The six biggest surprises of the Chase for the Sprint Cup so far

6 biggest Chase surprises

Hard to believe, perhaps, but Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway will mark the halfway point in the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Following are the six biggest surprises so far in the first four races Chase:

Young money out early

In the last three races of the Sprint Cup regular season, Kyle Larson won at Michigan, finished third at Darlington and was runner-up at Richmond. He was the hottest driver coming into the Chase, but never finished better than 10th in the Round of 16 and was quickly eliminated.

Dillon still in the hunt

Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon was the lowest seed to advance out of the Round of 16. Dillon came into the Chase as the No. 15 seed, but made it to the Round of 12 despite a best finish of eighth with no laps led in the first three Chase races. But he’ll have his work cut out for him after a 32nd-place finish at Charlotte.

The Charlotte calamity

Who could have predicted that so many good drivers would encounter serious problems at Charlotte Motor Speedway? Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin, two of the Chase favorites, had engine failures, while Joey Logano and Kyle Busch had front-tire issues and a bunch of Chase drivers got taken out in a crash on a late-race restart.

No JGR wins yet

In the 26-race Sprint Cup regular season, all four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers won at least twice, with the team scoring a total of 11 race victories. In the Chase, Matt Kenseth has had a pair of runner-up finishes and three top fives, while his JGR teammate Kyle Busch has finished eighth or better in all four races. And while Martin Truex Jr. won two of the first three Chase races, it’s a bit of surprise that a JGR car hasn’t visited Victory Lane yet.

Hendrick cars are fast

After a terrible summer and a long winless streak, the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets have picked up steam across the board. Not only did Jimmie Johnson score a dominating victory at Charlotte, he has led the most laps in the playoffs so far. Chase Elliott has a pair of third-place finishes and after missing the Chase, Kasey Kahne has averaged a 7.75 finish in the four Chase races so far. Alex Bowman has run well in the No. 88, too. We’ll see if this continues through the Chase. Photo: Robert Laberge

No miracle run for Stewart

In his last full season as a Sprint Cup driver, Tony Stewart seemed poised to make the kind of improbable championship run that he did in 2011, when after going winless in the regular season he won five of 10 Chase races and his third title. Alas, it was not to be. Stewart didn’t have a single top-1o finish and was eliminated in the first round of the Chase.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has shown drivers it’s OK to admit being hurt

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t looking to become an influential voice when he began opening up about his concussion.

But Earnhardt’s forwardness has resulted in other drivers following his ways. Something both Ryan Ellis and Sarah Cornett-Ching admit they wouldn’t have previously done.
“I don’t think I would have gotten checked out honestly,” Ellis told NBC Sports. “It’s not because I didn’t think I had (a concussion) or anything, it just kind of has that negative connotation when you take a hit. Like, ‘Oh that guy can’t take a hit.’ You don’t want to feel like a wuss out there.”
Ellis blew a right front tire in the Oct. 2 Xfinity Series race at Dover International Speedway and his car slammed the wall. He was checked and released from the infield care center but returned when he started to get a headache, felt dizzy, and become nauseous in the garage. Ellis then headed to a local hospital.
“When one of the leaders of the sport (Earnhardt) goes out there and takes the extra steps to get back and make sure he’s right when he comes back, that really gives you the feeling of comfort that you can go and get that checked out,” Ellis said. “No one is going to look at you differently the next week.”
Cornett-Ching had similar thoughts. She hit the outside and inside walls during the Sept. 23 ARCA race at Kentucky Speedway and suffered a headache. Cornett-Ching said it wasn’t until the next day “when everything started falling apart for me.” She said her brain couldn’t keep up with her surroundings and that night she became nauseous and had ringing in her ears.
Cornett-Ching spent the next few days laying in the dark before NASCAR called to check on her. They recommended she see Dr. Jerry Petty, one of the top neurologists in the Charlotte area.
“The decision to open up about what I was going through was influenced by Dale Jr. because initially, I thought it would make me feel weak,” Cornett-Ching told NBC Sports. “I didn’t really want people to know I had a concussion because if there was an opportunity to run a car or do something and advance my career, I didn’t want it to be hindered by the fact that I have a concussion right now.”
That Earnhardt has been a trendsetter in this area is something he didn’t anticipate nor takes the credit. Although he suspected a few individuals might be affected by watching his injury unfold, Earnhardt is glad to see drivers getting the necessary treatment.
“You’ve only got one brain,” Earnhardt told NBC Sports. “When that’s not working right you get scared into wanting to get fixed. When you get hurt, and you can’t see the way you want to see, or you can’t think straight, or your balance is off, that right there is enough to drive you to make the right decisions. So I can’t take much credit for it.
“I think that these folks when they hear somebody talking about it, and they hear about the symptoms, and then they experience it themselves, they realize this is serious, this is scaring me, this is what he did, and I know this path to take to get right. So, I’m glad they’re making good decisions.”
Earnhardt hopes more drivers continue to follow suit. As he’s learned, there are many educated doctors ready to help, in addition to exercises set to specific injuries. And it’s important, Earnhardt agrees, that drivers know it’s OK to come out and say they are hurt and need the help.
“That’s the smartest thing to do and especially when you’re dealing with your head,” Earnhardt said. “Trying to kind of soldier through it on your own is an easy choice to try to make but a lot of times you can get yourself in trouble if you happen to have another incident shortly after that. When you start to layer concussions and get two or three back-to-back is when you really get into the danger zone.”
Ellis had the chance to speak with Earnhardt last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway during an event for Earnhardt’s foundation. They discussed their symptoms and experiences.
“We had the same feelings of fogginess and stuff like that after the initial hit,” Ellis said. “He did help quite a bit. It’s really cool to have the leader of our sport there to kind of lean on.”
The most important thing Earnhardt told Ellis was to listen to his doctor.
“You can’t have any doubt in your mind about what you’re doing as far as whether it’s going to work or whether it’s not going to work,” Earnhardt said he told Ellis. “You’re going to get people coming from all over the place out of all kinds of corners saying, ‘Hey, this is what you need to do. Hey, this is what you need to do. You know, my buddy had that. I bet you have inner ear infection or your rocks are loose’ or what the hell ever.
“Everybody thinks that they know what is wrong with you and what to do. You just need to listen to one person, and that’s your doctor, and you gotta be completely transparent when you go to your doctor and you’re hurt.”

