| Chevy Monte Carlo 400 News: |
| After Atlanta, only four races are in the books as teams keep an eye on the 26th race of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series seasonthe Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway set for Saturday, September 10. But it's certainly not too early to take a look which drivers are on solid ground and which others have a long hill to climb to make it into or near the top 10.
Each week leading up to the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, rir.com will take a look at who is moving in, out, or near the coveted top 10. Several drivers had great performances at Atlanta last week to improve their positions. Carl Edwards earned his first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series win to move up to third place, while Jimmie Johnson (first place) and Greg Biffle (second place) moved up one spot each in the standings. Kurt Busch was unable to overcome several mishaps in dropping to fourth on the list. New in the top ten this week are Virginia native Elliott Sadler and Jamie McMurray. Some of the stars who made the Chase last year are on the outside looking in after four races. Jeff Gordon (12th), Jeremy Mayfield (21st), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (26th) and Matt Kenseth (31st) will need to put together some solid performances to have a shot at making the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. Kasey Kahne had a good showing, jumping up ten spots to 28th after his first top-five finish of the season. Kenseth has proven to be the biggest disappointment, considering he was sitting at first place after four races in 2004. Any driver hoping to make the Chase field will need to step up. At this time last year, Mark Martin ranked 17th before making a push to get into the top ten, which proved to be the biggest comeback of the year after four races. |
| Event | Date | Tickets | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Chevy Rock & Roll 400
|
11:59 pm
|
Richmond International Raceway
|
| More Chevy Monte Carlo 400 News: |
| True, only three races are in the books as teams keep an eye on the 26th race of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season- the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway set for Saturday, September 10. But it's certainly not too early to take a look which drivers are on solid ground and which others have a long hill to climb to make it into or near the top 10.
Each week leading up to the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, rir.com will take a look at who is moving in, out, or near the coveted top 10. Last season, no driver came from farther back than 21st after the third race to make The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. This year, three of last year's Chaser drivers are beyond 21st and some of the names will surprise you. Jeremy Mayfield, who raced his way into the top 10 with a dramatic win in last year's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 sits 26th, fan favorite and title contender Dale Earnhardt, Jr. sits 27th and 2003 Cup champion Matt Kenseth sits in 28th. All eyes will be on Earnhardt at Atlanta this weekend as he won the spring race there last year. A strong run could put the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet team back on the long road back to the Top 10. |