For the second year in a row, Team Penske’s Joey Logano has opened the Contender Round of the post-season Chase with a victory and guaranteed himself a spot in the next round of the ten-race title hunt. Logano crushed the field Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, leading 227 of the 334 laps in notching his 4th victory of the season. He beat runner-up Kevin Harvick to the checkered flag by three-quarters of a second, keeping his #22 Ford in front over the final35 laps.
Martin Truex, Jr. finished 3rd with Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch completing the top 5. Pole sitter Matt Kenseth led 72 laps but was sidelined by an accident midway through the 2nd half of the race. He finished next-
to-last in the 43-car field, tumbling to the bottom of the Chase standings with the post-season hitting the halfway mark next weekend at Kansas Speedway.
Chase drivers took 8 of the 9 top finishing positions with Austin Dillon the only non-title contender among them, in 7th place. The 4 other drivers in the Contender Round all finished outside the top 10 and slipped to the bottom of the post-season standings. Ryan Newman was 15th, Kyle Busch 20th, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 28th and Kenseth 42nd.
The race was originally scheduled to be run Saturday night, but rain moved it to Sunday afternoon. For Logano, it’s his 12th career victory. Carl Edwards finished 6th in his bid for a season sweep at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He won the “Coca-Cola 600” back on May 24th.
– story by John Singler
www.mrn.com
Concord, NC
The 12 Challengers after Chase race #4 (unofficial)
| Driver (wins) | Points | Behind Leader | +/- Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Joey Logano (4) | 3048 | +1 | |
| 2. Kevin Harvick (3) | 3042 | -6 | +10 |
| 3. Martin Truex Jr (1) | 3041 | -7 | +2 |
| 4. Denny Hamlin (2) | 3040 | -8 | -1 |
| 5. Kurt Busch (2) | 3039 | -9 | +1 |
| 6. Carl Edwards (2) | 3039 | -9 | -2 |
| 7. Jeff Gordon (0) | 3037 | -11 | 0 |
| 8. Brad Keselowski (1) | 3035 | -13 | 0 |
| 9. Ryan Newman (0) | 3029 | -19 | +1 |
| 10. Kyle Busch (4) | 3025 | -23 | -1 |
| 11. Dale Earnhardt Jr (2) | 3016 | -32 | 0 |
| 12. Matt Kenseth (5) | 3003 | -45 | -11 |
| – Eliminated from The Chase at the end of the Challenger Round – | |||
| Jamie McMurray (0) | |||
| Jimmie Johnson (4) | |||
| Paul Menard (0) | |||
| Clint Bowyer (0) | |||
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PRE-RACE POST:
UPDATED 10/11/15 – Persistent rain at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Saturday night postponed the “Bank of America 500” until this morning at 11:00. Charlotte Motor Speedway will host the 4th race of the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and the first event in the Contender Round. Tune in for live coverage on FM 95 and our online audio stream.
For the 12 drivers remaining in the title hunt, there are 2,477.58 “Miles-2-Miami.” The 12th edition of the postseason Chase will conclude November 22nd at Homestead-Miami Speedway, at which time only 4 drivers will remain in championship contention.
Matt Kenseth will start today’s race from the pole after topping Thursday night’s qualifying session with a lap of 194.532 miles per hour in his #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He’ll share the front row with teammate Kyle Busch, who was second-quick at 193.154 miles per hour. Fords make up the second row with Team Penske’s Joey Logano and Roush Fenway Racing’s Greg Biffle. Denny Hamlin qualified fifth in another Joe Gibbs Racing Camry.
Carl Edwards will start 8th in his bid for a season sweep of the track’s two Sprint Cup races. He won the Coca-Cola 600 in May. Defending race winner and 2014 champion Kevin Harvick qualified 11th.
– story by John Singler
www.mrn.com
Concord, NC
As they begin the Contender Round, the points have been reset:
The 12 Challengers after Chase race #3 (unofficial)
| Driver (wins) | Points | Behind Leader | +/- Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Matt Kenseth (5) | 3000 | 0 | |
| 2. Joey Logano (3) | 3000 | +2 | |
| 3. Denny Hamlin (2) | 3000 | -1 | |
| 4. Carl Edwards (2) | 3000 | -1 | |
| 5. Martin Truex Jr (1) | 3000 | +4 | |
| 6. Kurt Busch (2) | 3000 | +1 | |
| 7. Jeff Gordon (0) | 3000 | +3 | |
| 8. Brad Keselowski (1) | 3000 | 0 | |
| 9. Kyle Busch (4) | 3000 | +4 | |
| 10. Ryan Newman (0) | 3000 | -4 | |
| 11. Dale Earnhardt Jr (2) | 3000 | +1 | |
| 12. Kevin Harvick (3) | 3000 | +3 | |
| – Eliminated from The Chase at the end of the Challenger Round – | |||
| Jamie McMurray (0) | |||
| Jimmie Johnson (4) | |||
| Paul Menard (0) | |||
| Clint Bowyer (0) | |||
