Red Bull Racing is starting to bear some fruits once again.
After three top-10 (sixth at Phoenix, ninth at Bristol and ninth at Auto Club Speedway) finishes in the first five races, the No. 4 Toyota team struggled at Martinsville (39th), Texas (21st) and Talladega (37th). Since then, Kahne has had two top-fives in the past three races.
It appears to be a matter of time before Kahne returns to Victory Lane, sneaking into the Chase as a result.
Martin Truex Jr.
6 of 10
Martin Truex Jr. could be primed to reach his first Chase since the 2007 season, as the driver of the No. 56 Toyota has bounced back from a rough early stretch to show the consistency he showed in the first few races of the season.
After top-20 finishes in the first four races of the 2011 campaign, Truex had just one top-20 finish in the next five races that followed, finishing lower than 30th at Martinsville (40th) and Texas (35th).
Before the All-Star break, Truex tallied a 10th-place result at Darlington and an eighth-place finish at Dover.
If the Michael Waltrip Racing team can keep up with that level of consistency, sneaking into the Chase could very well happen.
Paul Menard
7 of 10
After yet another hot start (this time driving the No. 27 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing), Paul Menard has cooled off as of late, with time slowly ticking on being able to rebound and make the Chase.
Following a fifth-place finish at Bristol that left him fifth in the Sprint Cup points standings, Menard and the No. 27 have since dropped to 17th in the standings, a result of just one top-five finish in the next seven races.
The season is still somewhat young, so Menard could bounce back and still make the Chase.
David Ragan
8 of 10
David Ragan is seemingly still waiting to break though with his first win on the Sprint Cup circuit, with the highlight of his season being a Daytona 500 victory opportunity that slipped through his fingers when he jumped a restart late in the February race after working with eventual winner Trevor Bayne for most of the race.
The driver of the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford has one top-five (fourth at Richmond) and three top-10s (seventh at Texas, eighth at Martinsville) this season, but those results have been hindered by a 39th-place DNF at Talladega and a 28th-place result at Dover.
With a little consistency, however, Ragan could be very close to reaching Victory Lane and the Chase.
Greg Biffle
9 of 10
Speaking of Roush Fenway Racing, Greg Biffle certainly isn't an under-the-radar name, but he should sneak into the Chase come September.
Biffle has one top-five and 4 top-10s and is 12th in the points; the only thing keeping him from taking Jeff Gordon's spot in the Chase is a victory.
He'll be in the Chase, one way or another.
Denny Hamlin
10 of 10
The third-biggest surprise of 2011 (in my book, at least, behind Bayne at Daytona and Smith at Darlington) may be the struggles Denny Hamlin has faced this season.
Expected to take part in another battle with Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards for the Sprint Cup title, Hamlin currently ranks 13th in Sprint Cup points. He has just one top-five (second at Richmond) and three top-tens in 11 races thus far.
However, there are a multitude of tracks coming up (Loudon, Michigan, Pocono, Richmond) that the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has won at in years past. A trip to the Chase could still be a certainty.
Thoughts? Comment below.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
