Jeff Gordon really has his back up against the wall now. He needs at least two wins before the cutoff to even entertain the notion of winning the Sprint Cup. And he needs one of those wins immediately. He will be No. 9 in the starting lineup at the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis on Sunday and will be hoping for nothing less than the checkered flag.
AJ Allmendinger, meanwhile, failed his "B" test after an appeal for his substance abuse suspension and will now be suspended indefinitely by NASCAR. For the time being, Jeff Gordon is the only Bay Area driver in this year's Sprint Cup Series.
The green flag is scheduled to wave at 10:19 a.m. PT. This will be the first race of the season broadcast on ESPN, who will handle the television broadcasts for the remainder of the year. It will be a welcome change after six awful weeks of TNT coverage.
There IS live streaming of the race today, which can be found via the "Watch ESPN" app. If you'll be away from your computer and TV, check the Performance Racing Network's web site for a list of affiliate radio stations in your area.
Here is the complete starting lineup for Sunday's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
- Denny Hamlin
- Carl Edwards
- Joey Logano
- Aric Almirola
- Greg Biffle
- Jimmie Johnson
- Kyle Busch
- Paul Menard
- Jeff Gordon
- Matt Kenseth
- Ryan Newman
- Juan Pablo Montoya
- Kurt Busch
- Regan Smith
- Kasey Kahne
- Jamie McMurray
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Trevor Bayne
- Mark Martin
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Jeff Burton
- Brad Keselowski
- Marcos Ambrose
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Casey Mears
- David Stremme
- Kevin Harvick
- Tony Stewart
- Bobby Labonte
- Travis Kvapil
- David Gilliland
- Dave Blaney
- Clint Bowyer
- Scott Speed
- Josh Wise
- David Ragan
- Stephen Leicht
- Landon Cassill
- Mike Skinner
- JJ Yeley
- Ken Schrader
- Scott Riggs
- Mike Bliss
For more on the Bay Area drivers and their chase for the Cup, stay tuned to this StoryStream. 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.
