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NASCAR: Non-Chase Drivers Who Still Have A Lot To Race For

By Christopher Olmstead

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USA Today Sports

The majority of the coverage heading into the final NASCAR Sprint Cup race of 2014 will be centered around the four drivers who will be looking to win their first championship. While Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Ryan Newman has earned the spotlight, they will not be the only storylines heading into Homestead-Miami. This weekend there will be a handful of non-chase drivers who will be looking to win for reasons all of their own.

Below is a quick look at some of the other drivers in the field as well as some other potential storylines on Sunday.

  • Matt Kenseth – Kenseth won seven races in 2013 and he has not won thus far in 2014. Kenseth will be looking to avoid making some dubious history this weekend. If Kenseth doesn’t win Sunday he will become only the eighth driver in NASCAR history to win at least five races in one season and then not win at all the following season. Even more dubious, Kenseth not winning on Sunday would be the second largest falloff of wins from one season to another. The greatest falloff was when Carl Edwards won nine races in 2008 only to not win a single race in 2009.
  • Tony Stewart – Stewart has won at least one race in every season over the last 15 seasons. The record for the most consecutive seasons with a win in NASCAR is 18 which is held by Richard Petty. If Stewart is to keep his streak and the hope of topping Petty’s record alive, he needs to win this weekend.
  • 2013 winners – Ryan Newman, Brian Vickers, David Ragan, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray and Martin Truex Jr. each won a race in 2013 but have not won in 2014. While there is no record on the line here, each of these drivers would like to at least match last season by winning a race. That is of course with the exception of Newman who could win a title this weekend even if he doesn’t win the race.
  • Marcos Ambrose – Ambrose will run his final NASCAR race on Sunday as he is leaving the series after this season.
  • Carl Edwards and Dale Jr. – both Edwards and Earnhardt Jr. will be losing their crew chiefs at the end of the season. Edwards is moving to a new team and his current crew chief is retiring. Steve Letarte who is currently with Earnhardt Jr. will be moving to broadcasting next season and will be leaving the No. 88 team.
  • Brad Keselowski – One has to wonder if Keselowski will find drama on Sunday or if it will find him. There are a few drivers no longer in the chase that might still have some issues with him and they might decide this is the time to hash those issues out.
  • Kurt Busch – Come the Daytona 500 we should all know a lot more about the domestic allegations surrounding Busch. If those allegations prove true, this might be the last time that we see Busch for awhile as the fallout from an arrest could have a major impact on his career.
  • Jeff Gordon – The hurt of last week is still going to be real for fans of Gordon. That hurt will only increase if Gordon wins the race on Sunday or finishes well ahead of the rest of the chasers.

Aside from the championship, what other storylines or drivers will you be watching this weekend? Be sure to comment below and let us know.

Christopher Olmstead is the Editor of BeyondTheFlag.com on the FanSided Network. Follow us on Twitter @Beyond_The_Flag and “Like” us on Facebook.

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