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The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season is the 66th season of professional stock car racing in the United States. The season began at the Daytona International Speedway, with the Sprint Unlimited, followed by the Daytona 500. The season will end with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Chevrolet entered the season as the reigning Manufacturers' Champions, while Jimmie Johnson is the defending Drivers' Champion. This season is the final year of broadcasting for both ESPN and TNT.

Teams and Drivers

Complete schedule

Limited schedule

Driver changes

Several drivers have switched teams between the 2013 and 2014 Sprint Cup seasons.

• A. J. Allmendinger replaced Bobby Labonte in the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing car.
• Brian Vickers became the full-time driver of the No. 55 for Michael Waltrip Racing.
• After 6 seasons, Juan Pablo Montoya left Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and NASCAR to drive in the IndyCar Series with Team Penske. EGR development driver Kyle Larson is running for Rookie of the Year in the No. 42 Chevrolet vacated by Montoya.
• After speculation that began in late 2012, Kevin Harvick ended his 12-year tenure with Richard Childress Racing, moving to Stewart-Haas Racing. In his place, Austin Dillon moved up to Cup Series full-time, driving the No. 3 Chevrolet, making its appearance for the first time since the 2001 Daytona 500.
• Kurt Busch, after spending more than a year at Furniture Row Racing, departed the single car operation to move to a fourth car at Stewart-Haas Racing.
• Martin Truex, Jr., after sponsor NAPA Auto Parts decided to terminate their 3-year deal after the race fixing incident at the 2013 Richmond September race, ended his 4-year tenure with Michael Waltrip Racing and moved to replace Busch at Furniture Row. Jeff Burton will compete part-time in the renumbered 66. Joe Nemechek and his team entered into a partnership known as Identity Ventures Racing to run the balance of the races.
• Michael McDowell departed Phil Parsons Racing to drive for Leavine Family Racing in a one year deal.
• Ryan Newman, after parting ways with SHR, replaced veteran Jeff Burton in the No. 31 Chevrolet at RCR.
• Michael Annett announced he would join Tommy Baldwin Racing and compete for Rookie of the Year honors.
• Nationwide Series drivers Parker Kligerman and Cole Whitt, after sharing the No. 30 Toyota for Swan Racing, moved to the team full-time as a part of the team's expansion to two cars. Sponsorship troubles later forced Swan Racing to sell both their cars to other teams in April 2014. The 26 of Whitt was sold to BK Racing and the 30 was taken over by John Cohen and Xxxtreme Motorsport, with J.J. Yeley replacing Kligerman.
• Josh Wise left Front Row Motorsports after two years and joined Phil Parsons Racing.
• BK Racing split with David Reutimann and Travis Kvapil. The team signed Alex Bowman to drive the No. 23 (No. 93 in 2013) and Ryan Truex, who is on loan from Richard Petty Motorsports, in the No. 83. Bowman and Truex are both competing for Rookie of the Year honors. The team's No. 93 returned as well, running a limited schedule, starting at the 2014 Daytona 500 with Morgan Shepherd.
• Reed Sorenson replaced J. J. Yeley in the No. 36 Tommy Baldwin Racing entry. Yeley subsequently joined Xxxtreme Motorsport for the 2014 season beginning at Las Vegas.
• Travis Kvapil joined Go FAS Racing, a team consisting of Go Green Racing and Frank Stoddard's FAS Lane Racing, for races that are not road courses (Boris Said) or restrictor plate superspeedways (Terry Labonte).

Schedule

The final calendar was released on October 15, 2013, containing 36 races, with the addition of two exhibition races. The schedule also includes two Budweiser Duels, which are the qualifying races for the Daytona 500.

Changes

Rules changes

Beginning this year, NASCAR eliminated traditional single car qualifying in its top 3 series for all races except the Daytona 500, the Mudsummer Classic, and non-points events. Qualifying will now be done in a Formula One-style knockout qualifying. For all tracks larger than 1.25 miles in length, qualifying will consist of all entered cars on track for 25 minutes. The fastest 24 move onto a 10 minute session, while the final 12 drivers compete for the overall pole in a 5 minute session. For tracks shorter than 1.25 miles, all entered cars will qualify in a 30 minute session, while the 12 fastest will compete in a final 10 minute session. A similar system involving groups of cars being released at five-second intervals was used at Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International in 2013.

