Heat is...ON!

And I'm not just talking about the weather.

While the south bakes under a heat wave that resembles nothing so much as a blowtorch with a mister, there is the feeling that those outside the top 10 in points without a victory so far this season are about to burn up and fade away.

That list includes Tony Stewart and Clint Bowyer, who are two and 15 points out, respectively, of the top 10 and neither has won yet this season.

Feel the burn?

Brad Keselowski and David Ragan have victories, and BK is a couple points off the top 20. Ragan's already there. That means those two would go if the season ended today, and Smoke and CB wouldn't.

Of course, the season doesn't end today, so there's time. Smoke and Bowyer both run very well at NHMS, Smoke's won the Brickyard twice and has victories at every track from now until the Chase begins.

Of course, that doesn't mean he'll win one, you see. NASCAR's funny like that.

Did you realize that in the seven years of the Chase, only 20 drivers have qualified? Amazed me, too.

So, as the mercury climbs, so does the pressure on the backs of the two drivers that need a victory to get into the Chase. Dale Jr. and Ryan Newman don't have them either, and they're not all that far from being out of the mix come Richmond.

We'll see how Smoke and Bowyer can stand the heat...starting Sunday.