Can you believe we've only got eight races left until the Chase? I know, it's like the season just got started! Anyway, here's where we run down who's up, who's down, who's peaking and who's bottoming out.
The field: Tony Stewart extended his lead on the field, followed by Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Kasey Kahne. If that list looks familiar, it should; the top 10 didn't change at all from last week.
Movin' on up: Montoya further worked his way into the Chase picture, and Kahne got into the Chase, period. Unlike last week, when only a handful of points separated the 10th through 14th drivers, we've got some separation now; it's more than 60 points from the 12th spot back to the unlucky 13th, which happens to be ...
Bottoming out: Mark Martin. His troubles at Daytona sent Martin plummeting out of the Chase, and those three wins aren't going to do him any good at getting back into the hunt. He's sliding, and it's time to get things turned around in a hurry. Also faltering: Clint Bowyer, who dropped another spot to 16th and now sits more than 150 points out of the Chase hunt.
On the bubble: Nobody can afford to take things lightly, but on the plus side, Kenseth and Biffle have been racing consistently, while on the low side, David Reutimann and Jeff Burton are starting to make a charge. Still anyone's ballgame, but the roster of potential players is thinning quickly.
Outlook: With the field bunched so tightly around the cut line, you're likely to see some more points racing as time goes on. Can Montoya and Kahne remain that patient? Will Martin continue to use his crafty-veteran skills to get back in the hunt? Will Joey Logano finish ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. this season? These questions and many more to be answered soon ....
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