Chase Coverage: Homestead Preview

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It all comes down to this. It's the final race of the 2010 Sprint Cup Series season, the end of the Chase. A champion will be crowned.

Will it bring Denny Hamlin his first Cup title, the driver who overcame a knee problem to battle back and put himself atop the points standings? Will it be a historic-making moment for champion Jimmie Johnson? Will it be Kevin Harvick's first championship, the ultimate icing on the cake after a dramatic turnaround from last year's woes?

With the tightest championship battle in Chase history, we will have to tune in Sunday to see who will prevail. The stage is set for one of the most exciting finales in recent history, a battle that will go down to the last lap. May the best man win.

While the focus is on the title battle, the race winner will have bragging rights going into next season. A win in the last race of the year can go a long way to bring momentum for a team entering into 2011.

Our contributors run down the Chase drivers' chances for the finale at Homestead-Miami. Come back Tuesday to find out how the Chasers finish out the 2010 season. 

1. Denny Hamlin - Holly Machuga

Following his “disappointing” finish of 12th at Phoenix last weekend, Denny Hamlin remains first in points going into the final race of the 2010 season. Thus far, he has eight wins, 14 top-fives, 18 top-10s, and two poles. He also has an average finish of 12.9. Hamlin has led 20 races all season, with a total of 1,184 laps led.

At Homestead-Miami, Denny has one win (2009), three top-fives, and three top-10s. In five races, he has an average finish of 10.6. Also, he has a driver rating of 94.7, seventh best out of the drivers.

There are two ways that Denny can win the championship this weekend. One, he could win the race. Two, he could lead the most laps and come in second. That is the only way that the FedEx team could be guaranteed their championship over four-time champions, the Lowe’s team.

If there is a tie, the champion will be the one who won the most races. This would make Denny the 2010 champion.

I am excited to see how this plays out! I can not believe that this is the last race!

2. Jimmie Johnson - Rebecca Kivak

For the first time in five years, Jimmie Johnson comes into Homestead second in points, 15 behind leader Denny Hamlin. It's been a while since Johnson has been the chaser and not the chased, but the four-time Sprint Cup champion is up to the challenge. After losing championships in 2004 and 2005, Johnson learned what he needed to do to win them. That experience will factor into Sunday's Ford 400, when Johnson will have to race until the very last lap in order to claim a historic fifth title.

The clinch scenario for Johnson, independent of how points leader Hamlin and third-place Kevin Harvick finish, is winning the race and leading the most laps. Now would be a good time to mention that Homestead is one of four tracks where Johnson has never won. However, the driver of the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet has put up decent numbers at the 1.5-mile oval. In nine starts, Johnson has three top 5s, six top 10s and two poles. In last year's event, Johnson started from the pole and led 28 laps before securing a fifth-place finish. His average finish is 12.7, which Johnson will need to outperform on Sunday in order to win the championship. The No. 48 must find the speed that has evaded them in the last few races.

Something also to consider is that Johnson hasn't had to be in the position to race for the win in quite some time at Homestead. It's possible the four-time champion, who usually has the title wrapped up by the finale, has held back in recent races, something Hamlin has said he's witnessed Johnson do at the Miami track. With the championship on the line, however, holding back is not an option for the No. 48 team on Sunday.

As Johnson tells it: "We have nothing to lose. ... It's a much different perspective for us. I've been here in the past with even a big points lead and have been concerned about dropping the ball. When you're defending, your mind starts to change and you start to think about the 'what ifs.' When you're chasing, it's more about, What do I need to do?

"For us, the small points gap, the way we'll win the championship is by doing our jobs. ... We're capable of doing it. We've done it in the past. Now it's time to step up as a team and go out and do it."

You have a champion determined to win and his team willing to go out all out. No matter how Sunday's race at Homestead turns out, you can be sure Johnson and the No. 48 will put their best foot forward as they race to bring home a potential fifth title.

3. Kevin Harvick - Stacie Ball

 (Note: Stacie is stepping in for Amber Arnold for this installment)
“I think that's the way it's supposed to be. Even with the Chase, you let I guess nine other guys back into the championship hunt, and the three cars that have run the best all year have risen back to the top. For me, I think it's fun to be able to challenge yourself and race against the best guys that have been the best all year to see where you stack up in the end. I think it's the best way that it could have shaken out.” Kevin Harvick answered what it meant to him for him being one of the three to help decide the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Four top fives, seven top-10 finishes and leading 116 laps at Homestead says a lot. Yet not having a win could make or break Harvick, especially with him starting 28th on the grid. It is true, though, he has quickly moved to the front after starting back in the field over the season. Will this be one of those races?

"We know the job that we have at hand, and we're going with our best piece, and I think our driver is ready and psyched up about it after our meeting [Tuesday] morning. We're just looking forward to it," Gil Martin said of what he and the 29 pit crew needed to do for this weekend's race, before a day of deep-sea fishing for him and the team.

Harvick, Martin and the team all knows what it takes. It takes him winning the race, leading the most laps, and most of all, the other two finishing behind Harvick in the top 10. Is it possible, could he do it? Honestly, after everything I have seen during the 2010 NASCAR season, anything is possible.

4. Carl Edwards - Amanda Ebersole

It's that time of year many of us loathe, the final race of the 2010 NASCAR season. We head to the finale race at Homestead Miami Speedway in unfamiliar circumstances: the championship is undecided! That is a wonderful thing for our sport, and hopefully it will be a fight to the last lap to see who is victorious!

Still riding high from last week’s sweep at Phoenix, I bring you more good news for Carl Edwards. He has great stats for Homestead with one win, three top fives, and five top 10s out of 6 races. His win was in November 2008. Edwards also has one pole there and has led 251 laps. Carl has turned 112 of the track's fastest laps, spent 1,112 laps in the top 15 and has a driver rating of 111 and leads all active drivers in these areas. Carl also has a series-best running position of eighth.

Crew chief Bob Osborne will be unloading the same car that was previously raced at Charlotte in October, where he finished 16th. Bob’s thoughts on heading to Homestead: “It was great to finally get a win at Phoenix last weekend. Now we can go to Homestead and try for another win, and maintain our fourth place in the points. Carl has a great record at Homestead and won there in 2008. We are taking our newest car in the fleet which we ran at Charlotte so I feel it will be good. We’ve got a lot of momentum going into the final race of the season so we’d love to end the year with one more win.”

Carl feels the momentum from Phoenix and is hoping it continues in Homestead. With his manufacture, Ford, sponsoring the title weekend, Carl would like nothing more than another win. "Ford Championship weekend has always been a huge weekend for me and Roush Fenway. We’ve got a ton of momentum right now. I feel like our 1.5-mile program is really strong, and our team is riding a huge wave from last weekend’s win in Phoenix. We can’t lose at Homestead because no matter what happens we all feel like we finished the season strong. We’re just going to go for the win and hopefully finish top four in points. That would be huge."

5. Matt Kenseth - Whitney Richards

The final race of the 2010 has arrived. For Matt Kenseth and his crew, the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be their last chance to keep from going winless for the season. Two years ago Kenseth went winless, and this year, the team will do all they can to keep that from happening again. After the up-and-down year they’ve had, a win on Sunday would be the best way to end the season.

