By the time the Coca Cola 600 ends, we’ll have gone through about 1/3 of the NASCAR season. At this point, some of the leaders are beginning to emerge. While The Race for the Chase is still wide open, drivers trailing the pack by significant amounts should be thinking about kicking things into high gear. Guys like Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle can go a long way toward moving into the Top 10 with a good showing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
But the leaders can avoid a downfall with a good show also, so don’t expect any playing it safe. Dale Earnhardt Jr., currently in 3rd place in the standings, is dying (and long overdue) for a win. Earnhardt needs to avoid Kyle Busch. Jeff Burton, now at #2, could stake a claim to the lead in this race, but he’ll have to do better than his 24th place showing in the Coca Cola 600 of 2007. As May ends, June looms as a key month with the Best Buy 400, Pocono 500, LifeLock 400, Toyota Savemart 350, and Lenox Industrial Tools 301 on the schedule.