The race track is heating up! And so too is the leaderboard. Just about halfway through the season, Jimmie Johnson is the current Sprint Cup Series points leader. With 20 races still remaining on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule and 10 until the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins, teams and drivers focus on pacing themselves through the grinding 36-race schedule.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup is in its 65th season of professional stock car racing in the U.S. The year began February 16 with the Sprint Unlimited at the famous Daytona International Speedway and will end November 17 with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Currently sitting in the Top 10 is: Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Martin Truex Jr. If the first segment (first 26 races) came to an end today, these 10 drivers would be competing in the Chase with two drivers who had the most race wins (ranked 11th – 20th). At this moment, those two additional drivers would be Kasey Kahne (#11) and Tony Stewart (#15) – both with one win each.
Next up on the Sprint Cup schedule is Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. There are only five tracks that Jimmie Johnson hasn’t won at, Kentucky is one of them. Will this open the door for Carl Edwards, or will Johnson continue on the road to his sixth Cup series championship? Last year’s Driver’s Champion Brad Keselowski is currently ninth in the point standings. At this time last year Keselowski was 10th; reminding us that this is not a sprint (like the Cup Series sponsor name might make you think otherwise), it’s a marathon.
Of the remaining 20 races left on the 2013 schedule, the average NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tickets are $125. The most expensive race of the Series is the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (avg. $241). The cheapest race is Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway (avg. $68).
| Date | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | Avg. Price |
|---|---|---|
| 06/29/13 | Quaker State 400 Kentucky Speedway |
$76.44 |
| 07/06/13 | Coke Zero 400 Daytona International Speedway |
$127.89 |
| 07/14/13 | Lenox Industrial Tools 301 New Hampshire International Speedway |
$71.20 |
| 07/28/13 | Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
$127.29 |
| 08/04/13 | Pennsylvania 500 Pocono Raceway |
$111.37 |
| 08/11/13 | Finger Lakes 355 at the Glen Watkins Glen International Speedway |
$172.40 |
| 08/18/13 | Pure Michigan 400 Michigan Speedway |
$88.17 |
| 08/24/13 | Irwin Tools Night Race Bristol Motor Speedway |
$191.75 |
| 09/01/13 | AdvoCare 500 Atlanta Atlanta Motor Speedway |
$101.01 |
| 09/07/13 | Federated Auto Parts 400 Richmond International Raceway |
$136.53 |
| 09/15/13 | Geico 400 Chicagoland Motor Speedway |
$113.92 |
| 09/22/13 | Sylvania 300 New Hampshire International Speedway |
$68.15 |
| 09/29/13 | AAA 400 Dover International Speedway |
$105.53 |
| 10/06/13 | Hollywood Casino 400 Kansas Speedway |
$129.42 |
| 10/12/13 | Bank of America 500 Charlotte Motor Speedway |
$116.43 |
| 10/20/13 | Camping World RV Sales 500 Talladega Superspeedway |
$182.16 |
| 10/27/13 | Tums Fast Relief 500 Martinsville Speedway |
$111.08 |
| 11/03/13 | AAA Texas 500 Texas Motor Speedway |
$241.07 |
| 11/10/13 | AdvoCare 500 Phoenix Phoenix International Raceway |
$82.88 |
| 11/17/13 | Ford 400 Homestead-Miami Speedway |
$150.25 |
Image Credit: thetimes-tribune.com