Kenseth has 10 starts at Homestead and has earned two top 5s, three top 10s and one win (November 2007). He has an average starting position of 21.6 and an average finish of 19.8. He has led a total of 287 laps and completed 2,387 of 2,675 laps. Kenseth has two DNFs (November 2002 and 2003) at Homestead. In his last outing at the track, he started 34th and finished 13th. This weekend, the team will be running chassis RK-704, which was last run at Martinsville. Kenseth and his crew are hungry for a win, so keep an eye on that No. 17 Crown Royal Ford on Sunday. Whether they will win is uncertain, but there is no doubt that team will do all they can to make it happen.

6. Jeff Gordon - Genevieve Cadorette

This past season, Jeff Gordon made it into the top 6 in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, yet he hasn’t won a race. In 2010, Gordon has 11 top 5s; 17 top 10s and has won one pole for the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He’s currently trailing the leader, Denny Hamlin by 338 points, so he is mathematically eliminated from winning the Cup on Sunday. If he wins at Homestead-Miami, Gordon will conquer the last remaining track on the circuit where he has yet to claim victory. He may not have the title, but he would walk away with the Ford 400 trophy, cash and bragging rights.

Though he has not won here, his Homestead history is impressive. In 11 starts, Gordon has tallied the most five top 5s and nine top 10s out of all active drivers. He’s led 62 laps, his average finish is 9.5 and he’s completed 99.9 percent of all laps.

7. Kyle Busch - Lindi Bess

What? The season is almost over, you say. Didn’t it just start? I am experiencing feelings that are somewhat bittersweet. On the one hand we are at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the excitement began Friday with qualifying. It should really be an exciting race with three contenders within reach of their goal to become the 2010 Sprint Cup Champion. Then there’s the whole "end of the season" thing that makes me somewhat blue.

At last year's Homestead Ford 400, the 2010 points leader, #11 Denny Hamlin took the race, and Jimmie Johnson finished in the fifth position and walked away with his fourth Sprint Cup Championship trophy. With a third-place finish in 2009 at the end of the Homestead race was the driver of the #29, Kevin Harvick. Kyle Busch, although he didn’t make the chase, finished in the eighth position after qualifying in 30th position. Kyle also won the NNS Ford 300. The NNS race gave the #18 a Nationwide Race Record of 126.924.

Now would be a good time to look at Kyle’s Homestead-Miami Speedway career history. He has been running pretty strong this season and since he’s got one more chance at a trifecta at Homestead to finish his season out, you can bet he’s gonna be doing some hard racing.

Kyle has a total of five starts at the Homestead track. Of these starts, three were with Hendrick and the last two with JGR. In five starts, he’s had one DNF and just one top 10. Average start is 12.6 and average finish is 25.2. These numbers don’t take into account that Kyle has changed his performance on and off the track for the most part. What we saw when he flipped off the official was just raw emotion.

So with that, I will make my declaration as a Jimmie Johnson fan, with Kyle Busch coming in a close second, which is exactly how I’d like to see the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway end.

8. Greg Biffle - Stacie Ball

“Biffle has an incredible record at Homestead with his three wins in a row, so we know he can get it done if we can give him a fast racecar. Just like most every other week this year, we need to qualify up front and stay there with good pit stops. If we can do that, the rest will be up to Biffle and we should be able to compete for the win. We had one get away from us in Texas and it would be great to end the 2010 season with another trip to victory lane,” Greg Erwin, crew chief of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion, said of Biffle's history at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Ford 400, which ends the 36-week week racing schedule.

Two wins, nine top fives, and 18 top 10s in 2010 does not give you an honest look at the season during which Greg Biffle had gone up and down in points, or the challenges he faced with his cars throughout the season before his first win at Pocono Raceway in July. In his nine years of racing, he has led 4456 laps and collected 16 wins, 66 top fives, and 112 top 10s in his 293 Sprint Cup Series career starts. As a fan, I do not know what the stats are really telling us. All I do know is that the luck from one track to the next is tested, especially after what we have seen in the last nine races. Yet I am hoping his three wins, three top fives, and three top 10s will be a good sign, showing this truly is a good track for him and the Pit Bulls, which will bring hopefully another victory in 2010.

“We’re taking the same car to Homestead that we led with at Texas and won with at Pocono. We’ve had some success at Homestead obviously and it would be great to end another season with a win there. We had some extreme highs and lows during this Chase but the highs are encouraging for next season. We know that we can compete for wins now as long as we don’t have part failures. We are still working on our short track program but I think we’re moving in the right direction. We’ll just go to Homestead this weekend and do everything we can to finish this season with a win.”

The only factors we really do not know about are, number one, the weather and two, the handling of the car on the track. Until we see those, we have no idea what kind of a race anyone will have, even if it is a good track for the No. 16 Ford Fusion and any of the other teams at Homestead-Miami Speedway. May the best car win the race along with the Cup on Sunday!

9. Tony Stewart - Unique Hiram

We are down to the GRAND FINALE! Tony Stewart and the #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet team are headed to a track where their driver holds some impressive statistics. At this particular race track, Smoke has captured two wins, nine top 5s and five top 10s. Additionally, his driver rating is 88.2 which is the 12th best and Stewart is listed as the 9th best at running the 60 fastest laps at this track.

Stewart was asked about the dynamics of the Homestead-Miami racetrack and he had this to say about it:

“You go off into turn one, and when you get into the banking, you lift. If your car is good, you can go and not use any brake, or very,very little brake. You stay one lane off the bottom, past the transition – it’s a little less banking on the lower level toward the apron – so you stay one level above that. As soon as your car settles in you can really just mash right back in the gas and just ride that second level around down onto the backstretch. And then you do exactly the same thing going into turn 3. A lot of times in turn 3, because of the wind direction there, you can actually go into the corner a lot harder and a lot further, actually turning into the
corner before you get off the gas. And it’s the same thing, once that car settles in, you get on the gas and ride it around to the frontstretch. It’s a pretty smooth racetrack.”

It is clear that Stewart and his team will give it their best shot to capture the checkered flag. There will be chances taken and definitely some bold moves made in order to garner the absolute greatest finishing position that is in sight for the season finale's race. One race to go and it will be quite a show indeed!

10. Kurt Busch - Rebecca Kivak

(Note: Katy Lindamond continues to be without an Internet connection, so Rebecca is covering Kurt.)
This weekend marks Kurt Busch's swan song in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge. After the season ends, Busch will hand the reins of the legendary Blue Deuce to his Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski, while Busch himself will become the new face of Shell/Pennzoil in the No. 22 Dodge. With this is in mind, Busch would like nothing better than to finish his five-year run in the No. 2 with a trip to victory lane at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“There are so many reasons that we need to close out the year with a great run this weekend at Homestead,” Busch said. “It will be the final race for me behind the wheel of the Miller Lite Dodge. We’ve had a great run in the ‘Blue Deuce’ over the last five seasons and would love to score another win and celebrate with some Miller Lites there in Victory Lane on Sunday.”  

Going into Homestead, Busch has racked up eight wins, 37 top 5s, 74 top 10s and nine poles during his time in the Blue Duece. Three of those wins came this season, including his sweep of the All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway this summer.

