2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

file:Kyle Larson at the Daytona 500.JPG|thumb|Kyle Larson, the 2014 NASCAR Rookie of the Year.
file:Jimmie Johnson Dale Earnhardt Jr. cars at Hendrick Engines 2014.jpg|thumb|Chevrolet won the Manufacturer's championship with 20 wins & 1572 points.
The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 66th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 43rd modern-era Cup season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway, with the Sprint Unlimited, followed by the Daytona 500. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
This season was the final year of broadcasting for both the ESPN family of networks and Turner Sports. ESPN had covered the second half of the Sprint Cup season since 2007 while Turner Sports ended a thirty-one year relationship with NASCAR on TBS and later TNT. For 2015, their portions of the season were divided between Fox Sports and NBC.
Kevin Harvick and Stewart–Haas Racing claimed the drivers' championship and owners' championship, while Chevrolet won the manufacturer's championship. In one of the largest rookie classes in recent history, Kyle Larson was named Rookie of the Year.

Teams and drivers

Complete schedule

There were 41 full-time teams in 2014.

Manufacturer	Team		Race Driver	Crew Chief
Chevrolet	Chip Ganassi Racing	1	Jamie McMurray	Keith Rodden
Chevrolet	Chip Ganassi Racing	42	Kyle Larson '	Chris Heroy
Chevrolet	Furniture Row Racing	78	Martin Truex Jr.	Todd Berrier
Chevrolet	Germain Racing	13	Casey Mears	Bootie Barker
Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	5	Kasey Kahne	Kenny Francis
Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	24	Jeff Gordon	Alan Gustafson
Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chad Knaus
Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Steve Letarte
Chevrolet	HScott Motorsports	51	Justin Allgaier '	Steve Addington
Chevrolet	JTG Daugherty Racing	47	A. J. Allmendinger	Brian Burns
Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing	3	Austin Dillon '	Gil Martin
Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing	27	Paul Menard	Slugger Labbe Justin Alexander
Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing	31	Ryan Newman	Luke Lambert
Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing		Brian Scott	Nick Harrison Mark Hillman Mike Hillman Jr.
Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing		Ty Dillon	Nick Harrison Mark Hillman Mike Hillman Jr.
Chevrolet	Hillman-Circle Sport LLC		Timmy Hill	Nick Harrison Mark Hillman Mike Hillman Jr.
Chevrolet	Hillman-Circle Sport LLC		David Stremme	Nick Harrison Mark Hillman Mike Hillman Jr.
Chevrolet	Hillman-Circle Sport LLC		Alex Kennedy	Nick Harrison Mark Hillman Mike Hillman Jr.
Chevrolet	Hillman-Circle Sport LLC		Bobby Labonte	Nick Harrison Mark Hillman Mike Hillman Jr.
Chevrolet	Hillman-Circle Sport LLC		Morgan Shepherd	Nick Harrison Mark Hillman Mike Hillman Jr.
Chevrolet	Hillman-Circle Sport LLC		Travis Kvapil	Nick Harrison Mark Hillman Mike Hillman Jr.
Chevrolet	Hillman-Circle Sport LLC	40	Landon Cassill	Mike Abner Mark Hillman
Chevrolet	Stewart–Haas Racing	4	Kevin Harvick	Rodney Childers
Chevrolet	Stewart–Haas Racing	10	Danica Patrick	Tony Gibson Daniel Knost
Chevrolet	Stewart–Haas Racing	14	Tony Stewart	Chad Johnston
Chevrolet	Stewart–Haas Racing	14	Regan Smith	Chad Johnston
Chevrolet	Stewart–Haas Racing	14	Jeff Burton	Chad Johnston
Chevrolet	Stewart–Haas Racing	41	Kurt Busch	Daniel Knost Tony Gibson
Chevrolet	Tommy Baldwin Racing	7	Michael Annett '	Kevin Manion
Chevrolet	Tommy Baldwin Racing	36	Reed Sorenson	Todd Parrott
Ford	Front Row Motorsports	34	David Ragan	Jay Guy Derrick Finley
Ford	Front Row Motorsports	38	David Gilliland	Frank Kerr Jay Guy
Ford	Go FAS Racing	32	Terry Labonte	Dan Stillman Ben Leslie Clinton Cram
Ford	Go FAS Racing	32	Travis Kvapil	Dan Stillman Ben Leslie Clinton Cram
Ford	Go FAS Racing	32	Blake Koch	Dan Stillman Ben Leslie Clinton Cram
Ford	Go FAS Racing	32	Boris Said	Dan Stillman Ben Leslie Clinton Cram
