Lookahead: Kansas

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- For the third consecutive week there is a different driver atop the leader board in the Chase. And for the first time in more than seven years that driver's name is Jeff Burton.

Burton's win at Dover marked his first victory since Oct. 28, 2001, at Phoenix, breaking the second-longest drought between victories (175 races) in Cup history. (The longest is 226 races between Bill Elliott's wins, 1994-2001.) It also catapulted Burton to the top spot in the driver standings, the first time he has been the points leader since after the California race in May 1999.

Burton's turnaround season also cemented a few other notable accomplishments for team owner Richard Childress, including:

• With Burton first and teammate Kevin Harvick currently fifth in the standings, this marks the first time that two RCR drivers have ever been in the top five in points at the same time.

• Burton's victory gives RCR three consecutive wins, as Harvick cruised to Victory Lane at Richmond and New Hampshire. One has to go back to the fall of 1987 for the last time that RCR won three Cup races in a row, as Dale Earnhardt drove to victory in the second Bristol race, the Southern 500 at Darlington and the fall race at Richmond.

Gordon challenging for fifth title

Jeff Gordon has put himself in a position to challenge for his fifth Cup championship. He is the only driver to post top-five finishes in the first two Chase races and that strong showing has enabled him to jump from ninth place to second in the standings.

This marks the highest Gordon has been in the standings since after the Darlington race in May 2005. A year ago this time, Gordon was in 14th place in the standings, not having made the Chase.

Gordon's four Cup championships (2001, 1998, '97, '95) rank second in the sport's history. Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty hold the record with seven titles.

Gordon has enjoyed great success racing at Kansas Speedway. He has two victories there (2001-02) and also has posted top-15 finishes in all five of his starts there. He has led a series-high 169 laps and his average finish of 6.0 is tops among the 2006 Chase drivers.

Keys to victory at Kansas

Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-mile banked oval and also is one of the youngest tracks on the Cup circuit.

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What are the keys to getting around Kansas?

• Setting it Up. It's imperative that you get your aerodynamic setup in concert with your chassis setup. Kansas is a track that can be hit or miss for a lot of drivers. It's important that your setups are working together.

• Getting in the Right Groove. Kansas Speedway is one of the youngest race tracks in the series. It still is developing multiple grooves. This could be the breakout year where drivers are able to find alternate grooves to race in.

• Getting Through Turn 1. It can be a bit tricky in the first turn; you can't go too low there. That's where the proper setup can really come into play.

In the Loop at Kansas

The Loop Data statistics point toward another strong run by Jeff Gordon.

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Through the first two races in the Chase, Gordon sports the highest Driver Rating (114.3), best Average Finishing Position (3.0) and best Average Starting Position (1.5). He also has completed 94.3 percent of his Laps in the Top 15 and that is also the best in that category.

Matt Kenseth continues to have the highest Driver Rating on the season (105.2), followed by Gordon (99.4) and Greg Biffle (98.3). Kenseth also holds the top Average Running Position (10.596), with Gordon second (10.870).

Mark Martin, who is the defending race champion at Kansas, has the top Driver Rating (135.7) and second best Average Running Position (4.049). Biffle also is strong at Kansas, holding the top spot in five Loop Data categories, including Average Running Position (3.112), and Fastest Drivers by Turn 1-2-3. Biffle has recorded back-to-back top-five finishes at Kansas, finishing second in 2005 and third in 2004.

Four other drivers lead one pre-race Loop Data category for Kansas. They include Carl Edwards (Speed in Traffic), Kurt Busch (Fastest Drivers on Restarts), Kenseth (Fastest Drivers Early in a Run), and Tony Stewart (Fastest Drivers on the Backstretch).

Martin has the highest overall Driver Rating (98.7) at the eight remaining tracks in the Chase. Jimmie Johnson is second at 137.3.

Burton is ranked second in Fastest Drivers Early in a Run (7.840). Kenseth leads all drivers in Laps Led (1,108). Harvick ranks first in Fastest Drivers on Restarts (10.679).

Chasers play musical chairs

Six of the top 10 positions changed following last week's race at Dover.

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Burton moved from fifth to first, while Harvick dropped from first to fifth. Gordon jumped up from fourth to second, while rookie Denny Hamlin slid from second to fourth.

Johnson gained one spot, improving from ninth to eighth, while Kasey Kahne dropped from eighth to ninth. Kenseth (third), Martin (sixth) and Earnhardt, Jr. (seventh) remained the same.

The battle for 11th place is beginning to heat up some after last week's action at Dover. Stewart held a comfortable 313-point margin over Biffle before last Sunday, but his 33rd-place finish combined with Biffle's fifth-place showing, saw his lead cut to 217 points, a difference of 96 points.

The 11th-place driver receives a $1 million bonus at the conclusion of the season and is also recognized during Champions Week in New York.

After 28 races a year ago, Burton was 20th in points and Gordon was 14th. The top-three finishers in the 2005 Chase -- Stewart, Biffle and Edwards -- did not make the Chase this season and are currently 11th, 12th and 13th in the standings.