With only four races to go until the field is set for the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup, things continue to heat up around the final transfer spot. Anything can and probably will happen over the next four weeks as the series heads to Michigan, Bristol, California and Richmond.

Richard Childress Racing's (RCR) Clint Bowyer is once again the odd man following a disappointing 23rd-place finish last weekend at Watkins Glen. The less than satisfactory run could have been worse, however, as the driver of the No. 07 Chevrolet narrowly missed the nine car pile-up at the end of the race.

Only twenty-two points behind Matt Kenseth in 12th-place, Bowyer returns to a track he has had only mediocre runs at in the past. Earlier this year at the Michigan International Speedway (MIS), the 29-year-old Kansas-native ran 26th and only has a best finish of 16th (June 2007). Knowing they have to step it up if they want to race for the championship, this team has spent the last three weeks testing at the Nashville Superspeedway in order to "fine tune" their mile-and-a-half program.

While he battles to make this year's Chase, Bowyer continues to enjoy the points lead in the Nationwide Series. Pulling double-duty once again this weekend, it will be interesting to look back if this team misses out on a Chase bid and if trying to run both series had any real affect.

The man Bowyer is chasing is Roush Fenway Racing's Matt Kenseth. Coming off a 12th-place finish at Watkins Glen, Kenseth moved back into the top-12 and is headed to a track he has had a great deal of success on. MIS has always proved to be a good track for the Roush Fenway brigade, with car owner Jack Roush tallying ten wins at the 2-mile D-shaped oval. Kenseth has given Roush two of those wins - one coming in June 2002 and the latest in August 2006.

The last time out at MIS, Kenseth came home third and looked to break through with his first win of the season. However, fuel mileage and a bit of controversy gave the win to fan-favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. Putting all of that behind him, Kenseth is bringing chassis RK-473 this weekend - and the competition better watch out. The No. 17 team has used this particular chassis five times already in 2008 and has recorded five top-10s and three top-5s.

"Michigan is a track that we've been pretty strong at in the past," Kenseth explained. "We usually have good cars there and this weekend we're bringing what I think is a good car. RK-473 is a car that I've raced several times this year and it just seems to get the job done. I don't think I've finished outside the top 10 in it all year. Hopefully we'll hit on the right setup and get the car handling good - if we can do that, we should have a good weekend."

Despite being only twenty-two points ahead of Bowyer in thirteenth and eighty-nine points ahead of teammate David Ragan in fourteenth, Kenseth appears to be comfortable with his position in the Chase. The 2003 Cup Series champion has scored victories at each of the next four tracks and explains he is not worried about making this year's field.

"Michigan and the next several races are some of my favorites for sure," Kenseth pointed out. "Michigan, Bristol, Fontana and Richmond are some of my favorite tracks and I always look forward to this stretch of races. Everyone is going Chase-crazy these days and are really focusing on points and standings. For me, I just go out every week and try to get the best finish I can. If I do that the rest takes care of itself. And really, it doesn't matter where you are in points until after Richmond."

Another driver that has not let himself or his team get "Chase-crazy" is RCR's Kevin Harvick. urrently eleventh in the series standings, Harvick is forty-two points ahead of Kenseth following a sixth-place run at Watkins Glen.

Besides incidents at Infineon and Indianapolis, Harvick has run fairly consistent over the last few weeks. The California-native has two top-5s and three top-10s in the last four races, and heading to MIS, Harvick feels confident after a 12th-place finish there earlier this year.

Once known for his hot temper and immaturity, "Happy" Harvick has grown into the type of racer many expected him to be. That mindset has allowed this team to keep its cool when dealt a bad hand and has kept them in contention for this year's Chase.

"I think the maturity of my team has gotten us in the top 12," Harvick explained. "We have had a lot of stuff go wrong this year and we are still in the hunt. My guys don't sit back and count points and they don't worry about who we are racing. As you get closer to the Chase you kind of go about your business and do the best you can do. We come to the race track wanting to win every week and when you can't win, you want to do the best you can. I think the maturity in our team shows the most when we haven't been the best car out there but we have found a way to finish in the top 15 and not finish 30th. My guys don't get caught up in all the hype around the Chase - they just go out and do their jobs week-in and week-out."

The man - um, kid - chasing them all is 22-year-old David Ragan. Currently fourteenth in the series standings, the Roush Fenway Racing driver is only eighty-nine points out of the top-12. In the last five races, Ragan has scored two top-5s and three top-10s. Ragan has had only three starts in the Cup Series at MIS, but finished 8th there earlier this year after leading six laps.

Glad to put the road courses behind him, Ragan's crew chief Jimmy Fennig is looking forward to the next four weeks. "I think we are all glad to have the road courses behind us for the season," he explained. "We dug ourselves a hole at Watkins Glen, but we've got some good tracks coming up so hopefully we can make up some ground. David did well last time we were at Michigan so there's no reason we shouldn't be able to go back there and do it again."

One of the biggest surprises this year, Ragan has turned a lot of heads in his run towards the Chase. Criticized much of last year, the sophomore driver has shown he can run with the big boys and contend for wins. Regardless of whether or not he makes the Chase this year, Ragan can definitely look back on 2008 as a success.

"You know, I've made a few mistakes this year, a couple of calls on pit road, and we could be in 10th or 11th right now," Ragan pointed out. "But, I'm sure everybody can always go back and change what they have done in the past. But, yeah, we knew from the get-go that if we made the right decisions and didn't hurt ourselves that we would have the speed and have the team to be there. And that's why we're here today, and that's what we've got to stay focused on, trying not to make mistakes, trying to make good, wise decisions on pit road, and ultimately we'll have a good day and get a little closer to that Chase."

While nothing is set in stone for this year's Chase field, one thing is for sure - things are definitely going to heat up over the next four weeks. As the field tightens up and mistakes mean more and more, tensions will rise and the drama will be intense. The drivers and teams chasing this year's Chase will need to be on the top of their game as the field races towards Richmond, where at the end of the night only the top-12 matter.