No competitor wants to finish last. Or – in the case of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ - next to last, either.\
That’s why you’ll see no “give up” in any of the three competitors eliminated from the Chase last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. There’s pride at stake, of course, but the opportunity to be among the final top 10 drivers on-stage at next month’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas is equally, if not more, important.
Statistics aren’t everything but here’s how Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman (currently ranked 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively) have performed at Phoenix International Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Hamlin, 10th, has one win at Homestead, a Phoenix Driver Rating of 98.3 (sixth) and finished 11th at Phoenix in February.
• Busch, 11th, has a Phoenix win, was second there in February but has an average finish of 26.3 at Homestead, where he was 32nd a year ago.
• Newman, 12th, won at Phoenix in 2010 and was second there in February. He’s the only one of the trio with a top-10 finish (seventh) at Homestead last season.
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