Jimmy Johnson #48 - (Rank: 1st) - Let's face it, he is strong right now. 3 wins, and 7 top five finishes, Jimmy Johnson has held the rest of the league at bay for the whole season. The #48 team looks focused and in control of their own destiny. But destiny is the biggest problem JJ and his team has to face. He has a reputation of being strong at the beginning of the season, then falling flat as the season counts down. And crew chief Knaus, has already used up his cheat sheet in Daytona. No driver has a bigger spotlight on him more then Jimmy Johnson, and Knaus works better in the dark.

Matt Kenseth #17 - (Rank: 2nd, -74 points behind) - Strong and steady. It was looking like this last week in Dover; we should have seen Kenseth slip in the standings. He had wrecked 3 out of the last 4 races on the Monster Mile. But he dominated late, passing teammate Jamie McMurray with three laps left for the win. With 2 wins, and 9 top tens, he would be the league leader right now, if it weren't for the late race comeback from 42nd to 5th from Jimmy Johnson in Dover. 

Tony Stewart #20 - (Rank: 5th, -293 points behind) - Last years defending champ, has been exactly that. Bad boy, turned Bad-Ass of NASCAR, has looked poised as the strongest veteran of the league. If he can hold off everyone through his injury, he is going to be the biggest threat for the championship, by reputation alone. I would have to put the Talladega race this year as the shinning example of just how focused Smoke has become. He raced well back from the leaders, avoiding all the reckless drivers, along with the big one, (the term for the multiple car crash that plagues restrictor plate racing,) and finished in 2nd. Where there is Smoke, there is fire, and Tony Stewart's fire has turned into his love for racing.

Kasey Kahne #9 - (Rank: 6th, -296 points behind) - Fresh off his Sophomore Slump, Kasey's third year in the cup has started with one of the fastest cars in the league. His Dodge has dominated the track for weekends at a time. He has three pole position starts, and has tied the league leader with three victories. I wouldn't be surprised to see him double those numbers by the end of the season. And see Kasey take his position as a top five driver for years to come. He is one of the smartest drivers in the league, with one of the fastest cars. His points have proved it. Proving it for the rest of this year is the first step.

Mark Martin #6 - (Rank: 3rd, -216 points behind) - Mark Martin is a legend. Not for winning championships, but for his strong performance week in and week out. He has 8 top tens, including two top 5 finishes, and has looked strong as ever. His story remains just a few small steps away from becoming a favorite for this years chase. He also has room for a few mistakes along the way, but he can't afford any more pit problems. He will make the chase, and he will be the sentimental favorite. But to step it up in this league, you have to get some luck with a few people slipping down.

The Bubble

Denny Hamlin #11 - (Rank: 11th, -519 points behind) - The way it looks right now, Hamlin is the rookie of the year. He has two top 5 finishes, and almost got away with a victory in Richmond. He is shinning in the Busch series this year, with two wins, but that doesn't help his chances for a championship in the Cup series. Just to make the chase this year, would be victory enough for this young gun. I like his chances, but he is going to need  at least 7 or more top ten finishes in the next 13 races. He has no room for error within his learning curve.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #8 - (Rank: 4th, -282 points behind) - Anything would be an improvement from last year, and it looks like the tough times may be behind the team. Beating out his good friend Denny Hamlin in Richmond snapped his 27 race winless streak. With three additional top 5 finishes, Dale Jr. is within the top 4 of the league. But history proves it's shaky from the 5th position down to the top ten. To remain in the chase for the #8 team, they still have a lot of work ahead of them. With every great race he has had, he also has suffered some slip-ups. Focus, could be his biggest factor for the remaining 13 races to the chase. That, and getting along with his crew chief cousin.

Jeff Gordon #24 - (Rank: 9th, -428 points behind) - Focus, focus, focus! Between vacationing this year, Gordon has fit in a few races. Although he has 4 top five finishes, he only has a single additional top ten finish.  He has also seen his share of the garage. He has used up all of his mistakes, bad luck, mulligans, excuses, etc. Nothing less then perfection, and he will miss the chase for his second year in a row.

Greg Biffle #16 - (Rank: 12th, -524 points behind) - Don't call it a come back! He has been racing with the leaders all year. If it was not for some rotten luck, he would easily be in the top 5. He has a win, an additional top 5, and an additional 4 more top ten finishes. As long as he is still running at the end of the remaining races to the chase, he will be in the chase. No one has anything to say otherwise.

