It was unthinkable over the summer that NASCAR’s Big 3 of Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr. wouldn’t be in the Final Four at the end of the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup. The group had won 17 of the 23 races through the middle of August.
Then they hit a slump. Of the next 10 races, only Busch won once, the other two being shut out. Now with two races remaining to cut the drivers from eight to four for the championship, one of the three has a chance of missing out.
They enter Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 in a position they would rather not be in. With Joey Logano winning last week in Martinsville, he grabbed one of the remaining four spots. If a driver other than the Big 3 wins at Texas Motor Speedway, than it will be a automotive version of musical chairs for Busch, Harvick and Truex.
Busch seems to be in the best position to advance. He is atop the standings, and has performed well at this facility. He has won three times here, including back in April. Busch is the second pick this week at 3/1, just behind Harvick at 11/4.
“That place has always been fast, and it’s always been one-groovish around the bottom, and so far it’s kind of what we’ve got with the repave,” Busch said. “It was a good place for us before the repave, and now since the repave, I think it’s been a pretty good place for us as well.”
Truex Most Vulnerable
Truex and Harvick are tied for second in the standings, and the defending Cup champ is at 5/1 to win on Sunday. Truex had a chance to get an automatic berth last week at Martinsville, but was bumped out of the lead in the final lap by eventual winner Logano.
“We have faced plenty of adversity in the playoffs so far but we’re still in it,” Truex said. “We should have been in victory lane at both Charlotte and Martinsville and have a secured transfer spot for the championship round at Homestead.”
Instead Truex will have to try and leap over Harvick in points or win at this venue, which is one of only two 1.5-mile tracks he hasn’t won at. He has finished in the Top 10 six of seven times, but was 37th in April.
Harvick has been a master at this distance, and at Texas. He was second in April, and has seven other Top 10s.
Racing to Win
While there is some wiggle room for the Big 3 to get into the final race without winning, Chase Elliott knows he has to find victory lane in the next two contests.
“I need to win,” Elliott said. “Playing the points game is nice, but I need another sticker.”
Elliott got his first career victory in August at Watkins Glen, then won again at Dover to advance to the next round of the playoffs. He then won at Kansas to get to the round of eight.
“There was a lot of relief, a lot of satisfaction in knowing we could run with those guys,” Elliott said. “It was something we hadn’t experienced. It was very encouraging.”
Elliott is the only racer with multiple wins in the post-season this year, but he knows he needs one more to get to Miami and the finals.
“To me, it’s an exciting time of the year,” Elliott said. “As the season comes to a close, people are ramping things up. It’s exciting to race for a championship. “You give it your all for the last 10 weeks. I’ve come to really enjoy this part of the year. I’m glad to still have a chance.”