New Chase format

On January 30, 2014, NASCAR announced radical changes to the format for the season-ending Chase for the Sprint Cup.

• The group of drivers in the Chase will now officially be called the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Grid.
• The number of drivers qualifying for the Chase Grid will expand from 12 to 16.
• Fifteen of the 16 slots in the Chase Grid are reserved for the drivers with the most race wins over the first 26 races, provided that said drivers are in the top 30 in series points and have attempted to qualify for each race (with rare exceptions). The remaining spot is reserved for the points leader after 26 races, if that driver does not have a victory. If fewer than 16 drivers have wins in the first 26 races, the remaining Chase Grid spots are filled by winless drivers in order of season points. As in the recent past, all drivers on the Chase Grid have their driver points reset to 2,000 prior to the Chase, with a 3-point bonus for each win in the first 26 races.
• The Chase will be divided into four rounds. After each of the first three rounds, the four Chase Grid drivers with the fewest season points are eliminated from the Grid and championship contention. Any driver on the Chase Grid who wins a race in the first three rounds automatically advances to the next round. Also, all drivers eliminated from the Chase have their points readjusted to the regular-season points scheme.
  • Challenger Round (races 27–29)
    • Begins with 16 drivers, each with 2,000 points plus a 3-point bonus for each win in the first 26 races.
  • Contender Round (races 30–32)
    • Begins with 12 drivers, each with 3,000 points.
  • Eliminator Round (races 33–35)
    • Begins with eight drivers, each with 4,000 points.
  • NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship (final race)
    • The last four drivers in contention for the season title start the race at 5,000 points, with the highest finisher in the race winning the Cup Series title.

2014 NASCAR realignment

The 2014 schedule had a few changes from the 2013 schedule, all of them inside the first fifteen races. The dates for the spring races at Darlington Raceway and Kansas Speedway (Bojangles' Southern 500 and Kansas 400 respectively) were swapped, giving Kansas its first primetime Sprint Cup race, Texas Motor Speedway's spring race was changed from a Saturday night to a Sunday afternoon race, it and Martinsville Speedway's STP 500 were moved up a week, the new Darlington date moved to Texas's original spot on the schedule, and the spring off-weekend moved to Kansas' original date, to coincide with Easter.

Other changes

NASCAR restructured the penalties and appeals system allowing penalties to be more consistent. The appeals process also makes NASCAR's basis for issuing the penalty public at the first appeal instead of the last. Minor changes were made to the Gen-6 race car. Rules on ride height were loosened, and the top of the rear spoiler is now made of clear material to give drivers more visibility. After a six-hour delay at the first Chase race in 2013 at Chicagoland, NASCAR will now make the Air Titan available at all Sprint Cup Series races and accompanying races at no extra charge. The Air Titan has also been improved to Air Titan 2.0 shortening track drying time even further.

Season summary

Race reports

Speedweeks 2014

Speedweeks 2014 kicked off with the 2014 Sprint Unlimited. Denny Hamlin started on pole and won all three segments in a bizarre race that featured 10 of the 18 cars crashing out, along with three more being damaged, and the pace car catching on fire. Hamlin led 27 of the 75 laps and won the race ahead of Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Joey Logano.

Qualifying for the front row took place the next day, with rookie Austin Dillon, fielding the famed No. 3 car, appearing for the first time since the 2001 Daytona 500, winning the pole. Martin Truex, Jr. won the outside pole.

During the first practice session on Wednesday, a five-car wreck broke out that ended with rookie Parker Kligerman on his roof, and several teams having to go to back-up cars. The wreck brought out a red flag that prematurely ended the session. The second session was run without major incident.

