Three 'wild-card' races loom large on who makes the Chase
When the checkered flag waves Sunday at Dover, we will be officially halfway through the Race to the Chase. We'll have 13 races in the books and 13 races to go. So far this season we have had nine different winners in 12 events. There are still plenty of big names in our sport that have yet to punch their ticket into the 2015 Chase.
Following Sunday's Dover race, in those last 13 races before the Chase we have what I believe to be three wild-card events. We have the two road-course races, Sonoma and Watkins Glen, plus obviously the restrictor-plate race at Daytona in July. If you look at Sonoma, for example, it's something like 10 different winners in the past 10 races there. So that truly makes that race a wild card.
Think back to Daytona last year where Aric Almirola nabbed a win and then Watkins Glen where AJ Allmendinger and his bunch snagged a win. So there are two examples of drivers we don't see running up front every week being able to pull off a win and put themselves, their team and their sponsors in the Chase.
I still believe once Richmond on Saturday night, Sept. 12 is in the books, we will probably have 13 winners or maybe 14 winners. I think Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle will all win a race and make it into the Chase. There is still plenty of racing to go. I think we'll get four or five more winners, but you just never know what those two road courses and Daytona have in store for everyone.
