Who Will Sneak in the Chase

Everyone is aware of the shadow Talladega is casting on the Chasers right now and how daunting it will be when they arrive. Many people are concerned about who will be eliminated after Talladega is over, rather than being concerned about who will still be in the chase.

Assuming a Chaser beside Joey Logano or Kevin Harvick wins this weekend at Talladega, there will be nine drivers going for the remaining six spots. On many chase grids, all front runners such as Johnson, Junior, Gordon, and Keselowski are expected to transfer to the Eliminator round of the Chase. But if Talladega has its’ way with the Chase, look for sneaks—the unexpected drivers who will knock out a key contender. Now all the drivers left are still contenders but we are all aware some driver’s ratings are higher then other. In my opinion, the two unexpected drivers with the best chance to make it into the next round of the chase are Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards.

Newman has a drive about him this season being with Richard Childress Racing and he definitely wants to leave his mark on the season. Carl Edwards has stated the he doesn’t feel his team is championship capable, but that doesn’t mean he is going to give up without a fight. His great 2011 was not that long ago and Cousin Carl wants to leave Roush Fenway with a parting gift. These are the two drivers that really need to be watched depending on how nice Talladega decides to play.

-Stephen Appell

Seizing an Opportunity

            A few weeks ago, young Alex Bowman asked Dale Earnhardt Jr. for a chance to drive the Jr Motorsport No.5 Nationwide car, to which Junior agreed. Last Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway was the Arizona native’s first night to seize his opportunity. This was Bowman’s first time behind the wheel knowing he could potentially park the car in Victory Lane at nights end.

            Bowman sported a large smile while in the Nationwide garage this weekend, knowing that he would have a chance to win on Saturday night. The Sprint cup series regular, driving the No. 23 for BK Racing, has never really had an opportunity in competitive equipment, but has always made the best of whatever was available to him. Bowman ran the full Nationwide Series last season for RAB Racing in the No.99, with which he managed three poles and a handful of Top Ten’s.

            Bowman made a quite a statement early in the weekend by being the first in practice on Thursday afternoon. He followed up with a seventh place qualifying effort Friday. The momentum followed him into the Nationwide race Friday night. Bowman had the car inside the Top 15 all night and within the Top Ten multiple times. Bowman managed the tire issues well and fought side by side with his Jr Motorsports teammates a few times. When all was said and done Bowman brought the No.5 Dirty Mo Radio Chevy into a solid 12^th place finish. Bowman showed everyone last season that he could drive well, but tonight solidified his chances at proving his potential.

-Stephen Appell

Continually Making A Statement

            Kevin Harvick grabbed the pole position for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, marking his third consecutive pole for this race. During his previous twelve seasons, Harvick only claimed six poles, but in this 2014 season with Stewart-Haas, he has scored eight pole positions and his finishes are a reflection of that. Harvick is making quite a statement.

It’s one thing to qualify well week in and week out, but another to capitalize on it. Now Harvick doesn’t have a large amount of wins this season, but he does have solid finishes. For the first time in a long time, Harvick is being talked about as a viable threat for the championship with good reason. This is by far Harvick’s best season of his career; he is on top of his game. Even with the lack of help of a strong pit crew, Harvick has continuously worked his way into solid positions. How does he do it?

One could say Harvick fell into a rut while over at Richard Childress Racing. Others could argue RCR equipment was not up to par of other strong teams. When he left RCR to join Stewart-Haas Racing, Harvick knew he would have to make a strong statement and lead a completely brand new team. Harvick knows what it takes to be a leader; his determination to lead a new team to the ultimate goal of a championship is what is helping him make his statement.