If you caught the New Hampshire race and missed the action at Dover, you didn’t miss much when it comes to the performance of the competitors in the Chase. However, you did miss a harrowing wreck involving Joey Logano; he walked away frightened but unscathed. Here’s the breakdown of the top 12 after Dover.
1. Mark Martin, 5,400 points — Martin said he was just a little bit off at Dover, a race he still finished second. But for a little perspective, let’s turn this around a bit. He still was better than 41 other cars with less than his peak.
2. Jimmie Johnson, 5,390 — Like Martin, Johnson’s average finish in the first two Chase races is 1.5. The No. 48 team’s ability to raise its game during the Chase four years running is utterly remarkable. And if Martin is pushing Johnson, the average finish to win the Chase may need to be better than the 5.7 Johnson posted last year.
3. Juan Montoya, 5,335 Montoya finished fourth to post his second consecutive top-five finish and third in the last four races. This Brian Pattie-led team deserves significant credit for rising to third in points, especially when Earnhardt Ganassi Racing appeared to have fallen behind NASCAR’s powerhouse teams.
4. Kurt Busch, 5,325 — He’s dealt with all kinds of adversity in his NASCAR career (his spat with Jimmy Spencer, his less-than-amicable departure from Roush Racing, his words with Roger Penske), so this latest bout with crew chief Pat Tryson leaving at season’s end must seem like small potatoes to him. If he can compartmentalize for eight more races, it shouldn’t be surprising.
5. Tony Stewart, 5,294 — Remember Stewart’s string of seven top-five finishes in eight races, beginning at Dover and ending at Indy? Stewart needs a run like that instead of the two he’s posted thus far (14th, ninth) to give himself a chance. He could use a little better luck, though. He had nowhere to go when he rear-ended Joey Logano.
6. Denny Hamlin, 5,292 — The top points-earner of the past 11 races entering Dover, Hamlin struggled to a 22nd-place finish with a car that just wasn’t fast. Now comes a track in Kansas where Hamlin has yet to notch at top-10 finish. It’s a huge weekend for him.
7. Ryan Newman, 5,290 — It was great to see Newman lead 29 laps at Dover, but his car’s performance was still a little bit off. He finished 10th to notch a fifth consecutive top-10 finish, but too many other competitors are dialed in for Newman to top-10 his way to the title.
8. Jeff Gordon, 5,278 — A problem with an air gun cost Gordon valuable spots on pit road, but he battled to ultimately finish sixth. Thing is, the difference between finishing sixth and second, which is where Gordon felt he should have been, is 20 points. When every point is huge, this was a lost opportunity.
9. Greg Biffle, 5,262 — Biffle rued the fact that Johnson and Montoya were among those able to do a tire test at Dover earlier this summer, especially in light of where both finished. While there is truth in Biffle’s beef, it’s hard to believe it would have mattered for Biffle in the long run. Roush cars just haven’t had it this year.
10. Brian Vickers, 5,249 — None of the changes Vickers and his crew tried on their car worked, and the result was an 18th-place finish. A reasonable goal for Vickers now is to see how many Chasers he can finish ahead of by season’s end.
11. Carl Edwards, 5,247 — Edwards has 11 top-10 finishes in 28 races this year — and none during the past five races. He had 11 top-10s after 15 races in 2008. His broken foot is not to blame.
12. Kasey Kahne, 5,211 — Kahne finished a respectable eighth at Dover, but he’s still last in this competition. That’s what a DNF does to your Chase chances.
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