The Chase has arrived, and with it our ongoing look at how everything's shaking out. Who's up, who's down? Well, seeing as how everything has just started, it's all just kind of status quo. But let's see where things stand right now.
Current standings: Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Brian Vickers, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Juan Pablo Montoya.
Who's up: With the points reset, Mark Martin vaults to the top of the standings. Not bad for a guy whose Chase status was still in doubt literally as the race in Richmond started. And for the first time since, I dunno, May or something, Tony Stewart is not in first place in the standings.
Who's down: Four drivers -- Newman, Biffle, Edwards and Montoya -- are in the Chase despite not winning a single race this season. Two guys, Newman and Montoya, were surprises to even make the Chase, so we can let that go. Biffle has been consistently a B+ driver, so it's not really a surprise to see him here either. But Edwards? The dude who stormed through the end of last season? We expected a lot more from him. And if he was planning to make his charge once the Chase began, well, here we are.
Outlook: We knew that Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart were the guys to beat this year, with Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon solid outside picks. But now Kahne and Hamlin have come on strong, and each has a legitimate chance to win enough to stay right at the top of the rankings. And don't discount Vickers either; nobody's been better than him over the last two months. Matter of fact, this is really anybody's Chase. Greg Biffle in '09! Why not?
You're up. Who's your pick to storm the Chase? Go!
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