Just when we thought The Race to the Chase might become a snoozer, 12th-place #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets caught up in a wreck in the Pepsi 400, limps home 36th, and loses big points to the field of contenders. #26-Jamie McMurray’s photo-finish win propelled him 135 points closer to the Chase. Ryan Newman’s 14th moved him 66 points closer. Kurt Busch’s strong 3rd-place finish gained him 121 points on 12th. Greg Biffle’s 6th at Daytona perhaps saved him as a contender, pushing him 95 points closer, and within 204 of The Chase. That’s about the margin Matt Kenseth stood outside The Chase at this point in 2005. For more see my Chase Stats after Daytona page.(7-12-2007)
