For the first time in quite a while, the biggest news in NASCAR this week wasn’t the racing itself. Instead, driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. stole the headlines. This is nothing new for the sport’s nine-time defending most popular driver. However, the circumstances around him were very new indeed.

Last Friday, Earnhardt held a news conference to announce he was stepping away from the track for a couple weeks to recover from concussion symptoms resulting from the last-lap crash at Talladega the weekend before. For a driver in the championship hunt to take himself out of the car is practically unheard of. In detailing his health, Earnhardt revealed that he was actually recovering from his second concussion in a little over a month. He previously received one in a hard testing crash at Kansas Speedway in early September. With all the information regarding head and brain injuries now much more accessible, Earnhardt made the courageous and smart move to get himself checked out, knowing full well he might be risking his season.

The culture of NASCAR with regard to injury and stepping out of the car is very much not in line with Earnhardt’s move, which makes it all the more noteworthy. It is typical for drivers to remain in the car, even after knee, ankle, or hand surgeries. Concussions, however, are a murky area. There seems to be tendency with NASCAR athletes to not report symptoms, since getting out of their ride is a risky career move. However, many drivers seemed to agree that Earnhardt has made the wise choice, especially since his injury had the potential to put his competitors at risk. That is really what sets NASCAR apart from other sports. Personally, I think he made the correct choice.

With that, Regan Smith, formerly driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet, stepped into Earnhardt’s Amp Energy Chevrolet for the race last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway. His race, however, would be cut short by an engine failure, removing him from contention in the race altogether. As with many of the other Chase races thus far, Saturday night’s event was really a race between Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, and Denny Hamlin. It’s no coincidence that they are the top three drivers in the points standings as well. In this race, however, Keselowski and his team made their first mistake of the Chase. With just under 60 laps remaining, Keselowski ran out of fuel on the backstretch during a long green-flag run. This cost him a great deal of time on the track, which he did not recover from. His rivals would capitalize. During the final green-flag run, which lasted 107 laps, Johnson and Hamlin both saved enough fuel to reach the finish on just one stop, something Keselowski could not do. However, all those drivers were beaten by another Chase contender: Clint Bowyer. Bowyer was ahead of Johnson and Hamlin during the final restart of the race on Lap 228, and never let them by. He too was able to stretch his fuel mileage enough, and went on to win the race ahead of a charging Hamlin. For Hamlin and Johnson, it was a great points day, but not the victory they sought. Joining them in the top five was Greg Biffle and Kyle Busch. Mark Martin in sixth was the only other driver to finish on the lead lap. Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, and Martin Truex, Jr. rounded out the top 10. Keselowski came across the line in 11th.

With the race at Charlotte complete, the Chase points look like this.

I remarked last week that it would take a “monumental effort” on the part of someone outside the top three to win the championship. I still hold to that statement, despite Bowyer’s success last week. While each of the top six in the standings could leave this week’s race at the repaved Kansas Speedway with the points lead, I still believe Keselowski, Johnson, and Hamlin are the top contenders until further notice.

With that, the series moves to the Kansas Speedway. This will be the second event at the track this season. However, this will be the first race on the brand new racing surface put in over the summer. There will be a number of unknowns, so it is hard to pick out a clear favorite. In the April race, the top eight finishers were all eventual Chase contenders, with Hamlin winning. It is probably a safe bet that the drivers ahead in points will adapt the best to the new track.

All teams will also have plenty of track time before the race on Sunday to adjust their setups properly. Johnson, Biffle, Tony Stewart, and Jeff Gordon all have two victories each at Kansas. Keselowski won the first of two races last season. Johnson won the Chase event at Kansas last fall.

Expect speeds to be higher with the new pavement and a great race. All racing grooves should be rubbered in by Sunday.

Coverage of the Hollywood Casino 400 from Kansas Speedway begins Sunday at noon on ESPN.