Monticello — With nine races left before the Chase begins, several drivers currently

among the top-12 points leaders are not locked in, while several others

still have a shot at making this year's Chase.

Tony Stewart finished second for the fourth time this season at Infineon

and increased his lead over Jeff Gordon. Stewart can roll the dice as many

times as he wants to secure more victories and the 10-point Chase bonus that

comes with each win.

Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, and Ryan Newman

also seem secure, but from seventh spot on back, it's iffy.

Denny Hamlin has had a roller-coast season, and if it continues, he

could find himself out.

Kyle Busch has had lots of successes, but his performance has been

spotty.

Greg Biffle has shown that he has good stuff, but like Hamlin, he has

come up short several times.

Matt Kenseth started the season off with two wins, but since then has

mostly flopped.

Mark Martin also has two wins, but needs more consistent finishes.

A rough outing at Infineon Raceway in California pushed Richard

Childress Racing's Jeff Burton from the 12th and final spot to 15th.

Meanwhile, strong showings by sixth-place finisher Juan Pablo Montoya and

winner Kasey Kahne put them back in contention, with Montoya taking over the

12th spot and Kahne just three points behind him. Michael Waltrip Racing's

David Reutimann has been in and out of the Chase in recent weeks and is

currently 40 points outside of the top 12.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans are going to have to wait until next year for a

championship. Team owner Rick Hendrick switched crew chiefs on Earnhardt's

team three weeks ago in hope that he could turn the season around, but it

hasn't happened.

Weekend Racing: Racing returns to Daytona International Speedway this

weekend as the Cup and Nationwide cars take on the 2.5-mile track. The

Camping World Trucks have an off weekend.



Fri., July 3, Nationwide Series Winn-Dixie 250, race 17 of 35; Starting

time: 7:30 p.m. (EDT); TV: ESPN2.

Sat., July 4, Sprint Cup Coke Zero 400, race 18 of 36; Starting time:

6:30 p.m. (EDT); TV: TNT.



Racing Trivia Question: How many Cup championships does Tony Stewart

have?

Last Week's Question: Who is the driver of the Sprint Cup No. 5

Kellogg's Chevrolet? Answer. Mark Martin.



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