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October 27, 2006
NASCAR: Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500
Chase wide open after Burton bounced
Coming into the Subway 500 last week, Nextel Cup leader Jeff Burton could have created some major separation with a victory. However he experienced just the opposite. Burton had engine problems and was unable to finish the race. He finished in 42nd and now is sitting in fifth place in the Cup standings.
His misfortune opened the door for several others. Jimmie Johnson came away with the checkered flag and moved into third place, but Matt Kenseth’s 11th-place finish leapfrogged him to the top of the Cup standings after earning 130 points last weekend, for a total of 5848 points.
Next up is the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday. In 2005 Carl Edwards took the race but this year he is nowhere to be seen. Cup leader Kenseth is up on second-place racer Kevin Harvick by 36 points. Johnson (5807), Denny Hamlin (5801) and Burton (5800) trail Kenseth by only 41, 47, and 48 points respectively.
After seeing Burton drop out of the lead to win the Chase, most drivers think there is still a chance for some major flip-flopping in the standings. Atlanta Motor Speedway plays host to the seventh race of the Cup and this marks the first of the final four races that remain to determine the ’06 NASCAR champion.
Eight of the 10 Chase drivers trail first by less than 100 points. Only ninth-place Jeff Gordon (5707) and tenth-place Kyle Busch (5677) still seem unlikely to have a shot at competing for the title. A top five finish by nearly anyone In Atlanta could vault them to the top of the heap.
25026 - Copyright 2006, BetJamaica.com, The Player's Paradise
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