Chase field getting slimmer

DOVER, Del. – Jeff Burton’s winless streak is over and a week of controversy is behind him. Up ahead: A run to the Nextel Cup title, with a whole lot less competition to worry about.

Burton finally led the lap that matters Sunday, finding his way back to Victory Lane at Dover International Speedway after a thrilling late battle with Matt Kenseth. The win parked Burton in the lead of NASCAR’s Chase for the championship and ended his 175-race winless streak.

Even so, Sunday’s Dover 400 likely ended the title hopes of Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. – each of whom had his own problems to fall all but out of the Chase.

Kenseth failed in his bid for a clean sweep at Dover, but he certainly isn’t out of contention for the championship. He finished 10th and remained stuck in third in the points race after losing a gamble that he could drive the final 100-plus laps without a pit stop.

Carl Edwards finished second. Jeff Gordon moved up two spots in the Chase with his third-place finish. Non-Chase drivers finished fourth through eighth before rookie Denny Hamlin, who took ninth. Hamlin fell from second to fourth in the points standings.

Even though he sat on the pole, Gordon failed to lead a lap and did not gain any bonus points. Ryan Newman quickly passed him and led the first lap of the race.

Kevin Harvick, the points leader coming into Sunday, was knocked out of the race with a blown engine. Harvick, who won the last two races, was 32nd and plummeted to fifth overall.

Kahne wrecked with defending champion Tony Stewart, who did not make the Chase this season, only 11 laps into the race. Busch retired his No. 5 before the halfway point with engine problems.

Both declared their hopes for a championship dead.

Almost all the Chase drivers ran into some sort of trouble. Jimmie Johnson’s crew had a pit road tire mishap that dropped him all the way back to 40th. He steadily raced his way back to the front on the high-banked concrete oval, and finished 13th. Earnhardt had all sorts of tire issues and finished 21st. Earnhardt is seventh and Johnson eighth in the points standings.

Kahne plowed into another car. Busch blew an engine. Earnhardt battled an unruly setup.

One by one, drivers already near the rear of the Chase standings dropped out or dropped back.

It seems there will be only a handful of contenders down the stretch. The field could thin out even more next week at Kansas.