Chaser or Racer: NASCAR's Race to the Chase (Infineon)

(Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images)

Next week marks the beginning of summer, and the start of NASCAR’s stretch run to the Chase for The Sprint Cup. Now in its sixth year, the drama and excitement we saw in the first years has waned slightly (due to the large Chase field), but it still represents the biggest point of stress for teams and drivers this side of Daytona.

The top three in the standings (Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson) appear to be safe locks to make The Chase, and Kurt Busch (fourth in the standings) looks to be relatively safe as well.

However, from fifth on back, there is a bit of a dogfight. A little more than 120 points separates Ryan Newman (fifth) from Jeff Burton (12th).

Like last year, I’ll be starting up the “Chaser or Racer” pieces in the lead into each race, looking at the drivers between 10th and 16th in the standings and their chances of cracking, or staying in, the top 12, with a final prediction coming just before the Richmond race.

This time of the season is always fun for fans and journalists, and stressful for the teams and drivers. It’s the run to the “postseason” folks; strap in and hold on.  

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