NASCAR enters tedious part of Sprint Cup season

Four races remain until the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins. In other words, this is the part of the stock car racing season that is sort of tedious and most resembles the basketball or hockey seasons in late February, about 60 games into the schedule.

So Saturday night’s race at Bristol, Tennessee, is important in the way an Orlando vs. Washington game at the end of February is important in the NBA, or an Ottawa vs. Carolina game is important in the NHL.

It’s not that crucial to the Busch brothers of Las Vegas, who already are locked into the Chase by virtue of doing a burnout at the start-finish line, and taking the checkered flag on a victory lap, and being among the top 30 in points. The third part of the equation seemed pretty irrelevant until Chris Buescher came along, and fog and rain came along at Pocono, Pennsylvania, earlier this month.

Kurt Busch has made one victory lap with the checkered flag and stands third in NASCAR points. Kyle Busch, with four victory laps, is fourth. So they are mostly driving for seeding or whatever.

As it stands today, these are the other drivers who will be chasing for the Cup: Brad Keselowski (four wins), Carl Edwards (two wins), Denny Hamlin (two wins, two raucous burnouts), Matt Kenseth (two wins), Jimmie Johnson (two wins), Kevin Harvick (one win), Joey Logano (one win), Martin Truex Jr. (one win), Tony Stewart (one win), Ryan Newman (points), Chase Elliott (points), Austin Dillon (points), Jamie McMurray (points), Kyle Larson (points).

Here’s the big caveat: If rookie driver Buescher, who somehow won that race in the rain and fog at Pocono, can make up three points in the last four races, he’ll edge into the top 30 in points. In that case he would replace Larson in the Chase, were the points to stack up the same.

The first four out would be Larson, Trevor Bayne, Kasey Kahne and Ryan Blaney. They would be Clemson, Colorado, Ohio State and Kansas State, or whoever’s having a disappointing season.

There is no NIT in NASCAR. So were Buescher to hit that late 3-pointer, Larson would be relegated to aimlessly driving around in circles with the other cars and drivers who don’t qualify for the Chase. There is no play-in race in Dayton. Were Dick Vitale a racing fan, he probably would complain about it when they get around to announcing the field.

GREEN-WHITE-CHECKERED

* Saturday’s race at Bristol may well come down to a battle of the Busch brothers of Las Vegas. Kyle Busch and older brother Kurt each has won five times on the Tennessee high banks, tops among the current crop of full-time drivers. Jeff Gordon, who has been pinch-driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the latter recovers from concussion-like symptoms, also has won five times at Bristol.

* Brendan Gaughan, the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver from Las Vegas who may (or may not) be approaching retirement, recently retweeted a photo of a Canadian man named Brett S. of Edmonton, Alberta, who won $20,000 playing the slots at McCarran International Airport. And here you thought Chris Buescher’s victory at Pocono was a long shot.

* Two more signs NASCAR is pulling out all the stops to boost sagging attendance: 1) Cheap Trick, recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, will play a 45-minute gig before the New England 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 25, the second race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. And 2) Waffle House will sponsor Aric Almirola’s No. 43 Ford at Saturday night’s race in Bristol. The last time Almirola sported the iconic black-and-yellow Waffle House paint scheme he finished fourth at Richmond, Virginia, in 2015, which only goes to show that NASCAR keeps almost as many stats as major league baseball.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ron Kantowski can be reached at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. His motor sports notebook runs on Friday. Follow him on Twitter: @ronkantowski