For the first time in four long years, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally captured a checkered flag on Sunday. At the Michigan International Speedway -- the same track where he last won a race, in 2008 -- the son of the most beloved NASCAR driver of all time won the Quicken Loans 400 on Father's Day.
Earnhardt Jr. had gone 143 races in between wins, during which time he saw 26 different drivers win races. Now his drought is finally at an end. With the win, Earnhardt Jr. passes Greg Biffle for second place in the 2012 Sprint Cup Series standings. Matt Kenseth remains in first place overall.
Here are the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings with 11 races to go until the Chase (NOTE: These are strictly in relation to Chase spots):
- Matt Kenseth +109 inside Chase
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. +105
- Greg Biffle +92
- Jimmie Johnson +76
- Denny Hamlin +58
- Kevin Harvick +48
- Martin Truex Jr. +41
- Tony Stewart +35
- Clint Bowyer +25
- Brad Keselowski +2
- Carl Edwards -2 from top 10
- Kyle Busch -26 (Holds No. 1 Wild Card spot, 1 win)
- Ryan Newman -31 (Holds No. 2 Wild Card spot, 1 win)
- Paul Menard -37
- Joey Logano -51 (-20 from No. 2 Wild Card spot)
- Kasey Kahne -67 (-36 from No. 2 Wild Card spot)
- Marcos Ambrose -70
- Jamie McMurray -81
- Juan Pablo Montoya -81
- Jeff Gordon -83
- Jeff Burton -83
- Aric Almirola -86
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
