NASCAR’s Race To The Chase

NASCAR's race to the Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship is heating up.

Aug 10, 2006

With five races to go until the third annual NASCAR Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship, the race to get into the top 10 is becoming more and more captivating.

As you already know, NASCAR's trio of mega stars, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart are by no means locked into the top ten, and other notable drivers such as Kasey Kahne, Greg, Biffle, and Kurt Busch are nipping at the heels of the top ten.

Even Jeff Burton, who is currently third in the NASCAR Nextel Cup standings, is far from safe.

6th Mark Martin- +137 over 11th place. Unless Martin runs into miserable luck, he should be 'good to go', as the Taco Bell commercials say. Martin is traditionally reliable at the five remaining tracks, but Watkins Glen and Bristol are two tracks where things can go wrong in a split second. Will he make the Chase? YES

7th Denny Hamlin- +73 over 11th place. Last year, everyone was apprehensive of Carl Edwards and his lack of experience, but he was able to maintain his grasp on the top ten. Can Hamlin do the same? Hamlin is a rookie, and rookies typically do not fair very well at Watkins Glen or Bristol. But Hamlin is no run of the mill rookie either. Will he make the Chase? YES

8th Jeff Gordon- +52 over 11th place. Now that Gordon and the 24 team have found that favorable balance on the 2-mile tracks of Michigan and California, he should qualify for the Chase for the Championship, barring a sequence of misfortune. Gordon is exceptional at Waktins Glen and Bristol, the two tracks where his opponents are likely to lose the most ground.

9th Tony Stewart- +44 over 11th place. Stewart doesn't really have a weak track, but that still doesn't exclude him from bad luck. However, I think that Stewart has faced enough misfortune thus far in 2006, so he should breeze through the next five events. Will he make the Chase? YES

10th Dale Earnhardt Jr- +37 over 11th place. If it were not for some precarious pit strategy in the closing laps of the All State 400 at Indianapolis, Earnhardt Jr would be on the outside looking in as far as the top ten is concerned. Earnhardt Jr has been consistently inconsistent at the road courses throughout his career, so it's hard to determine exactly how well he'll do. If Infineon was any indication, then it's going to be a long weekend for driver # 8. Will he make the Chase? NO

11. Kasey Kahne- -37 behind 10th place. Oh how quickly momentum can shift. After winning his fourth race of the season at Michigan two months ago, Kahne appeared to be on his well on his way to his first Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship appearance. Since his win at Michigan, his only top ten finish was at New Hampshire last month. Right now, Kahne has dug himself a hole, and with Watkins Glen next on the NASCAR agenda, that hole could be deeper heading back to Michigan next week. Will he make the Chase? NO

12. Greg Biffle- -115 behind 10th place. Biffle finished fourth at the first road course race at Infineon this year, he's always strong at Michigan and California, and he's been fast at Bristol and Richmond. If he can avoid any hiccups over the next month, then Biffle has the potential to outperform Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Will he make the Chase? YES

13. Kurt Busch- -174 behind 10th place. Kurt Busch, like every other Dodge team, has just been too inconsistent in 2006. Busch will have to finish in the top five in all of the remaining race leading up to the Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship if he has any hopes of chasing another championship. Will he make the Chase? NO

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