Chase update: Not much changes after lackluster Pure Michigan 400
On a day where there frankly wasn't a whole lot of drama, there were few significant changes in the grid for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Following Matt Kenseth's dominating victory in Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway, the same 16 drivers who began the day Chase eligible, ended it that way.
Here's how the grid shakes out with three races left in the Sprint Cup regular season:
Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, 4 wins each;
Matt Kenseth, 3 wins;
Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt, Kurt Busch, 2 wins each;
Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, 1 win each;
Jamie McMurray, zero victories, 70 points ahead of the Chase cutoff;
Paul Menard, zero victories, 61 points ahead of Chase cutoff;
Ryan Newman, zero victories, 56 points ahead of Chase cutoff; and
Jeff Gordon, zero victories, 55 points ahead of Chase cutoff;
Clint Bowyer, zero victories, 23 points ahead of Chase cutoff.
The first drivers outside the Chase are Aric Almirola, who is 23 points behind Bowyer and Kasey Kahne, who is 26 back.
Both Almirola and Kahne, who finished 14th and 15th, respectively, made up a huge chunk of ground Sunday after Bowyer crashed and finished 41st.
But with only three races left in the regular season and the always unpredictable Bristol Motor Speedway coming up Saturday night, the final couple of Chase spots remain wide open.
