Mark Martin won the first Chase race at New Hampshire and the three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson was the first to the checkered flag at Dover in the second race. They sit one-two in the standings with Martin holding a 10 point advantage heading into the third Chase race at Kansas on Sunday.

None of the 12 Chase drivers are out of the Chase yet, although Kasey Kahne’s blown engine early in the race at New Hampshire has put him in the deepest hole to climb out of and with no other room for a bad race. Kahne is 189 points behind Martin and would need to gain an average of almost 27 points per race on Martin to pass him by the conclusion of the 10-race playoff.

Juan Montoya, a rookie to the Chase is sitting third, 65 points back, and has had two strong runs in the first two races. He has thrown his name in as a legitimate contender.

Kurt Busch is 75 points back and in fourth right now. Even with the announcement that his crew chief Pat Tryson will be leaving his No. 2 team next season to work with Martin Truex Jr., Busch still looks like one of the front runners for the title.

From Tony Stewart in fifth, who is 106 points behind Martin, all the way down to Carl Edwards in 11th, the margin is only 45 points.

That means Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Brian Vickers, and Edwards are all still well within striking distance of the championship.

With the competition so high, one thing is for sure. It is going to take victories to nail down the 2009 Sprint Cup Series Championship. Martin and Johnson already have the leg up there, who will join them Sunday afternoon at Kansas? Or will Martin or Johnson win and set the tone that they are the team to beat?