NASCAR: Who’s Hot And Who’s Not Heading Into Kansas Speedway

USA Today Sports

NOT – Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, AJ Allmendinger and Aric Almirola

The third race of the chase was filled with heartbreak and disappointment for the four drivers above but for different reasons. Allmendinger and Almirola entered the chase as the ultimate underdogs, both drivers most likely knew that championship dreams were not realistic but advancing to the next round was. Unfortunately a bad opening race put Almirola behind the eight ball and even though Allmendinger was inside the top-12 entering the third race of the chase he wasn’t able to maintain that position. When it comes to Biffle the chase was a reminder that the No. 16 car simply doesn’t belong running with the top cars of the series. For whatever reason Roush Fenway Racing doesn’t seem to provide Biffle with competitive cars. This was evident in the chase where Biffle’s best finish was 16th and even that was aided by a flurry of late cautions that gave him favorable track position. For Busch this past weekend truly was about heartbreak. There were several points in the last 50 laps of the race where Busch was inside of the top-12 but in the end his car faded and he couldn’t hold the track position. While none of these drivers may have been true championship contenders, nobody ever wants to be the first one eliminated from contention.