On Sunday, for the first time since 2008, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took home the checkered flag. At the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway, the same site where Earnhardt Jr. has last won, a whole 144 races ago, the son of the most beloved driver in NASCAR history picked up a big win on Father's Day.
With the win, Earnhardt Jr. vaults up into the No. 2 spot in the overall standings of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Matt Kenseth remains No. 1 overall and Greg Biffle slides down to third place. Earnhardt Jr. appeared to have no issues with a last-minute NASCAR tire change to accommodate the track. Earnhardt Jr. owned the track on Sunday and has the long-awaited win to show for it.
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.
