Capitalizing On Others' Misktakes Wins Championship

So here we sit two races into the Chase and the standings are turned upside down. Drivers who haven't been a factor the last five months have all of sudden caught stride at the right time, while others seem to have went  flat in there  quest to win it all.

One thing that is similar to last year is that winning all the races doesn't equate to a championship. Just ask Jeff Gordon, and now you can Kyle Busch to the list. Winning eight races going into the chase, Kyle Busch was the odds on favorite. But two tough luck races and he currently sits 12th in the standings and over 200 points out of the lead. Oh how quickly things change.

I said it a couple weeks back on a previous article this chase can change at any moment and it really is anyone's game. After suffering a  broken part and engine failure Kyle Busch watched his dream season go up in smoke in just 374 laps.

It will take 11 other drivers to make mistakes every week until Homestead and he needs to win  every race to even have a shot. So what was the dream season has just became one major disappointment in two short weeks.

For Denny Hamlin his issues seem even more peculiar after having a strong ninth place finish at Loudon. Dover was a disaster after qualifying strong, this team ran into pit road penalties and a drive shaft issue that put him 38 laps down and way off the pace. He now sits in 11th in the standings 193 points behind the leader.

Two drivers who needed strong runs this week did just that. Each led laps and each finished in the top 10 improving there chances in the championship.

For Matt Kenseth, who sits 10th in the standings, he needed this. After a disastrous race in Loudon. Dover couldn't have come at a better time.Leading the most laps and finishing a strong second  to teammate Greg Bifle.

He still sits 167 points behind the leader but improved his chances  by running strong. Kansas is not his best track, but  if he can run well and stay in touch with those in front of him, a strong run is very possible.

Jeff Gordon started the weekend off strong with a fast lap  in qualifying earning his 66th pole in his successful career. He led 30 laps and stayed in the top 10 almost all day. Finishing seventh and staying out of trouble allowed him to gain three  positions to eighth 118 behind the leader. With a strong run on Sunday he can improve his chances in the Chase with another top 10 or even something he is missing this year; a win.

For Dale Earnhardt Jr. his early season charge led to a mid-season slump and has ended with an end of the year breakdown. Last week his car radio was heard around the world. Rick Hendrick came on to calm his driver down and get him focused back on the race.

This week a blown tire and heavy damage negated what should have been a top 10 run or better. Finishing well off the pace and numerous laps down, Junior watched his title chances slip away falling to ninth in the standings 129 behind the leader. Junior needs a strong and consistent run at Kansas.

Tony Stewart another one of the drivers who were not even a factor at Dover, struggled with the handling on his toyota and never cracked the top 10. He sits in seventh just 113 points behind the leader. With his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing in two months, the team needs to be more consistent and they need to lead some laps something they haven't done yet in the chase.

For Clint Bowyer (sixth), Kevin Harvick (fifth), and Jeff Burton (fourth), consistency in the first two races have garnered them each steady climbs in the standings. All three have run under the radar. But to make a dent in the  leaders they need to run more to the front, they need to lead more laps and win a race.

We all knew Greg Biffle has had some tough luck, leading at Darlington early in the year and having engine problems, to pit road mistakes and loose wheels. This team has seen it all.  Greg came into the Chase with no wins but has quickly changed that with two wins in a row.

Being the first driver to win the first two chase races in history. Not even Jimmie Johnson can claim that one. Sitting just 10 points behind the leader Greg has positioned himself perfectly in the Chase and waiting for the top two to make a mistake. 

Jimmie Johnson and crew take strategy to a whole new level. Pitting off sequence and banking on a caution to bring the field all back down pit road. It worked, this time. They might not always be that lucky. But he couldn't hold the lead on the final restart and  watched the Roush boys pass him.

We all know Jimmie owns the Chase races.Winning 11 races in the final 10 races since his debut.  Jimmie can capitalize this weekend as he is the one driver at Hendrick Motorsports whose 1.5 program is at least competitive with Roush Fenway. Look for Jimmie to make a charge.

For Carl Edwards who has been chasing Kyle Busch all season sitting atop  the standings is where this guys thinks he belongs. With a strong run at Dover and Loudon he has put  himself as the front runner to win the championship. Now all he has to do is capitalize and win some races and  avoid mistakes. Easy to say, hard to do.

Unlike last year consistency is going to win this Championship. It won't be the guy who wins every race, and won't be the guy who leads the most laps. It's gonna be the one guy who steadily climbs the standings and runs under the radar.

I don't think winning races will be a key this year. Capitalizing on the leaders mistakes, we saw that when Kyle, Denny and Jr.  had issues this week, five of the 12 drivers gained positions. That's what is going to win the Championship, the one who can capitalize.