Ford	Go FAS Racing	32	Eddie MacDonald	Dan Stillman Ben Leslie Clinton Cram
Ford	Go FAS Racing	32	J. J. Yeley	Dan Stillman Ben Leslie Clinton Cram
Ford	Go FAS Racing	32	Joey Gase	Dan Stillman Ben Leslie Clinton Cram
Ford	Go FAS Racing	32	Timmy Hill	Dan Stillman Ben Leslie Clinton Cram
Ford	Go FAS Racing	32	Kyle Fowler	Dan Stillman Ben Leslie Clinton Cram
Ford	Richard Petty Motorsports	9	Marcos Ambrose	Drew Blickensderfer
Ford	Richard Petty Motorsports	43	Aric Almirola	Trent Owens
Ford	Roush Fenway Racing	16	Greg Biffle	Matt Puccia
Ford	Roush Fenway Racing	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Mike Kelley
Ford	Roush Fenway Racing	99	Carl Edwards	Jimmy Fennig
Ford	Team Penske	2	Brad Keselowski	Paul Wolfe Greg Erwin
Ford	Team Penske	22	Joey Logano	Todd Gordon
Toyota	BK Racing	23	Alex Bowman '	Dave Winston
Toyota	BK Racing	26	Cole Whitt '	Randy Cox
Toyota	BK Racing	83	Ryan Truex	Dale Ferguson Doug Richert Joe Williams
Toyota	BK Racing	83	J. J. Yeley	Dale Ferguson Doug Richert Joe Williams
Toyota	BK Racing	83	Travis Kvapil	Dale Ferguson Doug Richert Joe Williams
Toyota	Identity Ventures Racing Michael Waltrip Racing	66	Michael Waltrip	Chad Walter Scott Eggleston
Toyota	Identity Ventures Racing Michael Waltrip Racing	66	Joe Nemechek	Chad Walter Scott Eggleston
Toyota	Identity Ventures Racing Michael Waltrip Racing	66	Jeff Burton	Chad Walter Scott Eggleston
Toyota	Identity Ventures Racing Michael Waltrip Racing	66	Brett Moffitt	Chad Walter Scott Eggleston
Toyota	Identity Ventures Racing Michael Waltrip Racing	66	Timmy Hill	Chad Walter Scott Eggleston
Toyota	Identity Ventures Racing Michael Waltrip Racing	66	Tomy Drissi	Chad Walter Scott Eggleston
Toyota	Identity Ventures Racing Michael Waltrip Racing	66	Mike Wallace	Chad Walter Scott Eggleston
Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing	11	Denny Hamlin	Darian Grubb Mike Wheeler
Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing	11	Sam Hornish Jr.	Darian Grubb Mike Wheeler
Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing	18	Kyle Busch	Dave Rogers
Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing	20	Matt Kenseth	Jason Ratcliff
Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing	15	Clint Bowyer	Brian Pattie
Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing	55	Brian Vickers	Billy Scott
Ford Chevrolet	Phil Parsons Racing	98	Josh Wise	Gene Nead

Changes

Teams

Stewart–Haas Racing expanded to a four-car team with the addition of Kurt Busch in the No. 41. Busch previously drove the No. 78 Chevrolet for Furniture Row Racing in 2013.
Michael Waltrip Racing downsized from a three to two car team for 2014, when sponsor NAPA Auto Parts decided to terminate their 3-year deal after the race fixing incident at the 2013 Richmond September race, shutting down the No. 56 Toyota Camry of Martin Truex Jr.
With the No. 56 shut down, Michael Waltrip entered a partnership with the 2013 No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports team, to the new formed Identity Ventures Racing in the No. 66 with Waltrip running the restrictor plate races and Joe Nemechek and various drivers running the remainder of the races.
Front Row Motorsports downsized from three full-time teams to two-full-time teams with the No. 35 moving to part-time. The team attempted 10 races in 2014.
Hillman-Circle Sport LLC expanded to two full-time teams with Landon Cassill running the full season in the new No. 40, after running part-time for the team in 2013.
Swan Racing expanded to a two-car team with the addition of Cole Whitt in the No. 26, who previously ran 7 races in Swan Racing's No. 30 in 2013. Parker Kligerman took over in the No. 30 for Swan Racing, previously running 2 races in the car in 2013. Sponsorship troubles later forced Swan Racing to sell both their cars to other teams in April 2014. The No. 26 of Whitt was sold to BK Racing, who continued to run full-time, while the No. 30 assets were sold to Xxxtreme Motorsport, shutting down the No. 30 and releasing Kligerman.

