Round 26 - Richmond, Chevvy Rock n Roll 400

The first round of the championship chase took place on the high speed short track of Richmond.

I was glad to be quickest in practice with a time of 22.704 as this is a very trick circuit to master.

I was just as successful in qualifying, a time of 22.253 was good enough for pole position.

After the drop of the green flag I stayed in the top three until I inexplicably spun on lap 57! Under the yellow I took the opportunity to pit for fuel. It was now a race to get back to the lead, Alas, it was too much as yet again I received a black flag, Coming out, down the field, at lap 102 it was going to be a tall order to get to the front. By lap 120 when the chequered flag flew I was in 8th place.

I was now 1st in the championship, 90 points ahead.

My fastest lap time was 21.869 my fastest of the weekend.

Round 25 - Pepsi 500 Auto Club Raceway (California)

Round 25 of the series took place at the Auto Club Speedway, previously known as Fontana, in sunny California.

I was fastest in practice with a time 41.718 after my 10 laps.

In qualifying I was able to reproduce my form and duly qualified in pole with times of 41.812 and 41.932.

In the race I managed to be around the front until lap 26 when I received the dreaded black flag for dangerous driving.  With over half the race to go I decided to get my head down and make a concerted effort to get back to the front. My progress was halted on lap 39 when I had to stop for fuel. Luckily for me the rest had to stop as well so I lost no further ground.

I spent the rest of the race making my way back to the front which I duly achieved!

My best lap of the race was 41.797 which was faster than I qualified!

I was 1st in the standings, 461 points ahead.

Round 24 - Bristol - Sharpie 500

The question as the Sprint cars rolled into Bristol was whether my form would continue at Nascar's toughest short track.

With a lot of cars on track at one time setting a fast time in practice proved difficult but midway through the session I managed to set the fastest time (17.361).

In qualifying I managed to get pole position with a time of 16.519.

This track is notorious for passing as there are cars all around you nearly every lap. If there are not contesting a spot then they are being lapped. Therefore it was not surprise that I received a black flag for dangerous driving on lap 50. On lap 81 I had to stop for fuel which left me 69 laps to get back to the front. I put in a good effort but could only reach 3rd by the time the chequered flag fell.

My fastest racing lap was 16.060 my fastest of the weekend.

I led 51 of the 150 laps.

I was still 1st in the championship 413 points (over 2 races) points ahead of the leader.

Round 23 - Michigan 3M Performance 400

Michigan Super Speedway was home to round 23 of the series.

This high banked oval which boasts speeds of 153mph in the corners is one of Nascar's fastest tracks. It opened its doors to racing in 1968.

The race weekend started off with the mandatory 10 lap practice session. I was 14th with a time of 41.122.

Qualifying next and the question was could I get further up the grid? The answer was no as I could only manage 31st with times of 41.248 and 41.154.

From the green flag I managed to move up into second place before pitting for fuel on lap 29. I came out of the pits in 16th place and in the remaining 30 laps I managed to climb my way back to second. An uneventful podium finish.

I didn't lead a single lap so missed out on the 5 bonus points however it was another giant step towards the championship. I now had 2 races in hand to make the Chase. It was all looking good.

My best time of the race was 41.093 which was my fastest time of the weekend.

Round 22 - Watkins Glen Centurion Boats At The Glen

The Nascar Sprint Cup series rolled into Watkins Glen in New York State on October 6th 2015 for the second and final road course event of the season.

As this is only the second road course the series visits it was safe to say that my experience here was extremely limited. That said I was the fastest in practise with a time of 1.20.062.

In the qualifying session I qualified on the pole with a tome of  1.21.276.

Being a road course meant that if you received a drive through penalty depending on what position you were in it was possible not to lose a lap. Under the first yellow flag period I made the mistake of passing another car - that earned me a black flag. Luckily I never lost a lap. I stopped for fuel under the next caution period, no one else did. They stopped for fuel under the next yellow. I therefore restarted 2nd and just after taking the lead I was black flagged for dangerous driving and therefore finished dead last!

My fastest lap of the race was a 1.28.136,

Round 21 - Pocono Pennsylvania 500

The large tri-oval at Pocono played host to round 21 of the series.

