The Other Chase
Approximately $1 million will be paid to the driver who finishes 11th in
the final NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings – an increase of more than
$400,000 over one year ago. That includes a $250,000 bonus, which will be paid to the
11th-place finisher. Additionally, the 11th-place driver will also join the
top-10 drivers on the stage at the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Awards Banquet in New York
in December. Currently, Jamie McMurray holds the 11th position by 36 points
over 12th-place Kevin Harvick.

The Results
All 10 drivers competing in the Chase for the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
scored at least one victory in the first 26 races of the 2004 season. Three
different driver have won in The Chase to the NEXTEL Cup: Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman
and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Week No. 1, Race No. 27 - Kurt Busch won the Sylvania 300 and led the most
laps in the first race in The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, earning 190
points. Jeremy Mayfield and Tony Stewart were involved in an early accident, both
failed to finish the race. Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished third and led laps,
leaving him tied with Busch in the point standings - both with 5,210. Earnhardt
Jr., became the points leader based on the tie-breaker (four victories for
Earnhardt; three for Busch.
•   Five of the 10 drivers in The Chase posted top-10 finishes in the
Sylvania 300.
•   The 10 drivers in The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup were separated by
just 142 points.
•   Nine of the 10 drivers in The Chase changed positions at New Hampshire
International Speedway.
•   Seven drivers in The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup led at least one lap
in the Sylvania 300, earning the additional five bonus points. Busch earned
the extra five points for leading the most laps in the race. Week No. 2, Race No. 28 - Ryan Newman won and led the most laps in the MBNA
America 400. He gained 29 points and one position in The Chase. Matt Kenseth
was involved in a single-car incident on lap 119 and posted the third DNF by a
Chase driver. When Dale Jarrett passed Kurt Busch for fourth place on lap 395
of the 400-lap event, Jeff Gordon took over the lead in the point standings.
Gordon finished third and led Busch by a single point following the race.
•   Eight of the 10 drivers in The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup posted
top-10 finishes in the MBNA America 400.  
•   Eight drivers in the top-10 in points changed positions at Dover .
•   Kurt Busch is the only driver that has scored top-five finishes in each
of the first two races in The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.
•   Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Jeff Gordon are the only drivers to
score top-10 finishes in each of the first two races in The Chase. Week No. 3, Race No. 29 - Dale Earnahrdt Jr. won the EA Sports 500 and led
the most laps in the race, earning 190 points. For the second time in three
races, Jeremy Mayfield was involved in an early accident that resulted in a poor
finish. Jimmie Johnson retired due to overheating on lap 157, posting the fifth
DNF by a Chase driver. Kurt Busch finished fifth and earned 160 points,
leaving him and Earnhardt as the only drivers with net positive points in The Chase
for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.
•   Three of the 10 drivers in The Chase posted top-10 finishes in the 2004
EA Sports 500.
•   Just 61 points separate the top-three drivers in the NASCAR Top 10
(Earnhardt, Busch and Gordon).
•   Eight of the top-10 drivers changed positions at Talladega Superspeedway.
•   Kurt Busch is the only driver that has scored top-five finishes in each
of the first three races in The Chase.
•   Busch and Earnhardt Jr., are the only drivers to score top-10 finishes in
the first three races in The Chase.

The Points Shift
(Point Gain/Loss to point leader each week)
NHIS    DIS TSS KS  LMS MS  AMS PIR DR  HMS Cumulative
1   Dale Earnhardt Jr.  10  -18 18                              10
2   Kurt Busch  30  -1  -12                             17
3   Jeff Gordon -9  9   -61                             -61
4   Mark Martin -36 14  -54                             -76
5   Matt Kenseth    10  -89 -51                             -130
6   Tony Stewart    -109    -11 -17                             -137
7   Ryan Newman -91 29  -52                             -114
8   Elliott Sadler  -13 -58 -70                             -141
9   Jimmie Johnson  -25 -27 -115                                -167
10  Jeremy Mayfield -102    -15 -123                                -240

Looking Ahead
Ryan Newman has posted two runner-up finishes and a victory in three
races at Kansas Speedway.

First
Dale Earnhardt Jr., won the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway,
scoring his 18th top-10 finish in 2004. Earnhardt Jr. has scored top-10
finishes in his last four races and is second overall to Jeff Gordon, who has 20. 
He climbed from third to first in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings and is
now 13 points ahead of second place Kurt Busch. He joined Busch as the only
drivers to score 10-finishes in each of the first three races of The Chase for
the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. He has competed in three races at Kansas Speedway
scoring just one top-10 finish. Earnhardt Jr. has a 19.0 average finish at Kansas
and is seventh out of the top-10 drivers in average finish there. However, he
is the only driver to lead in all three races at Kansas. He finished 18th in
this race one year ago.