Drivers

Kevin Harvick replaced Ryan Newman in the Stewart–Haas Racing No. 39, which was renumbered to No. 4. Harvick previously drove for Richard Childress Racing in the No. 29 the previous 12 years.
Austin Dillon moved up to the Sprint Cup Series full-time to replace Kevin Harvick in the Richard Childress Racing No. 29, renumbered to No. 3. Announced December 11, 2013, this would make the first appearance of No. 3 in the Sprint Cup Series since the 2001 Daytona 500 and the death of Dale Earnhardt. Dillon had built a strong early career in a Childress-blessed No. 3, first in the Camping World Truck Series, then in the Nationwide Series. Childress had polled fans at the beginning of 2013 about Dillon taking No. 3, to the Sprint Cup series, which received 90% positive feedback. "That told me it was time, and if Austin wanted to it was his choice."
Ryan Newman replaced Jeff Burton in the Richard Childress Racing No. 31. Newman drove the No. 39 for Stewart–Haas Racing in 2013.
Martin Truex Jr. replaced Kurt Busch in the Furniture Row Racing No. 78. Truex drove the No. 56 for Michael Waltrip Racing in 2013.
Brian Vickers became the full-time driver of the No. 55 for Michael Waltrip Racing, after running 14 races in the car in 2013.
Kyle Larson replaced Juan Pablo Montoya in the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing No. 42. Montoya left to drive in the IndyCar Series. Larson ran full-time for Turner Scott Motorsports in the No. 32 in the Nationwide Series in 2013.
A. J. Allmendinger replaced Bobby Labonte in the JTG Daugherty Racing No. 47 car. Allmendinger ran part-time for Daughtery and Phoenix Racing in 2013.
Justin Allgaier replaced multiple drivers in the HScott Motorsports No. 51 car. Allgaier ran full-time for Turner Scott Motorsports in the No. 31 in the Nationwide Series in 2013.
Michael Annett replaced Dave Blaney in the Tommy Baldwin Racing No. 7 car. Annett ran in the Nationwide Series for Richard Petty Motorsports in the No. 43 in 2013.
Reed Sorenson replaced J. J. Yeley in the Tommy Baldwin Racing No. 36 car. Sorenson ran part-time for various Sprint Cup and Nationwide teams in 2013.
Josh Wise replaced Michael McDowell in the Phil Parsons Racing No. 98. Wise drove for Front Row Motorsports in the No. 35 in 2013.
Travis Kvapil and various drivers join Go FAS Racing, a team consisting of Go Green Racing and Frank Stoddard's FAS Lane Racing, for races that are not road courses or restrictor plate superspeedways.
Alex Bowman replaced Travis Kvapil in the BK Racing No. 93 car, which was renumbered to No. 23. Bowman drove for RAB Racing in the No. 99 in the Nationwide Series in 2013.
Ryan Truex replaced David Reutimann in the BK Racing No. 83 car. Truex left after the Chicagoland race in September and was replaced by J. J. Yeley and Travis Kvapil.
Michael McDowell replaced Scott Speed and various drivers in the part-time Leavine Family Racing No. 95 car. McDowell drove the Phil Parsons Racing No. 98 in 2013.
J. J. Yeley replaced Scott Riggs for Xxxtreme Motorsport in the part-time No. 44.

Manufacturers

Germain Racing switched its manufacturer to Chevrolet after being with Ford since 2012. The team's original manufacturer was Toyota.

Changes

In contrast to previous seasons, NASCAR imposed several new rules changes that drastically altered how the circuit operates.

