Matt Kenseth won his only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title in 2003. Now, eight years later, he’s back in the title hunt. Kenseth won last Saturday night’s race at Charlotte, passing Kyle Busch on a restart with 25 laps remaining, to grab his first victory of this year’s Chase.
The victory moved the driver of the No. 17 two spots in the Championship standings to third, and Kenseth is now only seven points behind leader and Roush Fenway Racing teammate Carl Edwards at the halfway point of the Chase. Edwards was a popular preseason pick to unseat five-time Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson this fall when NASCAR crowns a Champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 20.
Only seven points separate the top three drivers and only 25 stand between sixth and first. With five Chase For The Sprint Cup races in the books, the battle for the 2011 NSCS title remains incredibly close. Every point matters and could be huge when it comes down to the Championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 20. Here’s a look at some notable Chase drivers and how they have fared on the “Road to a Miami Championship”:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. NASCAR’s most popular driver isn’t out of the Sprint Cup Series Championship picture. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s winless drought is 124 races, but Earnhardt boasts a number of impressive statistics at Talladega. He won four consecutive races there from 2001-03 and five overall.
One of Earnhardt’s best chances at ending the drought came last April at Talladega. Earnhardt finished fourth after pushing Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson to victory that day.
Carl Edwards Defending Ford 400 winner Carl Edwards is the only driver to score a Top-10 finish in each Chase race thus far. Edwards is coming off a sixth-place finish in April, his best Talladega result since 2005. In the last three Chases, the points lead – each time held by Jimmie Johnson – has grown after the
Talladega race.
Jimmie Johnson Johnson’s 34th-place finish at Charlotte put the Hendrick Motorsports driver in an unusual position. For the first time since 2007, and the third since the Chase format began, Johnson finds himself faced with the task of having to rally from a double-digit deficit with five races remaining if he hopes to win an unprecedented sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov.20.
Matt Kenseth The last driver to win a championship before the arrival of the Chase, Kenseth captured his third win of the season at Charlotte. After starting the Chase with a 21st-place finish at Chicago, Kenseth has finished sixth or better in his last four Chase races.
Expect these drivers to take this momentum into Talladega this weekend. The drama, excitement and anticipation of NASCAR’s Chase For The Sprint Cup Championship has begun—the winner of which will be crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway during Ford Championship Weekend for a 10th consecutive season Nov. 18-20.
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