Joe Gibbs Racing, the strongest organization in the Chase for the Championship, had its problems in Charlotte when Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch tumbled in the standings.  Kenseth, the pole winner, led 72 laps early in the race before a pair of errors on pit stops moved him back in the field. On lap 176 Kenseth made contact with Ryan Newman sending Kenseth into the wall. Numerous stops for repairs caused him to fall out of the lead lap and on lap 241 he hammered the wall again.  This time he had to go behind the wall for repairs and finishing 42nd.
Kyle Busch, Kenseth’s teammate, suffered damage when he collided with Kyle Larson as both drivers made strange moves at the entrance to pit-road. Larson was running second with Busch third when a caution was waived.  Larson was instructed to do what everyone else was doing so when leader Joey Logano stayed out, Larson intended to stay out.  Busch faked going into the pits and Larson’s crew-chief yelled pit, pit, pit.  Larson dove onto the entrance to pit-road and struck Busch’s car as he was returning to the track. Both drivers drew commitment cone violations and had to start at the rear of the field.
Justin Allgaier created an oil spill on lap 182 and when the race was resumed, Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. both hit the wall while driving through the area where the track clean up took place.  Both drivers were upset with NASCAR for what they felt was a lousy job of cleaning up the track.  Busch finished one lap down in 20th while Earnhardt finished in 28th.
Joey Logano was the dominate winner at Charlotte, earning him an automatic berth into the Eliminator Round.  Only eight drivers will advance into the Eliminator Round and with Talladega looming ahead after Kansas, drivers are very concerned.  Knowing that anything can happen at Talladega, all drivers want to be as high in the standings as they can in case they have trouble in that race. Logano is definitely not worried but the bottom four need to have great races in Kansas and/or Talladega. Kevin Harvick showed them how!