The NASCAR season has reached its halfway mark, with 18 races down and 18 to go. That also means their are just 8 races to go till the chase for the sprint cup, and drivers like Eau Claire native Paul Menard are making their last drive to make the chase.

Paul Menard's past week at Daytona was quite similar to many of his races this year. He started the race in the the 13th spot, raced his way from the back and was able to survive a late crash to finish 14th.
Though Menard only has 4 top ten finishes this season, he has finished inside the top 20 in 15 of 18 races.
With the chase looming, Menard knows his team needs to make the leap to the next level.

"We got to get quite a bit better before we start challenging for wins. We are making little games. I feel we are starting to narrow down and focus on some of our issues and realizing some returns on that. It's just a matter of putting the whole package together and it's a togh sport and one you have to stay on top of. We have really guys, and we are just figuring out the right direction to focus them on."