#99-Carl Edwards’ 25th at Loudon chopped 54 of the 57 point advantage he held over 13th place after Infineon. His decline over the last several races has brought several drivers into close contention for the Top 12. He is joined in jeopardy by stablemate #16-Greg Biffle, who has lost three positions over the last five faces and now sits only 109 points ahead of 13th. #17-Matt Kenseth, the third Roush driver currently in the Top 12, has lost altitude as well, dropping four spots over the last five, and is one bad race away from being in the danger zone. #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. has righted the ship, and while not spectacular, is clicking off top 10s. He’s moved up three spots over the last five races and lurks just 3 points out of 12th. A podium finish at Daytona could catapult Junior to a Chase run. #9-Kasey Kahne’s 36th and #42-Juan Pablo Montoya’s 34th deprived them of opportunities to make up valuable ground on 12th place. For season-to-season comparison after 17 races, current standings and more, see my Chase Stats after New Hampshire page. And for Chase history, how the ‘old system’ would had played out and more, see my 2010 Chase Rules and News page.(7-2-2010)
