Another race at Michigan International Speedway has come down to fuel mileage and this time the empty fuel cells have evaporated valuable points for some drivers as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series nears the Chase for the Sprint Cup cutoff.

Defending series champion Jimmie Johnson dropped to 3rd in the standings after gambling on fuel. Johnson was leading as the field was coming to the stripe for two-to-go but then he dropped low and pulled onto pit road as the last of his fuel, and luck, ran out. Finishing 33rd was certainly not what the No. 48 team was hoping for but they have gambled and lost at Michigan before so hopefully they chalk this up as another lesson learned. Plus, 3rd is still a safe position so their worries regarding the Chase are not as big as some other teams.

Take Johnson’s teammate Mark Martin, for example. Martin and his crew chief Alan Gustafson also lost their fuel mileage gamble but it almost cost them a spot in the Chase.

"I blew it," Gustafson said, according to NASCAR.com. "I had a chance to top-off (the fuel) there, and if I would have, we probably would have finished second at worst, if not won… It cost our team a lot of points and it's on my shoulders so I feel terrible about it, because I blew it, there's no other way to put it."

Martin was none-to-safe sitting in 11th place in the standings as the Series arrived in Michigan, but he is even more unstable in the 12th place bubble spot as they head to Bristol this weekend. Matt Kenseth swapped spots in the standings with Martin after finishing a decent 14th in the race, compared to Martin’s 31st finishing position.

The biggest losers, in regards to losing positions in the point standings at MIS, were the Busch brothers.

Kurt Busch was 4th in points coming into the race weekend, after getting tangled up with David Ragan and the inside wall during the race, he finished a disappointing 36th which dropped him down two spots in the point standings.

His little brother is even worse off. Kyle Busch was stalking the top-12 before Michigan, hoping to bump bubble-driver Kenseth out of Chase contention this weekend. Unfortunately for Rowdy, his performance did not reflect his desires for a Chase berth. He finished a dismal 23rd and dropped to 15th in points, 70 points behind Martin who is now on the bubble.

Brian Vicker’s victory had an added bonus. It moved him up to 13th in the standings, only 12 points behind Martin and a stone’s throw from a Chase spot.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. improved his points position four spots after a 3rd place finish on Sunday. Jr. came into Michigan 25th in points, he now sits 21st, unfortunately he is still more than 500 points out of the top-12.

As the teams head to Bristol, a track known for rattling drivers and shaking up the point standings, there are a lot of teams that really need to step up their game if they want a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

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