Kansas could be precursor to rest of the Chase races

With two races of the Chase now in the books, we come to Kansas Speedway this weekend looking for some separation in the hunt for this season's championship. Kansas will be very important in sorting out who is in and who is realistically out of the championship picture for more than one reason. We should begin to see some separation in the Chase pack after the conclusion of the Price Chopper 400, but we'll also get a peek at whom is set up to run the table from here on.

Kansas is one of five intermediate ovals that make up the 10-race Chase schedule. What we see Sunday could likely be a preview of things to come in the next several weeks. Fantasy racing players need to pay close attention to this race because the team that strolls into Victory Lane this weekend could have checkers in their future at Fontana, Texas, Charlotte or Homestead.

We'll run down the list of fantasy racing heavyweights for this week's event at Kansas. The following is our weekly power ranking for the Price Chopper 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Top Fantasy Racing Drivers for Kansas

• Purchase your tickets
• Make your travel plans

1. Greg Biffle
With one win and four top-five finishes in the last six races at Kansas, Biffle is the undisputed heavyweight champ of Kansas Speedway. He has battled feverishly with his arch-rival at this intermediate oval, Jimmie Johnson, in four of the last five events at the track. We should see a steady dose of the No. 16 Ford at the front Sunday.

2. Jimmie Johnson
Now that the Chase is on, the No. 48 team is heating up again as usual. Johnson has three consecutive championships because he and his Hendrick Motorsports team know how to turn it up a notch during the 10-race playoff. He has won each of the last two poles at Kansas, and he won this event one year ago en route to his third Cup title. With the defending champion riding the momentum of his win at Dover last week, Johnson could easily stroll into Victory Lane again at Kansas.

3. Mark Martin
Martin is as close as he's ever been to the Cup trophy. He enters this event as the Chase leader, 10 points in front of teammate Jimmie Johnson. The No. 5 team won't lose focus this weekend. Martin won this event in 2005 with former boss Jack Roush, and he's been very strong on intermediate ovals this season. He may not collect the trophy Sunday, but he'll be pushing Johnson and Biffle for the full 400 miles this weekend.

Follow the Chase with news and analysis from the track by NASCAR.COM's insiders.

• Full coverage

4. Jeff Gordon
While Gordon's championship chances are very slim after just two races, the veteran driver will be hustling to grab every point in sight in the remaining eight races. Top-five finishes will be the norm for most of the remaining events. Gordon enters this weekend's Kansas event on a two-race top-five streak at the track. The intermediate ovals have been the No. 24 team's best venues in 2009, so we expect another top-five effort in the Price Chopper 400.

5. Kasey Kahne
The last time the series raced on an intermediate oval, Kahne held off a furious challenge from Kevin Harvick to win at Atlanta a few weeks ago. The No. 9 Dodge was powerfully strong that evening and not easily forgotten going into this race. While Kahne doesn't have the best resume at Kansas, he does own one career pole and one top-10 finish at the track. We believe he is poised for a career best finish at Kansas.

6. Tony Stewart
As Stewart continues to gather some momentum and improve his team's performance, Kansas offers a good opportunity for the No. 14 team to continue that effort. Stewart is a one-time winner at Kansas and he owns five top-10 finishes in eight starts. The owner/driver hasn't lost sight of the championship yet, but he needs a really great finish Sunday.

7. Juan Montoya
Montoya enters this weekend on quite a roll. The No. 42 Chevrolet team has three top-fives in the last four races and Montoya is posing a serious challenge to this season's championship. While he has only two career starts with a best finish of 20th at this facility, we don't believe that's a reason to downgrade Montoya. The Earnhardt Ganassi driver should continue his hot streak at Kansas.

Fantasy Games

• Fantasy Cap Challenge
• Draft & Play
• Streak to the Finish

8. Brian Vickers
Intermediate ovals have been Vickers' bread and butter in 2009. With top-10 finishes at every intermediate oval thus far, with the exception of Texas, the No. 83 team has flexed their muscles on these ovals. Vickers is an almost no-miss proposition for a top-10 finish.

9. Ryan Newman
The one-time Kansas winner is battling for his playoff life right now. He enters this event ranked seventh in the standings, 110 points behind leader Mark Martin. Urgency goes without saying for the No. 39 team at Kansas. Newman should be focused on adding to his three career top-fives.

10. David Reutimann
The larger tracks have really suited the Michael Waltrip Racing star. When the series last raced at an intermediate oval at Atlanta, Reutimann piloted the No. 00 Toyota to a brilliant fourth-place finish. While Kansas differs somewhat from Atlanta, the similarities are enough to likely make Reutimann a top-10 threat for Sunday's 400-mile event.