As Busch turns his focus to the season finale, the former Cup champion needs a strong showing at Homestead to remain in the top 10 in the points standings, guaranteeing himself a seat at the end-of-the-year Sprint Cup banquet at Las Vegas. He sits currently 41 points behind 9th-place Tony Stewart and only 5 in front of 11th-place Clint Bowyer, with a 35-point advantage on Jeff Burton in 12th.

Busch has shown he can withstand the pressure at Homestead. It was here in 2004 where Busch sealed the deal in his own close championship battle. Then driving for Roush Racing, Busch overcame a tire issue to finish fifth and claim his first Sprint Cup title, beating Jimmie Johnson by just eight points. Out of his nine starts at the Miami track, Busch has four top 5s, including a win in 2002. In last year's race, Busch emerged as a serious contender for the win, leading five times for 43 laps, until a two-tire strategy at the end hampered his chances and he finished fourth.  

In addition to maintaining a top-10 points position and finishing out his run in the Blue Deuce on a high note, Bush also knows how a good final race of the season can inspire confidence and momentum for the next. “It would be super if we can win it, but if we can’t, we still need to have a strong showing like we had down there in last year’s final race,” Busch said. “That was a solid performance that kept us all pumped up and ready to get back after it when this season began at Daytona back in February.”

11. Clint Bowyer - Amy McHargue

Closing the season at Homestead, Clint Bowyer is not where he wanted to be at the end of the 2010 season. Clint had hopes to finish his season with a top-5 finish in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings as he has in his previous Chase performances. Unfortunately, Bowyer is coming into Miami in the 11th position in the Chase, 434 points back from the leader, and more importantly 123 points out of the fifth spot. To gain either amount of points is not achievable in a single race. It looks like Clint is going to have to settle for the bottom third of the standings for 2010.

Bowyer posts a 16.2 average finish, has no Cup Series wins, and two top 10s in his four starts at this Miami mile-and-a-half track. He knocked on the door of the top 10 at this race last year and finished in 11th position. Clint's worst finish at Homestead-Miami came in 2007 when he finished his day in the 39th position 25 laps down. Bowyer has a slightly better average of 15.9 on this size track; he has finished in the top 10 in just under 48 percent of his Cup starts on intermediate-length tracks.

It is down to salvaging whatever is possible out of this season for Clint Bowyer. With the bad luck that has revisited the team several times since the beginning of the Chase, the last nine races have have seemed very much like one step forward and two steps back for the Cheerios/BB&T Chevrolet #33. With one last chance to shine in 2010, Clint will come out this weekend and give it his all as he has done at every race. If Team Bowyer doesn't add one more top-5 finish for the season, it won't be from a lack of desire or effort.

12. Jeff Burton - Genna Short

Jeff Burton has quite a history at Homestead. In the 11 races that have been run here as the Sprint Cup finale, he has four top fives and five top 10s. One of those top fives came last fall in the 2009 finale. He finished second.

“I thought we had a great chance to win the race. The second half of the race, we were really, really strong,” says Burton of his runner-up finish in 2009.

“The last run of the race, we weren't as good as we were the previous runs. We saw that with a lot of cars.”

He feels he had one of the best cars out there, but it wasn’t enough to get him to the end.

"If the race was 50 laps shorter, we'd have won the race."

Momentum seems to be the key heading into this weekend for the Cat crew. After a great run ended in a less than satisfactory finish at Phoenix, Burton is ready to taste victory again.

“This is my last chance to win a race this year. It’s been a year with a lot of promise, but a lot of those haven’t been fulfilled. This is our last chance and that’s kind of what we go into it with the mindset of – we need to win this race. It’s been a real frustrating Chase,” he stated in a press conference on Friday.

“Obviously for us, at the same I hate to see the year end.  I feel like the more we race, the better we would be. This is it and we need to go out on a big note.”

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Chase Coverage: Phoenix Preview

Overview of the spring race at Phoenix. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

The Chase heads to the desert for race #9, the second-to-last race of the 2010 Sprint Cup season. The heat is on at Phoenix International Raceway as the battle continues to tighten between the top 3 in the points standings. Only 59 points separates the top 3 drivers.

Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick all have something to prove at Phoenix. In the history of the Chase, the driver leading with two races to go has always gone on to win the chamionpship. This bodes well for leader Denny Hamlin, but not for four-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who for the first time in the last four years is not sitting in that top spot. Will the pit crew swap between the 48 and the 24 turn things around? Let's not forget Kevin Harvick, who is very good at the one-mile flat track. All three qualified mid-pack for Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500, but you can bet it won't stay that way once the green flag drops.

With the title hunt this close, fans can look forward to an exciting race in the desert. Let's see what 12 of our contributors have to say about the Chase drivers' chances at Phoenix.

1. Denny Hamlin - Holly Machuga

Denny Hamlin goes into the second-to-last Sprint Cup race first in points. He has earned eight wins, two of them being within the Chase, 14 top-fives, 18 top-10s, and two poles. His average finish is a 12.9.

At Phoenix International Raceway, Hamlin has five top-fives, six top-10s, and one pole. In 10 races, he has an average finish of 11.6. This puts him eighth best out of all the drivers in Sprint Cup. It is a decent track for him, and he can look to earning his first win and possibly third Chase win this weekend.

Last week, Denny surpassed four-time championship driver Jimmie Johnson for the points lead after his win at Texas Motor Speedway. He also won this race in the spring after getting knee surgery for his torn ACL.
Now that the No. 11 team is in the lead, they won’t just coast. They will race for the win and race the hardest they have raced all season. This is sure to be an exciting end to the year!

2. Jimmie Johnson - Rebecca Kivak

After a difficult race at Texas, Jimmie Johnson enters the ninth race of the Chase in unfamiliar territory: out of the top spot. For the first time since 2005, the four-time champion finds himself in second place, 33 points out. It is a gap that can be overcome, but with the title battle this close, Johnson and the No. 48 team need to maximize points in the next two races to get back on top. Enter Phoenix International Raceway, which gives the driver of the No. 48 a chance to make up valuable ground and claim a much-needed win.

Johnson couldn't ask for a better track than Phoenix after last week. He has four wins at the one-mile oval, all of which have come in the last six races, including three Chase races. In his last eight starts here, he has finished inside the top 4. At Phoenix, Johnson has his best average finish at any track, a solid 4.9. His driver rating of 123.7 leads all drivers in the series. His other stats here include nine top 5s, 12 top 10s and one pole in 14 starts. He has completed 100 percent of 4,438 laps at Phoenix and has led 857 laps.

Johnson's stellar track record at Phoenix works to his advantage as he pits with a new crew this weekend. The No. 48 crew had struggled in the pits this season, and after a pit crew swap at Texas, the No. 24 crew will be pitting for Johnson for the last two races. The two teams work in the same shop and their crews train together, which explains why the 24 crew stepped in as capably as they did last week. Johnson admits the swap will be "uncharted territory," but all members of the revamped No. 48 team share the same goal: fighting for a historic fifth title.

