NASCAR standings 2014: Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne fall short at Bristol

NASCAR’s “win and you’re in” philosophy to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup was on full display during the race Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

With fewer than 70 laps to go, Jamie McMurray was leading and seemed headed to apparent victory. It was a win that would have assured McMurray, who is winless on the year, a Chase berth for the first time in his career.

But following a pit stop, McMurray, who led a race-high 148 laps, relinquished the lead and never gained it back. He finished eighth.

Unless McMurray can win at either Atlanta Motor Speedway or Richmond International Raceway, the final two regular season races, he will almost certainly not make the Chase. He is 16th in the standings, and trails Greg Biffle for the final playoff spot open to non-winners by 60 points.

“I thought tonight would be a good night to be able to win,” McMurray said. “As we were running around there, I thought we had a legitimate chance to win tonight if we did everything right. It’s not like we did anything wrong, it’s just that as the track rubbered-up more and more. It just didn’t suit our car as much as it did for the other guys.”

McMurray wasn’t the only non-winner in contention at Bristol. Both Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne led portions of the Irwin Tools Night Race before their bids came undone for various reasons.

A loose right-front wheel forced Kahne, who led 40 laps, to pit road for an unscheduled stop. He later went to the garage for further repairs and finished 35th, 23 laps behind race-winner Joey Logano.

Like McMurray, Kahne’s playoff fortunes are tied almost exclusively to reaching Victory Lane at either Atlanta or Richmond. Kenseth, ranked fifth in the standings and 83 points above the cutline, is Chase-bound even if he doesn’t win the next two weeks.

Because of his playoff status Kenseth was afforded the opportunity to gamble Saturday night. When McMurray and the rest of the leaders hit pit road for fresh tires with 67 laps remaining, Kenseth stayed out. The strategy didn’t play out, as Logano and Brad Keselowski passed Kenseth, who finished third.

“No matter what the points are or rewards are for winning, you always want to win,” Kenseth said. “That’s why we all do this. At the time I thought that was the best shot. I didn’t even give points or the Chase or anything even a passing thought to be honest with you. I was just trying to figure out how we could go win the Bristol night race.”

Presently, Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer and Greg Biffle are the drivers without a victory who would join the season’s 12 winners and qualify for the Chase.