NASCAR: Updating the Chase grid

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was already feeling the pressure of competing near the bubble to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, and that was before concussion-like symptoms forced him to miss the New Hampshire 301 on Sunday.

By failing to start the race, Earnhardt fell two spots to 15th and is clinging to the final provisional spot on the Chase Grid. With his status for next weekend at Indianapolis still unknown, Earnhardt holds just a 14-point advantage over Trevor Bayne for the final spot.

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Retired four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon has already been named as Earnhardt's possible replacement for Indianapolis, and possibly longer, if Earnhardt is unable to compete.

Sunday could have been a fortuitous day for Kyle Larson and Kasey Kahne, but they were both denied an opportunity to make ground on the bubble when they were involved in a Lap 286 crash. The incident began when Carl Edwards tagged Kahne on the backstretch, which turned Kahne into Larson.

Larson spun into the crash and eventually finished 17th while Kahne finished 25th.

On the other hand, Sunday benefited both Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman, who ended the day in sixth and seventh, respectively. The top-10s allowed both drivers to create some separation from those chasing them for the final handful of playoff spots.

Here is the updated Chase Grid with seven events remaining before the cutoff. Brad Keselowski is the only driver guaranteed to make the playoffs with the assumption that he attempts to start those next seven events:

Brad Keselowski (4 wins)

Kyle Busch (3 wins)

Carl Edwards (2 wins)

Matt Kenseth (2 wins)

Jimmie Johnson (2 wins)

Kevin Harvick (1 win)

Kurt Busch (1 win)

Joey Logano (1 win)

Martin Truex Jr. (1 win)

Denny Hamlin (1 win)

Tony Stewart (1 win)

Chase Elliott +52

Ryan Newman +50

Austin Dillon +41

Jamie McMurray +27

Dale Earnhardt Jr. +14

Outside looking in:

Trevor Bayne -14

Ryan Blaney -16

Kasey Kahne -22

Kyle Larson -25