NASCAR Kansas 2014 recap: Chase fortunes swing wildly in Contender Round opener

Hyped as the round where hearts would be broken, championship hopes dashed and cars smashed, those expectations were more than fulfilled in the Contender Round opener of the Chase for the Sprint Cup Sunday.

Among those who left Kansas Speedway in an unforeseen deficit were a bevy of championship contenders. Notable among these were title favorites Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski, neither of whom envisioned the scenario in which they currently find themselves, their playoff livelihoods teetering in the balance.

Johnson found himself in the garage, the victim of a crash when Greg Biffle drifted up the track in Turn 2 and clipped the No. 48 car. The impact sealed what had been a frustrating weekend for the reigning Sprint Cup champion, who spun in qualifying and then struggled in the early stages Sunday.

As for Keselowski, his day came apart when a right-front tire did the same. The tire failure sent the driver, who scored the most points in Round 1, into the wall, negating a strong effort. He would finish 36th, three positions ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. (who also saw a promising run turn ugly thanks to a blown right-front tire) and four spots above Johnson.

“It was just Russian roulette and it was our turn,” said Keselowski.

Though Keselowski and Johnson have won the past two Cup titles, and Earnhardt boasted nearly unmatched consistency in 2014, the reality is that all three will need to either win in the next two weeks or get lots of help if they are to avoid elimination Oct. 19 at Talladega Superspeedway. Not an impossible task, but one certainly filled with hurdles.

“Certainly need W’s, I would assume, going forward,” Johnson said.

If there is a saving grace for Keselowski, Johnson and Earnhardt, it comes on two fronts. First, fellow Chasers Kevin Harvick (unscheduled pit stop), Jeff Gordon (vibration/contact), Matt Kenseth (unscheduled pit stop) and Kasey Kahne (contact) all suffered through tribulations.

The second glimmer of hope comes in the reason why the Contender Round was viewed so ominously by all involved: Talladega. It’s a given that NASCAR’s biggest and baddest track will wreak playoff havoc.

That Talladega may work to the advantage of Keselowski and Johnson is a bit ironic. Prior to the Chase, each expressed their desire to enter that weekend without a worry and not having to stress about racing their way into Round 3.

But the idea of grabbing a win at Kansas and treating Talladega like a glorified exhibition is no more. If anything, the middle race of the Contender Round at Charlotte Motor Speedway is now almost a must-win, its magnitude increased tenfold.

Failure at Charlotte means the playoff fates of Keselowski, Johnson and Earnhardt hinge on Talladega, an undesirable situation if there ever was one in the Chase.

“The easiest approach is to go to Charlotte and win,” Keselowski said.

Not having to fret about the volatile nature of Talladega is a privilege reserved for Sunday’s winner, Joey Logano.

During a season where he emerged as a weekly challenger, Logano has continued that ascent into the postseason. He hammered out a win and a pair of fourth-place finishes in Round 1, only trailing teammate Keselowski in points accrued by Chase drivers. And as Kansas demonstrated, there was no let up.

“This is nice to get this win and get us through to the next round and not have to worry about Talladega coming up,” Logano said. “This was important.

“We can’t win the championship today but we can definitely lose it. So we had to get two solid finishes with Kansas and Charlotte before Talladega, and this is as solid as it gets.”

Considering the circumstances, the emotional contrasts between Logano and his contemporaries are understandable. A significant step towards the ultimate prize was taken Sunday, just as his main championship rivals are suddenly in danger of being eliminated altogether.