by John Wiedemann
8/7/2008 Including this week, there are only five races left to the opening Chase Race at New Hampshire. While the contenders for the Chase are getting closer to being finalized, there are still two spots being hotly contested for by five drivers. Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Matt Kenseth and David Ragan will be the drivers to watch on the twists and turns of the Watkins Glen road course.
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RacingNation.com Power Rankings – Race For The Chase 1. Kyle Busch Running out of gas cost Kyle a lot of points in the standing, but for him points don’t really matter right now. Kyle’s cushion is still a comfortable 558 over 13th. All that Kyle wants right now is wins and the 10 bonus points that come with them. Could we see another road course win this weekend? That would truly be amazing, but not out of the question. 2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale closed to within 176 points of the lead, but once the Chase starts, that lead means nothing without the bonus points from wins. 3. Carl Edwards The win at Pocono was big for Edwards as the team continued its strong summer run. The bonus points gained from the win moved him into second place in Chase standings, 40 points behind Kyle Busch. 4. Jimmie Johnson A fine run at Pocono increased Johnson’s cushion which already has him a really safe bet to make the Chase. Don’t expect much to happen this weekend at Watkins Glen for Johnson, but next weekend should be interesting back on the oval. 5. Jeff Burton Still a pretty comfortable 332 points out of 13th spot, Burton really should be looking for a hot streak. Don’t expect it to start this weekend. 6. Jeff Gordon Gordon dropped just a few points after this last weekend. Still in the safety zone, Watkins Glen is a race that Gordon can go all out for the win in his drive-for-five victories at the track. 7. Kasey Kahne While disappointed that he didn’t get the win in the rain factored Pocono race, Kahne moved up two positions in the standings and is now 91 points to the good over 13th. 8. Greg Biffle Biffle dropped a spot and could find himself in the danger zone with a bad run on the road course. On the other hand a good run coupled with Michigan on the horizon for next weekend could put the number 16 team in a nice comfort zone. This weekend, while not crucial, could still prove to be very important in the Chase run. 9. Tony Stewart Stewart has won four times at the Glen. Add that a strong run at Pocono last week and you should see Stewart moving up higher in the standings at this time next week. Of course there is a reason that they run the races, but count on Stewart getting to a more comfortable position in the race to the Chase. 10. Denny Hamlin Denny lost a lot of the ground that he made up last week. He is only 46 points ahead of Matt Kenseth in 13th. He is at the position in the standings where spots can change each and every week. A sustained strong run can put any of the next five teams into the Chase for the Championship. 11. Kevin Harvick Harvick bounced back into the Chase 12 from his thirteenth in standings last week, but only by 19 points. At Watkins Glen this week, Kevin can’t have anything like the fun with Montoya that he had last year happen again or he will find himself back on the outside looking in. 12. Clint Bowyer Still on the bubble as Harvick passed him going up and Kenseth passed him going down. A two point advantage before Pocono has turned into an eleven point advantage over 13th position. That shouldn’t make anyone feel comfortable. 13. Matt Kenseth An eleventh place finish at Pocono dropped Kenseth two positions in the standings and out of the top twelve. What normally wouldn’t be a bad finish shows how close the drivers are to being in or out of the Chase at this point in the season. 14. David Ragan Ragan moved ten more points closer to getting into the Chase for the Championship. Still 46 points away, Ragan still has a realistic chance of making it in, not a bad position for a former “dart without feathers” according to Tony Stewart. Not Likely To Make The Chase 15. Ryan Newman -173 points to 12th. 16. Brian Vickers -203 points to 12th. 17. Martin Truex Jr. -248 points to 12th. If the Chase Started Now: 1. KYLE BUSCH 5070 2. CARL EDWARDS 5030 3. JIMMIE JOHNSON 5020 KASEY KAHNE 5020 5. DALE EARNHARDT, JR 5010 JEFF BURTON 5010 DENNY HAMLIN 5010 CLINT BOWYER 5010 9. JEFF GORDON 5000 GREG BIFFLE 5000 TONY STEWART 5000 MATT KENSETH 5000