From Gordon to Labonte, top 10 is full of storylines

Random thought and observations about the top 10 in points:

• Jeff Gordon is leading the Cup Series point standings after the third race for the first time in the Chase era. It's the first time he's been on point after three events since his 1997 championship season, when he held a 63-point advantage over Terry Labonte after Richmond.

This is a good thing for the sport, Gordon leading the pack. He continues to prove that he's a championship-caliber driver. He remains one of the most marketable names in all of sports.

"We're just bringing awesome race cars to the race track," Gordon said after finishing sixth at Las Vegas. "Three weeks in a row I've felt like we have the car that can win and that's quite a change from last year."

I believe it's a harbinger of things to come.

• Clint Bowyer has two top-five finishes in what was supposed to be a learning-curve season with his new crew chief, Shane Wilson. Now comes Atlanta and Bristol, where he has two top-five finishes and seven top-10s in 12 starts at those tracks.

• Matt Kenseth, so he didn't pull off the three-peat -- all hope is not lost. In the big picture, a 43rd-place finish was the worst thing that could have happened at Vegas but it came early enough that he can rebound; he's only 40 points behind Gordon (watch video).

• Greg Biffle is right about where you'd expect him to be -- in the early season hunt -- after two top-10 finishes. And now comes Atlanta, where he finished fourth last spring and has seven top-10s in 12 starts at the track.

• David Reutimann is averaging a top-10 finish through three races. His previous two seasons' average finish through the first three races: 26.0 in 2008 and 36.5 in '07 (two starts; DNQ at Las Vegas).

• Kyle Busch took advantage of every situation at Las Vegas and made the most of his opportunities. That 41st-place finish at Daytona will stick in his craw a while longer -- and don't look now but he's the defending race winner at Atlanta.

• Kurt Busch is clearly the leader of the Dodge camp (though fading at Vegas continued a disturbing trend). Now comes AMS, where he hasn't finished outside the top 15 in the past five races, including two top-10s.

• Tony Stewart did not lead a lap at Vegas, the first time this year he'd failed to do so. He also finished outside the top 10 (26th) for the first time as an owner. ... Wonder how that driver / owner debrief went? A bit one-sided, you reckon?

• Carl Edwards' 17th-place run, from a fan's perspective, was disappointing. I really believed he would mix it up with the leaders a bit more. Then again, he's led three laps this year -- 3 of 687. He's gotta be flippin' out over that stat.

• Bobby Labonte's decision to sign with Hall of Fame / Yates Racing is proving more fortuitous than anything Earnhardt Ganassi Racing has to offer. Labonte is 10th in the point standings; EGR's lead dog -- Juan Montoya -- is 15th, 34 points behind.

Which driver has been most impressive through three races?
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