So much can go wrong it's hard to count anyone out

What a wild ride for the guys in the Chase for the Nextel Cup at Dover. It was enough to drive a fan to drink. Is it OK to open my eyes now? No matter who you are pulling for in the Chase, that thought had to be running through your mind this past Sunday. Jeff Gordon had the best post-race reaction when he said, "... and somehow we came out of it with the points lead." Then he smiled like he just got the "Get out of Jail Free" card in Monopoly.

• NASCAR on TNT

While the race at Dover may be over, I don't think that's the end of the emotion, either. I certainly hope not. There are eight races remaining and as the season counts down, the tension builds up. We have seen it in the past and we have already seen it this year. The new wrinkle in the Chase is that now there are 12 guys trying to win it, so if you slip to the back of the pack, it's not just the points you need to make up, it's the number of people you need to pass.

"You have to make the most of the bad days and take advantage of the good days," Gordon said. "When the race started at Dover, the car was awesome and I thought we were going to have a great day. But we lost the handle on the car and it was a struggle from that point on. While a lot of the Chase contenders encountered some problems, we were able to get a respectable finish and the points lead. But there's still eight races to go and many more points to be gained and lost."

There are two ways to look at every race: how many points gained; or how many lost. Is your glass half-full or is it half-empty? Did you use up your mulligan at Dover?

"Mulligans are in golf. This is racing," said two-time series champion Tony Stewart.

"We don't have mulligans here. You have what you have. A mulligan is when you don't have to count what you did. If Dover was a mulligan, then we don't have to count that week's points, right? So there are no such things as mulligans in auto racing."

The Chase creates a different atmosphere in the garage. For the 12 teams that are in it, this may be the opportunity of a lifetime. They fought through 26 races to earn the chance to win the championship. Then the field is trimmed to just 12 teams. They no longer have to beat everyone, just 12 other teams. Problem is, they are the 12 best teams.

When they unlock the garage on Friday morning and the crews walk to the rigs that have already been properly parked by NASCAR, there is hope in your head that nothing goes wrong this weekend, and not just Sunday. From the moment the lift gate begins it's descent carrying the car that is carrying their dream, the hope has to be that from the moment it hits the ground to the time it goes back on the truck, everything goes perfectly. That rarely happens. When it does, it is the reward for preparation and execution. When it does not, it is the test of you teamwork and temper.

I remember during the first year of the Chase, talking to a crew chief on a Friday morning at Kansas about the experience of leading a team on a 10-game or in this case a 10-race series that will determine the championship. He asked me if I knew how many things could go wrong for a racecar, the things that can set you back or knock you out. It's a long list.

Something can break, fall off, you can run over something, you can run into something, something can run into you, you can cut a tire, lose a tire, lose a wheel, drop a hose, have an electrical problem or the thing might just blow up. And that's only in practice; forget about qualifying and the race. Oh, yeah, the race ...? Well, ask Kurt Busch.

Failure is an option

The Chase is no time for self-pity, writes David Caraviello. In a playoff format where a mere 20 points seems like a huge lead, the ability to rebound and think clearly in the midst of struggle is ever so important.

• Complete story, click here

"I'm pretty frustrated right now, because we had cars strong enough in both races to be up there with the [points] leaders. A broken 50-cent part got us at New Hampshire and the tire cost us at Dover," Busch said.

The challenge is to prevent as many of those things as possible, and be ready to react when problems due occur.

"I was at the shop [on Monday] and talked with [crew chief] Pat [Tryson]. He's the best in the business at keeping the team morale going and keeping me pumped up, too. We agreed that all we can do now is go into each of the remaining eight races looking to get everything we can out of them. We've really dug ourselves a hole -- a deep one -- but we'll be doing everything possible to dig back out."

The crew guys are terrific. They can tell the story better than anyone. They can tell you about the atmosphere at the shop, how long the days are, who can sleep on Saturday night and who cannot sleep on Sunday night.

While the drivers are in the spotlight, this is the chance for glory for guys you see but can't name. Linemen with a sponsor on their back, not a number, the unsung in-the-garage and over-the-wall guys who are protecting their quarterback the way the Colts protect Peyton Manning.

They practice, prepare, go over the prep sheet on Sunday morning hoping they've done their job so the driver has the best possible opportunity to do his job. Just like any playoff game, nobody knows what will happen next. But it would be nice if someone did, at least for them!

"I'm not a philosopher. None of us can predict this," Stewart said.

"I don't have the answers. Nobody has the answers. All we can do is speculate on what's going to happen until each week actually happens. If any of us can predict the top-10 positions in Sunday's race -- you're a genius, let alone figuring out how the next eight weeks are going to be. If we could, we'd be bookies in Las Vegas making millions of dollars betting on these races instead of driving in them. And it's a heck of a lot safer sitting in a chair in that dark room letting cocktail waitresses bring you drinks."

Excuse me, Miss, my glass is half-empty.

Truth is, you don't know what is going to happen next, that's why they race and why we watch. The Major League Baseball season is down to the final days of the regular season and some teams are still struggling to clinch a playoff berth. The New Orleans Saints are oh-and-3 after great things were predicted following a strong 2006 season. Notre Dame is winless. Appalachian State beat Michigan, then lost to Wofford. Somebody call Vegas and see if they offer refunds. That's not what we thought was going to happen!

Jimmie Johnson made the Chase last year, was virtually out of it four races in, and came back and won the Nextel Cup. Men, teams, work endless hours at the shop and at the track, making sure that they have prepared for all the situations they can see and for all the situations they cannot. You can cheer, you can hope, but in NASCAR Nextel Cup racing, you never know. I love it.

"If you look at where Denny [Hamlin] is in 12th, granted 11 guys could have a bad day, but he's not that far out," Johnson said.

"I was a lot further out and came back over five or six races or whatever it was last year. So, I'm not counting anyone out. I do think that it's tougher this year. You have two more cars in the mix. It's a much more competitive Chase. I think it's going to keep us talking each and every week as to how things unfold and where people are. And I think it's going to be deep into the Chase before we have a clear favorite."

Yeah, I agree, like maybe the last 10 laps at Homestead. Miss, could I get another drink over here?

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.