It's shaping up to be a wild ride as NASCAR heads into the last two regular-season races (Atlanta, Sunday night) and Richmond (Sept. 10) before the 12-driver field is set for the Chase.
Five guys are in: Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick, who, along with Jeff Gordon, can clinch a top-10 spot with a finish of at least 40th; or 41st and at least one lap led; or 42nd and the most laps led in Atlanta.
Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch look solid too. Then it gets a little dicey for the last four slots.
Any driver who has a 49-point lead over 11th place after the Atlanta race clinches a top-10 Chase spot. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 39 points ahead of 11th and Tony Stewart is 21 points ahead, so both are looking fairly solid.
With three victories, Brad Keselowski is a lock to get in, at the very least with a wild-card slot. That will leave Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, among others, jockeying for the last slot. Stay tuned.