NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not, Charlotte Edition
There’s a reason Brad Keselowski is smiling these days…
Tom Jensen  |  Posted October 10, 2012   Charlotte, NC
Brad Keselowski does a burnout after winning the Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into Charlotte Motor Speedway for Saturday night’s Bank of America 500, race No. 5 of 10 in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Brad Keselowski comes in leading Jimmie Johnson by 14 points, Denny Hamlin by 23 and Kasey Kahne by 36. At this point in the season, for someone other than the top four to win the title would require a remarkable run and some trouble for the leaders.

Here’s a look at who’s hot and who’s not right now, with a listing of their average finish in the last 10 races.

1. BRAD KESELOWSKI, avg. finish, 6.3 — Want to know why Keselowski is leading the points now? Believe it or not, it isn’t just because he’s won two of four Chase races. It’s because his worst finish in the Chase is seventh. In fact, he’s only had one finish worse than seventh in the last 10 races.

2. KASEY KAHNE, 9.7 — Although he failed to crack the top 10 in his last two races, Kahne has finished outside the top 15 just once in the last 10 races. And he’s very, very good at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he could make up some ground on Saturday night.

3. JEFF GORDON, 9.9 — In his best seven races among the last 10, Gordon’s average finish is 2.14. In the other three, it’s 28th. That 35th-place finish at Chicago just killed Gordon’s title hopes.

4. CLINT BOWYER, 10.0 — After winning the fall Talladega race in both 2010 and ’11, getting wrecked on the last lap and finishing 23rd this time was a real blow for Bowyer’s championship chances.

5. MARTIN TRUEX JR., 10.4 — In his first Chase with Michael Waltrip Racing, the veteran New Jersey driver has been consistently pretty good. But at no point has he been great, which is what he’s going to need.

6. JIMMIE JOHNSON, 11.8 — When the five-time champion is good, he’s very good, as his five top-four finishes indicate. But in the other five, meh: 14th, 27th, 34th, 13th and 17th aren’t great.

7. GREG BIFFLE, 11.8 — After leading the points for so much of the season, posting a best finish of sixth in the Chase so far is a huge disappointment.

8. KEVIN HARVICK, 12.4 — Honestly, Harvick’s cars haven’t been fast enough all year. No surprise his average isn’t higher, although his worst finishes in the last 10 are a pair of 16th-place results.

9. DENNY HAMLIN, 13.3 — Sure, Hamlin was won three of the last 10 races. But in three of the last five, he’s finished 14th or worse. Has speed, doesn’t have finishes to show for it.

10. DALE EARNHARDT JR., 14.9 — In first 20 races, Earnhardt had nine top fives and 15 top 10s. In the last 10 races, he’s had one top five and three top 10s.

11. MATT KENSETH, 15.5 — His victory at Talladega was an epic one, but Kenseth’s other three Chase finishes were 18th, 14th and 35th. Kenseth might be able to make the top five, but that’s his upside.

12. TONY STEWART, 16.4 — Six finishes of 19th or worse in the last 10 races for the three-time and defending series champion. Not going to be any miracles this year.

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.
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