Breaking down the top 12 after New Hampshire
Kahne in trouble after engine failure and DNF in first week of the Chase
 Al Bello / Getty Images Kasey Kahne lost his motor early in the New Hampshire race and ultimately finished 39th, dropping 161 points behind Mark Martin. |
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Mark Martin had a great day at New Hampshire, but Kasey Kahne didn't. Martin rolled to victory in the first race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, while Kahne finished 38th after suffering a blown engine. Here's the breakdown of the top 12 after Sunday's Sylvania 300.
1. Mark Martin, 5,230 points
Martin gets his first win at New Hampshire and now heads to a track at which he has four wins and 21 top fives in 46 starts. Martin is bringing four consecutive top-five finishes to Dover. The pressure already is on the rest of the field to keep up.
2. Jimmie Johnson, 5,195
No surprises from the 48 team. Six Chase races at New Hampshire; six top 10s for Johnson. His fourth-place finish was his fourth top five. It was also his first top five since his win at the Brickyard in July, so to answer everyone's question: No, there's nothing wrong with the 48 team.
3. Denny Hamlin, 5,195
The momentum Hamlin built at the end of the regular season with six straight top 10s, including two wins, carried right into the Chase with his second-place finish. Dover will be a test. He has two DNFs and no finish better than 36th there in his past four races.
4. Juan Pablo Montoya, 5,175
Montoya led the most laps and finished third. Anyone expecting Montoya to fade once the Chase began is wasting his time. The bigger question is when Montoya is going to push the issue and go for the win rather than settle for a top five.
5. Kurt Busch, 5,165
Nice job by Busch to finish sixth after colliding with David Ragan on pit road. Toss in the situation with outgoing crew chief Pat Tryson, and you have everything you need to start the Chase with a thud. But that didn't happen.
6. Tony Stewart, 5,156
A disappointing day for Stewart, who had problems with an axle cap that cost him dearly in the pits. Worse, the glitch was caused by human error. A member of the No. 14 crew forgot to fasten it before the race. That's unacceptable. Fortunately for Stewart, he was able to rally to a 14th-place finish. But he had a car capable of much more. He led four times for 52 laps before the cap came loose.
7. Ryan Newman, 5,151
Newman jumped three spots in the standings with his seventh-place finish. Plus, he led a lap. That was Newman's fourth straight top 10. That's good stuff, but he needs top fives. He hasn't had one since the 14th race, at Pocono, which ended a stretch of five top fives in six races.
8. Brian Vickers, 5,140
Another driver making a big save was Vickers, who finished 11th. His No. 83 Red Bull Toyota had engine problems during the weekend, then the team underperformed on pit road, costing Vickers valuable track position. The crew is responsible for getting Vickers into the Chase -- changing the rear axle on pit road at Atlanta during the race is the save of the season -- so we'll give them a pass on this one.
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9. Greg Biffle, 5,138
Pain on the skating rink, flying high on the hardwood, upsets on the football field, and more.
Taking four tires with 23 laps to go enabled Biffle to move up from 16th to ninth. He also moved up three spots in the standings heading into Dover, where he won last year.
10. Jeff Gordon, 5,128
Gordon finished a disappointing 15th. What went wrong? A lot, actually. Poor restarts, adjustments to the car and pit stops, to name three. This might be a blessing for the 24 team. Gordon is feeling a sense of urgency one race in.
11. Carl Edwards, 5,117
Well, the Chase began, Edwards got the fresh start he has wanted so much and ... he finished 17th. Let's face it, this isn't going to be the 99's year.
12. Kasey Kahne, 5,069
Kahne's blown engine leaves him 161 points behind Martin. Is it too early to say "it's over" after one race? Sadly, no. It's over for Kahne.
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