Rick Minter's OBSERVATIONS

Key Chase races ahead

KESELOWSKI This weekend's AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway and the Oct. 19 TUMS QuikPak at Martinsville Speedway generally are considered the two "wild card" races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. That's because both events, one on the circuit's longest track (Talladega) and the other on the shortest (Martinsville) tend to be wreckfests, which can cost Chase contenders loads of points.

But Jeff Burton is among those looking forward to Talladega, despite the likelihood of the "Big Wreck."

"Our stuff was really fast at Daytona, but it didn't drive good," he said, adding that handling usually isn't a factor at Talladega, which is similar in length to Daytona but much wider in the turns.

And Burton pointed out that to do well points-wise at Talladega requires a driver to be fairly aggressive in the draft.

"You can run on the lead lap at Talladega and stay out of trouble and still finish 25th," he said.

Chase-heavy at the top

In the first three races of the playoffs, drivers in the Chase dominated the top of the finishing order. At New Hampshire, nine of the top 12 finishing positions went to Chase participants. At Dover, Chasers took nine of the top 11 spots, and at Kansas, Chase drivers took 10 of top 13 positions, including the top seven.

Jeff Burton said that's no surprise.

"I really believe that this year the 12 best teams are in the Chase, and it's showing up in the results," he said. "There's nobody in the Chase that people are looking at and saying, 'They shouldn't be in,' and there's nobody not in it that should be.

"You can't say that every year," he added.

Burton said the top teams didn't save anything for the Chase. It's just that the teams are performing at the peak of their abilities.

"There's a lot more on the line," he said.

Keselowski gets big break

For a guy who found himself without even a Nationwide Series ride just more than a year ago, things couldn't be much better for Brad Keselowski.

It was announced last week that the 24-year-old driver would attempt two Cup races this year — at Lowe's Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway — in the No. 25 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. And team owner Rick Hendrick told reporters that Keselowski is "the future of our company."

A year ago, at a Nationwide race at Nashville Superspeedway, Keselowski drove Keith Coleman's under-funded Chevrolet to a 40th-place finish, finally dropping out after 23 laps with handling problems. The team folded after that, and Keselowski sat out four races before being picked up by car owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Now he has two Nationwide victories, at Nashville and Bristol, and a seemingly secure future with one of the sport's powerhouse teams.

Hendrick's senior driver Jeff Gordon is among those closely watching Keselowski's development.

"Brad has done an amazing job. He continues to impress me," Gordon said. "I think he's got a bright future, not just at Hendrick Motorsports but in the Cup Series in general."