As with recent rounds in practice I was fastest with a best time of 58.238

Qualifying didn't go so well as my inexperience at the track took it's affect, I posted the 41st fastest time of 58.084 although it was quicker than my practise time.

After the green flag dropped it took me 22 laps to make my way up to 10th when the first yellow arrived. It was a bit early to stop for fuel so I waited until lap 38 to make my stop. I came out in 12th and in the remaining 22 laps I managed to claw myself back up to 6th.

My best race lap was 57.800, my fastest of the weekend.

I led 4 of the 60 laps

I was now 1st in the Championship standings 448 points ahead

I had 2 races in hand to qualify for the chase.

Round 20 - Allstate 400 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Nascar Sprint Cup series rolled into Indianapolis on August 2nd 2015.

This 2.5 mile high speed flat oval would prove quite a challenge or so I thought. Practice, however,  went well as I set the fastest time of 57.222.

In the qualifying session I qualified down in 35th position with a time of 56.859

After the first 23 laps I'd got acclimatised to the circuit and reached the top spot. I pitted for fuel three laps later on lap 26. I then began my charge back to the front. It took all of the remaining 22 laps but I did it to chalk up my first win at the Brickyard.

My fastest lap of the race was a 56.883.

I was 1st in the standings, 390 points ahead of the pack,

Round 19 - Lifeblock.Com 400 Chicagoland

The Nascar Sprint Cup series rolled into Chicago on August 2nd 2015.

This 1.5 mile high speed oval would prove quite a challenge or so I thought. Practice, however,  went well as I set the fastest time of 32.019.

In the qualifying session I qualified down in 19th position with a time of 31.929.

It only took me 20 laps to get to the front which was pleasing.  After leading for 10 laps I decided to pit for fuel on lap 30. This meant that I had to climb back through the pack and this I was doing very well until I received the dreaded black flag for dangerous driving on the very last lap. After serving my penalty I finished in 11th.

My fastest lap of the race was a 31,804 my fastest time of the weekend.

I was 1st in the standings, 338 points ahead of the pack,.

Round 18 - Coke Zero 400, Daytona, Florida

On the 23rd May 2015 the series visited Daytona for the second time this season to contend the Coke Zero 400.

I ended up fastest after practice with a best time of 49.987 seconds.

Qualifying for this series (and all other NASCAR championships) is in a 2 lap dash format. The track is empty at this point.

I qualified in 1st. My time was 50.336.

I managed to stay up front until lap 27 when I stopped for fuel.

I spent the remainder of the race working my way through the pack. I was helped when everyone else stopped for gas under green flag conditions.

My fastest lap of the race was 49.445 my fastest lap of the weekend.

I led 29 of the 48 laps.

Round 17 - New Hampshire, Lennox Industrial Tools 301

The Nascar Sprint Cup series rolled into New Hampshire on May 23rd 2015.

This one mile flat oval would prove quite a challenge or so I thought. Practise went well as I set the fastest time of 31.959.

In the qualifying session I qualified on pole with a time of 31.317.

I took the lead early on in the race to get the 5 bonus points for leading a lap.  I led the race from flag to flag. The only time I wasn't in front was when I stopped for fuel on lap 45.

My fastest lap of the race was a 31.718.

I was 1st in the standings, 257 ahead, 3 races in hand to make the chase.

Round 16 - Toyota/Save Mart 350 - Infineon, Sonoma Raceway

The Nascar Sprint Cup series rolled into Infineon raceway in Sonoma, California on May 23rd 2015.

This was the first of two road courses that Nascar visits during the season.

This track would prove quite a challenge or so I thought. Practise went very well as I set the fastest time of 1.23.938.

In the qualifying session I qualified second with a time of 1.24.460.

I took the lead early on in the race to get the 5 bonus points for leading a lap and held it almost to the end. The race was littered with yellow flags and it was the last one that I actually brought out which lost me the lead. I ended up 2nd in a race I should have won.

My fastest lap of the race was a 1.22.096 which was faster than my practise and qualifying time.

I was 1st in the standings, 222 ahead, 2 races in hand to make the chase.