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NASCAR Pure Michigan 400: Preview and prediction

By Charles Rahrig V

Oct 10, 2014; Concord, NC, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) during practice for the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 10, 2014; Concord, NC, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) during practice for the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 28, 2014; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr talks with Jeff Gordon during practice for the STP Gas Booster 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2014; Martinsville, VA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr talks with Jeff Gordon during practice for the STP Gas Booster 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /

Who’s Not

Jeff Gordon

Things are beginning to get dicey for Jeff Gordon as The Chase and the end of his career draw near. Expected to make it in based off points, Gordon finished 41st at Watkins Glen after a brake line failure, and fell in the points.

He is currently 14th, and if another driver who hasn’t yet won claims victory, he would drop to 15th – right on the edge of falling out. That could happen, though the more likely route is that he would fall out based on poor performances like last week’s race at The Glen.

There’s no doubt about it, Gordon just needs to start and finish these last four races without any troubles. If he can do that, he will get to compete for one final Sprint Cup Championship before saying farewell for good. At this point it doesn’t feel like he’s going to pick up a win, but you can never count the No. 24 out. He is the defending winner of the Pure Michigan 400, and this would be a great weekend for him to finally lock up his spot in The Chase.

The end is near for his great career, and hopefully it ends on a high note.

Kasey Kahne

Drifting away, wave after wave, race after race, Kasey Kahne’s 2015 season is all but close to being over after a disastrous two-week stretch. The past couple of races have put his season on ice, and have Kahne on the outside looking in as The Chase nears. His road to nowhere all began in Pocono just a few weeks ago, when his name was mentioned amongst other drivers expected to take part in this year’s postseason.

However, Kahne’s race was over just a few laps in as he crashed into pit road, which brought out a red flag. Then, as if things couldn’t get worse, as he battled Clint Bowyer for one of the last spots in The Chase, a chain reaction wreck at Watkins Glen knocked him off the track for good.

For Kahne, he sits on the outside and must put together four great runs to get back into the 16th spot. What’s going against him is if another driver that has yet to win finally takes the checkered, because that would make the 16th spot irrelevant.

With the new format, it just goes to show how quickly a spot can slip away. It’s win or bust for Kasey Kahne and his team.

AJ Allmendinger

If there was a driver to feel bad for, it’s AJ Allmendinger. Last season’s road-course darling, Allmendinger won the 2014 race at Watkins Glen to earn himself a spot to compete for a Sprint Cup Championship. With his best chance at getting into NASCAR’s postseason coming at road courses, Allmendinger looked primed to have a chance to get in yet again.

In the first road race of the season at Sonoma, Allmendinger had the fastest car leading up to the race, and was the fastest during the race until car issues took him off the track and derailed what could have been a monumental day for his team.

It was the same story yet again at Watkins Glen, as he was the fastest leading up to the race – even qualifying for the pole. Once again problems with his car led him to losing ground, and probably his last chance at having a spot in The Chase.

It’s unlikely the road-course specialist takes a win at an oval track before The Chase begins, but sometimes it’s lessons learned on the track, whether good or bad, that help propel a driver forward. Allmendinger will have a lot to take away from this season as he prepares for next year.

Next: Prediction

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