NASCAR 2015: Fleischman's fearless forecast

It would be throwing darts to select this year's 16 Chasers. Let's just focus on the final four, the quartet who will be the only racers eligible to win the Chase in the season finale at Homestead, Fla. Our choices, in alphabetical order, are: Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski. Surely "Bad Brad" will add some hot sauce to the final Chase race.

Here are five drivers on the hot seat this season:

Kurt Busch: Yes, he's on the list again feeling butt burns. His bitter split with girlfriend Patricia Driscoll has resulted in Busch having a court order preventing him from being near her or communicating with the woman he described as "a trained assassin." We'll see how this awkward situation affects Busch's racing.

Danica Patrick: She's also on the hot seat again. In her third full Cup season, Patrick needs to improve her finishes. A few top-10 finishes would strengthen her track cred.

Tony Stewart: Fans hope that Stewart, 43, can put the turmoil of the past couple of seasons behind him and return as a championship contender. In 2013, Stewart suffered a severely broken leg in a sprint-car racing accident. Last year, in another sprint-car race in upstate New York, Stewart's car struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr.

Carl Edwards: His move to Joe Gibbs Racing is designed to give him a better shot at his first championship. Edwards has been runner-up twice in the Chase. Maybe he'll follow the path of teammate Matt Kenseth, who won seven races 2 years ago in his first season with JGR. Edwards won twice last year.

Kyle Busch: He's another racer who needs to win a Cup title soon. He's only 29, but he's entering his 11th full Cup season. Busch is considered one of the most talented drivers in racing.