With only a few races left until the Chase, things are starting to clear up ... and tighten up. Let's take a look at how the race is shaking out right now:
Currently in: Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth.
Movin' on up: Montoya continues his rise through the standings, and now sits in seventh place. And Biffle's strong finish Monday put him into 10th place. And while it's way too early (or too late) to even think about a charge, Marcos Ambrose is quietly working his way up through the standings, having just overtaken Jeff Burton for 17th place.
Bottoming out: No huge moves here, but Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth all slid down one spot. Further down the list, Dale Earnhardt Jr. dropped to 25th place. Not so good. But that's a story for 2010.
On the bubble: Kyle Busch closed to within 60 points of the final chase spot, and Brian Vickers and Clint Bowyer are both inside 100 points. So keep an eye on Martin and especially Kenseth over these last few races. The guys in 13th to 15th place certainly are.
Outlook: I still look for Kyle to make the Chase, and my pick to be unseated is Kenseth. Martin seems like he'll be smart enough to keep in the mix, and barring a catastrophe--always a possibility, of course--Vickers and Bowyer will most likely be on the outside looking in.
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