New faces show up in NASCAR’s Top 12

It's early - just three races into a 36-race season - but NASCAR's Top 12 has some different faces so far.

Twelve is the magic number in stock car racing's major series, because 12 drivers make the Chase for the Cup, the 10-race postseason competition that decides the Sprint Cup championship.

Jeff Gordon has taken the series lead. That's no surprise since he has been a NASCAR star his whole career. But heading into the KOBALT Tools 500 Sunday at the fast 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway, only five drivers who were in the top 12 at this point last year are there now.

There are a trio of drivers - David Reutimann (5th), Bobby Labonte (10th) and Michael Waltrip (12th) - who would have to be considered extreme long shots to be among the 12 when the Chase begins in September.

Reutimann is coming off a career-best fourth-place finish at Las Vegas. A year ago, he was 31st in points after the first three races.

Labonte turned in his first top-five performance since 2006 by finishing fifth at Vegas. He was 15th this time last season.

Waltrip stayed in the top 12 for the third straight week. He was 34th at this stage a year ago. It was Waltrip who said before the season started that if his 2009 results weren't considerably improved, he would retire.

Labonte drove a Dodge for Richard Petty's team last year and has switched to Hall of Fame Racing this season. In a news release from NASCAR, Labonte made it clear he is pleased with the Ford he is driving this year.

"I can't wait to get back in it and go," he said. "We're taking it one race at a time, so I'm excited. I just feel like we've got all of this confidence on our side right now."

Quick laps: Carl Edwards, who won three of the past four races of the 2008 season, has led just three laps in the first three races this year. . . . Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 10th-place finish at Vegas moved him from 35th to 29th in the season point standings. He has his work cut out to make the Chase. No driver as far back as 29th after three races has ever made the 12-driver Chase. - Randy Hallman