“The last four years we have been in a different position. I have lost plenty of championships in the past and this is racing and it doesn’t come easy and you are not going to get what you want every single year and every single weekend,” Johnson said. “But I can promise you this. I am trying as hard as I can; I know my team is, and we are doing everything we can. Thirty-three points back is not where we want to be but we are going to work to get back on top.”

3. Kevin Harvick - Amber Arnold

Phoenix is a track that has been good to Harvick over the span of his 15 starts there. His two wins, three top fives, and six top 10s have all contributed to a tenth-best driver rating of 94.6. His average finish is 15th while Johnson’s is 4.9 and Hamlin’s is 11.6.

This weekend is pivotal for this 29 team in the Chase. With just one race left, they sit third in points, 59 out of the lead and 26 out of second. While the Shell/Penzoil guys are still in it, they’re going to need some help in these last two races. Phoenix is a track Johnson has great success at, while Homestead is one of Hamlin’s best tracks on the circuit. Harvick needs to capitalize on a mistake made by either one of these teams to gain some ground before going into the last race of the season next week. 

4. Carl Edwards - Amanda Ebersole

There are only two races to go as we head to Phoenix this weekend, and the battle in the Chase to the Sprint Cup is extremely tight. My focus, Carl Edwards, is fourth in the points and is 317 behind our new points leader Denny Hamlin.

Carl has compiled four top-five and 8 top-10 finishes and one pole in his 12 races at PIR. His best finish has been fourth place three times (both 2008 races and also April 2006). Carl has an average starting spot of 12, and an average finish of 12.

Crew chief Bob Osborne is unloading the same car that Carl has previously raced at Kansas, Indy and Michigan. The car has finished no worse than seventh in those three starts. Bob’s thoughts on heading to Phoenix : “We have had very fast race cars in the past at Phoenix but Carl has yet to win a Cup race there. Phoenix is a unique race track in shape and that makes it a challenge relative to car handling – it is hard to setup the car so it handles just right at both ends. We’re taking a car that has run well in the three races we’ve taken it to this year. It was new at Indy and our best finish with it was third at Michigan. Hopefully it can help us get a win this weekend.”

Carl has sentimental ties to PIR. It was the site of his first pavement race back in 2001 when he drove a USAC silver crown car. His thoughts on heading back to Phoenix: “It’s a driver’s race track. It’s a track where the driver can make a big difference. Obviously, your car has to be set up really well, but once the car is perfect, that’s a track where it truly comes down to the driver. It’s such a unique track, it’s got bumps and it’s really unique. If you win that race, it’s one you can really be proud of, so I’d love to win a Cup race out there."

5. Matt Kenseth - Whitney Richards

Following his second-place finish last weekend at Texas, Matt Kenseth comes to Phoenix International Raceway looking to better that result. He is currently winless this season, and it seems that the team’s great run at Texas has made them more determined to win this weekend.

Kenseth has one win at Phoenix (November 2002), but in his 16 starts, has achieved five top 5s and seven top 10s. He has completed 4,573 of 5,062 laps at Phoenix and has 2 DNFs (November 2000 and April 2005).

This weekend, Kenseth will have Valvoline on the No. 17 machine instead of the usual Crown Royal. The team will be running chassis RK-698, which was last run at Kansas. Kenseth’s setup for the race is based on the one he ran earlier this year at Phoenix . He is currently fifth in the standings.

6. Jeff Gordon - Genevieve Cadorette

Jeff Gordon's week has been eventful. After Sunday's race in Texas, he found out that he will now have a new pit crew. Jimmie Johnson's crew will now be Gordon's pit crew. No worries, he hasn't lost his team or his crew chief or his sponsors; he just swapped pit crews with teammate Johnson. The #24 and the #48 crews do train together and compete against one another. The switch is exciting for them; each crew wants to do well and win for their driver regardless whose car they're working on.

After a fun night at the Country Music Awards show Wednesday where Gordon was a presenter, he took off to face the Phoenix International Speedway in Arizona. It's a tough one-mile track that's been challenging for him, but he likes it, saying, "Both ends of the race track are complete opposites and it's impossible to get both ends to work perfectly."

Gordon's track record at PIR is one win, nine top fives and 17 top-10s. He's won three poles since he started to race there at the age of 18.

7. Kyle Busch - Rebecca Kivak
(Note: Rebecca is covering Kyle for Lindi Bess, whose original preview did not save correctly.)
After a much publicized gesture to a NASCAR official, Kyle Busch's two-lap penalty at Texas left him with a 32nd-place finish, falling out of the top 5 in the Chase points standings. Only 14 points out of the fifth spot, the driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota will try to recoup at Phoenix, where he had a dominating performance in the spring.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver had one of the best cars during the April race, leading 131 laps. That one race alone accounts for the majority of the 191 laps he has led during his Cup career at Phoenix. Busch finished eighth after a late-race pit strategy didn't go his way. There's no doubt Busch would like to finish what he started in the spring and take home the win this weekend.

Busch likes Phoenix and considers it a good track for him. He has two Nationwide wins there and one Sprint Cup win, his only series top 5 at the one-mile oval. His other Cup statistics include seven top 10s and one pole in 11 starts. His average finish is 13.9.

To be successful at Phoenix, Busch said, "You've got to have a good car, but you've got to have good brakes. You've got to have a good-turning car, and you've got to have a good car that can accelerate off of turn two and go fast down the backstretch. There's a lot involved at Phoenix, but being a day race and being hot and slick, it makes it that much more interesting."

8. Tony Stewart - Unique Hiram

Tony Stewart is headed to Phoenix International Raceway, a track where he has driven in several different racing divisions, and he has been able to capitalize on having strong finishes in the Sprint Cup Series. His statistics as this particular track include but are not limited to the following: one win, nine top 5s, 16 top 10s, average finish of 11.7 (17 races), and fourth best average running position of 11.0.

Smoke was asked about car handling in turns one and two compared to turns three and four, his response was this: “Every type of car that I’ve driven here – from USAC Midgets and Silver Crown cars to Supermodifieds to Indy cars to Nationwide cars and now the Sprint Cup cars – running all those different divisions, the one common variable is the two ends of the track are unique and different from each other. It’s always been a situation where if your car is really good in (turns) three and four, you’re normally a little bit tight in (turns) one and two, and if you get one and two really good, you’re normally a little bit too loose in three and four. You do have to weigh the options and try to find that balance of which end of the track is more important to you. You know you’re not going to be perfect in both ends, and you’ll have to pick one end or the other to get your car really good. I do have a preference, but I don’t tell everybody else that. That’s what having all these years and these laps of experience there does for me. It’s the one secret variable that I try to use to my advantage.”

It is quite evident that Stewart has a lot of confidence as well as experience at this track and he will utilize both those things in order to make a run at capturing the checkered flag.

9. Greg Biffle - Stacie Ball

I will admit that in no way did I think Greg Biffle and the Pit Bulls would improve in the standings until watching the race from Texas Motor Speedway, when he dominated much of the event. How could you not start to believe or hope?

In anticipation of Sunday afternoon's Kobalt Tools 500 race at Phoenix Raceway, Biffle said, “I really can’t wait to go to Phoenix this weekend. I love that track and I love going out west. We’ve run well there but we don’t have a win there yet in the cup car. In order to run well at Phoenix, you really have to work on getting your car to handle well at both ends which can be difficult because they are very different. I would say the only other track that is so different at both ends is Darlington. If we can get that figured out, we should have a really good race in Phoenix. We didn’t quite have the setup where it needed to be for the race there in the spring but I think we’ve learned a few things since then.”

The race in Texas gave me hope. I think this weekend at Phoenix Raceway will be even more exciting than last week, knowing the potential that could happen. His record at Phoenix is not the best, yet in no way does it tell me to give up. Three top fives and 349 laps led might look bad to one person, but to me it is something he will do his best to improve on each time he visits the track.

“We’re taking the same car to Phoenix that we won with at Kansas so if we can just get the setup right this time, we should have a good race. We have run well there in the past but during the spring race, it seemed like none of the adjustments we made seemed to help. We’ve done a lot of testing this year and we’re taking all of that information to try to get the setup where it needs to be this weekend. Last weekend was very disappointing for this team and they’re ready to get back to the track and take the win we should have had in Texas.”

From 11th place to ninth in the matter of one race, how could that get you ready for the second to last race of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship? How could you be feeling doubtful about a team and so on? All I know is you will not know what happens until you see what happens on the track Sunday afternoon. Good luck, Biff!

10. Clint Bowyer - Amy McHargue

After moving up to 10th place in the Chase standings, Clint Bowyer is within reach of a top-5 season finish with a good showing at Phoenix and Homestead. Clint is 72 points away from fifth spot coming into Phoenix International Raceway this weekend. This will be Bowyer's 11th start at PIR; his previous 10 starts have resulted in a 14.9 average finish. Clint has not made it to Victory Lane at this track but did claim the runner-up position in the 2008 early season race in Phoenix.

Clint's recent successes – a win two weeks ago at Talladega and a comeback seventh-place finish last week at Texas – may offer the #33 Richard Childress Racing Team the confidence they need to perform strongly again this week. Bowyer said his goal after the New Hampshire penalty was to make his way into the top 5; this weekend could bring him closer to making that goal a reality. Clint's last two outings in Arizona have resulted in top-10 finishes. With another top-10 finish, it is likely that Bowyer will continue to move up in the points standings. Watch for a solid performance from Clint Bowyer on Sunday afternoon that could make him the big mover of the week.

11. Kurt Busch - Rebecca Kivak

(Note: Rebecca is stepping in for Katy Lindamood, who is still experiencing Internet connectivity issues)
Kurt Busch has struggled during this year's Chase, finishing outside the top 10 in seven of the eight races so far. Busch lost two spots in the points standings after a 24th-place finish at Texas and now sits 11th, 435 behind leader Denny Hamlin and 38 points out of the 10th spot. 

Though the title is no longer in Busch's sights, the former Cup champion is hoping to turn his luck around and climb back into the top 10 with a win at Phoenix. Busch has one win, four top 5s and eight top 10s at the one-mile flat track. In his last four starts, Busch boasts three finishes inside the top 6. A third-place starting position in Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 puts Busch in position to find victory lane once again.

The track also has sentimental value for Busch. He saw his first-ever live Cup race here in 1991 and claimed his 1999 NASCAR Southwest Series title after the season-ending race at Phoenix.

“Phoenix will always be a special track for me and it’s almost like a homecoming each and every time we race there,” Busch said. “So much has changed at the track through the years, with them building the tunnel into the infield and adding all those thousands of seats. But it’s still the same old PIR as for it being the demanding one-mile flat track that I love racing on and the same old PIR that holds so many special memories for me personally."

It's also the track where Busch will strive to get his first Chase win this season.

12. Jeff Burton - Genna Short

Jeff Burton has been impressive at Phoenix. In fall 2009, he completed a run from a starting position of 36th to finish second behind Jimmie Johnson in the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 last fall. While it is true that he finished a full 1.033 seconds behind Johnson, it was, nonetheless, a spectacular display of talent.

He is ranked 12th among active drivers here which doesn’t say much for what he has been able to accomplish. Although they came a while ago, he does have two wins here and 12 top 10s in 22 starts. His average finish is 11.4, his second best only to Las Vegas. Although he hasn’t led a lap here since his win in 2001, he has gone 18 straight races where he has finished on the lead lap.

“We need to go there and qualify well and run the way we've been running. I feel really good about going there,” he says, optimistically. “I think we have a good brake package, good center of the corner package that really helps our cars. It's one of those tracks that we feel we can go there and run really well.”

There are some really tough parts, though. The sun, for instance, is a factor in how low the visibility can be.

“Honestly all that you can do is don't look at it you just gotta focus on something other than the sun. You gotta look more down, you're not able to drive ahead of you as far as you would without the sun.”

He did finish 25th here in April, which was a race that began in the afternoon but finished under the lights. Even with a less than spectacular finish in the spring, it is clear to see that the sun isn’t the only thing that shines in Phoenix.

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Chase Coverage: Texas Preview

The green flag waves over the spring race at Texas Motor Speedway in April. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Texas Motor Speedway is the setting for race No. 8 of the Chase. A track known for its high speeds, Texas certainly has the potential to inject high drama into the Chase.

Not only will the winner of Sunday's AAA Texas 500 get a pair of pistols and a cowboy hat, but if it's one of the top 3 in the standings, a victory is a sure way to gain an advantage in the championship hunt and send a message to your rivals. 

The 1.5-mile oval is known for producing few repeat winners (the only two are Chasers Carl Edwards and Jeff Burton). This could work in Kevin Harvick's favor, who has never won here. But spring winner Denny Hamlin will most certainly try to sweep, and Jimmie Johnson will try to outdo his runner-up finish from that race with a win this weekend. Add in the remaining Chasers or a spoiler from outside the top 12, and we can look forward to an exciting race on Sunday.

Twelve of our contributors look at the Chase drivers' chances this weekend at Texas. Come back Tuesday for a recap of how they fared in the AAA Texas 500.

1. Jimmie Johnson – Starting: 17th - Rebecca Kivak

Jimmie Johnson has one win under his belt at Texas Motor Speedway, and in the heat of a three-man battle for the championship, there’s no doubt the points leader would like to add another. With Talladega behind them, Johnson and the No. 48 Lowes team are ready to go all out for the last three Chase races and bring home a fifth title.

Texas has been a good track for Johnson. In 14 starts at the 1.5-mile oval, the four-time Sprint Cup champion has led 117 laps and racked up seven top 5s and 10 top 10s. Only twice has he finished outside the top 15. His sole win here came in this event three years ago. His average finish of 10.1 and his driver rating of 99.0 are third-best among his Chase competitors.

In the spring race, Johnson made a late charge and finished second to Denny Hamlin. With Hamlin 14 points back and Kevin Harvick not far behind in the standings, Johnson knows the competition will be stiff in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 – and that means no holding back. “We need to be as competitive and as fast as we can possibly be at this point. We're going to three tracks that are good for all three competitors. As Kevin (Harvick) was saying earlier, you're going to have to run in the top 5 to stay in the game. Then obviously take advantage of things and win if you can. Ten extra points from first to second are going to be important. Leading laps, leading the most laps, you're going to have to be on your A game from here on out.”

