NASCAR’s non-Chase drivers walk a fine line with title contenders

FONTANA, Calif. (AP) — David Reutimann saw Mark Martin’s bumper in the mirror and took a deep breath.

It wasn’t jitters exactly. Reutimann knew the NASCAR veteran — considered one of the cleanest racers in the business — wasn’t going to cause any trouble as they battled side by side last week in the Sprint Cup event at Kansas.

Yet Reutimann also knows the stakes are different for the 31 drivers on the outside of the Chase for the championship than for the 12 drivers such as Martin who are vying for a title.

Sure, Reutimann was racing to win. He just wasn’t going to risk Martin’s shot at finally grabbing the championship to do it.

“It’s nerve-racking to race a guy in the Chase because you don’t want to touch the guy,” said Reutimann, who finished eighth, one spot behind Martin. “You don’t want to be the guy that, ‘Well, if this hadn’t have happened, such and such would have won the Chase or won the Championship.’ ”

It’s a fine line the non-Chase drivers must walk during the 10-race Chase, which continues Sunday at Auto Club Speedway. It doesn’t mean non-Chasers have to pull over like they’re making room for an ambulance when a Chase guy gets on their bumper.

Yet the non-Chasers like Reutimann know there are only two ways to ensure yourself time in the spotlight during the Chase, win a race or ruin a Chase guy’s day. And considering non-Chasers rarely make it to Victory Lane — Greg Biffle was the last to do it in 2007 — the alternative isn’t that appetizing.

“But you can’t roll over for those guys,” he said.