Well, I doubt anyone still has their Chase grid. After Jimmie Johnson dropping out of the Chase in round one, it is doubtful that anyone still has a Chase grid that is accurate. So begins the Contender round, with people wide-eyed with surprise. And every driver still in the Chase is mourning the fact that they failed to eliminate Kevin Harvick when they had the chance.

Charlotte is race no. 1 in the Contender round. The Bank of America 500 is the only night race in the Chase, and last year, it was one of the most exciting. Kevin Harvick won it, but that wasn’t the headline. Brad Keslowski became the newest winner of the most hated driver award.

After the race was over him and Denny Hamlin bumped each other on track in retaliation for earlier activity. Then, entering pit road, Brad plowed into Hamlin,  hitting Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart in the process. Stewart, who is known to have a short temper, put his car in reverse, and slammed Brad’s hood. After exiting their cars, Brad and Denny had a war of words, but nothing physical. However, as Brad was walking to his hauler, Matt Kenseth, who is known to be a calm fellow, jumped Brad and put him in a headlock. Said Kenseth, “I had my seat belts off and he rammed me. He’s a champion. He should know better.”

Now we return to the site of this exciting brawl. Will we get another fight? I wouldn’t be shocked. The intensity of this new Chase format is pushing drivers to the limit, both physically and mentally. The only driver who is going to leave Charlotte happy is the winner.

Speaking of which, who is going to win? Well, Harvick won last year, and Carl Edwards won this year’s Spring race. However, I don’t think either of them will win. After Johnson’s elimination, drivers know the only safe way to get to the next round is to win. And while Harvick is capable of doing so, there are three others who I believe can get the job done.

My picks are Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, and Jamie McMurray. Truex dominated at Charlotte earlier this year. And now that he is past the first round of the Chase (I thought he wasn’t gonna make it), I belive he may be a title threat. Then we have Kyle Busch. Kyle has been amazing this year, but we are now in his personal danger zone. Busch almost always is eliminated here. Kansas is his weak point, and Talladega is unpredictable. But if he can win at Charlotte, well, the pressure is off. Then we have McMurray. Yes, he was eliminated last weekend. But in a tie. And he drove exceptionally well under the pressure of his first Chase. Now that the pressure is off, he may drive even better. And he has won at Charlotte 3 times, if you count his 2014 All-Star race win.

These are my picks for this weekend’s Bank of America 500. However, after watching last weekend’s race, I realize anything can happen. Anyone can win. Anyone can lose their chance at a championship. Until the checkered flag waves we will not know who will win. So let’s go racing Nascar fans.