Logano alone hits Talladega stress-free
Who’s up and who’s down after the second race of the second round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup at Kansas Speedway.
THREE UP
Joey Logano: Up. Very up. Like a rocket up. Logano is 2-for-2 in Chase races in the second round, can smirk with comfort while racing next weekend in the tempest of Talladega Superspeedway and is building momentum like a very smart kid stacking blocks. “We can obviously be proud of what we’ve done, but don’t just hang your hat on that,” Logano said.
Denny Hamlin: While Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch keep running into Chase roadblocks, Hamlin has been a charger in this round, finishing fourth at Charlotte Motor Speedway and second at Kansas to sit rather peacefully in second place in points entering Talladega. He is one of seven drivers in the remaining dozen who own at least one win at Talladega.
Kurt Busch: Busch has had a relatively quiet Chase, but he sits in third behind Logano and Hamlin entering Talladega. He had solid if not spectacular cars at Charlotte and Kansas, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. He’s winless at Talladega.
THREE DOWN
Matt Kenseth: For a guy who had really good cars at Charlotte and Kansas, Kenseth is in really bad shape. He was 12th and last in Chase points entering Kansas and left the Great Plains still in 12th. He’s in a must-win situation at Talladega, and that’s a nervous spot for any driver. Kenseth has won once there.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Junior is three spots out of qualifying for the third round of the Chase after a sour day at Kansas left him 21st, two laps down. If there’s a bright spot in this dark scenario, it’s that his lastchance race is at Talladega, where Earnhardt tend to shine. A win by Junior would send the Talladega crowd into spasms of joy
Kyle Busch: Will Busch’s seemingly annual Chase troubles continue? After rallying for a fifth-place finish Sunday, he’s one spot below the Chase cutoff line. Entering Talladega, he’s six points behind Martin Truex Jr. for the final third-round spot. Busch owns a win at the sport’s biggest track but has five top-10 finishes in 20 races there.