Little change after Loudon; Dover could change that (cont'd)

TIER FOUR

Kurt Busch (-1)

I've already heard it from the Kurt Busch fans -- why are you so down on Kurt? I'm actually not. I think their run at New Hampshire was impressive and expected (especially after the pit-road wreck). I also expect them to be a contender for the win at Dover this weekend as this is one of Busch's best tracks.

So why drop him a tier? I just feel, after this week, things will get a lot tougher. I just cannot fathom a driver/crew chief combination winning the championship when the crew chief is not allowed in the building during the week. Sure, you can downplay it all you want and say it's not a big deal and that in today's day and age you can work exclusively from home via e-mail and phone.

That's a bunch of hooey. For the sake of everyone on the 2 team and my friends at Penske Racing I would love to be completely wrong, but I just don't see any scenario where this ends with Busch holding the 2009 Sprint Cup.

Ryan Newman (No change)

Ryan Newman did exactly what he needed to at New Hampshire. Turn one of his best tracks into his fourth consecutive top-10 finish in 2009. A terrific way to start the Chase. Quietly this team is rolling along and building momentum. And the better news is that Dover is up next, arguably Newman's best track. Newman has three wins there and finished eighth in May.

The big question for this team is can they parlay this momentum into some good runs on the intermediate tracks where they have struggled this year? If so, Newman and crew chief Tony Gibson might be surprise top-five Chasers when it is all said and done.

TIER FIVE

Kasey Kahne (-1)

Alright, I will come out and say it just one race into the Chase. Kasey Kahne will not win the 2009 championship. It's amazing what has happened to this team in the last few weeks. Let's review the As the World Turns script since their win at Atlanta, which was just three weeks ago, believe it or not.

In case you didn't know, they were on top of the world that week. Since then they have: 1.) Announced they are switching to Ford in 2010, not a bad move. But why announce it now? What did that gain them other than a bunch of questions?; 2.) They have fired Mark McArdle, former VP of Racing Operations (bad move); 3.) Then last week before the New Hampshire race they told 90 employees they would not have a job at the end of the season (really bad move).

"But be sure to give your best effort between now and then; thanks for your 10 years of service!" Gee, wonder why they lost an engine 66 laps into the first Chase race?

There are now endless unanswered questions. Who is in charge of the organization from the competition side? Will it have enough money to get through all of 2009 fully funded? More importantly, will it have enough money to be around in 2010 fully funded? If so, how many teams will it have in 2010? Who will drive for it in 2010? Oh yeah, and by the way, aren't you trying to win a championship?

Way too much has changed with this organization in such a short period of time for this team to contend for a championship. Little distractions in the Chase can keep you from winning a championship. Multiple and large distractions such as these are killers for title hopes and morale.

I hate it for the guys on the 9 team but such is their reality. Just imagine how good this organization could be if Ray Evernham and Richard Petty actually still had a say in how this operation is run.

Marty Snider is a pit reporter for TNT. His weekly tiering of championship-hopeful drivers -- Inside the Chase -- appears each Wednesday.