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Rain shortened the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. There have been fewer passes for the lead per race on average. A lawsuit is challenging NASCAR's substance abuse policy.

It's easy to think the first half of the Sprint Cup season has been awful, but then one recalls some other noteworthy events in the series.

* Mark Martin, at age 50, winning three races.

* Tony Stewart, with his own team, leading the points.

* Four races ending with drivers exchanging the lead during the final two laps.

* And then there's Kyle Busch, who has mocked Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans, smashed a guitar trophy after a Nationwide win, blamed Tony Stewart for a last-lap crash at Daytona and won three Cup races.

This season has been a mixture of good and bad not typically seen in the sport. The economy has forced teams to cut people. Tracks have cut ticket prices to entice fans. Even so, attendance is down, as are TV ratings.

NASCAR responded a few weeks back by meeting with drivers and car owners to discuss key aspects of the sport. Double-file restarts came from such meetings and have added excitement. Still, questions remain.

As the series races tonight at Chicagoland Speedway, the second half of the 36-race season begins. Eight races remain until the Chase, then the season ends with 12 drivers vying for the title during the final 10 events.

Who will win is almost as important as what will happen to the sport these next few months. The biggest question for NASCAR, though, is will you be watching?

CHASING SUCCESS

The top six in the points standings — Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin — all should make the Chase. The race for the final six positions, though, looks to be among nine drivers. Here’s a look at those fighting for the last spots.

Ryan Newman
Position: Seventh
Points ahead of 13th: 134
Hot or not: Not. Has finished 17th or worse each of the last four races.
Chase chances: Still is in a good position and should be back in the Chase for first time since 2005 as long as his recent drought ends.

Kyle Busch
Position: Eighth
Points ahead of 13th: 133
Hot or not: Not. Only one top-10 finish in the last six races.
Chase chances: Has been fast enough, but his finishes are off. Still, it would be a big shock if he missed the Chase.

Greg Biffle
Position: Ninth
Points ahead of 13th: 114
Hot or not: Not. Has not finished better than 18th in last three races.
Chase chances: Seemed to be getting stronger until recently. Needs to turn things around quickly.

Matt Kenseth
Position: 10th
Points ahead of 13th: 100
Hot or not: Not. Has finished in the top 20 in only two of the last five races.
Chase chances: Since wins in first two races, Daytona and California, team has not been as strong. Needs better results.

Juan Pablo Montoya
Position: 11th
Points ahead of 13th: 86
Hot or not: Hot. Four top-10 finishes in the last five races. Only time he was outside the top 10 in that span he finished 12th.
Chase chances: He’s a wild card. The key is whether his equipment can match his talent. If so, he should make his first Chase.

Kasey Kahne
Position: 12th
Points ahead of 13th: 65
Hot or not: Hot. A win and two top-10s in the last three races are putting him in position to make the Chase.
Chase chances: A good stretch of tracks for him is coming up. Now is his time to make a move.

Mark Martin
Position: 13th
Points behind 12th: 65
Hot or not: Not. Since Michigan win, has finished 35th, 14th and 38th.
Chase chances: Hard to believe this team, which has been so fast, is outside the Chase. Mistakes are the only thing holding this team back.

David Reutimann
Position: 14th
Points behind 12th: 74
Hot or not: Not. Since Charlotte win, he has two top-five finishes but also two finishes of 30th or worse.
Chase chances: Key will be getting through Watkins Glen without losing too many points to others. Should be solid in many of the remaining races.

Jeff Burton
Position: 15th
Points behind 12th: 105
Hot or not: Not. Has one top-10 finish in the last eight races.
Chase chances: Needs to show something quickly. Has fallen from eighth to 15th in points in the last six races.

Clint Bowyer
Position: 16th
Points behind 12th: 135
Hot or not: Hot. Has four finishes of 12th or better in the last six races.
Chase chances: Mired in about the same spot the last six races. Time to make a run or watch others contend for the title.

SAY WHAT?

Some of the more memorable comments from the first half of the season:

“Stupid is forever.’’
— Brian Vickers, referring to Kyle Busch after Busch’s contact with another car triggered a multicar crash at New Hampshire in June.

“I guess we’ll do this until someone gets killed and then we’ll change it.’’
— Carl Edwards, referring to the rules of restrictor-plate racing, after his crash at Talladega when his car flew into the catchfence. Seven fans were injured.

“To be half a lap short of being the champion of the Daytona 500 is very emotional to me.’’
— Elliott Sadler, who briefly held the lead before Matt Kenseth retook it just before the rain came and eventually ended the Daytona 500 with Kenseth first.

“If the roles were reversed, I’d do the same thing. Believe me, I will if it ever comes back around.’’
— Denny Hamlin after Jimmie Johnson bumped him out of the lead late at Martinsville and went on to win.

“Please tell me you’re not trying to compare those two. There’s no comparison.’’
— Jeff Gordon when asked about Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Sr. head-to-head.

“Right now, Tony Jr. is our guy.’’
— Car owner Rick Hendrick in a conference call with reporters in late March when asked about Tony Eury Jr.’s status as Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief. Hendrick replaced Eury about two months later.

“If they don’t like it, they don’t have to turn the TV on.’’
— Kevin Harvick when asked at Daytona in February what he would tell people who think restrictor-plate racing is too much about luck and not enough about racing.

5 THINGS TO WATCH

Five things to look for in the second half of the season:

1. Can Tony Stewart’s momentum carry through to the Chase and deliver a championship, or will Jimmie Johnson rally to a fourth consecutive title?

2. Can Dale Earnhardt Jr. win a race this season?

3. How much will the economy further limit driver silly season this year?

4. Can Richard Childress Racing recover from a poor first half and put at least one car in the Chase after having three cars in it last year?

5. Will fans still covet Bristol night-race tickets even if there aren’t as many wrecks as in years past?

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com