Dover: Last race in the Chase 'Challenger Round'

Dover, DE (SportsNetwork.com) - Even though its the third race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, its crunch time for several drivers who are trying to remain in the playoffs in NASCAR's premier series.

Sunday's 400-mile race at Dover International Speedway is the final event in the first round of the Chase, known as the "Challenger Round." After Dover, the Chase field will be trimmed from 16 drivers to 12 for the next round, referred to as the "Contender Round."

Team Penske drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano have already clinched a spot in the Contender Round, which includes the races at Kansas (Oct. 5), Charlotte (Oct. 11) and Talladega (Oct. 19). Keselowski won the Sept. 14 Chase-opener at Chicagoland, and his teammate, Logano, scored the victory last Sunday at New Hampshire.

If a driver in the Chase field other than Keselowski and Logano wins at Dover, that person will also automatically advance to the next round. The remaining available positions 1-12 that have not been filled based upon wins will be determined by points. Each driver will then have his points reset to 3,000.

Keselowski and Logano are 1-2, respectively, in the Chase point standings right now.

The other drivers in the Chase and their points ranking include: Kevin Harvick (3rd), Jimmie Johnson (4th), Kyle Busch (5th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (6th), Jeff Gordon (7th), Matt Kenseth (8th), Carl Edwards (9th), A.J. Allmendinger (10th), Kasey Kahne (11th), Ryan Newman (12th), Denny Hamlin (13th), Greg Biffle (14th), Kurt Busch (15th) and Aric Almirola (16th).

Here are the finishes each Chase driver other than Keselowski and Logano needs at Dover to guarantee himself a position in the Contender Round:

Harvick - 34th or better; or 35th and at least one lap led; or 36th and most laps led.

Johnson - 24th or better; or 25th and at least one lap led; or 26th and most laps led.

Kyle Busch and Earnhardt - 21st or better; or 22nd and at least one lap led; or 23rd and most laps led.

Gordon - 14th or better; or 15th and at least one lap led; or 16th and most laps led.

Kenseth and Edwards - 2nd or better; or 3rd and most laps led.

Allmendinger: 2nd or better.

Kahne: 2nd and at least one lap led.

Newman, Hamlin, Biffle, Kurt Busch and Almirola only control their own destiny by winning the race at Dover.

Johnson, the six-time and defending Sprint Cup Series champion, is the all- time winningest driver at this one-mile, concrete-surfaced track. He has won nine races, including the past two there. If he takes the checkered flag on Sunday, Johnson would join David Pearson, Rusty Wallace and Gordon as those drivers who have won three races in a row at Dover.

"I know we've had a lot of wins here and would love to get another win," Johnson said. "It's that time of the year when wins are very important. At the same time, the way this Chase format works, we don't have to win leaving here to advance to the next round, so that's kind of a nice position to be in. And it takes a little bit of pressure off and allows us to go out and just kind of have some fun."

Heading into Dover, just 12 points separate eighth-place Kenseth from 16th- place Almirola.

Presently sitting 10th in points, Allmendinger is hoping to advance to the next round and therefore become the Cinderella driver in the Chase. He finished 22nd at Chicagoland and then 13th at New Hampshire.

"No one really expected us to be here anyway and to have a shot at making it to the next round, so I'm just going to go out there and give it everything I have," Allmendinger said. "For us, we just have to run better. Last week (at New Hampshire) was a decent run, but more than anything, we just have to go out there this weekend and try to make sure we maximize every lap we are on the racetrack and get our car good for Sunday. Whatever happens in the race happens."

Hamlin had a great start in the playoffs with a sixth-place run at Chicagoland, but he had the worst finish among the Chase drivers at New Hampshire, placing 37th due to an early-race fueling problem and then later being caught up in a multi-car wreck. Hamlin dropped to 13th in the standings. He is six points behind 12th-place Newman.

"Our FedEx (sponsored) team can certainly advance to the next segment, but now we need a little help on Sunday," Hamlin said. "It's obviously disappointing to have a mechanical issue take us out of a good finish at New Hampshire, but it's important to put that in the past and focus on what we can control this weekend at Dover. We have had some speed at the track the last few trips there, and we'll need that again this weekend."

Kurt Busch also tumbled in points following his 36th-place run at New Hampshire. He crashed into the wall late in the race. He is eight points in back of Newman.

Almirola had the worst result among the Chase competitors at Chicagoland, finishing 41st due to engine failure. But he bounced back nicely at New Hampshire with a six-place run.

"Our goal is to transfer into that next round, but we can't really worry about what everybody else is doing. All we can do is worry about ourselves," Almirola said. "We're 10 points out of 12th right now, so basically I just have to finish 10 spots ahead of everybody that is in front of me from 15th to 12th in points, which sounds easier than it really is, but I'm glad for our sake that we're still in it."

Forty-three teams are on the entry list for the AAA 400.

Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup. Date: Sunday, Sept. 28. Race: AAA 400. Site: Dover International Speedway. Track: 1-mile oval. Start time: 2 p.m. ET. Laps: 400. Miles: 400. 2013 Winner: Jimmie Johnson. Television: ESPN. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio.