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Random thoughts about the NASCAR Chase as the Sprint Cup Series heads West for the first of two races in the last five of the season.

* So here we are, midway through the Chase season, heading to the Heartland for the fifth of the 10-race post-season. Four drivers of the original dozen have been eliminated from further title contention and another four are in trouble entering the second race of the second round.

However, those four – Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth – can rebound this week at Kansas Speedway with solid performances, which would further tighten the field heading into the last event of the Contender round at Talladega.

Newman is in the ninth spot, but trails eighth-place Brad Keselowski by just six points. Busch is in 10th, 10 points from the cutoff position. Earnhardt and Kenseth are 19 and 32 points from eighth, respectively, so it may take them two races to finish in the top 8.

That's what makes the Chase the best of all American motorsports title series. There's virtually drama on every lap, to say nothing of the turns. It can all go south so quickly, ruining a season's worth of work so every close to the finish.

Despite being near the bottom, Earnhardt isn't ready to wave a white flag.

“ It ain’t over,” Earnhardt said while preparing for Kansas. “We can go to Kansas and run great. I like that track and don’t see why we can’t run great there and maybe win the race there. I mean, we don’t have to go to Talladega and be nervous like those guys that are going to have to play it safe.

“We can just go hard. So, we’ve got a great car that can win that race.”

That's the type of fire NASCAR fans have come to expect from their favorites and/or those in the Chase. Nobody's rolling over, especially in the middle of an elimination round.

What makes it even more interesting is that despite being eliminated after the opening round, Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson, Paul Menard and Clint Bowyer remain major players in the Chase and can steal spot from the remaining eight, making the final two races of this round so very interesting.

* What is about Kyle Busch this year that brings out the negative?

Yes, we know we delivered one of the most courageous shows in NASCAR history this year by rebounding from an injury that sidelined him for months, costing him 11 races and nearly ruining his chances of making the Chase.

He rebounded in record fashion, winning races and finishing within the top 30 as the sanctioning body asked. He also survived a shaky start in the first round and made it to the ongoing Contenders round. But now, Busch is once again on shaky ground as he is 10th in the points, 10 points out of eighth, the cutoff spot this time around. It's a result of tangling with Kyle Larson early in last Sunday's race in pit road, an accident that eventually led to his hitting the Charlotte wall later in the event. Busch finished 20th in the Bank of America 500, but still ahead of fellow Chase competitors Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth.

Given his performance this season, Busch seems to excel with his back to the wall. However, he must rally this week in Kansas and the following Sunday at Talledega, not two of his better tracks. But as we said, he has proven he can come through when the chips are down. …

* Our congrats to Kasey Kahne on the birth of son Tanner Lee Kahne early Tuesday morning (1:11 a.m.). He later tweeted the baby and mother Samantha Sheets were doing great, adding he and mom “can't put the little guy down.”

That's not an unusual reaction for a first-time dad.

Earlier this year, Kyle Busch and wife Samantha also became new parents as Brexton Locke Busch was born at 9:45 p.m. Young Brexton entered the world May 18 at 7 pounds, 10 ounces and 21 inches long.

* Glad to hear Earnhardt go on the record and say he will not not retaliate against Carl Edwards in the next two races over an incident that occurred last Sunday at Charlotte. There's too much at stake, and too many eyes paying attention, for any of the Chase drivers to do anything stupid over the course of the next six races.

There's quite a bit at stake the remainder of the season. It's tough enough dealing with 41 other drivers let alone the sanctioning body.

However, don't count out some type of reaction by Earnhardt in 2016. Drivers have lllllooooonnnnng memories. Meanwhile, such a retaliatory move will be buried deep in Edwards' thinking, giving Earnhardt a slight advantage until they tangle again, and they will. That's just the way NASCAR is.