It’s “game on” for the 48 team at Texas.

2. Denny Hamlin – Starting: 30th - Holly Machuga

After a solid ninth-place finish at Talladega and only 14 points behind the leader Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin continues in his 2010 season. The last three tracks are his strongest in the 10 Chase tracks and this gives the No. 11 team hope for their championship chances.

At Texas, Hamlin has 10 starts with seven top-10s, four top-5s, and one win. His average start is a 14.9 and his average finish is an impressive 9.6. Clearly, Denny Hamlin could bring the FedEx team into victory lane for a possible eighth time this season. You can see already that Denny will most likely bring home a top-10 at least.

This team has not slowed down this season. Their strategy of getting top-10s for the first half of the Chase and pushing for wins for the second half has proven to be effective. At Martinsville two weeks ago, Hamlin brought the team to victory lane and decreased the points cushion that Jimmie Johnson had over him. Keep watching for that 11 team. They are coming on strong.

3. Kevin Harvick – Starting: 26th - Amber Arnold
As the Chase rolls into Fort Worth, Texas, time is slowly starting to fade for those seeking to hoist the championship trophy at Homestead in two weeks. There are three drivers still in this and that is where Kevin Harvick finds himself. The regular season points leader is sitting third and just a stone’s throw away from second, which is just a blink away from first as it sits right now.

While it would take some pretty big screw-ups by the first- and second-place teams to vault Harvick to the top spot, we learned last week the Chasers are not immune to on track issues and pit road miscues. Harvick, in 15 races on the 1.5-mile track, has no poles or wins, three top 5s, seven top 10s, and no DNFs. His average finish is 12.9 and he has a driver rating of 83.0. While a top 10 at Texas is a very reasonable expectation from the 29 team, it’s going to take more than that to get them ahead of two drivers standing between them and their first NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.  

4. Jeff Gordon – Starting: 15th - Genevieve Cadorette

Jeff Gordon will be racing on a special day this Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway - it’s his four-year anniversary with wife Ingrid. It’s his first time racing on his anniversary and his sights are set for a good race.

In the last 19 starts at Texas, Gordon has won one race, three poles, has finished in the top 5 seven times and has nine top-10 finishes. Texas has been wrought with challenges for the 24 car. "It's a tough 1.5-mile racetrack because the transitions from straightaways to the corners and corners to straightaways are very challenging and abrupt, so it's hard to get the car comfortable in those sections,” Gordon said. "And if you get comfortable in those sections in and off the corner, how do you get the car to turn in the middle? You're doing all those things at 170 or 180 miles per hour, so it's a very challenging racetrack. It's been one of the most challenging for me and my race team over the years for that reason."

Gordon has had four DNFs at Texas due to crashes. There’ve been many interesting and exciting events that have unfolded for this four-time Cup champion, who now sits 4^th in points for the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup. The DuPont team had such a great car in April, leading a total of 124 laps during the race, that it will be hard for them to start off their weekend any different this November.

5. Kyle Busch - Starting: 29th - Lindi Bess

It's a full NASCAR schedule this weekend with all three series converging on Texas Motor Speedway. All three competitions will include Sprint Cup Chase contender Kyle Busch behind the wheel of the #18 Toyota.

Kyle has won the past five NNS races at the Fort Worth Track, and with a win this Saturday he’ll be the first NNS driver to win six races consecutively at the same track. Legendary drivers Dale Earnhardt and Jack Ingram both won five in a row. Earnhardt’s wins came at Daytona from 1990-1994 and Ingram’s spanned from 1985-1986 at a track in South Boston.

On the Sprint Cup side, this weekend marks the one-year anniversary for crew chief Dave Rodgers and the driver for the No. #18 Camry. In the JGR M&M’s Toyota Camry, Busch will compete, but no longer for the Sprint Cup championship. At last weekend’s race at Talladega, Kyle’s chances died in less than 15 laps from the finish.

Historically, Kyle Busch does well at this track. Looking just at his last five starts at the Texas track in JGR’s #18 Toyota Camry, he has an average starting position of 10.4 and an average finish of 8.2. That along with two top 5s, three top 10s and total of 286 laps led, he is definitely in the position to bring home another triple for his 2010 season.

Kyle already started off the weekend right with a win in the Camping World Truck Series. When asked earlier this week what he thought his chances were to sweep Texas, Kyle responded:

“I would like to try and win all three again, for sure, starting with the Truck race on Friday night. I set out to do that every weekend, but that’s not an easy thing to accomplish. The Nationwide race, going for six in a row, it’s going to be awfully exciting. I can’t think of a better place than Texas, with Eddie Gossage (president, Texas Motor Speedway) and all those guys out there who do such a great job with that facility. To get six (Nationwide Series wins) in a row at the place would be cool. Of course, maybe we can get to where we should have been last year in the fall race there and win the triple again. I felt like we had a really good car in the Cup race, too. So we had a shot there and we’re definitely closing in on our first Cup win there this weekend since we’ve been really competitive the last couple of Cup races there.”

6. Carl Edwards - Starting: 3rd - Amanda Ebersole
Howdy ya’ll … it's time for Texas! I love the races at Texas (some day I hope to go there) and when the driver gets to Victory Lane it is always cool to see him in a cowboy hat and firing guns. Texas Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile track that has shown some great moments in the Chase to the Sprint Cup championship.

I am excited to tell you about Carl Edwards and his finishes at Texas. Carl has three wins, three top fives and four top 10s. In his 11 races at Texas, Carl has led 476 laps, ranking second among all drivers. He has also run 268 of the fastest laps at the track, which is third best among all drivers. Carl has a 97.8 driver rating, which is fifth among all active drivers.

Crew chief Bob Osborne is taking the same car that was just previously raced at Dover (was a new car than) and the car had a strong run there, starting 10th and finishing fifth. Bob’s thoughts on heading to Texas this weekend: “Texas is a great track for Carl, and it really seems to suit his driving style. His record there is very impressive and I’m hoping we can add to those stats this weekend. It would be great to get a win before the season ends, and I think Texas is one of our best chances.”

Carl shares Bob’s excitement for Texas by saying, “We’ve had great success at Texas and I love racing there. Everything is bigger in Texas – they have a huge crowd and a huge purse. If you win you get a cowboy hat and two pistols so it doesn’t get much better than that. It’s a great place to race and a great place to win. At this point in the season we’ve got three races left to finish strong and Texas is one we feel like we have an opportunity to go get a win so this race couldn’t come at a better time."

7. Tony Stewart – Starting: 11th - Unique Hiram

Texas Motor Speedway has been a successful track for Sprint Cup Chase driver Tony Stewart. He has been able to capture one win, four top 5s, 10 top 10s and one pole. Stewart's average finish is 13.4 in 17 races and he holds a series-best average running position of 8.3. After last week's disappointing finish at Talladega, this driver and his race team will be looking to rebound with either a win or the best finish that they can get at this 1.5-mile track.

