With three victories in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Kyle Busch could be near the top of the standings when the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins at New Hampshire. That’s because Chase drivers have their point totals reset to 5,000, and they then get 10 bonus points for each pre-Chase victory – creating Chase “seedings.”
But first, Busch has to make the Chase to the NASCAR Sprint Cup. With five races to go in the “Race To The Chase,” Busch is 13th in the standings, 101 points behind 12th-place Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford).
In addition, Brian Vickers (No. 83 Red Bull Toyota), Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet) and David Reutimann (No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota) are within 20 points of Busch, looking to leap-frog their way into the Chase.
Reutimann knows how tenuous making the Chase can be. He was running in contention in Monday’s event at Pocono Raceway, only to tangle with eventual winner Denny Hamlin and finish 29th, falling from 13th to 16th in the championship.
Busch will be looking to make a charge in the opposite direction this weekend. He was NASCAR’s road warrior in 2008. Prior to his victory at The Glen, he won the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Infineon Raceway and the NASCAR Nationwide Series event in Mexico City. He started the Watkins Glen race on the pole after qualifying was rained out, and led four times – including the final 26 circuits.
CAR DRIVER MAKE 0 David Reutimann Toyota 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 6 David Ragan Ford 7 Robby Gordon Toyota 7 Casey Mears Chevrolet 8 Terry Labonte Ford 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge 9 Ron Fellows Chevrolet 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 12 David Stremme Dodge 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 16 Greg Biffle Ford 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge 20 Joey Logano* Toyota 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 26 Jamie McMurray Ford 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 34 John Andretti Chevrolet 36 Brian Simo Toyota 37 Tony Ave Chevrolet 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge 44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 55 Patrick Carpentier Toyota 66 Dave Blaney Toyota 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 82 Scott Speed* Toyota 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 96 Bobby Labonte Ford 98 Paul Menard Ford 99 Carl Edwards Ford 113 Max Papis* Toyota 170 David Gilliland Chevrolet 171 Andy Lally Chevrolet 187 Joe Nemechek Toyota 204 P.J. Jones Toyota
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