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 as well as road courses, 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.
The rule was modified slightly for restrictor plate races beginning at Talladega in the October race. During sessions at restrictor plate tracks, such as at Talladega's spring race, drivers had either ridden around the track at slow speeds or stopped on pit road for several minutes to avoid aiding others in the draft. In an effort to avoid this, a new procedure was implemented:

NASCAR will randomly split the field into two groups for session 1. Each group will get 5 minutes of track time. The fastest 24 cars from either group will advance to session 2.
These 24 cars will get 5 minutes of track time for session 2. The fastest 12 cars in session 2 will advance to session 3.
Session 3 remains unchanged: 12 cars competing for overall pole in a 5-minute session.
Statically set car at race ride height—eliminate pre- and post-race front height rules and inspection.
The use of a front splitter with a square leading edge.
Skirts at 4-inch minimum ground clearance on both the left and right sides.
Rear fascia trimmed 1.375 inches higher in current scallop region.
The use of a.750-inch higher 8-inch high rear spoiler except at Daytona and Talladega.
The use of a 43-inch wide by 13-inch long radiator pan.

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.
15 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. 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
** Begins with 16 drivers, each with 2,000 points plus a 3-point bonus for each win in the first 26 races.
* Contender Round
** Begins with 12 drivers, each with 3,000 points.
* Eliminator Round
** Begins with 8 drivers, each with 4,000 points.
* NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship
** The last 4 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 among the first fifteen races. The dates for the spring races at Darlington Raceway and Kansas Speedway 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 for this year only due to conflicts with the NCAA basketball finals, 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.
In addition, starting in 2014, drivers have a winner's decal placed behind the driver's name on the side of the car for each race victory they earn during the season.

Schedule

The final calendar was released on October 15, 2013, comprising 36 races, as well as two exhibition races. The schedule also includes two Budweiser Duels, which are the qualifying races for the Daytona 500.

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.
Top ten results :

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 happened and ended with rookie Parker Kligerman on his roof; several teams had to use 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. This was the first night race in The Duels.
Top ten results :

Top ten results :

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.
Top ten results:

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.
Top ten results:

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.
Top ten results:

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.
Top ten results:

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 less than three laps 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, 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.
Top ten results:

Round 6: STP 500
Kyle Busch started on pole. Kurt Busch took the lead on lap 490 and held off Jimmie 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. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished third, Joey Logano fourth, and Marcos Ambrose fifth.
Top ten results:

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. The race started under green-yellow conditions to allow track workers to dry the track from the rain while green flag laps were counted under yellow flag conditions. Dale Earnhardt Jr. brought out the first yellow of the race two laps after it officially went green on Lap 11 when he clipped the wet infield grass on the front stretch, causing the splitter to dig in and damage the front end of his car before it caught fire. Teammate Jimmie Johnson received some damage from the dirt dug up by Earnhardt Jr. Joey Logano made a last lap pass on Jeff Gordon to win the race.
Top ten results:

Round 8: Bojangles' Southern 500
Kevin Harvick started on the pole, led the most laps, and passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. with two laps to go to win his second race of the year at Darlington Raceway.
Top ten results:

Round 9: Toyota Owners 400
Joey Logano scored his second win of the season after a nine lap battle for the win.
Top ten results:

Round 10: Aaron's 499
Denny Hamlin scored his first victory of the season, and first career win at Talladega Superspeedway, after taking the lead from Kevin Harvick with two laps to go.
Top ten results:

Round 11: 5-hour Energy 400
Jeff Gordon took the lead with eight laps to go and held off a last lap charge by Kevin Harvick for his 89th career win.
Top ten results:

Exhibition: NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
For the first time, the Sprint Showdown was held the day before the All-Star Race, with Clint Bowyer winning and A. J. Allmendinger finishing second to advance to the All-Star Race. Josh Wise was the winner of the fan vote to be the third driver to advance.
Top ten results :

For the main race, Carl Edwards took the pole in a unique qualifying session, but Kyle Busch won the first 20-lap segment. However, he and Joey Logano crashed in the second segment, followed soon after by Allmendinger. Kasey Kahne won the second and third segments, but faded in the fourth after hitting the wall, along with Ryan Newman. Kevin Harvick would later win the fourth segment. On the restart for the last segment, which was ten laps, Jamie McMurray passed Edwards and held off Harvick to win his first All-Star race.
Top ten results:

