Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Carl Edwards had to navigate through a lot of cross-town traffic to get to Homestead-Miami Speedway for a shot at a NASCAR Sprint Cup title this coming Sunday.
There was Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR's favorite son, taken out with health issues after suffering a concussion earlier this summer.
There was Goodbye Guy Tony Stewart, stopped short on his farewell run, making just a cameo appearance in the Chase before he was eliminated.
And there were Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin, teammates of Busch and Edwards, who found out that loyalty runs only so deep.
Kenseth, in particular, felt the burn in the closing laps at Phoenix this past Sunday, when a series of unfortunate events took him out of play in Homestead.
Kenseth was in the lead pack in the closing laps when Busch turned Alex Bowman inside as they raced to the corner. They barely avoided contact, but Bowman's shift and an indecisive moment by Kenseth's spotter caused Kenseth to veer off course and wreck after he was nudged by Bowman.
"It's really unfortunate and devastating to have the race come down like that," said defending season champ Busch.
As we sort out the carnage left behind, other obstacles remain for the Chase Championship contenders. A look at the four, and the favorites, from bottom to top:
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