The heavy focus of the Chase is on the 12 drivers and rightfully so. Since the Chase started in 2004, the eligible Chase drivers have won 40 of the 51 races (78%). It makes sense that a season’s best drivers would win the bulk of the races.

There will be plenty of time to discuss the top 12 drivers at length, but what about the Others? Each year of the Chase at least one driver from outside the Chase field has won a race. From Joe Nemechek’s stunning win at Kansas in 2004 to Dale Jarrett’s final Cup win at Talladega (2005) to Jeff Gordon (2005) and Tony Stewart (2006) salvaging lost seasons, there are always storylines beyond the Championship fight. Usually that includes top outsider Greg Biffle, but this year he decided to do his damage from inside the Chase. Biffle and Jimmie Johnson are the only two drivers to have won at least one Chase race in each year of the Chase’s existence.

With an expanded Chase field of 12 it is tougher to find drivers capable of pulling the upset, but they are still there. Here’s a few candidates and where it could happen:

Kasey Kahne Kahne already has two wins this year. Lowe’s Motor Speedway is a fantastic track for Kahne where he’s won three times and been dominant at others. Of course over the past two seasons Kahne is as likely to run in the 30’s with poor handling as he is to finish up front.

David Ragan Despite narrowly missing the Chase, it’s doubtful that Ragan’s #6 team will turn to experimenting. Pushing for that first win won’t be easy because the most likely tracks are the intermediate tracks where his Roush teammates also run well. If it comes it would be Atlanta or Texas, but it’s hard to see it happening this year.

Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing has made a lot of progress in year two, but the lack of consistency and experience has hurt them. Vickers has usually had strong cars capable of running in the top five, but too often he is undone by wrecks, bad pit stops or mechanical failures. If something is going to happen it will go down at Lowe’s where he has led 137 laps in his last two starts.

Kurt Busch Where does Penske go from here? A complete disaster for 2008, and although Busch won a race in June he has been nowhere near a serious threat since the Daytona 500. Talladega poses the only real shot Busch has at a win this year and the organization has already shifted to test mode.

Martin Truex Jr Last year Truex led 581 laps and probably deserved two or three wins. This year he’s led 26 laps and hasn’t come close to reaching Victory Lane. Dover is his best chance for a win because DEI’s intermediate program has been very unreliable. The one thing that the #1 team usually does is gamble at the end of races. It has rarely paid off because they haven’t had the cars to make it stick, but they could find fortune in the final nine races.

Who do you think will win a race from the Others? Who else has a shot at a win?“