The 2014 Budweiser Duels were fairly uneventful, with Matt Kenseth winning the first race that ran caution-free, and Denny Hamlin winning the second that had only one caution–a large wreck on the last lap that started when Jimmie Johnson ran out of fuel. Jamie McMurray, Martin Truex, Jr., and Michael Waltrip, among others, were involved. Clint Bowyer flipped his car during the accident.

Round 1: Daytona 500

Austin Dillon started on pole, but led only the first lap. The first 35 laps featured Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch taking turns leading, and Kyle Larson struggling with two flat tires. During the second caution for an engine problem on Martin Truex Jr.'s car, it began to rain, and by lap 39, the red flag was displayed with Kyle Busch as the leader. The red flag lasted over six hours as track-drying was delayed due to ongoing rain showers. The race went back green under the lights, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. dominated the final part of the race. Several minor "big ones" broke out late in the race, but Earnhardt held on to win his second career Daytona 500.

Round 2: The Profit on CNBC 500

Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano took the front row for Team Penske, but Kevin Harvick dominated most of the race. Harvick would hang on to win the race, his first for with his new team, Stewart-Haas Racing. Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished in second.

Round 3: Kobalt 400

Joey Logano took the pole, and after a race with several different strategies and leaders, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. found himself in the lead trying to make it to the finish on fuel mileage. However, Earnhardt ran out of fuel with just over half a lap to go, and Brad Keselowski took advantage to win the race. Since they had a sizable lead on the rest of the field, Earnhardt would get back going with what little fuel he had left and finish in second position.

Round 4: Food City 500

The race started on time, but, just like the Daytona 500, rain delayed the race in the early going. The race finally got restarted under the lights several hours later. After many of the frontrunners, including Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Jimmie Johnson, suffered from numerous problems, Carl Edwards found himself up front late in the race. Edwards held on as rain caused the race to end under caution after 503 laps (a caution had waved with two to go and the race had not yet been restarted for the green-white-checker).

Round 5: Auto Club 400

Matt Kenseth started on pole, but gave way to Brad Keselowski, who started on the front row and had the fastest car at the beginning. After he led 38 laps. Jimmie Johnson would take over the lead, leading 104 of the race's 200 laps. Many cautions waved during the race because of drivers repeatedly cutting down left side tires. Kenseth had the first pit box and would take advantage of it a few times, coming out in the lead. Kenseth would lead three or four laps after the restarts, then Johnson would pass him as Kenseth's car faded back. With seven laps remaining, Johnson had a left-front tire go down, giving the lead to his teammate Jeff Gordon. Keselowski suffered his third left-rear tire failure a lap later but stayed out of harm’s way. The same fate befell Marcos Ambrose on the same lap. Gordon, who had a large lead, slowed his pace and almost made it to the finish, but Clint Bowyer spun with a lap and a half to go, thanks to a flat left-rear tire. The caution waved to set up the green-white-checker finish. On the restart, Gordon got shuffled back to finish in 13th. Kyle Busch passed Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch (both of whom only took two tires during pit stops), bringing rookie Kyle Larson with him. Kyle Busch held off Larson to win his first race of the year. Larson finished second and Kurt Busch finished third. Kenseth also passed Stewart on the last lap to finish in fourth. Stewart came home fifth.

Round 6: STP 500

Kyle Busch started on pole, and he, Matt Kenseth, and Jimmie Johnson took several turns leading through the first 70 laps as Kasey Kahne, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon, and others were caught up in early accidents. Joey Logano then took over the lead from Kyle Busch for a few laps, but yielded to Johnson and Kenseth. Meanwhile, Kurt Busch and Keselowski would continuously bump and race each other very hard because of an incident on pit road several laps before. This would ultimately lead to a caution for Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. running up into the wall after checking up for the ongoing battle between Busch and Keselowski. Kenseth retook the lead during pit stops under the caution, but quickly yielded to Logano after the restart. After another caution and restart, Johnson took over from Logano. Johnson, Logano, Hamlin, and Kenseth all faded soon after, and after lap 165, Greg Biffle, Marcos Ambrose, and A. J. Allmendinger became the new top-three. After another caution for a spin by Casey Mears, Ambrose won the race off of pit road to become the new leader. Kenseth and Johnson would get by Ambrose after several laps, but another caution would wave after Jamie McMurray got bumped into the wall by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.. After the restart, Kenseth would lose the lead to Johnson, then fade back to tenth after getting stuck on the outside.

