With only ten races remaining before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, it is time to gear up for the Race to the Chase. In years past, the Cup Series schedule was broken into two parts, with the July race in Daytona typically considered the unofficial half-way mark of the season. However, since the Chase was implemented in 2004 the season has turned into a three-part event.

Starting in Daytona in February, the first sixteen races allow teams to get a handle on their situation for the year and set the tone for the rest of the season. Some teams come out of the box hot and stay that way for the remainder of the season; others struggle a bit before hitting their marks and other simply miss the mark entirely.

Starting this weekend in New Hampshire, the competition is going to pick up tremendously as the season progresses into the second stage. Those drivers hovering around the 12th-spot in the series standings need to be on the top of their game for each of the next ten events, or risk racing the final ten events of the year from the outside looking in.

In the next ten races, the schedule will hit New Hampshire, Daytona, Chicagoland, Indianapolis, Pocono, Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol, the Auto Club Speedway (formerly known as California) all coming together under the lights in Richmond. Visiting a wide variety of tracks, this part of the season is one of the most crucial if teams want to be in the hunt for the championship at the end of the year.

Drivers as high in the standings as Jeff Gordon - who is currently 6th - and as low as Martin Truex Jr. - who runs 17th - will have to step it up as they race towards that special night in Richmond. A slip up here, an engine problem there, or simply getting caught up in someone else's problem can be the difference between racing for the championship and racing for 13th.

A lot can happen in ten races and with tracks like Daytona, Watkins Glen and Bristol on the list there is a definite potential for a major shake-up. Take the examples of Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth. In ten races - remember how long the Race to the Chase is? - Harvick dropped from 2nd in the points leaving Martinsville to 13th, two spots out of twelfth after Sonoma. On the flip side of that is Matt Kenseth. In just seven races, Kenseth has turned the corner on his season and jumped from 22nd in the standings to 12th entering this weekend's event in New Hampshire.

For those drivers securely in the top-12, now is the time to go after the wins. Last year NASCAR changed the rule making it so that ten bonus points were added for each win. Once the Chase began, drivers would be ranked according to their bonus points, making a win more important than ever. Currently, Kyle Busch leads all drivers with 50 bonus points, while Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne both have thirty. Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer all have ten points.

Things will definitely get interesting over the next two months for sure. Teams will be working hard to gain as many points as possible in the next ten events, while others will be gunning primarily for wins. No matter how it turns out it is going to be exciting for sure. Be sure to log on to HardcoreRaceFans.com each week to check and see whether or not your favorite driver will make the cut.