Top 35: After Bristol, Current Points Determine Automatic Starts

Four races are down, meaning it’s one to go before this season’s car owner points determine the top 35 automatic starting spots on a weekly basis. For the first five races of each season, the previous season’s final owner points determine the guarantees.

This makes always-precarious Bristol seem even more so for those teams occupying space “on the bubble” heading into the half-mile oval next week. If they find themselves on the wrong side of the top-35 bubble post-Bristol, they’ll be forced to rely on qualifying speeds to make the field.

As in recent weeks, three teams in trouble literally leap off the stats sheet, at first glance:
•The No. 5 Chevrolet driven by Mark Martin (owned by Rick Hendrick) is 35th.
•The No. 39 Chevrolet driven by Ryan Newman (owned by Tony Stewart) is 32nd.
•The No. 20 Toyota driven by Joey Logano (owned by Joe Gibbs) is 33rd.

Surprise X 2 = Reutimann In 12th, Earnhardt in 24th
After four races, there are a number of interesting developments in the points. Two come to mind immediately:

David Reutimann is 12th in the standings;
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 24th.
Earnhardt, though, has climbed 11 spots the past two weeks.