Sprint Cup drivers shuffle spots in top 12 after Daytona
Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway featured a shakeup among several drivers hunting for spots in the Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Roush Fenway Racing's Matt Kenseth, who entered the race in 13th in the series standings, got the best end of the deal. Kenseth's third-place finish vaulted the 2003 series champion four positions to ninth in the standings.
Just 34 points now separate eighth-place Kasey Kahne and 13th-place Kevin Harvick. Harvick entered the race clinging to the 12th and final Chase spot and left two points outside of 12th.
That spot is now occupied by Joe Gibbs Racing's Tony Stewart, who dropped three positions from ninth. Stewart started Saturday night's race before handing over the wheel to relief driver J.J. Yeley because of flu-like symptoms. Per NASCAR rules, the driver who starts a race is awarded all the points for that race, so Stewart collected the points that came with Yeley's 20th-place finish.
Roush Fenway Racing's Greg Biffle also lost three positions and is now 11th in the standings after a midrace accident with Chip Ganassi Racing's Juan Pablo Montoya that left Biffle with a 43rd-place finish.
Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s Martin Truex Jr. remained 14th in the standings but is likely to fall this week depending on the severity of an impending penalty from NASCAR because his car failed a prequalifying inspection at Daytona on Thursday.
Roush Fenway Racing's David Ragan, who gained two spots at Daytona, will likely move into 14th with the Truex penalty. Ragan is now 15th, just 14 points behind Truex.
Other changes in the top 12 saw Hendrick Motorsports' Dale Earnhardt Jr. taking second from Richard Childress Racing's Jeff Burton, Kahne jumping two spots to eighth and RCR's Clint Bowyer moving up a spot to 10th.
Eight races remain before the Chase gets under way at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 14.
