Take 5: Five Takeaways From Martinsville Speedway

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Take 3 – Keselowski is in a familiar place but with different company.

Two weeks ago at Talladega Brad Keselowski had to throw the Hail Mary to make it to the third round. Here in the third round he might have to do it again. After one race Keselowski finds himself with Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards at the bottom of the chase standings. The good news for all three is that a non-chase driver won the race which means another spot for points will be available. The bad news is that all three drivers have a steep hole to climb out of. Edwards (-15) isn’t in it nearly as bad as Keselowski (-26) and Harvick (-28) are however Edwards doesn’t seem as likely to win a race in the next two weeks whereas nobody would be surprised if the No. 4 and No. 2 each accomplished that. Keselowski and Harvick have already been penciled into the final race by many fans and the next two weeks are going to truly test their championship mettle. Keselowski showed everyone at Talladega that he can win when the pressure is on and he might have to do that again. Harvick has not been in this situation yet so it will be interesting to see how he handles it over the next two weeks. The drama is building as the chase continues which is exactly what NASCAR wants to see.