It looms. The 2016 Nascar Chase for the Sprint Cup.After months of racing, the Chase is almost here. It has been the best season since 2011, and 2016 isn’t even over yet. With photo finishes, epic battles for wins, and both surprise winners and a few old friends in victory lane, this season is just getting better.

Here are my picks to get in the Chase.

1: Kyle Busch. Already in, and he’s is on fire. Rowdy is looking good to repeat. All ready locked in.

2: Brad Keslowski. Best among the Ford bunch. Looking good, but still not Kyle’s equal. Locked in.

3: Carl Edwards. He looked like he was going to have a solid Summer, but he hasn’t won since Richmond. Look for a pickup during the Chase. Locked in.

4: Jimmie Johnson. I’m disappointed here. No speed in the 48 team. He may depart early in this year’s Chase, again. Locked in.

5: Matt Kenseth. Early season woes are done. The no. 20 team is looking good. Locked in.

6: Kevin Harvick. Once again, Harvick just can’t seem to finish races in the lead. Still he’s having a good season, and is a Chase threat. Locked in.

7: Kurt Busch. Mr. Consistent this year. Kurt has run every lap this year. No DNFs. His lone victory thus far came at Pocono, but another isn’t unlikely. Locked in.

8: Joey Logano. Logano seemed to gain speed in the Summer, but he’s been very inconsistent. Another possible surprise drop out early in the Chase. His lone highlight of the year is his Michigan win. (His All-Star Race win can hardly be called a highlight) Locked in.

9: Martin Truex Jr. I have a new name for Truex: heartbreaker. Truex has lead so many laps this season, but has just one win to show for it. He needs a break. Locked in.

10: Denny Hamlin. The Daytona 500 champion has been quiet the rest of this year, but watch them in the Chase. With this much time to prepare, they have to have something good to show for it. Right? Locked in.

11: Tony Stewart: Who saw this coming? I don’t want to say I told you so, but I do recall saying Stewart was looking like a winner. A solid win at Sonoma put him in the Chase, and since then Tony has just one finish outside the top-11. Smoke is rising, and he will be a major Chase threat. Locked in.

12: Chris Buescher. Once again, who saw this coming? A clever pit call by crew chief Bob Osbourne put Chris in the lead at Pocono, and he now is in a great position to make the Chase. The no. 34 team is looking good.

13: Austin Dillon. After the pure speed Dillon showed last weekend, I think he will be a threat in the Chase. As long as he keeps his nose clean, Dillon is in his first Chase. A win would be nice though…

14: Chase Elliot. Elliot has stumbled, but then again, he’s only human. His early speed gave to much expectation. Everyone has slumps. Just ask Jimmie Johnson. I see Elliot making the Chase, and aa win seems likely as well.

15: Kyle Larson. Larson is driving like we all know he can. He’s found speed in his no. 42, and he’s looking good for the Chase. Can he maintain? Not sure, but if he keeps driving like he did this past weekend, I think he’s good to go.

16: ? Ah yes, I am stumped as to who will claim this spot. Right now many good driver are in a position to claim it, but only one can earn it. Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray are in right now, but consistency won’t save them with young guns like Trevor Bayne, Ryan Blaney, and ricky Stenhouse Jr. hunting them. Who will claim it? I don’t know. Ask me when the Chase starts. Ha ha. But seriously, until the checkered flag waves at Richmond, I have no idea who will earn the last Chase position.

So that’s all I’ve got right now. Do you agree with my picks? I hope so. Taking Newman and McMurray out of secure positions may be a bold prediction, but neither Newman or McMurray seems fast enough to keep Larson and others at bay.

As for the remaining races, here are my picks.

Watkins Glen: Tony Stewart. Stewart has 5 wins here, and a win earlier this year in Nascar’s other road course race (Sonoma), bodes well for Stewart.

Michigan: Austin Dillon. Dillon was fast this past weekend. Very fast. And Michigan is one of Dillon’s best drivers.

Bristol: Trevor Bayne. Wild pick, I know. But Trevor was very fast at Bristol earlier this year, and Bristol is Roush-Fenway Racing’s best track. Bayne could very well pull an upset win there.

Darlington: Who knows? Last year Darlington was a crazy race, with a record number of cautions. But when in doubt, Stewart-Hass Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing are the teams to go with at Darlington. I say the winner comes from one of those teams.

Richmond: Kyle Busch. No doubt about it, Kyle Busch is outstanding at Richmond. And what better way to enter the Chase than with your fifth win of the year?

Those are my pick going into the Chase. Of course, they are by no mean guarantees. But they are my best guesses. I hope their right though. I’d love to see Trevor Bayne, Chase Elliot, Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon, and Chris Buescher in the Chase.