Brooklyn, MI (Best E Casino) - NASCAR's Nextel Cup race at the Michigan International Speedway was postponed due to rain for the second consecutive day. The 3M Performance 400 has been pushed back until Tuesday and the green flag is scheduled to drop, weather permitting, at 10 a.m.

The last "Cup" race to be postponed on consecutive days was the 1997 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

When the flag finally drops, series points leader Jeff Gordon will lead the 43-car field. The No.24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the last qualifier on the track on Friday and stole the pole from Greg Biffle's grasp.

Row two will consist of Kasey Kahne and Bobby Labonte.

Other drivers of note and their starting positions: Jimmie Johnson (seventh), Denny Hamlin (eighth), Clint Bowyer (ninth), Carl Edwards (13th), Jeff Burton (19th) and Tony Stewart (35th).

Just four races remain until the cutoff for the "Chase for the Nextel Cup." Following an eventful Sunday in upstate New York, the picture is becoming clearer as to who is a contender and who is just a pretender.

The race for the final position in the "Chase" appears to be coming down to Kurt Busch, his Penske teammate Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Biffle.

Biffle, with his second-place starting position and great history at MIS, should make some headway this week, but still has a long road. He is 15th in the standings and 212 points out of the "Chase." But at MIS Biffle owns two wins and six top-10s in nine career starts.

If tomorrow's race is also cancelled due to weather, the Michigan event might be run on Thanksgiving weekend and become the 10th race of the "Chase for the Nextel Cup." The race at Richmond would no longer be the last race before the "Chase," that honor would go to the New Hampshire International Speedway with the race at Dover becoming the first of 10 races to determine the Nextel Cup champion.