Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch make the Sprint Cup cut

The qualifying is over; the field is set for the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. After struggling to earn one of the 12 slots for much of the season, Kasey Kahne finished the series at No. 5 in the standings while Kurt Busch, who had been ranked as high as No. 4, dropped to No. 7. It’s worth noting that the two Dodge drivers who will be competing in the next series of races finished ahead of the drivers of the two Fords in the pack.

1. Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet)
2. Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet)
3. Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
4. Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
5. Kasey Kahne (No. 8 Budweiser Dodge)
6. Jeff Gordon (No. 24 National Guard/DuPont Chevrolet)
7. Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Light Dodge)
8. Brian Vickers (No. 83 Red Bull Toyota)
9. Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
10. Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet)
11. Juan Montoya (No. 4 Target Chevrolet)
12. Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)

All the Dodge team drivers for Petty Motorsports and Penske Racing finished in the top half of the field. A.J. Almendinger finished 24th in the standings, Sam Hornish, Jr. got the no. 26 spot, just ahead of Elliot Sadler at No. 27 and Reed Sorenson, who was just cut from the Petty team, at No. 28. David Stremme came in at No. 31.

Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, who had been in the hunt all season, came up short. This is the first time in the six-year history of the Sprint Cup that Kenseth has failed to qualify.