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FONTANA, Calif. - Eight drivers — including Sharp Aquos 500 winner Jimmie Johnson — were locked into the Chase for the Nextel Cup at California Speedway.
Kyle Busch, who finished third behind Carl Edwards, and fourth-place finisher Jeff Burton also qualified for the postseason.
But what about the five racers that are still eligible? Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr., are still on the outside looking in.
So which four of the racers are Chase worthy and who will be making laps with the remaining 33 drivers?
First, let's do the math. Bowyer is ninth in the point standings. He finished 20th at California Speedway after colliding with Robby Gordon. The Richard Childress racer has been in the Chase Zone for 23 of 25 weeks. He's currently 152 points behind Kyle Busch.
Another sophomore sensation, Truex Jr. is 10th in points. Truex scored his 10th top 10 of the season but is still five points behind Bowyer. If publicity were based on performance and not popularity, Truex would be the DEI driver in the spotlight.
There's not another driver who has put forth as much effort as Kurt Busch in the last eight races. Busch has not posted a finish worse than 11th since Loudon. He moved into 11th-place in the standings after finishing ninth. Busch trails Truex by 20 points.
Despite a lot of luck and skill which allowed Harvick to miss "The Big One" on Lap 180, the No. 29 Chevrolet still finished 14th. Harvick dropped out of the top 10 in points for the first time since Talladega in April — 16 races ago. Now 12th in the standings, Harvick needs 13 points to catch Busch.
Earnhardt, NASCAR's Most Popular Driver, has the steepest deficit to overcome — 128 points separate him from Harvick. If Earnhardt wins the Richmond race and leads the most laps, the most points he can earn at Richmond is 195. If Harvick finishes 43rd and doesn't lead a lap, he will be credited with 34 points. Yes, Earnhardt could gain 161 points, but since he's already 128 markers behind, the margin is a slim 33 points.
Between the 100 points Earnhardt lost after his team was fined at Darlington for rules violations and four engine failures, it would be easy for the racer who after Homestead will no longer be known as Driver 8 to point fingers.
After the race Earnhardt admitted, "It doesn't look we're going to make it," but he remained gracious nonetheless.
"I'd like to thank my team," a tired and dejected Earnhardt said after the race. "They worked hard. It's so hot out there, you're never satisfied. I'd like to think they could run just as good without me, but I'd never be able to run as good without them. We're not going to quit running until they tell us we're out."
But the road to the Chase is paved with good intentions. And that road has just one stop remaining at Richmond International Raceway before Chase field is set.
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