Kasey Kahne: HMS' Fifth Driver Making a Push For The 2010 Chase.

As the Sprint Cup series moves into the second half of the 2010 campaign everything is in its proper order.

Hendrick Motor Sports has three of four drivers in the top 12, as does Roush Fenway Racing.

Richard Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing each have two of three drivers currently perched to make Sprint Cup Chase.

In the top 12 there are only two drivers without a team mate—Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch.

Only four weeks into the season, the standings had a "flukey" look to them.

There were drivers we were unaccustomed to seeing among the top 12 in the standings—Paul Menard and Scott Speed were ninth and 12th respectively.

Fortunately, normalcy prevailed and they have since fallen back into the pack where they belong—currently 23rd and 24th, proving their position among the top 12 was in fact an aberration.

Jimmie Johnson is right were we're used to seeing him, currently sitting third in the standings. During his championship run he has never been lower than fifth going into the second half of the season.

Even Dale Earnhardt Jr. has rebounded from his poor showing in 2009 and finds himself in the top 12 making a strong bid for the chase.

On April 13th, Kasey Kahne announced his signing with Hendrick Motor Sports for the 2011 season.

His signing with Hendrick Motor Sports appears to be paying dividends already in 2010.

In seven races preceding the announcement, Kahne had an average finish of 18.7, with only one top five finish (27.8 percent).

In the 11 races since, he has four top-five finishes (36.4 percent) and an average finish of 15.4, better than three spots over the start of his season. Both are an improvement over his career marks—average finish of 18.3 and 20.1 percent of his starts with a top-five finish.

The 2004 Cup Series Rookie of the Year may not know exactly where, or for whom he will be driving next year, but he has been assured by Rick Hendrick that he will be taken care of in 2011.  Now he can focus on his driving and not worry about anything but winning. 

Since the signing, he has moved up 10 spots in the standings and finds himself currently 16th. Only Denny Hamlin has made a greater charge over the same time frame moving up 13 spots.  

In his seventh season Kahne has never qualified consecutive years for The Chase. But 2010 appears to be an exception.

Not only does he want to prove that he is worthy to be a part of the all-star stable at HMS, but as the flagship team for Richard Petty Motorsports, there is probably the desire to finish on a high note.  

As Johnson and Jeff Gordon vie for their fifth Sprint Cup Championship, look for the newest member of HMS to make some noise in the second half.