Ganassi's recent speed could make them a Chase spoiler

Although the organization has suffered from being at the bottom of Chevy’s Sprint Cup pecking order in the past, the two-car team has the potential for a surprise attack in the Chase. 

Currently, Kyle Larson is locked into the playoffs following his first career win at Michigan. Despite failing the LIS (laser inspection station) following Sunday’s Southern 500, the victory guarantees the No. 42 team will be Chasing at Chicagoland Speedway in two weeks.

And with a podium finish at Darlington Speedway on Sunday night, Larson’s confidence is on the rise.

“It was good to be a contender two weeks in a row,” said Larson, who led 45 laps before finishing third. “I thought maybe there was some things that could have gone our way to maybe get the win, but we'll still take a third, build on our momentum leading up to the Chase, and hopefully have a good first round of that.”

McMurray on the bubble

Jamie McMurray had three eighth-place finishes leading into Darlington but remains vulnerable in the final Chase-eligible position. Although the No. 1 Chevy was solidly in the top 10 in the closing stages of the race, he ended up 15th (due to a loose lug nut) and failed to pick up ground on the two Richard Childress Racing drivers — Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman. 

McMurray, 40, is sandwiched in the Chase grid between Dillon and Newman, who are also winless this season. While none of these three competitors was in the same universe with their fellow Chevy driver Kevin Harvick, who led 214 of 367 laps and likely would have spent more time up front if not for losing 17 positions in the pits, Newman cashed in on a top 10 — before failing the LIS in post-race inspection. Dillon finished 12th, but is currently nine points ahead of McMurray in the standings. Newman, who trails McMurray by just seven points, could see his deficit rise once NASCAR levies penalties later this week. 

Certainly, any sanction for Newman and the No. 31 team would prove beneficial for McMurray. The No. 1 Chevy crew has just one top-five finish this season and has not led a lap. Larson’s victory at Michigan served as a reminder that it had been 99 races since Ganassi’s last win with McMurray at Talladega in the fall of 2013. That number just rose to 100, as far as McMurray is concerned. 

McMurray finished fourth in three of his last six starts at Richmond — which showed a positive trend, considering he had not enjoyed a top-five at the .75-mile track prior to 2013. McMurray’s 24-year-old teammate Larson, has not contended is six races at Richmond yet or posted a top 10 finish. However, in five starts, Larson has completed every lap and has not finished worse than 16th. His average qualifying effort is 9.4.

Larson's postseason chances

Although Larson has never competed in the Chase, his average finish in the 2014 playoffs during his rookie year was 9.9 — better than the 12 of the drivers that finished ahead of him. His best possible result in the standings was 17th, where he finished. 

“My confidence is really high,” Larson said. “Those Chase tracks are really good for me. I enjoy going to most all of them. There’s a couple in there that I’m not great at, but most of the tracks are 1.5-miles and worn-out surfaces that I really like. 

“I’m excited about it and am glad to be in the Chase for once, and then go for a championship.”