The Chase Contenders are Ruling the Track

Sports are adrenalin fed activities that walk along a narrow edge between success and failure, no matter the sport you compete in. Success always breeds confidence and confidence creates an athlete who holds nothing back and puts it all on the line every time. There’s something in the statement that race car drivers are athletes who constantly walk the line between confident success and sheepish failure. The feeling of confidence a NASCAR competitor feels after having been through the fire of the season and come out the other side on fire, must be exhilarating and something that fills you with life. Trying to stop a NASCAR competitor who is confident and has been successful during the year must be like trying to stop a flaming snowball rolling down hill for less confident racers who haven’t had as fast a car, a helpful turn of the dice or the kind of success on the NASCAR track that breeds success and confidence.

The Chase contenders are racing like champions

NASCAR’s playoff round, the Chase, has been a difficult time for racers outside the Chase, yet still on the track after a less than confident year. This isn’t a surprise considering the contender heavy field of the first three races of the Chase. Still racers like Kyle Busch, Elliot Sadler, Matt Kenseth and David Reutimann have had a difficult time finishing in the money in the first three competitions. The winners during the season have been racing faster, finishing better and will be taking home the majority of the year end money the drivers are looking at and dreaming of. The cars, teams and drivers of the Chase contenders have been better all year long and confidence breeds success on the track or any field of battle.

The only one of the non contenders that had a good showing in the third race Sunday was David Reutimann with an eighth place finish for Michael Waltrip Racing. He didn’t start the greatest but his car was fast and he probably left a bit on the track. He was racing against contenders who have a lot more to loose and gain than him if they win, so he might not have been as aggressive as he would have been if he had been more successful during the regular season and thus have more confidence and to gain going into the Chase. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the only other non contender who had a chance. He started second and was in the lead for 41 laps, before he had problems during a pit stop that ruined his chances for a top three finish.

“Image: Zuma Press”