Mark Wallheiser / Reuters

Tony Stewart's 43-point lead after the first seven races in the Chase playoff afforded him little comfort in his bid for a second Cup championship, writes Allen Bestwick of NBCSports.com.

Don't get caught speeding
Besides a crash, there are other mistakes that could prove very costly in the final few races.  A simple pit-road speeding penalty could be the difference between winning the championship and not winning it.

NASCAR uses a speed limit on pit road to enhance the safety of the crew members who go over the wall to change tires, add fuel, etc. The speed limit is electronically timed, but the cars carry no speedometer, so drivers have to judge their pit-road speed by looking at their tachometer, the gauge that measures engine RPM’s.

The penalty for speeding on pit road during a caution-flag pit stop is to restart at the end of the line. The penalty for speeding on pit road during a green-flag pit stop is to return to pit road and pass through -- meaning drive the length of pit road at the speed limit.

If a title contender gets a pit-road speeding penalty early in the race, there’s plenty of time to make up the lost ground. Mark Martin was tagged for speeding early in the Chase race at Atlanta on Oct. 30 and came back to finish third that day.

However if that penalty had occurred on the last pit stop of the day, instead of the first, Martin could have finished much worse, closer to 20th. If that last pit stop were a green-flag stop, the damage would be even worse. A driver must do all he can to gain or maintain position during pit stops, but he simply can’t chance any pit speed penalties late in the final few Chase races.

Keeping up with the competition
Another reason the pressure has intensified on the championship contenders is that the standings are just so close. Heading into the Nov. 6 Chase race at Texas -- the eighth of ten races in the playoff -- Tony Stewart had a 43-point lead on Jimmie Johnson.

That 43-point gap is less than the difference between finishing first and ninth. A Texas win for Johnson and a ninth-place Texas finish for Stewart would give Johnson the lead in the Chase. In a 43-car field, especially in a very competitive 43-car field, nine finishing positions is not a lot of pad to have.

If Johnson or third-place driver Greg Biffle or fourth-place driver Carl Edwards run near the lead, that creates pressure on Stewart to stay in that group. Similarly, if Stewart runs near the front, then the pressure’s on Johnson, Biffle and Edwards to be sure they’re in that neighborhood too.

So stay up front near the other contenders, but don’t crash or get a speeding penalty while you’re trying.

Teams began racing for this championship back in February, preparing for it even earlier than that, and all had one goal in mind: winning the Nextel Cup playoff. The top title contenders are so close to attaining that goal, but they know in the final few races that just one little mistake could flush that entire year’s effort down the drain.

Yes, the pressure’s sky high in the Chase, and despite what any title-contending driver may say, all those seeking to be champion are really feeling the heat.