RELATED: See the updated Chase Grid | Stats for Chase drivers
Advancing: Matt Kenseth waited in the wings for leader Kevin Harvick's dwindling fuel cell to go dry. When Harvick ran out of fuel, Kenseth stretched out front, leading the final three laps to win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the second race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup's Challenger Round. Kenseth's victory punches his ticket to the Contender Round.
This marks Kenseth's second career trip to Victory Lane at Loudon, his last win coming in 2013.
Four in, four out: Here's the bubble picture following Loudon. The four drivers below the line would not advance to the next round (Contender) if the Challenger Round ended today. (Note: The Challenger Round ends next week at Dover International Speedway.)
9. Martin Truex Jr. (14 points ahead of 12th-place driver)
10. Jeff Gordon (+11)
11. Jamie McMurray (+1)
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (--)
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13. Kyle Busch (1 point behind 12th-place driver)
14. Paul Menard (-1)
15. Kevin Harvick (-23)
16. Clint Bowyer (-39)
Reason for hope: Jimmie Johnson rallied from a cut tire to earn a solid sixth-place result at Loudon. Now sitting fifth in the Chase standings, Johnson heads into a track that he's tamed on more than one occasion: Dover International Speedway. "Six-Time" -- who won at Dover earlier this season -- leads nearly every category at the Monster Mile, including the most all-time wins with 10 trips to Victory Lane.
Reason for worry: Kyle Busch's Chase outlook darkened at Lap 159, when his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota smacked the wall between Turns 3 and 4. "It's killed," Busch said, immediately heading to the garage. While Busch was able to make it back out on the track, his 37th-place result sets him back to 13th in the Chase field -- putting him in a more desperate situation at Dover.
Up next: AAA 400, 2:30 p.m. ET, Oct. 4 at Dover International Speedway (NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM)
Who it favors
Most wins: 10 -- Jimmie Johnson
Best driver rating: 122.3 -- Jimmie Johnson
Best average finish: 5.9 -- Jimmie Johnson
Who it hurts
Fewest top 10s: 3 -- Paul Menard (in 16 starts)
Worst driver rating: 68.8 -- Paul Menard
Worst average finish: 19.3 -- Denny Hamlin, 19.2 -- Jamie McMurray