Who’s Hot?
Matt Kenseth picked up his fifth win of the season at New Hampshire last Sunday. With five wins on the season, Matt Kenseth has more wins than any other driver in NASCAR this season. He’s currently on a hot streak as he contends in each race and is looking like a championship favorite.
Not only was his win at New Hampshire big, but it also moved him into the next round of the chase. He’s also currently first in the championship standings, which means if he runs well in the second round of the chase, he will likely advance to the next round based on his standing.
For most of the season, Kenseth wasn’t even in the discussion of championship contender, but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver turned it on toward the end of the summer and his since been unstoppable along with the rest of his teammates. It’s been a while since Kenseth won his first and only cup championship, but now it’s looking like he might be adding his second very soon.
The other driver that has earned a trip into the second round of the chase, Denny Hamlin has been great in the first two races of the postseason. He won the opening race of the chase at Chicagoland and last week battled for the win at New Hampshire.
Despite having a torn ACL, Hamlin has put on a championship performance thus far and is doing what it takes to set himself up to contend for a championship. He sits second in the championship standings right behind his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth.
Eventually it’s going to be every man for themselves, but right now the Joe Gibbs Racing guys can help each other advance to the next round while still battling each other for wins. There is not a team with better chemistry at the moment.
The one driver that stands a chance to break up the Joe Gibbs Racing party is Joey Logano. While the Joe Gibbs Racing team has been running wild through the entire season picking up win after win without showing any signs of slowing down, Joey Logano has been the one driver who has dared to challenge them.
Quite frankly, Logano’s been just as good as anyone on the Joe Gibbs Racing team. For those that would like to see someone take down the monster that is the JGR four-car lineup, their best hopes lie with Logano, who has been in contention for wins every single week.
This week at the AAA 400, Logano comes in motivated with a chance to punch his ticket to the second round. While a win guarantees him a spot, Logano is currently fourth in the championship standings and just needs to keep the car safe to move onto the next round. It will be interesting to see what strategy Logano goes with as he looks to move on. A win could move him up the standings and perhaps put him in even better standing as more and more drivers get eliminated.
Carl Edwards is part of that Joe Gibbs Racing triumvirate that has been dominating to start the chase thus far. He doesn’t have a win yet, but his spot in the second round is all but locked up thanks to his third spot in the championship standings.
Carl Edwards has never been afraid to risk it and race for the win, and this time of the year, it’s all about wins as he tries to set himself up with a high seed that will allow him to move on through each round of the chase. A win Sunday, would potentially give himself a chance to catch his teammate Denny Hamlin for the second spot in the standings.
Edwards is currently four spots behind Hamlin. Sure the third spot is good for moving onto in the second round and probably even the third. However, second in the standings would make Edwards and his team feel even more secure as they aim to bring home a championship.
Next: Who's Not?