Four in danger of elimination after Chase race 2

LOUDON, N.H. — In this year's revamped Chase for the Sprint Cup format, 16 drivers qualified for the 10-race title run.

There are three elimination rounds, consisting of three races each. After races three, six and nine, four drivers will be eliminated from contention. The final four will race for the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16.

The first elimination race is next Sunday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Dover International Speedway.

Paste BN Sports' Mike Hembree highlights four drivers in danger of elimination after the second Chase race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Aric Almirola, Richard Petty Motorsports, No. 43 Ford

Almirola was in good shape in Race 1 at Chicagoland until his Fusion's engine expired late in the event and a top-10 finish turned into a DNF. A sixth-place run Sunday helped some, but he's still 16th of 16.

Comment: "We can only control what we can control, and today we did that and did a good job and finished sixth. We'll do the same thing at Dover, and we'll see what happens."

Up next: Almirola hasn't exactly been a standout at Dover, and his time there is limited. He has one top-10 run in only five races at the high-banked, super-fast track.

Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 41 Chevrolet

A late-race blown tire sent Busch into the outside wall Sunday and into No Man's Land in Chase points. He was running at the end of the race but finished 36th, leaving him 15th in points.

Up next: Busch needs a strong run at Dover, and he hasn't had many — one win in 28 races with an average finish of 18.2.

Greg Biffle, Roush Fenway Racing, No. 16 Ford

Biffle's winless season staggers on. He was at or near the back of the Chase pack for much of Sunday's race — at one point running two laps down — before rallying to finish 16th.

Up next: If Biffle has to make a last stand, Dover is a good spot. He has two wins in 24 visits to the track and ranks it among his favorites, with an average finish of 13.4. He's run almost 10,000 laps at the Monster Mile.

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota

Hamlin had a rough day at Loudon, losing laps to a fuel-delivery problem and then becoming the innocent victim of a crash. He finished 37th and enters Dover 13th in points – falling from sixth in the standings after the race at Chicagoland.

Comment: "It's so frustrating because you know on performance you deserve to move on. We would have a great shot to move on and really make some noise here in these last eight races."

Up next: Dover could be tough for Hamlin. He has no wins there and three top fives in 17 races.