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Edwards has been a perennial championship contender all through his young career, but a crash at Darlington dropped him to 12th in points. Edwards is without a victory this season and has only one top-five.

All those drivers in the top 12, however, are the envy of every other competitor, including those who could be expected to be in the top 12.

Bowyer has been in the Chase for the past two seasons, each time finishing fifth or better in the final standings. But after a solid start with his new No. 33 RCR team, Bowyer slipped out of the top 12 after a crash at Darlington. The wreck also ended Bowyer’s long streak of running at the finish of races.

Montoya has shown improvement this season, the first of the newly formed Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Montoya is more consistent than in past years, but is there enough performance to vault him to the top 12?

Kahne was fifth in the points after the fifth race of the season, Bristol, but has slumped badly and dropped to 16th in points. Kahne is 66 points behind Edwards, so there is still hope he can make the Chase.

Earnhardt Jr. continues to be an enigma. The sport’s most popular driver also comes under the most scrutiny, and this year the spotlight hasn’t been kind. Countless mistakes on pit road and struggles on the track have left Earnhardt Jr. 18th in the standings – far behind his Hendrick teammates. With 15 races left before the Chase, his 89-point deficit on 12th place can easily be made up – but is it realistic?

The seasons of Harvick and Mears are intertwined, if only because the two RCR drivers swapped crew chiefs and road crews recently. Mears is the lowest of the four Childress drivers, but he’s only five points behind the veteran Harvick. Still, neither is in the top 20 in points, so something isn’t right.

McMurray continues to struggle to put up numbers like his Roush Fenway teammates, with only three top-10 finishes so far.

Will the Chase field look like the top 12 now? That seems unlikely, for the changing nature of the sport makes it unpredictable. With 15 races before the Chase, a lot can happen – good and bad.

SceneDaily.com • Martin Truex Jr.'s Earnhardt Ganassi Racing crew earns Tissot award for Darlington