Standings keep shuffling as Kahne, Martin jump big

JOLIET, Ill. -- Back in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings after a brief absence, Mark Martin, winner of the LifeLock.com 400, used a roller coaster to describe Sprint Cup Series points racing.

You have to wonder what adjective Kyle Busch would use after nearly dropping out of the Chase standings when the No. 18 team finished 33rd due to engine problems Saturday night. The team dropped two positions in the standings, and only four points make the difference between Busch in 10th, Martin in 11th and Matt Kenseth in 12th.

Press Pass

Mark Martin talks about his fourth win of the season and how he's mentally handling his battle to earn a Chase berth.

• Press Pass: Martin
• Press: Pass: Kahne

For what seemed to be a fairly smooth race at Chicagoland Speedway, its results still managed to have a major impact on the standings.

Kasey Kahne was the night's big winner as his third-place finish propelled him four spots to the eighth in the standings. Kahne is still in championship contention despite being caught up in a last-lap crash at Daytona last week, which resulted in a 15th-place finish.

"Races like these, nights like this where you can get those points and try to stay in that top 12, that's what it's all about and making the Chase," Kahne said. "The guys had good stops all night. They've been on a roll with that. The car was good from the drop of the green."

Prior to Saturday night's third-place finish, Kahne's best showing at Chicagoland was 15th in five starts. He attributed his success to Dodge's new R6 engine, good pit stops and keeping up with the car's changes throughout the night, but he admitted he struggled a bit on the restarts.

"Those restarts at the end were tough," he said. "There were a lot of good cars. I think we got as far back as sixth on the restarts and worked back to second and then third with Jeff [Gordon]. I lost some and I made some again. Same every week -- I lose three of the restarts and win three of the restarts. I don't know, 50 percent is not too bad." (Continued)