Eighteen races have been run and eight NASCAR Sprint Cup events remain until the Chase for the Sprint Cup field is set.
Sixteen drivers will advance to the Chase. Any driver with a victory, ranking in the top 30 in points and having started every race (unless granted a NASCAR waiver) will make the Chase. If there are more than 16 different winners, ties will be broken by number of wins and then points.
Kyle Busch’s victory Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway made him the fifth multi-race winner this season, but he’s still not Chase eligible.
Busch is 87 points out of 30th in the standings. Busch needs to average a 17th-place finish in the remaining eight races to reach the projected total to make the top 30 and a spot in the Chase.
Reigning champion Kevin Harvick clinched a Chase spot - as long as he starts the remaining eight races before the Chase begins. Harvick holds a 410-point lead on David Gilliland, who is 31st in the standings. Gilliland cannot overcome that deficit in the next eight races, assuring Harvick will be in the top 30 in points.
Here’s who is Chase eligible at this point in the season (*clinched Chase spot):
1 - Jimmie Johnson (4 wins) ... 624 points
2 - Kevin Harvick (2 wins) ... 692 points*
3 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2 wins) ... 616 points
4 - Kurt Busch (2 wins) ... 542 points
5 - Joey Logano (1 win) ... 624 points
6 - Martin Truex Jr. (1 win) ... 596 points
7 - Brad Keselowski (1 win) ... 559 points
8 - Matt Kenseth (1 win) ... 540 points
9 - Denny Hamlin (1 win) ... 522 points
10 - Carl Edwards (1 win) ... 449 points
11 - Jamie McMurray (0 wins) ... 556 points
12 - Jeff Gordon (0 wins) ... 537 points
13 - Kasey Kahne (0 wins) ... 513 points
14 - Paul Menard (0 wins) ... 509 points
15 - Ryan Newman (0 wins) ... 497 points
16 - Clint Bowyer (0 wins) ... 490 points
DRIVERS OUTSIDE A CHASE SPOT
17 - Aric Almirola (0 wins) ... 17 points behind 16th
18 - Greg Biffle (0 wins) ... 70 points behind 16th
19 - Kyle Larson (0 wins) ... 86 points behind 16th
20 - Casey Mears (0 wins) ... 91 points behind 16th
21 - Austin Dillon (0 wins) ... 92 points behind 16th
22 - Danica Patrick (0 wins) ... 94 points behind 16th
23 - AJ Allmendinger (0 wins) ... 120 points behind 16th
24 - David Ragan (0 wins) ... 128 points behind 16th
25 - Trevor Bayne (0 wins) ... 140 points behind 16th
26 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (0 wins) ... 146 points behind 16th
27 - Sam Hornish Jr. (0 wins) ... 147 points behind 16th
28 - Tony Stewart (0 wins) ... 148 points behind 16th
29 - Justin Allgaier (0 wins) ... 184 points behind 16th
30 - Cole Whitt (0 wins) ... 203 points behind 16th
WINNERS NOT IN TOP 30 IN POINTS
35 - Kyle Busch (2 wins) ... 87 points behind 30th
