Loop Data shows how far Ragan has come this year

On the strength of five top-10s in the past seven races, David Ragan has become a serious threat for a 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup berth.

Ragan is in 13th, just 12 points behind 12th-place Clint Bowyer. It is a spot few could have predicted for Ragan, who finished last season 23rd in the series standings. The difference between this season and last year's rookie campaign is remarkable. Take a look:

Two statistics in particular bode well for a Chase berth -- and both pertain to the next two races. One, Ragan has been strongest this season on the 1.5- and 2-mile tracks (this weekend's Pepsi 500 is at Auto Club Speedway, which is 2 miles long). Of his eight best Driver Ratings this season, four have come at 1.5- or 2-mile tracks.

The second promising statistic is his Richmond Driver Rating. Last season at the Richmond cutoff race, Ragan registered a Driver Rating of 90.7 -- his best in 2007.

There's a good chance he'll top that this season. He already has nine races in 2008 where his Driver Rating surpassed 90.7. He has improved on last season's Driver Rating in an incredible 22 of 24 races. Below is the race-by-race breakdown of last year compared to this year: