OBSERVATIONS Rick Minter's
Here are some key storylines as the Cup Series takes a week off: A mad scramble

STEWART

With six races remaining before the start of the Chase for the Nextel Cup, the field appears to have been narrowed to 12 drivers with realistic chances of being among the elite 10 who will run for the championship.

Points leader Jimmie Johnson and second-place driver Matt Kenseth appear to be virtual locks to make the Chase field, but it's a scramble behind them. Just 188 points separate thirdplace Jeff Burton from Greg Biffle, who is 12th in the standings.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s chances of making the cut appear to be waning through no fault of his own.

He's recorded back-to-back last-place finishes - at New Hampshire and Pocono - both of which seem to be due to factors beyond his control. The engine in his No. 8 Chevrolet blew at New Hampshire, and he was involved in a crash at Pocono that he told TV reporters happened because his car was too slow leaving the corners. His latest setback dropped him four spots to 11th in points.

Still, he's upbeat. "We're a good team, and if we do what we're capable of doing, we'll be all right," he told reporters at Pocono.

Tony the tiger?

Defending champion Tony Stewart seems destined to make the Chase in spite of his own impatience, which has put him in bad spots the past two races.

Two weeks ago at New Hampshire, Stewart was leading the race early when he became involved in an on-track altercation with the lapped car of Ryan Newman. He wound up crashing and finishing 37th, which put him out of the top 10 in points.

Then on Sunday at Pocono, the 500-mile race was barely 30 laps old when he ran into Clint Bowyer after he felt Bowyer crowded him into the outside wall.

After being hit by Stewart, Bowyer skated across the track into the oncoming car of Carl Edwards, who later spun Stewart, in apparent retaliation, as the two entered the pits.

Stewart and Edwards were docked a lap for rough driving. Stewart bounced back to finish seventh and move to 10th in points.

After the race, Stewart was asked by a TV reporter whether he should have been more patient. "I don't think so," he said.

Edwards' retort: Stewart was "spectacularly self-centered."

Winning is everything

There's been a lot of talk about how successful Michael Waltrip has been in attracting top-flight drivers and sponsors for his new Toyota teams that will hit the track next year. He's landed NAPA for the car he'll drive, Dale Jarrett and UPS, and he'll have Burger King for his third team.

But his older brother, Darrell Waltrip, cautions that top drivers and lucrative sponsors aren't enough in the highly competitive world of Nextel Cup racing.

"It's come down to one thing and I harp on him all the time about it," Darrell Waltrip said. "That's what he is experiencing this year and that's performance."

Driving his own Dodge this season, Michael Waltrip is 36th in points with a best finish of 18th in the season-opening Daytona 500.

"If you don't perform, the sponsors are going to end up being mad at you," Darrell Waltrip said. "You've got to be sure that you get the people, the parts, the pieces and everything it takes to go out on Sunday and perform.

"If you perform, everybody is going to be happy. If you don't, it can be a nightmare."

Big blow for Yates team

The release of Elliott Sadler last week from the No. 38 Ford leaves the once mighty Robert Yates Racing team with no veteran drivers returning next season and many in the sport wondering how long it will take the team to regain its stature in the garage.

Dale Jarrett, driver of the No. 88 Ford, already announced that he was leaving at the end of the season, as is Sadler.

Rookie Stephen Leicht drove a Yates car at Pocono on Sunday, finished 33rd and is set to run Aug. 6 at Indianapolis in the same No. 90 Ford.

He's a contender for a full-time Yates ride next season, and Busch newcomer David Gilliland also has been mentioned as a candidate.

Team co-owner Doug Yates told reporters at Pocono last week that he's looking at both newcomers and veterans as he chooses new drivers.

"We want somebody that wants to be with us, somebody that's willing to dig in and be part of the organization, live it and help us do the things that we need to do," he said. "It's very critical to get somebody that wants us. There needs to be a mutual attraction. There's some good young talent out there that we're looking at. ... Then there are a lot of guys available that maybe need to revitalize their career or another chance, so we'll look at that as well."

STEWART