Round 12: Coca-Cola 600
Jimmie Johnson won the pole, led the most laps, and won the race ahead of Kevin Harvick, after the latter was slowed down by pit difficulties late and could not recover in time. Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, and Jamie McMurray rounded out the top five. Kurt Busch and Danica Patrick both suffered blown engines in the race, with Busch's engine failure ending his chance of completing all of the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600, an act known as "Double Duty".
Top ten results:

Round 13: FedEx 400
Brad Keselowski started on pole, but Kyle Busch led the early part of the race. Jimmie Johnson eventually passed Kyle Busch for the lead. Clint Bowyer got into Kyle Busch, who wound up hitting the wall and ending his day. Greg Biffle and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. collided on the backstretch, also involving Landon Cassill, Ryan Truex, and Justin Allgaier. The race was red flagged in order to clean up. After the race resumed, Kevin Harvick took the lead from Johnson. Jamie McMurray hit a piece of concrete in turn two, which resulted in a second red flag in order to repair the hole in the track. The concrete ended up causing damage to the bridge over the track in that location. Harvick continued to lead after the red flag until having to pit for a flat tire, yielding the lead to Matt Kenseth. Johnson took the lead from Kenseth and dominated the remainder of the race, winning his second consecutive race and his ninth win at Dover. Despite the damage from the earlier incident, Greg Biffle reentered the race and finished 38th, his 85th consecutive race without a DNF, breaking the NASCAR record previously held by Herman Beam.
Top ten results:

Round 14: Pocono 400|Pocono 400]
Denny Hamlin took the pole with a new track record, but Brad Keselowski led the most laps. Jimmie Johnson started 20th and worked up to 5th; however, his progress was stunted by a pit-road collision with Marcos Ambrose. Other contenders Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick were done in by a pit road speeding penalty and a flat tire, respectively. Kasey Kahne was then taken out after being forced up into the wall by Kyle Busch, causing a crash that also involved Carl Edwards. After the final restart, Keselowski picked up a large piece of debris on his grill and got passed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. while trying to pull up behind the slower Danica Patrick to remove the debris. Earnhardt would continue to lead and pick up his first career victory at Pocono. The win was the fourth in a row for Hendrick Motorsports in 2014, and the fourth in a row for Hendrick at Pocono with four different drivers.
Top ten results:

Round 15: Quicken Loans 400
Jimmie Johnson took the lead with ten laps remaining to take his first win at Michigan International Speedway. This was his first career win at Michigan, after numerous unsuccessful attempts that ended with crashes, engine failures, or running out of fuel.
Top ten results:

Round 16: Toyota/Save Mart 350
Carl Edwards held off a last lap charge from Jeff Gordon to win the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
Top ten results:

Round 17: Quaker State 400
In a dominant performance from Team Penske, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski combined to lead 236 of the 267 laps and Keselowski led 199 laps to win the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. He described his car as "awesome" and that his crew did a "great job."
Top ten results:

Round 18: Coke Zero 400
Aric Almirola scored his first career victory in the rain-shortened Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. He said he could not "dream" of a better place to get his first win. Kurt Busch was penalized 10 points for a technical infraction following post-race inspection.
Top ten results:

Round 19: Camping World RV Sales 301
Brad Keselowski staved off a green-white-checker charge by Kyle Busch to win.
Top ten results:

Round 20: Brickyard 400
Jeff Gordon scored his record 5th win in the Brickyard 400 after passing Kasey Kahne on a restart with 17 laps to go. The race was dominated by a variety of pit strategies. Kasey Kahne led the most laps in the race with 70 as Hendrick powered cars led 127 of the 160 laps.
Top ten results:

Round 21: Gobowling.com 400
Despite having Kevin Harvick filling his rearview mirror, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was able to maintain the lead to complete the first Pocono sweep since Denny Hamlin did it in 2006.
Top ten results:

Round 22: Cheez-It 355 at The Glen
A. J. Allmendinger held off a hard charging Marcos Ambrose with two laps remaining to score his first career Sprint Cup Series victory, and the first Cup Series victory for JTG Daugherty Racing.
Top ten results:

Round 23: Pure Michigan 400
Jeff Gordon took the lead from Joey Logano on the final restart and sailed to victory lane for the 91st time in his career.
Top ten results:

Round 24: Irwin Tools Night Race
Joey Logano took the lead with 45 laps to go and had to hold off a late race charge by Brad Keselowski to score his third win of the 2014 season.
Top ten results:

