by Rea White, NASCAR Scene, FOXSports.com

Ordinal out of range

Kenseth and crew chief Chip Bolin believed this team could still be in contention.

And now it is.

Kenseth climbed back into contention with the steady type of performances that have marked his eight-year full-time Cup career. After finishing 38th to drop to his low points position at Richmond, he has a worst finish of eighth in the last six races. That stretch includes his first career top-10 finish at Infineon Raceway last weekend and has boosted him to 12th in the standings. He's two points ahead of Richard Childress Racing's Kevin Harvick with 10 races remaining before the Chase field is set.

Kenseth has never seemed like a worrier, the kind of guy who gets caught up in anxious moments or overanalyzing a situation. Still, there is a lot of racing left before the Chase, and, although there are a lot of drivers hovering around that 12th spot, he says it's never too early to keep an eye on those standings.

For more news from the track and the shop, check out our NASCAR Scene headlines page. Get NASCAR Scene headlines

"I don't know if it's ever too early to look at it — you always look at it on the way home, especially if you're moving up, to see where you're at and see what happened," he said. "But the bottom line is really you do the best you can every week and try to finish as high as you can and try to lead laps and do all that, and the points take care of themselves. The higher you finish, the more points you get. So, really, it's not a strategy when you race hard and try to be smart and do the right things and hopefully get some good finishes and get back in it."

At Richmond, team general manager Robbie Reiser predicted the team would come around. He was the crew chief in 2005 when Kenseth had to fight his way into championship contention as well. That season was even more difficult on the team. Kenseth opened the year with an engine failure in the Daytona 500 and a 42nd-place finish. Then he began a slow, steady climb through the standings. Only 10 drivers made the Chase that season, and, after 14 races, Kenseth had slipped back down to 24th in the standings. With four races to go before the Chase field was locked, he was 16th. He climbed one position that week, then moved to 11th with a win at Bristol Motor Speedway. Two races and one position were all he needed to make the field. He finished seventh at California to move into ninth and held that position with a second-place run at Richmond to once more make the field.

Around the track

Follow the action:

• Chicagoland practice speeds
• Chicagoland schedule, entries

Watch:

• Video Central

Picture perfect:

• Earnhardt at Goodwood
• 2010 Hall of Fame nominees

Read all about it:

• Dale Jr. would consider racing Indy 500
• Eury Jr.: Split with Junior was needed
• Mayfield won't race at Chicagoland

Analysis:

• Hammond: Battle Royale
• Larry Mac: Midseason report cards

Certainly, the team hopes for a bit less drama in the closing segment this season. They've clearly overcome the early season setbacks and have settled into a series of consistent top-10 finishes.

Still, the team isn't counting on a Chase position. While the recent run shows significant gains, Kenseth cautions that there is still room for this group to gain on the competition.

"Our entire program has definitely improved, and I feel like we're making a lot of gains, especially after our top-10 finish last weekend at Sonoma," he said. "But we still aren't quite where we need to be to keep up with some of those guys. There are four or five teams running really well right now, and if we're going to have a shot, then we have to continue to improve. I'm still really proud of Chip and the guys for all of their hard work each week, and I know that if we all continue to do our jobs, we'll be fine."

Bolin, in his first year as crew chief for Kenseth, agrees. Confidence and morale is high within the team, and the Chase once more seems attainable.

All the team needs to do now is keep up the momentum it has developed to this point.

"Team 17 has done an incredible job of fighting their way back into the top 12," Bolin said. "I'm pleased with our improvements and look forward to continuing to build on our consistency. The Chase is just around the corner and is really what it's all about. The reason that the guys on this team do what they do and work as hard as they do is to win a championship. There really isn't any other goal on this team, so now's the time for us to step up and perform and really bring out the 'A game.' I feel like our team is as good as any out there, and, if we can continue to get these cars better and better, then we'll have a good shot at this."

Rea White is a writer for NASCAR Scene, which is published weekly, 50 weeks per year. Visit www.scenedaily.com for more information. © 2007 Street & Smith Sports Group.