May 3, 2006

By Rebecca Gladden

Rebecca Gladden

It seems like just a few weeks ago that NASCAR fans were restlessly anticipating the Bud Shootout, the Daytona 500, and the start of the 2006 racing season.

That was back in February, and though it may seem hard to believe, the first quarter of the 36-race NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season is already in the books.

Nine races down, 27 to go.

But in this, the third year of NASCAR's revised points system, most race teams are focused not on race 36, but on race 26, which will take place on September 9th in Richmond.

Race 26 is the official cut-off point for teams to qualify for the "Chase for the Championship" - NASCAR's version of a playoff season - in which only the top-ten drivers in points (or those within 400 points of the leader) will compete for the title.

The remaining drivers will still participate in every race, but they will not eligible for the championship.

With that in mind, it's easy to see why teams are continuously evaluating where they stand in the points and what they need to do to either improve or maintain their positions.

On the plus side in the points are four of last year's Chase contenders, all currently in the top ten after nine races: Jimmie Johnson (1), Matt Kenseth (2), Tony Stewart (3), and Mark Martin (5). Johnson regained the lead with his victory Monday in Talladega, shuffling Kenseth back to second, 21 points out of first.

But second-place is still notable for Kenseth, who spent last summer clawing his way into the Chase from a 700-point deficit, having been as low as 24th in the standings in the early summer of 2005.

Other notables in the top ten include Jeff Gordon, currently in 6th place, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 8th. Both drivers were under intense scrutiny last year, when sub-par seasons kept them out of the Chase. Gordon ended the year in 11th place and Earnhardt in 19th.

Rounding out the top 10 after the first quarter of the season are Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Dale Jarrett, none of whom has competed in the Chase previously.

Unfortunately for other teams, the present points tally is not as positive. Six of last year's Chase contenders find themselves outside the top ten after nine races: Elliott Sadler (13), Carl Edwards (15), Kurt Busch (16), Greg Biffle (23), Ryan Newman (26), and Jeremy Mayfield (31). Three of those drivers - Busch, Newman, and Mayfield - were in the Chase for the Championship for both of the past two years.

Under the Chase rules, all drivers who are within 400 points of the leader after 26 races - even if they are not in the top ten - are also eligible to compete in the Chase. So far that situation hasn't occurred by the time the Chase cutoff arrives, but right now there are two drivers in that position. Casey Mears, in 11th-place, is currently 338 points out of first, and Jeff Burton in 12th is 355 points out. Neither driver has qualified for the Chase previously.

The highest-ranked rookie driver after nine races is Clint Bowyer in 18th, with rookies Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. also currently in the top-20.

This weekend, the Cup series travels to Richmond for a Saturday night race at the same track where the Chase field will be set in September.

As Matt Kenseth proved last year, driver standings in the early part of the season are not necessarily indicative of where a driver will be by the Chase cutoff date.

But trend watching is an inevitable part of the sport, and the completion of NASCAR's first quarter is as good a time as any to take stock of the early stock-car standings.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.