2014 NASCAR standings: Chase for the Sprint Cup field coming into focus

The Chase for the Sprint Cup field continues to fill up with Jeff Gordon the latest entrant following a victory Saturday at Kansas Speedway.

Gordon is the ninth different winner through 11 races, joining Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch.

NASCAR altered its playoff format this past offseason where the top 16 drivers who win a regular season race make the Chase provided they attempt to qualify for every race and finish better than 30th in points. (Kurt Busch is the lowest ranked, currently 28th in the standings, but a comfortable 52 points ahead of David Gilliland in 31st.)

With Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne among those still winless in 2014, the possibility does exist NASCAR could have more regular season winners than spots eligible. An unlikely occurrence, however, when you consider only once since 2003 has there been 16 or more different winners in the 26-race regular season.

If there are fewer than 16 winners, NASCAR will fill out the balance of the Chase field using points. It is this scenario which has the defending series champion confident about his playoff prospects despite not yet having won.

“Until we are not locked in, I mean there is nothing to worry about,” Johnson said. “Where we sit in points right now we are locked in.

“I don’t think that we are where we want to be as a team right now, but we have had a few looks at wins and I know we will get a few more. We just need to capitalize on that. If not, points still matter. There is a bigger window to make the Chase today than there was last year. Last year was 12, this year it’s 16. I don’t think there is anything to stress out about yet.”