The Chase - Smoke, Junior Go From Cellar Dwellers To Top Dogs

Daytona, Sept. 20, 2011: This doesn’t make much sense, but: Two of NASCAR’s most talked about and most thought about drivers – Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. – entered the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with little discussion, and mostly as afterthoughts.

They were the only two Chase drivers without a win – as such, they were seeded ninth and 10th in the 12-driver Chase (per rule, 11th and 12th seeds went to the two Wild Cards, regardless of win total).

Despite a top 10 regular season finish, there were stretches where both Stewart (a two-time series champion) and Earnhardt (eight-time Most Popular Driver) looked like they would vanish from Chase consideration.

But they didn’t. And now, after the Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway, both seem like legitimate championship threats. A run down for both…