Last Off-Week Of Season Sets Up 2-Week Showdown For Chase Berths

After a one-week break, the “Race to the Chase” wraps up at Atlanta Motor Speedway and then, the annual “cut-off” event at Richmond International Speedway – both under the lights.

Three drivers – Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have clinched spots in the 12-driver “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.”

Nine spots left, two races to go.

Bubble Trouble Brewing On Either Side Of 12th Place
Matt Kenseth goes into this off-week sitting in 12th place. When he arrives in Atlanta, he’ll have a number of drivers trying to displace him, starting with 13th-place Kyle Busch, who trails Kenseth by only 34 points. Also, 14th-place Brian Vickers is only 39 behind.
Beyond the 12th-place bubble, merely 89 points separate seventh-place Ryan Newman from Vickers. Therein lays the potential for a lot of movement in the standings over the next two, crucial, events.