Over at ESPN, Rupen Fofaria asks "So what will become of everybody on the outside looking in?," referring to the teams not in "The Chase" in NASCAR's Nextel Cup circuit. If you're not familiar with the big change to NASCAR's rules this season, here's the quick and dirty - drivers ranked 1-10 will be considered "in," along with any team within 400 points of the leader. Hypothetically, more than 10 teams could be in "The Chase," but it probably won't happen that way this year.

The drivers in that group are the only ones who can win the Championship for the season, and it makes for a playoff of sorts, something the sport hasn't had before. In theory, it makes for an interesting change because those drivers could be the focus of the fans, as they are the ones who can have a big ending to their year. But will the sponsors of the other cars (there are at least 33 of them at this point) feel that their drivers are getting the short end of the stick, and not want to have their name emblazoned on the hoods of the other cars?

It's an interesting question, and while it deserves merit, I don't think the other sponsors have anything to worry about. It isn't as if the other 30 someodd cars aren't in the same race as the top drivers, and they will get just as much TV time as they did before. If they win races, they'll still be featured on Victory Lane, and the race announcers will still talk about strategy from drivers throughout the pack. Overall, I believe it's a non-issue when it comes down to sponsor value. It's still there - the 100,000+ people on-site are still going to see the sponsors, and will continue to identify Rusty Wallace with the Miller Lite car.

Jay Hart at the Morning Call has more.