NASCAR America:Denny Hamlin suffers more bad luck with first engine failure in years

Denny Hamlin‘s engine failure at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday gives drivers a chance to surpass him in the Sprint Cup standings. Five Chase drivers finished 30th or worse in the race. Hamlin’s engine failure was his first since 2013 at Talladega.

NASCAR America:Jimmie Johnson wins his way to second round of Chase

Jimmie Johnson broke his 24-race winless streak at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday and is now on track to contend for his seventh title. NASCAR America’s analysts examine his day in the Bank of America 500.

Ryan Newman to remain at Richard Childress Racing with multi-year extension

Ryan Newman will return to Richard Childress Racing next season with a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Monday.

“Ryan’s consistency on the track has been a benefit to our organization and this extension solidifies the future of our racing program,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of RCR, in a news release. “Ryan proved the first year he was here that we could contend for championships and with this continuation, I believe we can fulfill our commitment to winning races and a championship. Ryan has worked hard to represent many of our partners, especially the primary sponsors Caterpillar, Grainger and WIX Filters, helping them to get the most out of their respective racing programs.”

Newman’s contract was to have ended after this season, his third with RCR.

“I am pleased to continue driving for Richard Childress Racing,” Newman said in a team release. “Our goal to win a championship all but turned into a reality during our first year together. I feel like since then, we have some unfinished business to complete. I’m fortunate to have forged a great relationship with my crew chief Luke Lambert, and I very much want to not only help him reach our goal of winning a Cup championship but also getting him his first Cup victory.” 

Newman finished second in the points in 2014, his first season at Richard Childress Racing. He made the Chase in 2015 and placed 11th. He failed to make the Chase this year.

Newman placed fourth in Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It marked his second top-five finish and ninth top-10 result of the season.

With Newman staying, it likely means that Ty Dillon, who has said that he plans to race in the Sprint Cup Series next season, won’t be driving in NASCAR’s top series for grandfather Richard Childress’ team.

Childress, who will have Austin Dillon, Paul Menard and Newman drive for him next season, has three charters. It’s unlikely that Childress would run a fourth car without a charter. Although he could lease or buy a charter, a more likely option could be to have Ty Dillon drive for another Chevrolet team next season.

Noah Gragson entered into ARCA finale at Kansas Speedway

Noah Gragson, a member of the NASCAR Next program and driver in both K&N Pro Series, will start in the final ARCA Racing Series event of the year at Kansas Speedway.

Gragson has joined Venturini Motorsports to drive the No.15 SpeedVegas – Alert ID Toyota Camry in the Kansas 150 on Friday. It will be his third career ARCA start. Earlier this year he started sixth and finished 30th at Pocono Raceway.

The announcement by Venturini Motorsports comes less than a week after Gragson was announced by Kyle Busch Motorsports as the driver who will succeed William Byron in its No. 9 entry in the Camping World Truck Series next year.

“The last couple weeks have truly been amazing,” Gragson said in a press release. “Running with Venturini Motorsports at Kansas is an exciting opportunity and just another step towards my integration into the Toyota family. The Venturini Motorsports group has a strong reputation in the series and a proven track record. I’m looking forward to working with Billy (Venturini) and the guys on the team

Gragson, a native of Las Vegas, has six wins between the K&N East and West Series, including two each this year.

Ryan Newman announces RCR contract extension on 'Race Hub'

Ryan Newman has signed a multi-year contract extension to remain at Richard Childress Racing.

Newman, 38, made the announcement on Monday night's edition of Race Hub on FS1, when he unveiled the paint scheme for his No. 31 RCR Chevrolet beginning next season and also announced that his primary sponsor, Caterpillar, also will return.

Newman is currently in his third season of driving the car for RCR, which he joined in 2014. Although he has yet to win a race at RCR, he does own 12 top-five and 40 top-10 finishes with the company -- and in 2014, he finished second in the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs after making it to the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway as one of the last four drivers battling for a championship.

"It's a multi-year extension with Richard Childress Racing, which I'm super excited about," Newman told FOX Sports. "(Crew chief) Luke (Lambert) and all the guys have fought really hard the last three years. We had a disappointing Chase run this year. But nevertheless I've got to thank everyone at RCR and ECR (Earnhardt Childress Racing Engines) for having me back for what will be Caterpillar's 25th season in NASCAR."

Newman, who also has driven for what is now known as Team Penske, has 17 career wins in NASCAR's Premier Series and 51 poles in 542 career starts. His last win came at Indianapolis in July of 2013 while he was still driving for Stewart-Haas Racing.