NASCAR THIS WEEK
1. Sweet 16
The NASCAR Cup Series regular season ended a day late because of rain at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but produced a 16-driver playoff field. The drivers going through are: Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman.
2. Rising, falling
After winning back-to-back NASCAR crown jewel events with the Southern 500 and Brickyard 400, Keselowski has suddenly emerged as a championship contender. Crew chief Paul Wolfe used pit strategy to help secure the wins. He (Wolfe) gave me the ball, and I had to make a play, Keselowski said. Truex finished last at Indy. Hopefully well get this bad luck out of the way before the playoffs start next week, he said.
3. Stewarts four
Of all the teams in the NASCAR Cup Series, Stewart-Haas Racing has the edge as far as pure numbers. SHR saw all four of its drivers make the playoffs, led by Kevin Harvick, who has a series-high eight wins. As a team, SHR scooped up 11 regular-season victories. Almirola advanced into the playoffs on points. Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports each pushed three drivers into the postseason.
Godwin Kelly, [email protected]
