Other 33 drivers have little impact on Cup

THE SPORTING NEWS
They are the other 33.
Rusty Wallace is one of them. So are Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte and Terry Labonte, all former NASCAR Cup champions. Add Kevin Harvick and Jamie McMurray to the list. You know the names and faces, but as the season speeds toward the finish, you aren't seeing them -- or hearing from them -- much.
They are the drivers outside the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup.
They were supposed to have an impact on the Chase -- there were theories that drivers not in the Chase would help teammates who were by blocking, causing wrecks and doing all sorts of underhanded things -- but with seven of the 10 races complete, non-Chasers have had minimal effect on the drivers competing for the championship.
The story line
The story lines for non-Chasers so far:
UJoe Nemechek and Ricky Rudd battled to the finish at Kansas, with Nemechek prevailing for the victory. Eight of the first 12 finishers were non-Chase drivers.
URobby Gordon got mad and wrecked Greg Biffle in the first Chase race, at New Hampshire, and Chase drivers Jeremy Mayfield and Tony Stewart were caught up in the mess. Mayfield and Stewart haven't recovered.
UOn the Friday before the Martinsville race, Wallace said he would move over and let Ryan Newman, his teammate in the Chase, go past. But with Wallace running second and Newman third before a late restart, Wallace sent a message via radio that he had a chance to win if Newman would keep off him. When Wallace went high to try to pass Jimmie Johnson, Newman stayed low, behind Johnson, and Newman and Wallace banged together. Wallace saved the car but finished 10th. Newman wound up third.
When the 10 qualifiers for the Chase were set, most of the drivers who didn't make the cut knew their roles might change during the final 10 races. Although NASCAR threw the outsiders a bone -- the driver who finishes 11th will get $1 million and a spot at the head table at the awards banquet in New York -- it was little consolation for many. They would sink into the shadows of the Chase spotlight -- taking their big-money sponsors with them -- unless they grabbed headlines by winning a race or a pole.
Scored most points
Jamie McMurray, who came up 16 points short of making the Chase, is a good example. Through seven Chase races, he has scored more points than every driver except points leader Kurt Busch. Because McMurray hasn't won a race or a pole, little has been made of his impressive run.
Twelve other non-Chase drivers also have scored more points in Chase races than Mayfield, who ranks 10th in the standings.
Non-Chase drivers also realized they might be told to sacrifice personal gain for the good of teammates in the Chase, but there have been few requests or instances that have ruffled feathers. Drivers have been asked to let a teammate in the Chase lead a lap to gain bonus points, and there has been blocking at times, although none of it has resulted in controversy or determined the outcome of a race.