Most of us working stiffs got to take Monday off for Labor Day. The teams on NASCAR’s Nextel Cup circuit didn’t have the same luxury.

There wasn’t much time for Kasey Kahne to savor his victory Sunday night at the Sony HD 500 in Fontana, Calif. His Evernham Racing team was one of several to take the red-eye Monday, en route to Saturday’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia. Given the time pressure and the relatively small ¾-mile track at Richmond, there is an increased likelihood of chaos as qualifying for the Chase for the Cup draws to a close.

Kahne’s victory at California Speedway pulled him to within 30 points of that last qualifying spot. He also leads all Cup drivers with five wins this season, and is near the top of the odds list this week at +900 to make it six. Jeff Burton (+2000) is currently in 10th place, but he’s not the only driver in danger of falling out of Chase position. The only two drivers who have clinched are Matt Kenseth (+900) and Jimmie Johnson (+1200).

Most of the other men in the Top 10 will be racing conservatively this Sunday, more concerned with avoiding a race-ending collision than taking the checkered flag. Those closer to Kahne in the standings will be more aggressive. Mark Martin (+2000) is only two points in front of Burton, while defending Cup champion Tony Stewart (+800) is another 13 points ahead of Martin. These four drivers are essentially fighting for three spots in the Chase.

Stewart earns co-favorite honors this week with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Each man has won three Cup races at Richmond. Stewart has been the more consistent of the two with four Top-7 results in his last five appearances. Earnhardt, however, won the May event at this track, the hotly contested Crown Royal 400.

Ironically, Little E’s established skills on superspeedways come into play at Richmond. Although the track is short, the turns are a manageable 14 degrees. Lap times approaching 110 mph are the norm - when cars aren’t smashing into one another. No wonder fans love Richmond so much.

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Chase conteders just about set with Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth co-favorites.

Two races remain in the Nextel cup season before the 10 drivers will be determined for the chase to the championship. In 1994, the first year of the chase, Kurt Busch was 9th heading into the chase but went on to win the championship. It is therefore quite clear that anyone who makes the chase truly has a chance to win. Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth have already clinched a spot in the chase and have been instilled by BetBet.com as the co 3/1 favorites. Kenseth has won the last 2 races and is favored for the Sony HD 500 in California, a track he won on earlier this year. Jimmie Johnson has led the standings all year long and the final 10 races are tracks he tends to do well on. The top 10 drivers as they currently stand only consist of 4 teams. Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch race for Hendrick Motorsports. Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin race for Roush Racing. Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin race for Joe Gibbs Racing. Only Dale Earnhardt Jr from Dale Earnhardt Inc. is a lone member in the chase currently.

Two Rousch Racing drivers, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards are still mathematically alive but will need a near miracle to make the chase. As such the 2 drivers who were among the favorites at the beginning of the year to win the championship are now 100/1 each.

The most interesting race seems to be for the 9th and 10th spot. Mark Martin seemed almost a sure thing to make the chase just 3 weeks ago but a series of terrible finishes see the veteran in 10th spot just 90 points ahead of Kasey Kahne. Dale Earnhardt Jr was out of the chase just 3 weeks ago but consecutive good finishes have moved him into 9th spot just ahead of Martin. Kasey Kahne has his work cut out for him to overcome Martin and Earnhardt but he does tend to do well on the bigger tracks like California. The shorter track of Richmond could be his downfall.

Among the chase contenders the most intriguing has to be Denny Hamlin. The rookie has been nothing short of sensational and has been in contention almost every race. In fact he has been more consistent and is ahead in points of his Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart who of course won the nascar championship last year.

The complete set of odds as posted by Sportbet.com are as follows:

Jimmie Johnson 3/1
Matt Kenseth 3/1
Jeff Gordon 6/1
Tony Stewart 6/1
Kevin Harvick 6/1
Denny Hamlin 7/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr 9/1
Kyle Busch 9/1
Jeff Burton 12/1
Mark Martin 18/1
Kasey Kahne 30/1
Greg Biffle 100/1
Carl Edwards 100/1

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