Q: now that kyle busch is 648 points ahead of 13th place, he can simply run one lap each race (or less i believe - he just has to start) and still be guaranteed a spot in the chase by at least four points. he would already be guaranteed a spot as the most any one driver can gain on another in one race is 161 if both of them run the race (4 x 161 = 644); but if for some reason kyle were to miss a race, he could lose up to 195 points to whoever wins. simpler still, according to "nascar now" today, would be for rowdy to finish 10th or better this weekend. if he does that, he will clinch his spot in the chase - and he is already guaranteed to be the top seed once the points are reset. so, do you think he'll clinch his chase spot at michigan? if not, when? with his eighth win (80 bonus points), rowdy clinched the top seed once the chase starts because no one else can get to 80 bonus points in the next four races. carl edwards can get to 8 wins (he has four now), but he lost the 10 bonus points from the vegas win as part of the penalty for failing the post-race inspection there. but kyle doesn't have a guaranteed spot in the chase yet, at least not mathematically. if he doesn't start some or all of the next four races, he could in theory fall out of the top twelve. if he starts all four, he's locked in. extreme example. kyle's car won't start four weeks in a row or he gets lost on the way to all four tracks. clint bowyer wins all four races and leads the most laps, getting 780 points (195 x 4) to rowdy's zero. everybody else stays about the same each race. that would put rowdy out of the chase, because his lead over bowyer now is 648. it's not likely - heck it's barely imaginable, but it is mathematically possible.
A: Soon grasshopper...Just be Patience!!!