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Two Left Till Chase, Is The Field Set?

Two weeks of racing into the Chase for the Championship in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season are left with Atlanta on tap this weekend. With the introduction of the Wild Card berths to the Chase this year, anything can still happen to shake up the Chase field during the races at Atlanta and Richmond.

This is the only time the Cup drivers will race at the 1.5 mile track in Georgia, but with it being a “cookie-cutter” type of track, they should feel good if they ran well at other same type tracks like Texas and Charlotte. Atlanta has an aging surface so tire wear will be an issue. Watch practice to see who is fast over a long run rather than just a fast lap to have an idea who will be at the front of the pack during the race.

With Brad Keselowski’s big win last weekend at Bristol, he will be a driver to watch as he has been on fire over the last four races with two wins, a second and third place finish. The most interested party in Keselowski’s progress at Atlanta will be the number 14 team. Tony Stewart is clinging to the top ten in the Sprint Cup point standings by 21 points over Keselowski and the two have been on opposite paths as far as the race finishes.

Clint Bowyer is also sniffing at the top ten, currently 22 points behind Stewart. Bowyer would need to not only pass Stewart over the next two races but also finish ahead of Kesolowski to get in the top ten. The other way for Bowyer to get in would be to win a race. Last year Bowyer finished seventh at Atlanta and sixth at Richmond. Last weekend was a great opportunity missed for Bowyer when Stewart ran horrible and finished in 28th place. Finishing in 26th at Bristol, Bowyer could only gain two points in the standings.

Another driver to keep an eye on this weekend is A.J. Allmendinger. Allmendinger hasn’t has great success at Atlanta, but he has been moving up through the point standings. A win by Allmendinger would put him into one of the wild card positions and would continue a season of first time winners.

Paul Menard, David Ragan and Marcos Ambrose are in a tight pack in the standings trying position themselves in the top twenty. Menard is in 20th with Ragan three points behind and Ambrose four points back. If Keselowski’s hot streak gets him into the top ten, a wild card spot will open up with those three drivers eligible after each getting their first win this year. With the caveat being they need to be in the top twenty, those drivers could be back in the wild card race.

There are still too many scenarios to play out, which is what makes this race to the Chase so interesting. A driver like Kasey Kahne or Greg Biffle could win at Atlanta and find themselves eligible for a wild card spot. Following Atlanta, the scenarios should be less but the storylines for Richmond will be very intriguing.

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