Sizzlers – Following Atlanta Motor Speedway

Aug 31, 2014; Hampton, GA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne (5) celebrates after winning the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Sizzlers

Better late than never!

Kasey Kahne

Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it better. After months of struggling to keep up with the performance of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne would finally join the chase party by capturing his first win of the 2014 season.

Now with all four of Mr. H’s cars guaranteed a spot in the Chase, Kahne finally has an opportunity to elevate his game. Winning this past weekend’s race at Atlanta has sent Kahne’s stock through the roof heading into a crucial stretch of races that will ultimately determine if Kahne can compete for his first NSCS title once the Chase begins. With things finally going Kahne’s way he can surely capitalize on what was perhaps the biggest win of his NSCS career.

Mr. Consistency

Matt Kenseth

Thanks to his consistent nature Matt Kenseth has qualified for the Chase based on his position in the points standings. Kenseth punched his ticket to the party following a solid second-place finish in Atlanta.

Two consecutive weeks of gambling on pit strategy put Matt Kenseth in prime position to score his first win of the 2014 season, only to come up short in the closing laps at both Bristol and then again at Atlanta. Although he remains the only JGR driver yet to score a win in 2014, ironically, he remains the organizations best chance at winning a title in 2014. Since surviving a rocky stretch of races in August, two consecutive podium finish has the former champion not only on the verge of claiming victory, but focused on battling the mega powers of Hendrick Motorsports & Team Penske down the stretch.

Every cloud has a silver lining

Danica Patrick

In a season marred by miserable luck on and off the track, Stewart Haas Racing has managed to find silver linings in small victories. The most recent of these small victories came at Atlanta where Danica Patrick continued to improve her skill set as a NSCS driver, scoring her career best finish of sixth. Patrick carefully crafted her way through the field all night long, putting herself in a position to potentially pull off what would have be considered the greatest upset in NASCAR history. Although she would fade out of the top five on the final restart to finish sixth, we learned that she is committed to doing whatever it takes to become a legitimate front runner on the NSCS tour in the not so distant future. Soon we could be talking about Danica Patrick making the Chase.

Taking a stand

Ryan Newman

Like Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman has relied on consistent finishes all season long to solidify his position among the Chase contenders. Newman has done a magnificent job in recent weeks of maintaining his position in the overall point’s standings, despite the fact he’s yet to visit victory lane in 2014. Newman has one final opportunity to break into the winner’s circle at Richmond this weekend before he enters the Chase as the only representative from Richard Childress Racing. I don’t know; maybe Newman can steal a page out of Jeremy Mayfield’s book and make the Chase riding a wave of momentum. After all, he deserves to be there.

Piecing it together

Roush Fenway Racing

The impending departure of Carl Edwards is bound to leave a major void at Roush Fenway Racing in 2015. Losing Cousin Carl will indeed hurt the organization in the short term, but if the organization’s recent string of good fortune is any indication they will be in good hands moving forward with future leader Greg Biffle at the helm. Carl Edwards is on his way to the Chase by virtue of his two victories on the season, while teammate Greg Biffle has gone on a tear recently with run that started with a top five finish at Pocono in August. Since then, the Biff has rolled off four consecutive top 10 finishes all in an effort to punch his ticket to the Chase despite not winning a race in 2014. Biffle’s hot run should land him in the Chase on points, but the recent resurgence of the Biff is a positive reinforcement that RFR will survive without mainstay Carl Edwards.

Follow Stock Car Spin on Twitter @SCSblog or like Stock Car Spin on Facebook.