Handicapping the final 8 drivers in NASCAR’s Chase

Joey Logano is still the driver to beat as NASCAR’s Chase continues into the third round with Sunday’s Goody’s 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

Logano swept all three races in round two, forcing the other seven drivers to advance on points. That’s where things stand now: with all eight starting at an even 4,000 points in the three-race third round, which continues after Martinsville at Texas and Phoenix.

The top four will then race for the championship in the season finale at Homstead-Miami Speedway.

Here’s how the eight remaining Chase drivers stack up:

Kurt Busch

Championships: 1

Season wins: 2

Chase wins: 0

Average Chase finish: 10.0

Outlook: Has been one of the steadier Chase drivers, with four top-10s. But his most recent victory came back in June at Michigan.

Kyle Busch

Championships: 0

Season wins: 4

Chase wins: 0

Average Chase finish: 14.0

Outlook: He led for a while at Talladega, but the speed Busch had while making his comeback from his early-season injuries doesn’t seem to be there any more.

Carl Edwards

Championships: 0

Season wins: 2

Chase wins: 0

Average Chase finish: 6.8

Outlook: Has the best average finish in the Chase of anyone other than Logano. Has won as recently as Darlington in September, but hasn’t led many laps since.

Jeff Gordon

Championships: 4

Season wins: 0

Chase wins: 0

Average Chase finish: 9.0

Outlook: Gordon keeps hanging in there, perhaps saving his best for last in this, his final season. As the only Hendrick Motorsports driver left, he’s carrying the banner for his company, too.

Kevin Harvick

Championships: 1

Season wins: 3

Chase wins: 1

Average Chase finish: 16.2

Outlook: The most unpredictable of the eight. He’s had his share of problems, but the defending champion gets it done when he needs to, as evidenced by his victory at Dover.

Brad Keselowski

Championships: 1

Season wins: 1

Chase wins: 0

Average Chase finish: 9.7

Outlook: Since finishing 29th at Daytona in July, Keselowski’s been in the top 10 for 13 of 15 races. But those two bad ones were in the Chase (New Hampshire and Dover).

Joey Logano

Championships: 0

Season wins: 6

Chase wins: 3

Average Chase finish: 3.7

Outlook: Overshadowing his three consecutive victories is the fact that Logano also had top-10 finishes in the first three Chase races.　

Martin Truex Jr.

Championships: 0

Season wins: 1

Chase wins: 0

Average Chase finish: 9.5

Outlook: Perhaps his best driving performance of the season (other than his victory at Pocono), was starting at rear of field at Talladega and finishing 11th, allowing him to advance to the final eight.

This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Handicapping the final 8 drivers in NASCAR’s Chase."