Burton has no room for error to make the Chase

He's currently in ninth place with three races remaining.
By JENNA FRYER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- When Jeff Burton's engine failed after just 17 laps in Michigan, all he could do was watch helplessly from the garage as he plummeted in the Chase for the championship standings.
A sure-bet to make it into NASCAR's playoffs before Sunday's race began, Burton's broken motor dropped him five spots in the standings to ninth -- the edge of elimination.
With three races to go before the title field is set, Burton was all too aware of how devastating a day it was. So he gathered his crestfallen team in a huddle and gave his very best pep talk.
"I just wanted to remind everybody that this a good race team, and this happens to everybody," he said. "We're not going to get down about this. This is nobody's fault. We're all in this together.
"We just have to bring it to the next three races and just do a good job."
What happened to Burton could be the norm over the final three qualifying weeks. A lock one week could turn into a long shot the next behind a broken part, bad pit stop or a bump on the track.
The final three-race stretch starts Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, where tempers typically flare and the slightest nudge can send a car into the wall. As if the tight confines of Bristol's bullring don't create enough of an accident-waiting-to-happen atmosphere, many drivers have used this race to settle a previous score.
That could be bad news for Chase contenders Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who have landed on Carl Edwards' bad side. With Edwards all but eliminated from the playoffs, Bristol is just the place where "inadvertent" contact could force his rivals to join him on the sidelines.
After Bristol it's on to California Speedway and the final qualifying race at Richmond International Speedway. Here's how the Chase is shaping up:
Who's in
Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth.
Although neither officially has clinched a spot, it would take a total collapse to keep either out.
In good shape
Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin and Tony Stewart.
Although Harvick is solidly in third place right now, Burton's failure Sunday has the Richard Childress Racing organization all too aware of how quickly things can crumble.
Don't mess up
Jeff Gordon and Burton.
Gordon used a second-place finish in Michigan to climb three spots in the standings to sixth. Burton has zero room for error.
Hanging on
Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Busch has done a terrific job of turning around early season turmoil, But his 39th-place finish at Michigan cost him two spots in the standings. A rookie, Hamlin is the shocker of the field. Earnhardt is in serious trouble. Third in the standings last month, he's dropped back to 10th after a rash of bad luck.
Out
Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch.
Of the foursome, only Kahne is likely to race his way into the Chase.
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