Round 25: Oral-B USA 500
Kasey Kahne took the lead on the second Green-White-Checker attempt and held off Matt Kenseth to score his first win of the season.
Top ten results:

Round 26: Federated Auto Parts 400
Brad Keselowski would dominate, leading 383 laps on his way to his fourth win of the season.
Top ten results:

Round 27: MyAFibStory.com 400
The Chase-Opening race at Chicagoland Speedway started with qualifying being rained-out and Kyle Busch starting on Pole for being the fastest in first practice, and Chase Seed #1 Brad Keselowski wound up starting 25th for the 267 lap event. Busch led 46 laps early on, but the race saw comers and goers as it saw only a few cautions for the first 3/4 of the event. Jeff Gordon, Jamie McMurray, Keselowski, and Kevin Harvick took turns at the front over the course of 100 laps of green. Keselowski and Harvick both suffered loose wheels and had to start at the tail-end of the lead lap. Chase driver Aric Almirola was leading on series of green flag pit stops with 37 to go when his engine blew and was forced to retire. Rookie Kyle Larson wound up taking the lead in the late going with a superior machine, battling Harvick, Gordon, and Keselowski in the late going with Keselowski making a three-wide move in between Larson and Harvick, taking the lead for good. With 10 laps to go, the final caution came out after Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Danica Patrick got together in Turn 4. On the final restart, Keselowski got away easy, Harvick fell to 5th, and Keselowski the #1 seed scored his 5th win of the season and second at Chicagoland. Gordon beat Larson for 2nd, and Joey Logano blew up out of Turn 4, but streaked across the finish line up in smoke to finish 4th.
Top ten results:

Round 28: Sylvania 300
Joey Logano took off on the first Green-White-Checker attempt to score his fourth victory of the season.
Top ten results:

Round 29: AAA 400
Kevin Harvick started on pole and dominated most of the first half of the race. Cautions flew for debris on lap 62, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. brushing the wall on lap 75, and debris again on lap 125. Brad Keselowski took the lead from Harvick on lap 148. After a caution for J. J. Yeley scraping the wall on lap 171, Harvick regained the lead. After a round of green flag pit stops, Harvick cut a tire and brought out the caution on lap 254. Keselowski took over the race lead. Jeff Gordon took the lead from Keselowski on lap 305 and continued on for the win, the 92nd of his career. Following this race, A. J. Allmendinger, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, and Aric Almirola were eliminated from the Chase.
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Round 30: Hollywood Casino 400
On the final restart with 28 laps to go, Ryan Newman lost the lead to Joey Logano and he held off a hard-charging Kyle Larson to score his fifth win of the season.
Top ten results:

Round 31: Bank of America 500
Kevin Harvick shot ahead of Jeff Gordon on the final restart with two laps remaining to win the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
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Round 32: GEICO 500
Brad Keselowski held off hard-charging Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth to win the GEICO 500. Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson were the four drivers who were eliminated.
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Round 33: Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500
Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead from Tony Stewart with four laps to go and held off a hard charging Jeff Gordon to score his first career win at Martinsville Speedway.
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Round 34: AAA Texas 500
Jimmie Johnson held off Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick to score his 70th career win.
This race is also known for a late-race incident between Harvick, Brad Keselowski, and Jeff Gordon, which resulted in a post-race brawl on pit road. Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's senior vice president of competition, said that series officials will review what took place to determine what, if any, penalties will be issued.
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Round 35: Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500
Kevin Harvick dominated the race to score the victory. In the final turn, Ryan Newman sent Kyle Larson into the wall to secure his place in the championship race. Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Newman were the four drivers who will race for the championship, which also meant that NASCAR will be having a new Sprint Cup Series champion. Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, and Matt Kenseth were the four drivers eliminated.
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This was Jeff Gordon's final Second place finish.

Round 36: Ford EcoBoost 400
Jeff Gordon won the pole for the race and dominated. Kevin Harvick took the lead from Denny Hamlin with 8 laps to go, but a late caution forced the race to have a 3 lap shootout. Harvick and Ryan Newman, who were the top of the 4 championship contenders, restarted on the front row. Harvick held off Newman to score his fifth win of the season and take the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup title.
Top ten results:

Results and standings

Drivers' championship

Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by final practice results or owner's points. * – Most laps led.

. – Eliminated after Challenger Round
. – Eliminated after Contender Round
. – Eliminated after Eliminator Round