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Kahne, Newman Retain Provisional ‘Wild Card’ Tickets
Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman continue as provisional holders of Chase “wild cards” following third and eighth-place finishes in Michigan. Kahne (11th) has two victories, Newman (13th) one. Kahne remains the most significant threat to oust a current top-10 driver trailing 10th-place Denny Hamlin by 33 points. Kyle Busch (14th), Jeff Gordon (16th), Marcos Ambrose (17th) and Joey Logano (18th) have one victory apiece. Carl Edwards remains the most significant non-winning player – 12th in the standings and 38 points outside the top 10. Edwards won the Irwin Tools Night Race in 2007-08.
Busch is a five-time Bristol winner, most recently in the spring of 2011. Gordon also has five victories as does Kurt Busch, ranked outside the top 20 (25th) and not part of the “wild card” conversation.

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Kyle Busch, 12th in NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, holds the No. 1 “wild card” position but after that it couldn’t be closer among three contenders for the final entry into the post season. Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman and Joey Logano each have a victory and have scored an equal number of points – 463. Were the second “card” to be awarded today it would go to Kahne. Why? Because the NASCAR Rule Book breaks ties by comparing drivers’ best finishes: If wins are equal, then seconds, thirds etc. come into play. That’s how Tony Stewart edged Carl Edwards for last year’s title. Kahne’s second-place finish at Kentucky Speedway serves as the current tie-breaker to Newman’s (third) and Logano’s (eighth) next best performances.

Edwards, who won the Daytona 500 Coors Light Pole in February, could render the deadlock moot by winning Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola. Edwards currently is 11th in the standings working on a victory drought of 50 races.

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By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(October 30, 2011)

MARTINSVILLE, Va.—Tony Stewart passed Jimmie Johnson on a restart with three laps left in Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway and held off Johnson’s desperate bid for the win on the final lap.

The victory was Stewart’s third in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and vaulted him into second place in the standings, eight points behind leader Carl Edwards. Stewart won for the 42nd time in his career.

Continue reading “Cup Race Recap: Stewart Edges Johnson In Wild Martinsville Race”