Busch is also the defending Cup champion.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – The odds are once again stacked for Joe Gibbs Racing, the team with all four of its drivers in NASCAR’s playoffs.
The rest: Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson round out the top-10. Clint Bowyer will return to the series for the first time since 2012 in place of Dale Earnhardt Jr.in the No. 88 vehicle.
Elliott, who replaced the retired Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 Chevrolet, called Stewart someone he’s “looked up to” for a long time.
That 16-driver field will be gradually cut down over several rounds to 12, then 8 and finally the Championship 4 before the title is won on November 20 in Miami. But, he was only able to pick up two wins this year and he finished half of the races in the top five and only finished outside of the top ten in five events. “But a year ago we had a very real chance of being in the Final Four at Homestead, but a mechanical (problem) got us, which is frustrating”. “We shouldn’t have been in this situation (fighting for a final spot)”.
“I feel good about heading into the first round and we will evaluate; I think Talladega might be in the second round, so there are some unknowns”, he said. So we wanted to put that in place.
“I’m proud to be here”.
“I’m very excited to be in. That’s pretty good, but I’m going to tweak this and that, and they make it better yet”. “I just kind of let it go, and let it be what it was going to be, and not push too hard and not stress too much about it and try to make something happen that wouldn’t naturally happen”.
In 10 career starts at Chicagoland, Hamlin has one win, two top fives, four top 10s and an average finish of 17.1.
On Saturday, Buescher entered the race only nine points ahead of David Ragan, who held the 31st position in the championship standings.
His confidence is unmistakable going into Joliet, the city where the track is located. If he can’t win it, though, Stewart doesn’t have someone in mind that he would like see to capture the championship – not when everyone is chasing after the same goal of reaching Homestead I line for a title.
“The other big question on everybody’s mind is that we always believe that Jimmie Johnson will always be a contender, and understandably”, McReynolds said.
“Thankfully, we can now go into next week and get our trucks ready for New Hampshire”.
Fellow RCR drivers Ryan Newman and Paul Menard didn’t fare as well as Dillon at RIR, having been involved in crashes on laps 266 and 364, respectively. Kyle has a bunch of momentum on his side with The Chase starting this weekend and he has expressed his love of numerous tracks included in this portion of the season due to their configuration, length and worn surfaces.
Elliot, who is driving the No. 24 auto and replacing legend Jeff Gordon is also the son of racing legend Bill Elliott and was expected to be a successful driver in the series. As the Georgia native was making his way through the pack, he brought out the caution on lap 96 after pounding the outside wall in Turn 1, following a cut left front tire.
“It’s a whole different mindset and a whole different approach each week”, Stewart said Thursday. “I guess he thought he was in a sprint vehicle again and didn’t know how to control his anger”, Newman said then.
Makes you wonder if he wrote another predicting that he’d win the NASCAR championship. Ty Dillon, younger brother to Austin and grandson of Childress, is looking to join the Cup series fulltime in 2017 with RCR or possibly another team.
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Chris Buescher and Chase Elliott mark the first time two rookies have made the Chase in the same season. “That is what we’ve been trying to do”. Better, in this case, on Friday than on race day. “We will see. We will keep fighting for a victory that is what we are here for”.
