Earnhardt in the lead after first round

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back on top of the points standings for the first time in three months. How long he can stay there remains to be seen.

NASCAR's most popular driver moved into a tie with Kurt Busch for the series lead in NASCAR's new championship format. His four victories to Busch's three give Earnhardt the edge in a tiebreaker, but it doesn't really matter.

Under this system, the standings can flip in a single race and Earnhardt could easily be in 10th following Sunday's race in Dover, Del.

"It's kind of nice to be leading the points again, even though I'd prefer to be up there by myself," Earnhardt said. "To lead the points this early in the Chase probably doesn't mean that much, because we still have a long way to go. But it sure beats being anywhere else in the standings."

The first round of NASCAR's 10-driver, 10-race playoffs didn't produce any major shakeups in the standings after the first round.

Busch was the big mover, vaulting seven spots to the top after winning at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Three drivers saw their championship hopes hindered: Tony Stewart and Jeremy Mayfield -- casualties in a wreck intentionally caused by Robby Gordon -- and Ryan Newman, who was done in by a blown engine.

Stewart plummeted four spots to eighth, 124 points behind the leaders. Newman is ninth, and Mayfield 10th.

"I don't think any of us are going to get mulligans," Stewart said. "That's probably going to take us out of the championship."

Headed into Dover, there are seven viable championship contenders. Trailing the leaders are: Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Elliott Sadler, Mark Martin, then Stewart, Newman and Mayfield.