He said selecting a favorite among Toyota Chase drivers would be tough.
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With rookie Chase Elliott appearing to be on the verge of his first Sprint Cup win, Truex was closing ground but admitted that he was unlikely to pass him in the late going. Drivers, start your aggression. “I know what he’s going through”, Truex said. “You do what you have to do for your team, whatever that may be, and worry about the consequences later”.
Last year’s race victor Denny Hamlin finished sixth.
So why was Johnson smiling when he fielded questions during a media event Thursday?
Kenseth said he’s maintaining a one-week-at-a-time mentality for the Chase. “It is all about what is up in your head”.
Bowyer, a former series champion, finished sixth in his first Xfinity race since 2012. “I’m just really excited”. Newman ripped Stewart, saying he was “bipolar” and “should be retired the way he drives”. “Making the move to the outside was the only one I was presented with”.
That feud a year ago started at Kansas when Logano wrecked Kenseth. “Whether it’s a green-flag run or five restarts, you’ve got to be able to do it”.
With qualifying canceled Friday because of rain, Chase top-seed Kyle Busch started from the pole. (1 victory, 2,050 points): Race victor is thinking about the Chase’s second segment now.
There will be three rounds of eliminations before four drivers are left to contend for the title at the finale on November 20 at Homestead.
It’s the Chase, after all, and of the 120 Chase races held so far, Johnson has won 26.
“It’s not as bad as I expected”, Johnson said when asked about the Chase standings.
Chicago was another unfortunate outcome for the rookie Hendrick Motorsports driver. The Chase field of 16 gets cut to 12 after two more races, with the winners automatically advancing and the four worst drivers in points eliminated.
“We have more races to win”, Truex said.
These days, even the cranky drivers become quite pleasant once they win a race because they’re locked into a playoff spot. “I think the only way to get through those type of things is to have experience with it and kind of learn how to deal with it and understand that, ‘Hey, this isn’t the end of the world, we can overcome it'”. I wouldn’t want to do that to anybody. Right now, I feel like any racetrack, any weekend, anywhere in the country we can win.
While NASCAR may wink at the arguments and rough racing, the sanctioning body has vowed to crack down on cheating in the garage.
Truex’s vehicle also failed the laser inspection, but a points penalty won’t matter.
But many drivers are too focused on their own work. The reason I thought it was intentional was because we were on a straightaway. “Getting that fourth position on the outside I think was the key to winning”.
JOHNSON: He begins his quest for a record-tying seventh title at a track where he’s never won and in a format he’s yet to master.
“It’s not yours until it’s over”, the 20-year-old Elliott said. But now that he knows he’s in the quarterfinal round of the Chase, he can go to New Hampshire and Dover the next two weeks without a care in the world. Chris Buescher had been the biggest underdog.
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Kyle Busch’s auto flunked LIS once but passed a second time and will not be penalized.
