Four in overdrive heading to Chase race 3

LOUDON, N.H. — The Chase for the Sprint Cup rolls into Dover, Del. next weekend for Race 3 and the end of the first playoff round. Four of the 16 Chase drivers will be eliminated after Sunday's race — or, in other words, they'll be "over in Dover".

There are three elimination rounds in the 10-race playoff, consisting of three races each. After races three, six and nine, four drivers will be eliminated from contention. The final four will race for the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16.

The top seven drivers appear to be safe for a trip into the second round, but only 12 points separate positions eight through 16 entering the third Chase race.

Paste BN Sports' Mike Hembree highlights four drivers in good standing after the second Chase race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Joey Logano, Team Penske, No. 22 Ford

Logano put team owner Roger Penske in the best of all possible positions by winning Sunday at Loudon. He and teammate Brad Keselowski are locked into the second round regardless of their results at Dover.

Comment: "That's our ultimate goal — to win the championship. We had enough to get through this day the best we could and had some really good restarts. Before I knew it I was sitting third and was like, 'Huh, I've got a shot at winning this thing.' "

Up next: Dover is the site of the worst wreck of Logano's relatively short Sprint Cup career, but he has run well there, scoring seven top 10s in 11 races. His team has scheduled tests this week at Texas Motor Speedway.

Brad Keselowski, Team Penske, No. 2 Ford

A winner in the Chase opener and seventh Sunday, Keselowski is on cruise control. He led 78 laps Sunday and was a victory threat in a race in which his finish didn't matter in the big picture.

Comment: "We certainly have a lot to be proud of, but there's a lot of work to do."

Up next: Keselowski has been splendid at Dover, with a win and three top fives in nine races. Plus, his guaranteed ticket into the second round means he can race with abandon.

Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 4 Chevrolet

Harvick has had an excellent car in both Chase races, although he has fallen short of victory lane. A third-place run Sunday leaves him third in points (behind the Penske drivers) and in fine shape approaching the second-round cutoff.

Comment: "The first two weeks have gone really well. It was important for us to get off to a good start to make sure we weren't scrambling after week one."

Up next: Harvick is winless at Dover but has 12 top 10s in 27 races. Another one easily slides him into the second round.

Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 48 Chevrolet

The six-time champion has been relatively quiet so far in the Chase, but he sits fourth in points after a fifth-place run Sunday and seems bound for a strong run at a seventh championship.

Comment: "Wish we had a little bit more, but we kind of finished where we ran throughout the day. I got some good points for this second race in this new format."

Up next: Johnson will be the prohibitive favorite at Dover, where he owns a record nine victories — his most at any track. Johnson dominated at the Monster Mile in June, leading 272 of 400 laps, and won the Chase race at the track last year.