2007 Chase Contenders

1. Jeff Gordon
When it’s your year, it’s your year. With four victories and 17 top-10 finishes in 19 events, Gordon is on track for his fifth Nextel Cup championship.

2. Denny Hamlin
Hamlin made history in 2006, becoming the first rookie to make The Chase. Hamlin has been a factor nearly every week, but has won only once.

3. Matt Kenseth
The 2003 Nextel Cup champion has an average finish of 11.3 , but hasn’t made it to victory lane since the season’s second race at California Speedway in February.

4. Jeff Burton
Burton scored six top 10s in the first seven races — including a victory at Texas — but poor finishes at Talladega and Richmond have Burton 420 points behind.

5. Carl Edwards
Edwards is determined to make The Chase after finishing 12th in 2006. The third-year driver ended a 52-race winless streak at Michigan in June.

6. Tony Stewart
Despite leading the most laps this season (766), Stewart’s lone victory came July 15 at Chicagoland. Stewart missed The Chase in 2006.

7. Jimmie Johnson
The defending champ’s chances of a repeat title run may be fading. In the last six races, Johnson has fallen from fourth to seventh in the standings.

8. Kevin Harvick
Harvick took the biggest race at Daytona in February, but has only scored nine top 10s this season and has an average finish of 15.3.

9. Kyle Busch
Busch scored the first CoT victory at Bristol in March and nearly took the Pepsi 400 earlier this month. Six-straight top-15 finishes have kept Busch in the hunt.

10. Clint Bowyer
Going into his first Allstate 400 in 2006, Bowyer sat 19th in the standings. Though he has improved his position this season, he’s still seeking his first victory.

11. Martin Truex, Jr.
Truex has scored four top-five finishes — including his first victory — in the last seven events, but remains 703 points behind Gordon.

12. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Earnhardt has had an up-and-down season, but a 100-point penalty from a rules infraction at Darlington has him in jeopardy of missing The Chase.

Outside Looking In

13. Ryan Newman
This season, “the Rocketman” has regained his pole-winning form, but his 63-race winless streak remains intact despite eight top-10 finishes.

14. Kurt Busch
The 2004 champion has an average finish of 17.1 and is still trying to recover from a 100-point penalty at Dover in June that kicked him from ninth to 17th.