#11-Denny Hamlin, who many think is one of the leading contenders to unseat Jimmie Johnson in 2010, has made up 13 spots in the standings and scored the second most points over the last five races, despite having major knee surgery in the middle of the period. He is second in wins (2) and his fourth at Talladega has him on a roll heading to his home track at Richmond. Eleven drivers are within one race (161 points or less) of the Top 12, the most in the seven-year history of The Chase. Five (Carl Edwards -15, Tony Stewart -21, Ryan Newman -87, Juan Montoya -123, Kasey Kahne -156), made the Chase last year. Every current member of the Top 12 has made the Chase at least twice before. In addition to Hamlin’s +13 over the last five races, Ryan Newman is +11 and Kyle Busch is +10. Paul Menard has lost nine spots over the last five races. For season-to-season comparision and more, see my Chase stats after Talladega page and 2010 Chase Rules, Notes and History page.(4-29-2010)
