One down, nine to go. New Hampshire brought an unexpected twist last week with Kyle Busch faltering and Greg Biffle leaving victorious, but the Monster Mile in Dover, Deleware, will threaten every driver in the field with a DNF. A falter here could dig a hole too deep to climb out of, and as always every point counts.

1. Carl Edwards

Edwards earned just his second finish higher than 12th at New Hampshire, and that 3rd place finish vaulted him into a tie for the Chase lead. Another win at Dover would give him a nice cusion on the rest of the field.

2. Jimmie Johnson

Though Johnson lost the lead and the win with just a dozen laps to go, his 2nd place finish was enough to put him in a tie for the Chase lead with Edwards. In the last four races at Dover, Johnson has failed to finish on the lead lap.

3. Kevin Harvick

Harvick continued his streak of great finishes at New Hampshire with a 10th place finish, his seventh straight top-10. Harvick will need to keep these runs going if he wants to keep in contention for the championship, but he hasn't finished higher than 20th since 2006.

4. Kyle Busch

After being nearly perfect in the first 26 races of the season, Busch faltered in the first race of the Chase and now find himself in a hole. Fortunately for Busch, the next race in the Chase is at Dover, a track where he won earlier this year.

5. Tony Stewart

Stewart recovered from a pit road speeding penalty during green flag pit stops to finish a solid 8th. Stewart has struggled lately at Dover, with only one top-10 finish in his last seven starts there, including a 41st place finish earlier this year. 

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt has started running well at just the right time, with a 5th place finish at New Hampshire. He's also struggled lately at Dover, though, with only two finishes in the top-20 in the last seven races.

7. Greg Biffle

Biffle seemingly came out of nowhere to win at New Hampshire, but that win has shown his team's championship chances. Biffle will likely close the gap on the leaders at Dover, where he's earned six top-10's in the last seven races.

8. Denny Hamlin

Like his teammate, Hamlin also had to rebound to earn a good finish at New Hampshire when he found himself in the back of the pack late. He got the job done though, managing to finish 9th. In his last two starts at Dover, Hamlin has been involved in wrecks, with 38th and 43rd place finishes.

9. Jeff Burton

Burton ran among the leaders all race long at New Hampshire, earning a 4th place finish that jumped him up to 5th in points. Burton has been consistent all season long, and in the last seven races at Dover, where he's finished 12th or better.

10. Jeff Gordon

Gordon ran in the top-15 all race long, and narrowly avoided being caught up in a wreck late. Gordon is still searching for his first win of 2008, and Dover may be the place for him to get it, where he has been solid in the last couple of years, with five straight finishes of 12th or better.

Other Notables:

11. Clint Bowyer- Bowyer was surprisingly a non-factor in the race on Sunday, only mustering a 12th place finish. Bowyer needs to have good runs in the remaining Chase races, starting at Dover where he's finished 12th or better in three of the last four races.

12. Matt Kenseth- Kenseth was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got caught up in a wreck, finishing 40th. Kenseth has wrecked in the last two races, he needs to right the ship at Dover.

13. Kurt Busch- Busch defended his win at Loudon earlier this year with a solid 6th place finish. Maybe this is the beginning of a turnaround for this team, we'll find out at Dover.

14. Martin Truex Jr.- Truex earned a solid 7th place finish at Loudon, and this weekend's race is held at the site of his only career Cup win.

15. David Reutimann- Reutimann has been impressive the last five races, with four top-15's in that span. He also has an average finish of 15th at Dover.