Since Stewart is the most recent winner at Atlanta Motor Speedway, there is anticipation that he will have a great chance to be this week's winner in Texas. Here are his thoughts on that statement: “Well, you never know. The hard part is, even if you were the guy that won the Texas race in the spring, it’s such a long gap between the spring race and the fall race that you’ve got to keep in mind our sport is a technology-driven sport. Guys make their programs better. Shock programs change. Setups change. The conditions that you have temperature-wise can be different. Just because you were good there before, or just because you were good in Atlanta, doesn’t guarantee you’ll be good at Texas the second time around. But, I guess it’s a lot better scenario of going into Texas knowing that we ran well there in the spring and that we did run well at Atlanta. That does give you a little bit of comfort knowing that you were good there in the previous times. It’s still no guarantee we’re going to be successful this time, but we at least have the comfort of knowing the last time we were there we were pretty decent – until we crashed.”

Tony Stewart and the #14 Office Depot/Old Spice race team will definitely look to make a huge statement that even though they may be out of contention for the Cup title, they still have a fighting spirit and are very much competitive.

8. Matt Kenseth - Starting: 19th - Whitney Richards

Matt Kenseth’s first trip to Texas Motor Speedway this season left him with a 20th-place finish after a flat-tire derailed his chances for a good finish. This weekend, Kenseth and the Crown Royal Black crew come to Texas Motor Speedway looking to improve on that finish and hopefully gain some more ground in the points standings.

Kenseth has 16 starts at Texas, and has won there once (April 2002). He has an average starting position of 18.4 and an average finish of 9.9. In his 16 starts, he has accumulated seven top-5s and 10 top-10’s, completed 5,302 of 5,354 laps, and has led for a total of 497 laps.

For this weekend’s race, Kenseth will be running chassis RK-707, which was last run at Fontana. He comes to Texas 8th in the standings, 324 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

Side note: Last weekend at Talladega , the No. 17 pit crew won their 4th Tissot Pit Road Award. They are currently tied for first in the pit crew competition.

9. Kurt Busch - Starting: 6th - Katy Lindamood

Who's gonna take home the guns this weekend? Perhaps it will be Kurt Busch. In the 2009 Chase race at Texas Motor Speedway, Busch surprised fans and the competition when he led 89 laps and took home the checkered flag. Could a repeat be in his cards? We will have to tune in Sunday to find out.

In 15 starts at Texas, Busch has one win, three top-five finishes, and 10 top-10s. His average starting position is 16.8 with an average finish of 13.1. Busch's only DNF occurred in 2008's Chase race when an engine failure ended his run. In his most recent visit to the track, Busch finished forth. On Sunday, Busch will start sixth.

Busch will be taking a winning car to the track. The car known as Vortex, after sponsor Miller Lite's Vortex bottles, won in Charlotte earlier this season. This week Busch said, "Regardless of how you pull it off, a Texas win is about as huge as it gets. They really know how to make you feel that it's a major accomplishment to win a Texas race. The cowboy hats, getting to fire the six-shooters, the whole big western theme; that's a great trademark that Eddie (Gossage, Speedway president) and the Texas track have going for them."

10. Jeff Burton - Starting: 16th - Genna Short

Coming into Texas, Jeff Burton hasn’t had the best of luck in the Chase. Undoubtedly though, this has to be a place close to his heart. He had his very first Cup win here in 1997. One of his last was also here in 2007, which was the only race he won that year.

While Burton’s season-to-date stats don’t tell much, only six top fives and 15 top 10s in 33 races, they give little credit to how well he has actually run. He has led a total of 538 laps this season. Only five seasons in his career has he led more laps in a season than he has already led to date in 2010. With three races left in this season, he may easily surpass that.

At Texas, he doesn’t seem to receive enough credit for what he’s been able to accomplish. He has a series-high of 278 fastest laps run here and has had three top-five and six top-10 finishes.

Burton feels that in spite of a less than spectacular finish in the spring, where he landed in 12th, he is confident and excited to go back to this track.

“We’re sitting there leading with 20 to go, well 15 to go. We got a red flag, the car sat there and sat there and sat there and the air pressure just went nuts. We didn't finish as well as we ran. I thought we were going to win the race. I can say the same for a lot of races in this stretch so I really feel like I'm excited to go back there. I feel like we can go and compete at a high level.”

11. Greg Biffle – Starting: 2nd - Stacie Ball

After a confusing ending to the race last weekend at Talladega, in which Biffle finished 19th when the final results came out, I am just about ready for any surprises which come my way these last three races of the Chase. From Alabama to Texas we can expect almost anything, such as hopefully the third win for the season for the No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford.

“We are taking the car that we won with at Pocono to Texas this weekend. We generally run well in Texas and I believe this weekend will be no exception. The track suits Greg’s driving style and that always helps. Texas allows for fast and exciting racing so it should be a good show for the fans down there. Greg led 13 laps there during the spring race and we had a tire go down late in the race. He was able to drive back for a top-10 finish though. If we can avoid any little problems like that, I don’t see why we can’t get this Red Cross Ford into victory lane,” said Greg Erwin, the crew chief of the No. 16 Red Cross Ford about the car in which Biffle will be racing this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

The team's track record of one win, three top fives and six top 10s at Texas, with an average finish of 20.1 in 13 races, should bode much better for the No. 16 than the luck they had at the two previous tracks. A one and a half mile tri-oval with 24 degrees banking in the turns along with five degree on the straightaway - what could be more challenging for the team this weekend?

Biffle on the race this weekend: “We qualified third for the spring race in Texas and had a decent car for the race. I missed a wreck but then we had a tire go down close to the end of the race. I’d say we had a top-five car but we just had a little bad luck that day. I really enjoy racing at Texas and I know we’re taking the car that we won with at Pocono so maybe that will bring us some luck this weekend. We’ve been able to finish in the top-10 at Texas the last four times we’ve been there so I have high expectations for this weekend.”

This race will be one of many games, one of them is Texas Hold ‘Em: may the best driver in the in the Chase make it into Victory Lane. Being only 131 points out of fifth may have him definitely out for the count, yet not out of the top 10, especially only being nine points behind 10th in the 11th position!

12. Clint Bowyer - Starting: 7th - Amy McHargue
After last week's win, Richard Childress driver Clint Bowyer is coming to Texas looking for another big week ... after all, isn't everything bigger in Texas? Another win for Bowyer would certainly be a big deal. Just six points out of 11th place and 17 points away from the ninth spot in the Chase to the Sprint Cup Championship, Clint could easily move up in the standings with a strong performance this weekend. Feasibly, the #33 driver could move up as many as four spots after this weekend; seventh place is just 50 points away.

Bowyer has not won in a Cup Series race at Texas, but posts four top-10 finishes in his nine Cup starts at this track. Earlier this season at Texas Motor Speedway, Clint finished his day in 36th position after involvement in an accident that left him 18 laps behind the leaders at the end of the race. Forty-two percent of Bowyer's starts on intermediate tracks have earned him top-10 finishes. With just a bit better than an average day, Clint Bowyer could come out of Texas the big mover of the week.

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Chase Coverage: Talladega Preview

A pack during the spring race at Talladega. (John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

After six races, we have the tightest points battle in the history of the Chase. And where better to go next than perhaps the most unpredictable of tracks on the NASCAR circuit - Talladega - on the spookiest day of the year - Halloween.

