Chase Watch: Aric Almirola's progression hopes might have gone up in smoke
Three top 10s in the first three races would have virtually guaranteed Aric Almirola's progression into the next three races of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
He was working incredibly well on getting 1/3 of the way there Sunday at Chicago. Unfortunately, his engine didn't want to make it the entire way.
Almirola had moved himself into the top 10 among drivers like Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. when his car started spewing smoke on the backstretch on lap 231. His day was over.
After climbing from his car, he was greeted by team owner Richard Petty. Almirola said that it was the first engine failure he had in his three-year tenure at Richard Petty Motorports and per Racing Reference, he's correct. He'd never retired from a race because of an engine until Sunday.
So proud of my team! We rose to the occasion today and proved we can compete in the chase. Heartbroken for sure but they knew we were there
— Aric Almirola (@aric_almirola) September 14, 2014
It's an incredibly costly explosion. If Almirola would have been able to hold serve where he was for the remaining 36 laps of the race, he's approximately 20 points behind points leader and race winner Brad Keselowski. Instead, he's 52 points behind Keselowski and 16th among the 16 Chase drivers.
After New Hampshire and Dover, the lowest four drivers in the standings are eliminated from the Chase. In addition to Almirola, here's who occupies those four spots right now and how they fared at Chicago.
13. Ryan Newman (-1 point to No.12 Carl Edwards): Newman was at one point three laps down. He got all of his laps back and ended up in 15th place, five spots ahead of Edwards, who had a tire failure and finished 20th. The strategy play by crew chief Luke Lambert and Newman could be critical. If he stays a lap or two down, he doesn't have a chance to get a top-15. It could be the difference between advancing and being eliminated.
14. A.J. Allmendinger (-5 points to Edwards): Allmendinger finished two laps down in 22nd place and had his shifter handle break during the race. However, enough of the shifter remained for Allmendinger to be able to shift the car, even if it wasn't too comfortable.
15. Greg Biffle (-9 points to Edwards): Much like Allmendinger, Biffle went down a lap early in the race and never recovered. He finished in 22nd and two laps down.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
