Of the 71 races in the history of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, only 13 have been won by drivers who were not Chase-eligible. The last to do so was Jamie McMurray at Charlotte Motor Speedway last year. Actually he played spoiler the last two times it has happened (also in 2009 at Talladega).
This year’s Chase field is stout though, and a victory by a non-Chaser seems improbable. After all, the top six and eight of the top-10 finishers at Chicago were Chase drivers.
But, if there were a Chase track (not named Talladega) that could host a surprise victor, it’s New Hampshire. The last four winners of the New Hampshire Chase race all missed the Chase this season: Clint Bowyer, Mark Martin, Greg Biffle and Bowyer again.
Five of the top-10 finishers in July’s New Hampshire race did not make the Chase, including Joey Logano, who finished fourth.
Plus, there’s the decreasing list of 2010 winners who remain winless in 2011 from which to pull. After Tony Stewart’s win at Chicagoland, that list is now five drivers long: McMurray, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, David Reutimann and Juan Pablo Montoya.
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