By Jared Turner It’s elimination time. With two races down and one to go in the opening round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the field of title contenders will shrink from 16 to 12 by the conclusion of Sunday’s Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway. Two drivers – Martin Truex Jr. (Chicagoland) and Kevin Harvick (New Hampshire) – have already punched their proverbial tickets to the Round of 12 by going to Victory Lane the past two weekends, respectively. Two other drivers – Brad Keselowski and reigning Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch – are meanwhile all but assured…

By Jared Turner NASCAR Should Raise Chase Eligibility Requirements Should NASCAR really include EVERY regular-season winner in the Chase, as long as every winner is also in the top 30 in points at regular season’s end? This year, Sprint Cup rookie Chris Buescher qualified for NASCAR’s playoff on what amounted to little more than a fluke – he won the August Pocono race after his crew chief gambled and left him on track while others came to pit road. With the race more than halfway complete, persistent fog forced NASCAR to call the race official with Buescher scored in the first position.…