Can you believe there are only seven races left until the Chase? It's true. And with time growing short, we profile who's up, who's down, who's rising and who's falling as the Chase approaches.
Current standings: Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth. Just a bit of change, yes?
Movin' on up: Kasey Kahne has stormed his way up to No. 8, but don't expect him to get comfortable there; he made it to the seventh position last year before plummeting out of the Chase. Juan Pablo Montoya also continues his ascent, moving to No. 9 and further cementing his plans to become the first foreign-born driver to make the Chase.
Bottoming out: Greg Biffle toppled four spots to fall right out of the Chase -- by 10 points, but still. Kyle Busch also fell two spots, and now sits just three points -- three! -- on the high side of the cut line. Jeff Burton also fell two spots farther down the line, but sadly, his Chase hopes haven't been viable for months now.
On the bubble: Exactly 13 points separate the 10th through 13th spots, and Kahne and Montoya are within 50 points as well. On the low side, David Reutimann is 76 points below the cut line, and the hopes of Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers in the 15th and 16th spots are dimming indeed.
Outlook: The race for the Chase just got a whole lot more interesting with Kyle Busch dropped into the mix. Can The Greatest Driver of the 21st Century figure out how to points-race without putting himself and everyone around him into the wall? Will the Daytona 500 winner (Kenseth) end up out of the Chase? Will Mark Martin hang on even after four wins? Will Greg Biffle get it together? Come back in two weeks for the story!
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