Close race at the bottom of the standings

NASCAR Ron Hornaday Jr. celebrates his victory in the O'Reilly 200 at Memphis Motorsports Park, his third win of the 2008 season. Because of Kyle Busch's success, there's not much of a points race at the top of the Cup standings, but it's tight around 12th place, the final spot that will compete in the championship-deciding Chase, which begins after seven more races.

The finishes at Chicagoland scrambled the order at the bottom of the top 12, with third-finishing Kevin Harvick and fourth-finishing Greg Biffle the big gainers. Both moved up four positions, Harvick to ninth and Biffle to seventh.

Among the points losers were Kasey Kahne, who dropped three spots to 11th, Denny Hamlin, who fell five positions to 12th and Clint Bowyer, who fell out of the top 12 after a 22nd-place finish. He's 13th, but only 27 points behind Hamlin.

Among the drivers looking to challenge for a Chase berth are Brian Vickers, who is 14th, 95 points out of the elite group, and David Ragan, who is 15th, 98 back.

Ryan Newman, is a long-shot. He is 16th, 189 points out of 12th.

Martin Truex Jr. was in prime position to bid for a Chase berth but a 150-point penalty - his car didn't fit the template at Daytona - has dropped him to 17th, 233 points back. Truck Series race heats up

The points races at the top of the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series standings are runaways. Kyle Busch leads second-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 262 points in Cup, and Clint Bowyer is 183 ahead of runner-up Brad Keselowski in Nationwide. But it's an entirely different story in the Craftsman Truck Series.

Points leader Ron Hornaday Jr. heads into this weekend's race at Kentucky Speedway ahead of second-pace Matt Crafton by 27 points. Todd Bodine is third, 54 back, and Johnny Benson is fourth, 56 back. Even seventh-place Erik Darnell is just 137 out of the lead.

The key reason for the tight points race is that Hornaday, who has three race victories, is the only full-time Truck Series driver to have won more than once this season. Part-time driver Kyle Busch has two victories.

Surprisingly, Mike Skinner is still seeking his first 2008 victory. But he's sixth in the standings, 113 points out of the lead.

New testing procedures considered

NASCAR officials are looking at a significant change in their testing policy, and initial reports indicate that Sprint Cup teams will be allowed to once again test at tracks where the circuit races.

In recent years, NASCAR has limited tests at tracks where the Cup circuit runs to five or six open tests, in which all teams are allowed to participate. That policy was implemented as a cost-savings measure, but teams kept testing anyway at some tracks, including Nashville Superspeedway and Kentucky Speedway.

But NASCAR is considering a policy that would allow each racing organization 24 days of tests at Cup tracks of their choosing. The traditional winter tests at Daytona International Speedway aren't likely to be affected.

SPRINT CUP STANDINGS

2,881; leader 2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2,619; behind: -262 3. Jeff Burton

2,590; behind: -291 4. Carl Edwards

2,509; behind: -372 5. Jimmie Johnson

2,494; behind: -387 6. Jeff Gordon

2,384; behind: -497 7. Greg Biffle

2,318; behind: -563 8. Matt Kenseth

2,317; behind: -564 9. Kevin Harvick

2,308; behind: -573 10. Tony Stewart

2,305; behind: -576 11. Kasey Kahne

2,295; behind: -586 12. Denny Hamlin

2,283; behind: -598