Jeff Gordon needs to get another win at Martinsville Speedway this Sunday in order to be in contention for the Chase to the Nextel Cup. (Credit: AP photo)

By Lou Modestino

The jury is still out on The Chase to the Nextel Cup format.

Going into Martinsville this weekend, it’s Joey Logano with 5 wins, Kevin Harvick with 3, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin with 1 win, Carl Edwards with 2, Jeff Gordon with 4 and Brad Keselowski with 6. All are equal in points. The wins are still very important, especially if there’s a tie. All of this is due the most recent redesign of The Chase. Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Jimmy Johnson and Dale, Jr. were eliminated after Talladega.

Some important questions are: will Jr. and JJ help out Gordon in view of the fact that Jeff is the only Hendrick Team driver in The Chase? Will experience play a part in the Martinsville race? Martinsville is still one of Jeff Gordon’s favorite track as he usually does well there.

So far it’s been a good year for Logano and Keselowski. Although, Brad is starting to look one of the bad guys But, bad guys help to sell tickets and get fans to watch TV. We think that Logano has a shot at winning The Chase! He’s been one of the big surprises of 2014 on the NASCAR scene.

With all of the tinkering with The Chase format, the consensus is that the “jury is still out”. What NASCAR is hoping for is that The Chase go right down to the wire at Homestead next month. That’s what it’s all about-creating suspense. So far, though, the TV ratings have not spiked up which is all the more reason that NASCAR should be worried.