(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
3 races to go before the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup chase for the championship begins. Tony Stewart the points leader by 284 points over Jeff Gordon with 3 wins clinched his spot by just start Sunday at Michigan. Jeff Gordon has to finish 6th or better at Bristol to clinch , and Jimmie Johnson has to finish 2nd or better (which would be clearly 1st) at Bristol in order to clinch. 4th place Carl Edwards, 5th place Denny Hamlin, and 6th place Kurt Busch must all be feeling really good about their chances of being in the chase (though due to Kurt Busch having a dnf and getting credited with a 36th place finish he is now 178 points ahead of 13th and losing as many points as he did at Michigan he can't "go all out" so to speak for fear is he loses another 100 points at Bristol he will only be 78 points ahead of 13th). The battle begins however at 7th.
7th Juan Pablo Montoya, ahead of 13th:108 points
Juan Pablo Montoya is certainly having a breakout season. Though no wins and only 1 top five he has 11 top tens and has been a perfect model of consistency and points racing. Brain Pattie has really made this driver get on the agenda to points race to solidify a place in the chase and it is working because he is having his best season ever.
In or Out? :IN
8th Kasey Kahne, ahead of 13th:105 points
Kasey Kahne has 1 win, 3 top fives, 9 top tens and is in a similar spot he was in last year. In the chase at this point in 2008 only to get caught up in a wreck at Bristol and knock himself out of the top 12 in points only to never return. The last 2 races Kasey has been losing points but he runs great at Bristol, and has won at Atlanta and Richmond.
In or Outt?:IN
9th Ryan Newman, ahead of 13th: 66 points
Ryan Newman has 5 top fives, 9 top tens and is having his best season since 2005 when he made the chase and finished 6th in points. Though winless he has done a great job in the 2nd Stewart Haas racing car. He has been faltering the last few races but with top fifteens at Indy, Pocono and Michigan it has kept him at pay from dropping out of the top ten in points. He is the track record holder at Bristol and ran 7th there in the Spring, had a top 10 car at Atlanta only top go down a notch on the motor, and had a car capable of winning Richmond. Look for Stewart Haas racing to make sure Newman is in the chase.
In or Out?:IN
10th Greg Biffle, ahead of 13th:42 points
Greg Biffle has had an up and down season. With finishes of 5th despite running out of gas at the June race at Michigan, to finishing 31st because he flat out struggled at Chicagoland. Roush is having a down year even despite Edwards being 4th in points who has no wins in the 2009 season. Greg finished 38th at the previous Bristol race, 34th at the previous Atlanta race, and 17th at the Previous Richmond race this year. Don't expect much different.
In or Out:OUT
11th Matt Kenseth, ahead of 13th:32 points
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