1. Casey Mears, plus-18
After 17 starts last year, the nephew of four-time Indy 500 champ Rick Mears was 34th in the standings. This year the Chip Ganassi team driver stands in 16th place with six top-10 finishes after none in 2003.
2. Jeremy Mayfield, plus-15
Mears’ teammate was in 27th at this time last year. The 12-year NASCAR veteran is in 12th now. He’s more than halfway to last year’s nine top-10 finishes with five this year.
3. Dale Jarrett, plus-13
The 1999 series champ was 28th last year en route to his seventh top-10 finish. He’s currently in 15th. His third-place finish at Michigan three weeks ago was his highest since winning in February 2003 at North Carolina Speedway.
4. Elliott Sadler, plus-10
The seven-year veteran stood 18th last year and is eighth this year. He has six top-10 finishes, including an April win at Texas Motor Speedway, after nine top-10 finishes–and no wins–last year.
5. Jamie McMurray, plus-10
During his first full season in 2003, the Chip Ganassi team driver was 23rd with 11 top-10 finishes in 36 starts. He’s 13th this year with eight top-10s in only 17 races.
