I know if we look at tenth
place at zero points then those above are on the plus side and those below are on the minus side as the numbers sit right
now. Right now Jeff Burton is in and Kasey Kahne is out but only by thirty points. So, depending on where they finish
relative to each other Kahne could be in and Burton out. But then again it also depends on where they finish in the race.
For instance, if Burton
finishes at Richmond in 23rd place then Kahne has to finish 13th or better to
overtake Burton. But, that ol’ but again, if Burton
finishes 4th or better, and assuming neither leads a lap, then Kahne is out of the chase period. But if along the way either
leads a lap and gets the five bonus points – well I’m sure you get the picture. It will be interesting as the
week wears on to see what the Vegas line is on which will make the “Chase.”
So what does this all
mean? Well the same logic can be used for any of the drivers from fourth (Gordon) on down the line. That of course assumes
that one or more of the drivers doesn’t start the race – starting the race guarantees them at least 34 points
so to think that one of the top contenders would not start the race is rather idiotic. And no matter how you play with
the points Carl Edwards is just out of luck in ’06 even if he wins the race and leads the most laps he still falls short
of Kahne.
2006 StockCar Review.
