From the folks at NASCAR ..

Busch Piling On Chase Bonus Points

Every inch matters.

In this case, mere inches amounted to a 20 point swing as drivers compete for Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup eligibility.

When a caution flag came out on the last lap of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR officials reviewed video to determine Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota) was just ahead of Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) and thereby the winner of the race.

Not only did the win boost Busch’s lead in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, it earned him yet another 10 potential bonus points.

Each win during the series’ first 26 races is worth a 10-point bonus if a driver makes the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Busch has six wins, which would give him a commanding lead in Chase seeding.

If Edwards had passed Busch, he would have earned the bonus points and cut Busch’s lead.

With only eight races remaining before the Chase begins, teams that are comfortable with their position in the standings will start taking more chances to win races and earn precious bonus points.

Because just like inches, every point matters.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hits Halfway Mark

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has run half its season, with surprises and stellar competition the highlights of the first 18 races. A number of storylines have emerged, starting with Kyle Busch’s dominance. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard/Amp Energy Chevrolet), whose move to Hendrick Motorsports set the wheels in motion for Busch’s move to Joe Gibbs Racing, grabbed his first win in over two years and is second in the standings.

Other top storylines include Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge) and Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford) experiencing resurgent seasons, Hendrick Motorsports “struggling” and new blood at the top of the heap with Busch, Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman (No. 12 Kodak Dodge) all leading the standings for the first time in their careers.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Mid-Season Look
18 of 36 races complete
10 different race winners
11 different pole winners
46 drivers have led at least one lap
74 different drivers have attempted to qualify for at least one race
All four manufacturers are in the top 12
All four manufacturers have won at least three races

Stewart Not Worried About Summertime LullTony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) will win at least one race in the Race to the Chase.

That is, of course, if Stewart continues a trend he started when the series expanded to 36 races in 2001. Since then, Stewart has at least one win - and as many as five - each season during the middle 12 races on the schedule. Stewart is winless in 2008, but isn’t worried.

“It’s not like we’re not running well, because we are,” Stewart said. “We’ve just had some circumstances that haven’t gone our way. You’ll have that. We tend to be a late-blooming team anyhow. We plan on doing the same thing we do every week. We’re not changing our approach. Every week our goal is to win the race, and that’s not going to change.”

That goal of winning seems to be easier for Stewart during the middle of the season. In 90 mid-season races since 2001 (races 13-24 on the schedule), Stewart has 15 wins, 37 top fives and 51 top 10s. In contrast, he has 17 wins in his other 248 races.

“We always seem to run well at Chicago,” he said. “We’re cautiously optimistic that we’re going to run well.

We need a good week, that’s for sure. The good thing is that the morale of the team is up. This team has battled adversity so many times that it takes a lot to beat this team down.”

In The Loop: Chicagoland Set Up For Stewart-Harvick Showdown

This Saturday night at Chicagoland Speedway, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell Pennzoil Chevrolet) will wage what could be an epic head-to-head battle.

Sure, there will be 41 other cars out there. But right now, Stewart-Harvick is the main event.

Only two points separate the two in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. The winner will either stay in the top 12 (if Stewart finishes ahead of Harvick), or will move into the top 12 (if Harvick finishes on top).

What makes this even more intriguing is that both are phenomenal at Chicagoland.

Only two drivers have multiple wins at Chicagoland - Stewart and Harvick.

The two, along with Matt Kenseth (No. 17 USG Ford), are the only drivers with more than 200 laps led at Chicagoland. And Stewart, Harvick and Kenseth are the only drivers with Driver Ratings above 110.0.

In other words, the battle for a coveted top-12 spot will be held up front.

Over the past three years, Havick owns slightly better stats at Chicagoland than Stewart. Below is the tale of the tape:

Driver Rating: Harvick leads 114.6 to 112.2

Average Running Position: Harvick leads 5.4 to 7.6

Fastest Laps Run: Stewart leads 82 to 27

Laps in the Top 15 percentage: Harvick leads 95% to 88.2%

But since 2005, Kenseth has been the class of the Chicagoland field - despite zero trips to Victory Lane.

Over the past three years, Kenseth has notched two runner-up finishes (2005 and 2007) and a 22nd-place finish in 2006 after leading a race-high 112 laps.

During that span, Kenseth has racked up series-high marks in Driver Rating (126.2), Average Running Position (3.9), Fastest Laps Run (146) and Laps in the Top 15 (792/98.5%).

Also watch for wins and standings leader Kyle Busch to make a strong push for another 10 potential Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup bonus points. With his win at Daytona, Busch now has 60 bonus points, opening up a 40 point lead over Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne.

There’s a good chance he’ll add to that total. In his Chicagoland career, Busch has a Driver Rating of 105.0 (fifth-best), an Average Running Position of 7.8 (fourth) and 25 Fastest Laps Run (tied for eighth).

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