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CUP: Race For The Chase Red Hot
Written by: Tom Jensen   
06/29/2009
Charlotte, NC
 
Tony Stewart (Left) is leading the points race while Jeff Gordon (Right) is a close second. (Photo: LAT Photographic) ยป More Photos

NASCAR’s playoff race suddenly got even tighter. And that’s a very good thing.

Joey Logano’s surprise victory in the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, coupled with some subpar finishes by teams who guessed wrong on late-race strategy, brought the NASCAR Sprint Cup field even closer on Sunday.

Two-time series champ Tony Stewart continues to lead the points standings, as he has since Dover. Barring complete collapses or some series of truly freakish events, Stewart, Jeff Gordon (-69), Jimmie Johnson (-169) and Kurt Busch (-270) appear to be virtually certain to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR’s playoff round.

The 12 Chase drivers will be locked in following the Sept. 12 race at Richmond International Raceway.

Carl Edwards (-367) is currently fifth in points, but he is by no means a lock to make the Chase, especially with so many good cars behind him. Denny Hamlin (-392) is sixth, followed by Ryan Newman (-397), Kyle Busch (-416), Greg Biffle (-418), Matt Kenseth (-470), Mark Martin (-472) and Juan Pablo Montoya (-475) in 12th. Currently outside the top 10 are Kasey Kahne (-476) and David Reutimann (-487).

That’s a gap of a mere 120 points from fifth place to 14th place. That 120 points is the difference between winning a single race and finishing 31st without leading a lap. That means anyone from Edwards to Reutimann could be in or out of the top 12 in the space of just one race.

And with nine races until the Chase, anything could happen with the
drivers in the 5th-14th group. Even Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer (-569) and Jeff Burton (-583) have a shot at making the Chase, though it will be extremely difficult.

“If we run well enough, the points will take care of themselves,” said Burton. “There's still plenty of time. Nine races is an eternity in this sport. The Chase is 10 races long and think about all the stuff that happens in 10 races. So this is nine races and we still can do it; it's going to be hard, but we can do it.”

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

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