Charlotte Preview: Lots of Non-Chasers to Consider For Win This Week

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

The list contenders for this years NASCAR’s Chase for the Championship got a little shorter following last weeks at California. Heading into Fontana, there were eight drivers within 85 points of the leader. Coming into Charlotte this week, there are only four drivers within 85 points as a series of wrecks, blown engines and bad luck derailed a few of the chasers.

With Tony Stewart winning he moved up five places to fifth in points, 107 points from Jimmie Johnson who extended his lead over second place Denny Hamlin to 36 points. Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon are third and fourth respectively.

The Las Vegas Hilton has adjusted their odds to win the title with Johnson being the strong 5 to 8 favorite followed by Hamlin and Harvick at 9/2, then Gordon and Stewart at 15/1.

Six races remain in the Chase and even though some drivers have counted themselves out for that title, winning weekly races is still the name of the game. This week we’ll have more candidates than ever capable of winning including non-Chasers like Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin and David Reutimann will all have just as good a chance of winning the race as some of the favorites who are involved in the Chase.

Kurt Busch won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May for his second win of the season on 1.5-mile high banked tracks with McMurray, Kyle Busch, Martin and Reutimann right behind him. We’ve seen a great mix of drivers do well on these type of tracks this season. Unlike the first four races on these type of tracks, the Roush drivers figure to major player this week as well.

Read More Here including early top 5 selections

Reutimann Takes Asterisk Off Record with Chicagoland Win

By David Newton
ESPN.COM

JOLIET, Ill. -- Two months ago David Reutimann stood on pit road at Charlotte Motor Speedway beside a duplicate of the Coca-Cola 600 trophy he won there a year earlier in a rain-shortened event. He joked about how there should be an asterisk beside his name, reminding everyone there is one every time somebody mentions the victory.

Deep down, you got the feeling he wasn't joking.

Deep down Reutimann wanted nothing more than to prove he belonged in Victory Lane just as much as four-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson or anybody else, that he wasn't just the driver who got lucky one day.

He can stop wanting. He belongs.

The 40-year-old driver for Michael Waltrip Racing took the lead from Jeff Gordon on Lap 213 of Saturday night's race at Chicagoland Speedway and dominated the final 54 laps for his second career victory.

As he crossed the finish line, his spotter shouted, "Ain't no rain tonight!"

But there was moisture in the air, and more than just from the tears raining down Reutimann's face and the Gatorade shower in Victory Lane.

"We earned this one," Reutimann said. "Nobody gave it to us and that feels pretty good."

The win felt good for a lot of reasons. It was refreshing in a season in which powerhouse organizations Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Penske Racing and Richard Childress Racing had won all but one of 18 races.

It was good to see the raw emotion of a driver hungry to win instead of the almost "aw-shucks-I-did-it-again" reaction from Johnson, Denny Hamlin and the Busch brothers, Kurt and Kyle.

Not since pole-sitter Jamie McMurray kissed the grass after winning the opener in Daytona have we seen a more popular win or emotional display.

Read More Here