Earnhardt stumbles; Gordon inches to 12th

BROOKLYN, Mich. - Dale Earnhardt Jr. needed a big finish to get back into contention for the Chase for the Nextel Cup. He didn't get it.

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Neither did Jeff Gordon, Elliott Sadler or Kevin Harvick.

Before Sunday's GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway, there were five drivers within 70 points of 10th place in the standings - the final qualifying spot for stock car's playoffs. The list of contenders shrunk to three with only three races to go.

"I think my worst nightmare has come true," Sadler said after finishing 39th. "I've put us in a position where we've got to win the next couple of races to try and get into the Chase. My guys are doing a great job of giving me good race cars. I don't know what I'm doing as a driver to mess up so many times. "

Sadler was three points out of 10th place before the race. Now he's 66. More important, there are two drivers - teammate Dale Jarrett and four-time champion Jeff Gordon - ahead of him.

Earnhardt Jr. finished 18th and fell to 16th in the rankings. He's now 158 points from 10th.

Gordon was 15th in the race. He's 12th in the standings, 58 points behind, while Dale Jarrett's 34th-place finish left him 11th in the rankings, 51 points behind.

Harvick finished 22nd and is 14th overall, 82 points behind.

At the other end of the standings, series leader Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson clinched playoff spots.

ON THE MOVE: The racing lineup for 2006 should continue to fall into place in the next week, with Michael Waltrip announcing he will drive for Bill Davis Racing.

Waltrip is expected to move into one of Davis' Dodges next year with plans of becoming the lead driver for Toyota in 2007.

- Another announcement that's expected is Scott Riggs' move to a third car at Evernham Motorsports. His replacement is rumored to be Sterling Marlin.

- Bobby Labonte is shopping for a new ride, and the new team formed by former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach would be a perfect fit.

- Another hot rumor is Matt Kenseth moving over to Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 11 Chevrolet.

That leaves temporary openings at Roush Racing and Penske Racing South as the biggest questions. Car owner Jack Roush has to figure out who will drive Mark Martin's No. 6 Ford next year if Jamie McMurray can't win an early release from Chip Ganassi Racing. He also has to decide whether to let Kurt Busch out of his 2006 commitment in the No. 97 Ford so he can drive Rusty Wallace's No. 2 Dodge at Penske.

TIRE TRACKS: The efforts by NASCAR and Goodyear to try to cut down on the tire problems that have plagued the Nextel Cup series this season didn't seem to work very well.

One of the worst races for tires was in June at Michigan, with several blowouts and lots of extreme wear, particularly on the right-side tires. Goodyear decided to confront the problem this weekend by bringing a harder right side tire.

Another problem this year has been the teams experimenting with air pressures and the angle of the tires, both of which have caused extra wear and blowouts.

NASCAR took a step last week, restricting the camber angle of the tires. Then, on Sunday, NASCAR inspectors checked the air pressures prior to the start of the race in an effort to monitor the situation.

Crew chiefs were told of the air pressure check during the drivers' meeting, about two hours before the race.