Big names like Martin, Junior won't be in Chase for a reason

The field for this year's Chase for the Sprint Cup is all but decided, with only two spots in the 12-driver lineup officially up for grabs.

But unless Greg Biffle gets kidnapped before Saturday night's race in Richmond and Clint Bowyer's car breaks down on the pace lap, the final two berths are also sewn up.

Sprint Cup Series

Chase: Biffle in 11th; Bowyer 12th Next race: Richmond | Preview

Many believe the dozen who will compete for this year's championship beginning next weekend in New Hampshire make up one of the closest title fields since the format was introduced in 2004. I'm not going as far as to say it will be a wide-open race to win the crown, but in my mind there are at least a half-dozen drivers who have a legitimate shot.

But what about those who were expected to be in this year's Chase and will instead simply watch the championship be decided over the final 10 races? The Chase Class of 2010 will be missing several drivers who looked like locks when the year began in Daytona.

There is a variety of reasons some of the biggest names in the sport won't have a chance to compete for a title this season:

Mark Martin

Mark Martin, who came within an eyelash of his first title last year, is the biggest surprise of those who'll miss the cut. (Getty Images)

In many ways, Martin not making the Chase is the biggest shock of the season. After a storybook 2009 in which the popular veteran driver came within an eyelash of his first career Cup crown, Martin seemed like a slam dunk to return for another chance this season. But even the vaunted Hendrick Motorsports camp is susceptible to disappointment, and Martin hasn't been able to show anything close to the consistency he had on nearly a weekly basis last year. Frustration seemed to mount within the Martin camp during the summer months, and the wheels came off completely. Martin will likely fall way short of the elite 12.

Ryan Newman

The Stewart-Haas Racing driver still holds out hope of making up a 117-point deficit and catching Bowyer for the final Chase spot, but it would take extraordinary circumstances for that to happen. Like Martin, Newman came into the campaign riding high from a stellar 2009, his first driving for Tony Stewart's team. Crashes and mechanical issues have plagued Newman, who, despite winning at Phoenix in April, has rarely been in contention for Victory Lane.

Juan Pablo Montoya

Last season's Chase darling has fallen on hard times and was never a serious contender for a playoff berth. Montoya and crew chief Brian Pattie put together a perfect, if conservative, regular-season plan in 2009 that earned a spot in the Chase field. The reins came off when the playoffs started, but Montoya faded from contention late in the title run, a trend that unfortunately followed into the start of the new season.

Kasey Kahne

The bright spot at Richard Petty Motorsports last season, when be brought The King two wins, was the center of controversy from the beginning of 2010. Kahne made rumblings about his unhappiness with RPM's direction early in the year, which snowballed into a much-ballyhooed parting of the ways and tug-of-war with team owner Rick Hendrick, who signed Kahne to a deal that wouldn't start until 2012. Speculation and discussion about where Kahne would spend his limbo season next year, ultimately winding up at Team Red Bull, took the focus off the matter at hand with the No. 9 Ford, and Kahne is doing his best to finish his reign with Petty in the top 20.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Year 3 of the "Great Dale JR Mystery" rolls on at Hendrick Motorsports, with Earnhardt no closer to being a Chase contender than he was at the end of his DEI tenure. Earnhardt sniffed a Chase berth around the midway point of the regular season but fell back into a string of inconsistent performances and poor finishes that will once again keep the sport's most popular driver out of championship contention. Although team owner Hendrick once again gave Earnhardt and crew chief Lance McGrew a vote of confidence a few days ago and vowed not to tinker with the team's chemistry, unless there's marked improvement over the course of the final 10 races, I'd expect Mr. H to change his stance during the offseason.

Garage Chatter

• Walmart continues its negotiations with NASCAR about a potential marketing and merchandising partnership to begin in 2011. The company had been in negotiations with Hendrick about potentially sponsoring Jeff Gordon's entry but those talks have ended. Speculation is the world's largest retailer will enter into a licensing agreement with the sanctioning body to carry collectibles and other souvenir merchandise.

• Also on the sponsorship front, Tony Stewart is close to picking up Mobil 1 backing to fill the void left on his Cup entry by the departure of Old Spice. And Quaker State has signed a four-race deal to adorn Mark Martin's ride in 2011.

• An open test will take place at Daytona International Speedway January 17-19 as teams get an opportunity to run on the track's newly installed asphalt surface. NASCAR is also considering a return to some form of limited testing perhaps allowing teams to participate in five or six open sessions held at various facilities throughout the season. Should that policy be put into place, NASCAR would limit organizations from private tests held at non-sanctioned tracks like Georgia's Gresham Motorsports Park, Virginia International Raceway, Rockingham Speedway or The Milwaukee Mile.

• Speaking of Milwaukee, the historic track will find its way back onto the IZOD IndyCar schedule in 2011. An official announcement is planned for Friday at which time the entire series slate will be unveiled. Milwaukee had been off the IndyCar slate for two years due to financial issues at the Wisconsin State Fair facility. Chicagoland Speedway will join Kansas, Watkins Glen and Homestead as tracks on this year's schedule dropped by the series.

• A 20-race 2011 Formula One Series schedule was announced this week which includes a new stop in India. The lone North American stop remains in Canada on June 12 but plans are still in place for the United States Grand Prix to return in 2012 at a state-of-the-art facility being built in Austin, Texas.