Carl Edwards #99 - (Rank: 14th, -557 points behind)- Carl needs a win. It just goes to show that even 4 top five finishes is not enough at this early point of the season to feel comfortable. Cartwheeling Carl needs to stay racing within the top ten, to have a chance for the chase. He may have little more room then some of the rest to work with, but even the smallest mistake could send him down within the Kurt Busch ranks of the league.

Casey Mears #42 - (Rank: 13th, -537 points behind) - The beginning of the year looked promising for Casey, but from the third race on, his best finish has been 14th. If you were to ask Casey about his 13th place in the standings, he would be the first person to tell you that he is lucky to be there. He is only 100 points out of the top ten, but anything less then a complete turn around for the #42 team, and the Vegas odds will remain against him.

Get the Hook Ready

Ryan Newman #12 - (Rank: 19th, -709 points behind) - I'm not calling him out of the chase quite yet, but what is wrong with the #12 team? He has had a strong career, but this season is shaping up to be one of his worst. Everyone was convinced he would turn it around at Dover this last week, since he had won there 3 out of the last 6 races. It looked like he would after he won the pole. But a 14th place finish has convinced everyone that something is really wrong within the Penske team. Maybe it's not Newmans fault. #12 can find his way into victory lane on almost any given week. But if the Penske team doesn't get their act together soon, they will have plenty of time to get it together later. The same time everyone else is racing for a championship.

Elliot Sadler #38 - (Rank: 20th, -709 points behind) - Sadler needs a few breaks. Breaks from the spotlight, breaks from his team, breaks on the race track. If he doesn't start driving in the top 15 for the next 13 races, he will have all the breaks he needs.

Dale Jarrett #88 - (Rank: 17th, -649 points behind) - Forget about him leaving for Toyota next year, forget about his first lap wreck in Charlotte, Jarrett still has a great chance. He has a strong reputation for picking up positions, but I think his starting spot maybe his problem. If they can get him qualifying well, it's up to himself to make his way into the top ten. Without engineering help, Jarrett is an old school driver. Class is in session Mr. Jarrett! 

Kurt Busch #2 - (Rank: 18th, -704 points behind) - Your probably wondering why I didn't write about his brother. Although Kyle has a much better chance at making the chase then his older brother Kurt, I don't think a championship is in the cards for either of them. Kurt got his only win this year from bumping Kenseth in the last four laps at Bristol, and he only has an additional top ten finish. At this point, most everyone has a score to settle with both brothers. Expect to see them both into the wall more often then victory lane.

Stick a Fork in Them

JJ Yeley #18 - (Rank: 27th, -818 points behind) - Granted he is a rookie, and didn't have much of a chance to begin with. But people like him. He is a smart driver, and has crazy potential. With a single top ten finish this season, and a 11th place finish in Talladega, it's safe to say that he belongs in the cup. He needs to work on some strong finishes to get a leg up on next year. Regardless of what happens the rest of this season, JJ Yeley will be a contender down the road. Joe Gibbs Racing is a perfect fit for this up and coming star. Let's just hope he can avoid the sophomore slump.

Michael Waltrip #55 - (Rank: 35th, -1083 points behind) - Not too many other drivers are in as much dire straits then Waltrip. He owns his own team and has fallen out of the top 35 in owner's points. Which means he is forced to qualify on speed alone. Any given weekend, he can be sent home early. It happened at Lowes, but Waltrip purchased a qualifying car to meet his contact regulations. It cost him a ton of money, but not as much as he would have lost if he had to pay the penalty for not meeting his sponsor obligations. For the remainder of the season, Waltrip will be racing for owner points. Next year he will be driving a Toyota, and falling out of the top 35 of owner points will be unacceptable for the manufactures first year in the big leagues. Sponsors don't like paying big bucks for a car that doesn't make it on the track for 36 races a year. Waltrip is on the hot seat!

Brian Vickers #25 - (Rank: 26th, -795 points behind) - In his third full season, Hedrick Motorsports was expecting big things from this team. He has three top ten finishes, including a top 5 this season, but being 795 points down from the league leader makes for a ton of work in 13 short races. Nothing short of a miracle, and he will have a snowballs chance in Vegas.

 The Nascar Nextel Cup Series is heating up. Some drivers are feeling the heat more then others. Sound off on a few drivers I missed, or get in a word about some of them I mentioned above. Gentleman, start your engines. Let's Go Racing!