After the first two races of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season, it is obvious that this new year is not an extension of last season. A handful of drivers that were not in the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2009 are leading the series already this year while some of the former Chase drivers have not had a great start to their season.

The three Richard Childress Racing pilots who were just short of the Chase cutoff in 2009 are all in the top-five in the series standings after the Daytona and Auto Club races. Kevin Harvick currently leads the points with a 19 point margin over second place and teammate Clint Bowyer who ended last year 15th in points.

The third RCR driver, NASCAR veteran Jeff Burton, currently sits 5th.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing driver Jamie McMurray, who spent the last few years in the Roush Fenway Racing stables, won the season opening Daytona 500 and had a solid top-20 finish in California which puts him 4th in the standings. McMurray finished 22nd in points in 2009 with an average finish of 21.4.

In 2009, David Reutimann missed the Chase and ended up 16th. This year, following a top-5 finish at Daytona and a top-15 at Auto Club Speedway, he sits 8th going into the third race of the season at Las Vegas.

While each of these drivers had made vast improvements from their performances last year, some of the best finishing hot shoes from 2009 have struggled during the first two races of 2010.

Ryan Newman finished 9th in the point standings last year and Kasey Kahne finished 10th. Currently, the two sit 36th and 33rd, respectively. Kahne was involved in an accident at Daytona and finished 30th followed by another less than stellar performance in California that put him 34th in the end with only 221 of the scheduled 250 laps completed. Newman also got caught up in a wreck in the season opener and then blew his motor during the second race of the year.

Considering these shakeups in the points from last year, the 2010 NASCAR action is exciting and suspenseful for hardcore race fans. Las Vegas will only add to the excitement of this new season.

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