Second
Kurt Busch finished fifth in the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway
and remained second in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He is now 13
points behind first-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. He is the only driver to score
top-five finishes in the first three races of The Chase. Busch has scored three
victories and 15 top-10 finishes in 2004. It was his ninth top-15 finish in the
last nine races. He has competed in three races at Kansas Speedway scoring
just one top-10 finish there. Busch has a 26.67 average finish at Kansas and is
ninth out of the top-10 drivers in average finish there. He finished 40th in
this race one year ago, his worst finish and only DNF at Kansas.

Third
Jeff Gordon finished 19th in the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway
and dropped from first to third to first in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Top
10. This marked his worst Chase finish and ended a three-race streak of top-10
finishes. Gordon has scored five victories (tied with Earnhardt Jr.) and 20
top-10 finishes in 2004, the most of all drivers. Gordon is 61 points behind
Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup heads to Kansas
Speedway. Gordon has scored two victories and three top-five finishes in his three
races at Kansas Speedway. Gordon has a 2.33 average finish at Kansas and is
second among the top-10 drivers in average finish there. He finished fifth in
this race one year ago, his worst finish at Kansas Speedway. Gordon has started
from the top-10 in all three races at Kansas.

Fourth
Mark Martin finished 15th in the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway
and climbed from fifth to fourth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings.
Martin has climbed from 15th to fourth in the eight races since Indianapolis.
Martin has scored one victory and 13 top-10 finishes in 2004.  He has scored
eight top-15 finishes in his last eight races. Martin is 111 points behind
first-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. He has competed in all three races at Kansas Speedway
scoring just one top-10 finish. Martin has led in two races there. He has a
17.0 average finish and is sixth out of the top-10 drivers in average finish
there. He finished 20th in this race one year ago.

Fifth
Matt Kenseth finished 14th in the EA Sports 500 at Talladega
Superspeedway. He climbed from seventh to fifth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings
and is now 150 points behind first-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. He has scored two
victories and 16 top-10 finishes this season. Kenseth has ranked in the NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup Series Top 10 since Rockingham in 2003, 64 straight races. He has
competed in all three races at Kansas Speedway, scoring just one top-10 finish.
He has a 25.0 average finish at Kansas and is eighth out of the top-10
drivers in average finish there. He finished 36th in this race one year ago, his
worst finish at Kansas.

Sixth
Tony Stewart finished sixth in the EA Sports 500 at Talladega
Superspeedway and climbed from ninth to sixth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings.
Stewart has scored two victories and 15 top-10 finishes in 2004. Stewart is 152
points behind first-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. He has competed in all three
races at Kansas Speedway, scoring top-10 finishes in all three. Stewart has a
6.67 average finish at Kansas and is third out of the top-10 drivers in average
finish there. Stewart finished fourth in this race one year ago.

Seventh
Ryan Newman finished 16th in the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway
and climbed from eighth to seventh in the point standings. He has scored two
victories and 12 top-10 finishes in 2004. Newman is 159 points behind
first-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. He has competed in all three races at Kansas Speedway,
posting three top-two finishes. Newman has a 1.67 average finish at Kansas,
the best average finish among the top-10 drivers. He finished first in this race
one year ago.  Newman has led in two races at Kansas Speedway.

Eighth
Elliott Sadler finished 22nd in the EA Sports 500 at Talladega
Superspeedway and dropped from sixth to eighth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Top 10.
Sadler has scored two victories and 12 top-10 finishes in 2004. He is 166
points behind first-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. Sadler has competed in all three races
at Kansas Speedway and has not scored a top-15 finish there. Sadler has a
27.67 average finish at Kansas, the worst average finish among the top-10 drivers
there. He finished 42nd in this race one year ago, his worst finish and only
DNF at Kansas Speedway.

Ninth
Jimmie Johnson finished 37th in the EA Sports 500 at Talladega
Superspeedway and dropped from fourth to ninth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings.
Johnson has scored four victories and 15 top-five finishes this season, one
more top five than Dale Earnhardt Jr. He is 172 points behind first-place Dale
Earnhardt Jr. Johnson has competed in two races Kansas Speedway, scoring
top-10 finishes in both. Johnson has an 8.5 average finish at Kansas and is fourth
out of the top-10 drivers in average finish there. Johnson finished seventh in
this race one year ago, posting his best Kansas finish.

10th
Jeremy Mayfield finished 38th in the EA Sports 500 at Talladega
Superspeedway and remained 10th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Top 10. He has scored one
victory and 11 top-10 finishes in 2004. Mayfield is 280 points behind first-place
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Mayfield has a 16.0 average finish at Kansas and is fifth
out of the top-10 drivers in average finish there. He has competed in all three
races at Kansas Speedway, posting top-10 finishes in his last two races
there. He finished third in this race one year ago, his best finish at Kansas
Speedway.