Caution number seven waved around lap 220, after David Gilliland turned Alex Bowman into the wall. Earnhardt, Allmendinger, and Kurt Busch stayed out, but everyone else pitted, with Logano coming off of pit road first. After another quick caution and restart for debris, Kurt Busch took the lead from Earnhardt on lap 243, and Johnson took over from Busch two laps later. The ninth caution waved at lap 250 after Ryan Truex go turned into the wall, and all of the leaders made pit stops. Kenseth, however, stayed out and reassumed the lead, with Tony Stewart taking second. Johnson and Earnhardt would come out of pit road first to restart third and fourth, respectively. Earnhardt took the lead on lap 260, Johnson took over once again on lap 265, and then Clint Bowyer charged to the front and took the lead on lap 284 but gave it back to Johnson four laps later and faded back a bit. Meanwhile, Kenseth and Stewart, who both stayed out during the previous caution, would fall back quickly, with Kenseth being lapped on lap 304 and Stewart losing a lap ten laps later. Other drivers had problems as well, with Alex Bowman cutting a tire and Denny Hamlin getting a windshield tear-off stuck over the opening to his left-front brake duct. Lap 316 saw the tenth caution as Joe Nemechek slammed the wall, and all of the leaders pitted and retained their positions. The eleventh caution flew on lap 341 as 20th-place Kyle Larson spun out of turn two, and the leaders pitted once again, with Johnson and Bowyer keeping their first and second place positions. Bowyer nosed ahead on the restart and led a lap, but Johnson retook the lead the next lap as another caution waved for debris. Edwards would nose ahead on the next restart but fail to lead a lap before Johnson pulled away. The 13th caution flew on lap 411 as Brad Keselowski spun Martin Truex, Jr. in turn two, and on the ensuing pit stops, an exiting Edwards hit an entering Matt Kenseth, spinning Kenseth around backwards into his pit stall. Johnson retained the lead on the restart, ahead of Bowyer and Edwards. Kurt Busch would then move up second and challenge Johnson but fell back and was passed by Bowyer. Bowyer then chased Johnson down, and, after a slip by Johnson, took the lead on lap 449. On lap 459, Carl Edwards spun to bring out the 14th caution, and Bowyer fell back to tenth during pit stops, allowing Johnson to retake the lead ahead of Joey Logano. Johnson barely retained the lead on the lap 465 restart, but began to pull away as Kurt Busch slipped into second. Busch would then run down and pass Johnson in about five laps, but Johnson would once again retake the lead on lap 482, with that pass setting a new track record with 32 lead changes. Busch retook the lead on lap 488 (the 33rd lead change) and held off Johnson to break a winless drought dating back to the 2011 AAA 400, ironically another race that Johnson led the most laps in but was beaten late by Busch. Earnhardt finished third, Joey Logano fourth, Marcos Ambrose fifth, and Matt Kenseth sixth.

Round 7: Duck Commander 500

The race's start was delayed due to rain, marking the third time in seven race weekends in 2014 that weather affected a race. Eventually, NASCAR announced that the race would be postponed to Monday, April 7, and started at 12 p.m., marking the season's first rainout. Joey Logano made a last lap pass on Jeff Gordon to win the race.

Round 8: Bojangles' Southern 500

Kevin Harvick started on the pole, led the most laps, and passed Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jimmie Johnson with two laps to go to win his second race of the year at Darlington Raceway.

Round 9: Toyota Owners 400

Round 10: Aaron's 499 May 4

Results and standings

Races

Drivers' championship

(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by final practice results or 2013 Owner's points. * – Most laps led.

Manufacturers' championship

See also

• 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series
• 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
• 2014 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West
• 2014 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
• 2014 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour
• 2014 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season
• 2014 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season

References

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• NASCAR Cup Series seasons
• Current motorsport seasons
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