A Three For All: With Three Races Remaining, A Three-Man Hunt For The Championship

This 2010 championship is tight. Very tight. In fact, it’s the closest in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup era.

The points margin between the top-three drivers is the closest with three races remaining since the inception of the Chase in 2004. Four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson leads Denny Hamlin by 14 points and Kevin Harvick by 38. The 14-point spread between first and second is the second closest since 2004.

AUDIO: The Final Lap Podcast – Texas Pre-Race Show

The “Big Three” All Strong At Texas

There’s no reason to think the championship picture will become any clearer after Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. All three frontrunners – Johnson, Hamlin and Harvick – have had success at the 1.5-mile track. Johnson won there in 2007, and finished second in the spring race. Hamlin won in the spring and was the runner-up in this race last season. Harvick is coming off two consecutive top-10 finishes at Texas.