Check out the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series storylines leading into this weekend’s Good Sam RV Insurance 500 (as provided by NASCARmedia.com):
Preliminary Entry List (subject to change without notice)
Good Sam RV Insurance 500 Entry List
Menard Breaks Through On Big Stage
Not many picked Paul Menard to cross the finish line first in Sunday’s Brickyard 400, but maybe they should have.
This was no fluke. Though Menard need 167 races to nab his first win – matching Bobby Hamilton for the 10th-longest stretch before a first NASCAR Sprint Cup points win – he seemed on the verge of a victory all season long.
Heading to Indianapolis and sat 19th in the points, meaning a win would put him in Wild Card contention.
Paul’s father, John, lugged a long history of sponsoring teams at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in both NASCAR and at the Indianapolis 500. Still, he remained winless at the big track – until yesterday.
Menard now sits 14th in points, and if the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field were set today, he’d earn one of the two Wild Card spots – a battle that has grown exponentially in intensity.
Wild Card Fight Intensifies
Paul Menard became the 14th different winner this season, the most through 20 races since 2003.
So, of course, a few of those are going to be outside the top 10. In fact, five of them are – Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard, David Ragan, Brad Keselowski and Regan Smith. And that’s where the white hot Wild Card fight lies.
After race No. 26 in Richmond, the top-10 drivers will be locked into the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field. Spots 11 and 12 will go to those drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, provided they are in the top 20.
Currently, Hamlin in 11th and Menard in 14th hold those two spots. Ragan, in 16th, is the odd-man out.
Both Keselowski and Smith are outside the top 20 – but Keselowski’s top-10 at Indy put him within striking distance. He currently sits 21st, 16 points outside the top 20.
Gordon Aims For Milestone Wins
Looking for the hottest driver in the series? Try Jeff Gordon, and stop right there. A runner-up finish at Indy made it three top 10s in the last four races (and six in the last eight).
He won June’s Pocono race, tying Bill Elliott on the all-time Pocono wins list. A Pocono sweep would topple two milestones: He would be alone atop the all-time Pocono list, and alone in third on the all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins list at 85.
Earnhardt Jr.’s Slide Continues
Just six races ago, Dale Earnhardt Jr. enjoyed a third-place points position, and seemed almost assured of his first Chase berth since 2008. Now, not so much.
With six consecutive finishes outside the top 10, Earnhardt has plummeted from third to 10th, and he is now just 19 points from losing an all-important top-10 position needed to guarantee a Chase spot after Richmond.
Sprint Summer Showdown – Pocono EditionLooking for the next driver to add his name to the list of eligibles for the $3 million prize at Atlanta? The Pocono pre-race Driver Rating should help.
Here’s the top five: Denny Hamlin (118.6), Jimmie Johnson (106.4), Kurt Busch (104.1), Jeff Gordon (101.3) and Tony Stewart (100.7). Hamlin has four career Pocono victories.
Be sure to visit sprint.com/speed to vote who you think will win and enter himself into the Sprint Summer Showdown at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September. A total of $3 MM is on the line!
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