Sprint Cup Series Point Analysis: Drivers 16-20

The Sprint Cup Series version of the playoffs can be a little daunting for some racing teams and the ability to fight through early season pitfalls can be there difference between getting into the chase or not. As I continue onto the drivers slated in the 16th-20th spots in the point standings, keep in mind that these are types of teams and drivers that are in that position mid way through the regular season.

Hopefully this article will shed a little light on where this group of racers are and need to be for the rest of the 2016 NASCAR season, if they want a chance to compete in the final races that decide it all. Many of the competitors and their teams in this category may very well not win a race all season so capturing all the points they can in the second half of the season is an absolute must if they want a chance at the coveted chase.

Sitting in the 16th position is NASCAR’s gritty veteran Ryan Newman. Newman and his #31 Granger/ MAC Chevrolet are of to another consistent start to the 2016 season. The South Bend, Indiana native has found a way to qualify well over the last ten weeks, reaching the top 15 in seven of his last ten. The starting position has carried over to race day with Newman capturing all four of his top ten performances during that time span.

He has only led one lap on the Sprint Cup Series season and has one did not finish. Whats kept Newman a float is he is averaging a 14.9 starting spot and finishing right at 16.3. The Granger/Mac team will need to find a way to up their game if they want to climb higher in the point standings. Las Vegas has Newman at a distant 100/1 to claim the title as his own.

The 17th points placement belongs to road racing specialist A.J. Allmendinger. The #47 Bush’s Grillin Beans Chevrolet team has under achieved in the qualifying rounds in 2016 which has mired them into the back half of the field for a lot of the races so far. Short tracks and road course definitely suit this drivers fancy and his best finish was a second place at Bristol Motor Speedways compact bowl. If the team can take advantage of some of the road races coming up on the Sprint Cup Series schedule in the second half of the season, Allmendinger could squeeze out a win and place himself into the chase. Oddsmakers have him at a meager 500/1.

Hendricks Motorsports’s Kasey Kahne finds himself in 18th. The #5 Farmers Insurance team is off to another slow start to the 2016 Sprint Cup season. It has been hit or miss this year for Kahne who one week will finish in the top five or the top ten and the next will be in the back half of the field. The inconsistency is showing with his 18th points position.

Kahne will have to string together better outings if he hopes to have a chance in the NASCAR playoffs. He has two top five’s and five top 10’s. If any driver in this group can work his way out of a whole it’s Kahne. Vegas has him slotted in at 60/1, the best odds of this group of drivers.

In the 19th position is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The #17 SunnyD Rousch Fenway Racing team has found some considerable speed in the qualifying rounds this year but it has not correlated to good finishes. Stenhouse Jr. is averaging a solid 12.7 starting position in the Sprint Cup Series, but is finishing out race day with a 17.8 average finish. The Ford Fusion driver has onr top five in 2016 and two top 10’s. Bookmakers put him at 300/1 to get it done in 2016.

Closing out the top 20 is Trevor Bayne. Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s teammate, has found some speed on the larger super speedways in the early part of the season but can’t seem to reproduce on the 1.5 mile tracks or the short tracks. He has led over 30 laps this year, which is more than many of the drivers in this list but his 18.4 average finish has put this racing team behind. They will need to find away to get more speed that allows them more top 10 finishes if they even hope to make the chase and race for glory towards the end of the Sprint Cup Series season.

2016 Sprint Cup Series Point Standings: