Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 DuPont Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 19, 2011 in Joliet, Illinois.
(September 18, 2011 – Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images North America)

(PhatzRadio / USA Today) — For Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon, their cars weren’t all that lost momentum in the final laps of Monday’s Sprint Cup race. So, too, did their championship chances.

Recently three of hottest drivers in the series, Busch (ninth), Kenseth (10th) and Gordon (11th) find themselves suddenly buried in NASCAR’s standings after running out of gas and finishing outside the top 20 in the Chase for the Sprint Cup opener at Chicagoland Speedway.

“They’ve already used their mulligan on hole No. 1,” Fox Sports and Speed analyst Larry McReynolds said, using a golf analogy. “I just don’t see a driver having two bad races and winning the championship.”

STORY: 10 questions with Greg Zipadelli
PHOTOS: Chase for the Sprint Cup gallery
STANDINGS: Harvick leads points race

Jimmie Johnson, the five-time defending champion, has set the template for rallying from a tough start in the Chase era, which began in 2004. He won his first title after opening the 10-race Chase in 2006 by finishing 39th. Last year, Johnson opened with a 25th, then reeled off nine consecutive top-10s for title No. 5.

But in what some view as the Chase’s most competitive field, the margin for error is slimmer than ever. At Chicagoland, eight of the top 10 finishers were Chase drivers. For Busch, Kenseth and Gordon to regain ground, the stakes are high for Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“Performance-wise,” McReynolds said, noting Busch and Kenseth led laps at Chicagoland, “I think they’re running good enough to dig out of that hole.”

Busch, who has four wins in 2011 and entered the Chase as the No. 1 seed, remained confident entering New Hampshire despite Monday’s result.

“I feel like we’re a lot better than we’ve ever been,” he said. “And you can’t get down after one week where some things happen out of our control — running into debris and then just not having enough fuel.”

The best way to get up front at New Hampshire? Thrive in Friday’s qualifying at the 1-mile track with long straightaways and sweeping turns.

“It’s almost like a road course because the tires are so good,” McReynolds said. “If you don’t qualify good, the strategy is going to be different.”

Ryan Newman, seventh in points, demonstrated the importance of track position in the July race at New Hampshire. He started on the pole and led a race-high 119 laps in recording his lone win of the year.

“Basically you only need to stop for fuel two, maybe three times depending on cautions,” Newman said. “You don’t get a whole lot of opportunities to work on your race car. You start up front, you have a good chance of staying up front.”

IndyCar sleeper? During this off week in the Izod IndyCar Series, championship leaders Will Power and Dario Franchitti might be noticing a third contender closing fast. Scott Dixon, who won last week’s Indy Japan, is 59 points off Power’s lead with two races — at Kentucky Speedway (Oct. 2) and Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Oct. 16) — to go. If Dixon, who won titles in 2003 and 2008, could rally from third, he wouldn’t be the first to do it. Sam Hornish Jr. was third with two races left in 2002 and went on to win the last two events and the championship.

“Hopefully everyone will continue to focus on those other two, and we can sneak in under the radar and get to the front in these final two,” Dixon said.

Contributing: Wire reports