The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway this week for the third of ten races for the Championship.  Ordinarily the points after three races might not be such a big concern, but there are now eight drivers more than 100 points behind the leader, and that could spell a make-or-break weekend at Kansas for some of them.

Tony Stewart sits fifth right now, 106 points out of first, and that would not be a concern for a driver of Stewarts caliber if the last few weeks had not been kind to the driver who led the points for most of the regular season. Still, Stewart has been a constant threat, and even through equipment problems, he has managed to battle back for respectable finishes.  Not time to count out the No 14 Chevy team. I look for at least one more win for him.

Denny Hamlin had a horrible finish at Dover, but even that 22nd-place run didn’t hurt him too badly.  Like Stewart, Hamlin has the ability and the team behind him to get the No. 11 Toyota back up front and cut into that 108-point deficit.  

Even though Ryan Newman has been winless this season, he has been a consistent driver. The team continues to struggle to get and keep the setup needed for the No. 39 Chevy to run up front, but Ryan is as persistent as any driver in the series.  Being 110 points back makes a run for first difficult, but look for him to continue to be up front for the next eight races.

Jeff Gordon sits eighth in the points, 122 behind teammate Mark Martin.  Jeff has had an off year, with only one win to this point.  Many observers point to his ever present back pains.  Most other drivers this far back would be considered doubtful to challenge for the top spot, but don’t count out Gordon just yet. There is still time for a driver with his skill and patience to rebound. A bad finish at Kansas, however, would signal a real problem for the No 24 Chevy.

Greg Biffle heads to Kansas 138 points out -- another winless driver with a rather erratic season  Biffle needs a top-three finish at Kansas to bring the No. 16 Ford back to life and contend for a top-five points finish.

Brian Vickers is the real wild card in the Chase. His time behind the wheel of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota was all over the place last year.  It was only really in the latter half of this season that he and his team have come to life.  On a wing and a prayer, the No. 83 team managed to make the chase.  But at 151 points back, this team will be fighting hard just to make it onto the stage at Las Vegas.

Carl Edwards is one of the most twisted stories so far this year.  The driver of the No. 99 Ford has been a hot foot for Roush Fenway Racing since he took over for Jeff Burton in 2004.  So to see the year he has experienced, winless so far has to be a hard reality to accept. But like Gordon, even at 153 points back, Edwards still has the ability to turn this Chase around.  Remember folks, this is the guy who pulled that bonsai move on the last lap at Kansas last year.  Granted he hit the wall and finished second, but it is finish that you will all see a lot of replays of this week.  A top-three finish here could propel Edwards back up front, but a bad finish will probably have him thinking about next year.

At 12th place, 189  points back,  Kasey Kahne will be forced to settle for making the stage at Las Vegas.  His DNF at New Hampshire, combined with an eight-place at Dover has left him heading to Kansas with a full race deficit. Barring DNF’s by the top-three teams, the No. 9 Dodge will be fighting for positions other than No. 1.