Bowyer holds his position in the points at Fontana

FONTANA, Calif. -- Only one race remains in the Race to the Chase and for second-year driver David Ragan, it's more of the same.

"We are in the same position as we were coming to California. We have to go and outrun [Clint Bowyer] and [Kasey Kahne] ... we are in same boat as before. We have to go and outrun everybody," said Ragan, who finished 13th in Sunday's Pepsi 500 and now is 17 points away from the 12th and final position for the Chase.

Race to the Chase

Official Standings

Pos.	Driver	+/- 12
6.	Greg Biffle	+170
7.	Kevin Harvick	+143
8.	Tony Stewart	+121
9.	Matt Kenseth	+92
10.	Jeff Gordon	+85
11.	Denny Hamlin	+76
12.	Clint Bowyer	--
13.	David Ragan	-17
14.	Kasey Kahne	-48

• Complete Standings

It's a feat that could qualify the driver for one of the best turnaround stories in recent years. Ragan goes to Richmond next week, where he finished third in 2007. The Roush Fenway Racing driver is optimistic, but has his work cut out for him.

"We need to make sure we are in the top second or third position next week ... this is our fight to win," said Ragan, whose crew chief, Jimmy Fennig, made a beneficial decision that put his driver in a position to lead a lap for five bonus points.

"That was an excellent decision, because we didn't have the speed to pass," he said. "Bottom line, we just weren't fast enough, but we were fortune enough [Bowyer] or [Kahne] didn't lead laps or win the race. I tried as hard as I could without tearing up my racecar."

Shuffling through the point standings, nine drivers will battle for seven remaining positions in the sport's 10-race playoff battle to the championship. Fontana winner Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton all clinched spots Sunday and joined points-leader Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards.

Not much ground was either gained or lost from positions 11 through 14 and Kahne's eighth-place finish was not enough to put him back into the top 12. He sat in the 11th spot before the race at Bristol, where he was collected in a wreck and finished 40th.

"We gained a little in the points [Sunday night], but not enough to make that much of a difference," Kahne said. "I said earlier in the week that not only do you have to run well to catch the guys in front of me, but they have to stumble a little ... [Sunday night] was pretty much a draw."

Bowyer finished 10th and was able to keep Kahne and Ragan at bay. He knew the whereabouts of those two drivers on the track for just about the entire 500-mile event.

"Absolutely, you've got to," he said. "It was a good night for us. That's as good as we've been on a big track in a long time."

Second-place finisher Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick, who finished fourth, will make the Chase by merely starting next week's Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

"Over the last few weeks, we have been on a roll and it seems like we're peaking at the right time," Harvick said.

But no matter who finished where Sunday night, Matt Kenseth, who improved his position by one to earn the ninth position, said nothing is final until the checkered flag drops at Richmond.

"We're probably in better shape than we were coming in," he said. "But until you're locked in anything can happen."