Brad Keselowski and his No. 2 Penske team showed a lot of strength at Bristol and their momentum builds as the Chase draws near. Have to give Martin Truex, Jr. a shout out for his best run of the year and Jeff Gordon moved forward with his third-place finish Saturday night. The excitement is contagious with only two races until kickoff.

VICTORY LANE
Brad Keselowski – with four straight top three finishes, and two wins he has now shown that he can be a contender for the title.
Jeff Gordon – nine out of the last 12 races have been a top-10 finish. If he can replicate this in the Chase he will be a serious contender.
Bristol Motor Speedway – the yearly night race is one of the best on the circuit.

THE GARAGE
Kurt Busch – is on a slide that could be a bad omen for the Chase if he makes it.

Power Rankings
(Rankings will be based off of who is running the best, with an emphasis on the last several races but having respect for the duration of the 36 race schedule. Last Week’s Rankings can be found in parenthesis.)
1. (2) Kyle Busch – Last four races he has averaged 39.6 points a race.
2.  (1) Jeff Gordon – Falls to second this week because Kyle Busch has scored more points over the last nine races
3. (4) Matt Kenseth – Is now third in points and sits only 32 points back.
4.  (6) Brad Keselowski – Has scored 214 points the last five races.
5. (3) Jimmie Johnson – Now tied for the lead in the points but only has one win on the season.
6.  (5) Ryan Newman – Has scored the fifth highest number of points over the last five races.
7.  (7) Kevin Harvick – Has back to back 22 point performances, is locked in the Chase because of his three victories.
8. (10) Carl Edwards – After a great beginning of the season has not been consistent and now sits fourth in the points.
9. (9) Kurt Busch – Over the last five races is 25th in points scored.
10.  (8) Tony Stewart – Was unhappy before Bristol, should be extremely unhappy afterwards.
11. (NR) AJ Allmendinger – Not one of the drivers battling for the Chase has outperformed Allmendinger the last five weeks.
12. (11) Joey Logano – Same as Allmendinger above.

Driver of Week: Brad Keselowski – Hottest driver in the Cup Series with 42.8 points a race the last five weeks.

Stat of the Week: 10 points – If Dale Earnhardt Jr. can score 10 more points than the 11th spot in the standings will clinch a spot in the Chase.

Last Week’s Prediction Results: Ryan Newman – eighth place finish at Bristol.

This Week’s Prediction for Atlanta: Jimmie Johnson – I think its time for him to show his muscle as we approach the Chase.

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