We're in the Chase now! Over the next nine races, we'll be breaking down who's up, who's down, who's flashing and who's fading, and by the end of Homestead we'll be ready to predict a champion.
Current standings: Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson (+1), Denny Hamlin (+1), Juan Pablo Montoya (+5), Kurt Busch (+2), Tony Stewart (-4), Ryan Newman (+5), Brian Vickers, Greg Biffle (+1), Jeff Gordon (-4), Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne (-7).
Who's up: Mark Martin didn't move up, but that's only because he was already at No. 1. Big credit to Juan Pablo Montoya, who's gone and jammed himself straight into the Chase conversation with his fine run at Loudon. And how about some love for Ryan Newman, who jumped from forgotten to No. 7?
Who's down: Pity poor Tony Stewart, who went from No. 1 to No. 6 in the blink of an eye. A season's worth of fine running is now completely irrelevant, and Smoke is now down 74 points. Jeff Gordon, with a ragged-running car, also plummeted in the standings and now sits in 10th place. Oh, and Kasey Kahne's Chase hopes are almost toast before they
Outlook: Since the Chase standings are still at the point where they're literally changing every lap, it's tough to make a clear assessment on where this thing's going. But Montoya appears to be the real deal, Martin has to be one of the frontrunners, and as that photo above shows, Jimmie Johnson's going to show up and spoil everybody's parade somewhere down the line.
All right, you're up. What's your take on the Chase as it stands right now? Go!
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