The 2.66-mile superspeedway is a favorite among fans, but maybe not so much among the Chase drivers. You have as much of a chance of finishing in the top 5 as you do bringing your racecar home in an unrecognizable heap of sheet metal.

Some Chasers see Dega as an opportunity to catch up in points, while others hope to avoid "the big one" and simply survive. With only three races following it in the Chase, Talladega has the potential to make or break any of the top 3's chances for a title run.

Twelve of our contributors look at the Chase drivers' odds at Talladega and how they may fare in Sunday's lottery. Come back Tuesday to find out which drivers were "tricked" and which were "treated."

1. Jimmie Johnson - (Leader) - Rebecca Kivak

Out of all the tracks in the Chase, Talladega is probably the only one that gives points leader Jimmie Johnson heartburn. The wild nature of the 2.66-mile restrictor plate track is more a game of survival than smarts, and the four-time Sprint Cup champion has seen what it’s like to be on the losing end of this lottery. Seven out of his 17 starts here have ended in DNFs. This includes his last visit in the spring, when he wrecked with six laps to go, relegating him to a 31^st-place finish.

Johnson’s average finish of 17.8 at the superspeedway is his lowest of the last four tracks in the Chase. His driver rating of 83.6 is the sixth-highest among the Chase field, unusual for a driver whom I’m used to writing leads all drivers in that area of loop data. He has four top-5 and seven top-10 finishes at the Alabama track.

While Talladega is not considered one of Johnson’s best tracks, the driver of the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet has one win (spring 2006) and four poles to his credit. Also worth noting is that in the past two years, Johnson has finished higher in the fall events than those in the spring: he crossed the finish line 6^th in last year’s event and 9^th in 2008. In 2007 Johnson brought home a pair of second-place finishes. In the fall 2006 race, Johnson was on his way to a top-2 finish when Brian Vickers attempted to bump-draft the No. 48 and instead spun him out, along with race leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. As a result, Johnson finished the race 24^th.

Johnson has experienced the best and the worst at Dega, and he knows how fast things can change at the superspeedway. After Denny Hamlin sliced Johnson’s lead down to just 6 points after Martinsville, Johnson said, “You hate to see it vanish. I'm really trying to not be emotionally attached to things until we get out of Talladega. So much can happen at Talladega.”

Despite the unpredictability of Talladega, you can be sure the 48 team will do its best to stay out of trouble and preserve its points lead. I can’t help but remember when Johnson said on the radio toward the end of last year’s race, “We survived!” And if trouble does befall the 48, prepare to see Johnson “race like hell” in the final three races. 

2. Denny Hamlin - (-6) - Holly Machuga

After winning at Martinsville, Denny Hamlin heads to Talladega second in points and only six points behind Jimmie Johnson. He has seven wins as of Sunday, 13 top-fives, 16 top-10s and two poles so far this season.

Martinsville began the final five races of the season, and also began the better of the tracks for Hamlin. He has three top-fives and three top-10s with an average finish of 19.3 in nine races. He has a series-best running position of 13.8 and a series-best driver rating of 95.9. With the excellent finishes seen by the No. 11 team, I would not be surprised by a top-five this weekend.

Denny's strategy of getting top-10s the first five races and racing for the win in the last five has paid off so far. As long as he and the FedEx team keep up the momentum, you will see that team in victory lane more than once before the end of the season.

At this point, Jimmie Johnson should watch his back because Denny Hamlin is out to steal the points lead back. 

3. Kevin Harvick - (-62) - Amber Arnold

Kevin Harvick’s first Talledega wincame in this year’s spring race. That finish was a much betterfinish than what happened to him at the previous Talledega race whereRyan Newman got airborne and landed upside down across Harvick’shood.

It would be hard to say that Talledega is a good track foranyone being that it is such a wildcard, but in Harvick’s 19 raceson the Alabama track he has an average finish of 15.5. Harvick iscredited with one pole, four tops fives, eight top tens and animpressive zero DNF’s. Harvick has an 18^th-best driverrating of 75.3. 

While his numbers are impressive, his competitors inthe Chase are already a step ahead. Having a 62 point deficit goinginto Talledega Harvick has the best record on the 2.66 mile track.That is definitely something to be “Happy” about.   

4. Kyle Busch - (-172) - Lindi Bess

The #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend with 42 other cars. 11 of which he shares the same dream. To become the NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion. Things don’t always work out the way you hoped but that doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel.

Kyle enters ‘Dega in 4th position, 172 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. Its improbable that Kyle can recover from the hits he’s taken during the first half of the Chase. However, its not impossible. It would require the #48, #11 and the #29 to really have a bad finishes. Since the 3 usually run together, you never know. Kyle would have to do somewhat better than in his last visit to the Superspeedway earlier this year, having qualified and finished in the top 10.

Historically, ‘Dega isn’t one of Kyle’s stronger tracks. With 1 win, 1 top 5 and 2 top 10’s. An Average running pos of 18.7, and Average finish of 23.2. He’s rated the 16th best driver with a rating of 79.7. He does carry with him 4 DNF’s,3 of which were crashes.

When asked if being a former race winner at Talladega offered any sort of advantage over the competition Busch said, "It doesn't matter at all. It's such a crapshot there in the last 20, 30, or 40 laps that you never really know who is going to win, what's going to happen, and where the wreck is going to come from."

Check out what Kyle had to say at NASCAR.com on Friday's Sound off

5. Jeff Gordon - (-203) - Genevieve Cadorette

Jeff Gordon was busy promoting his new sponsor AARP Drive for Hunger this week he also found out that DuPont will extend its sponsorship with him for a 19th season. DuPont has signed to be a primary sponsor for 14 Cup races in 2011.

His Talladega history includes six wins, the most of any active driver, as well as one pole, 13 top 5s and 16 top 10s. He leads his Chase competitors with 35 starts at the restrictor-plate track and has the fourth-highest driver rating of the field. Gordon is the most recent competitor to win the from the pole (spring 2007) as well as starting from the furthest back in the field to win a race (36th in 2000). He’s going to Talladega’s Amp Energy Juice 500 in 5th position for the Sprint Cup Chase, trailing the leader by 203 points.

He’ll need to finish the race with big points to stay in the 5th spot and to stay in contention for the chance to win. His hopes have diminished and even though he thinks his chances are over, there’s still a possibility he could win his 5th Cup of his career.

6. Carl Edwards - (-213) - Amanda Ebersole

Talladega ... wreckers or checkers is usually the only two ways to survive this track! Stats for drivers are rather scattered and even drivers who have ran well for many races seem to not escape the carnage on the track. Then we have strategy play, where drivers drop to the back of the field to be behind the crashes, and sometimes this works but other times it can bite them if they can’t make it through a pileup! The only good strategy is go hard, go for the win! No one remembers who finished 22nd at Talladega by trying to play it safe, but we do remember the great finishers!

OK, so with all that said, now onto Carl Edwards and his history at Dega! In his 12 races at Dega, Carl has seven top-five finishes, 17 top-10 finishes and no wins. Carl has led 15 laps at Talladega and has an average finish of 22nd. 

Crew chief Bob Osborne is taking the same car that was just raced in Daytona and finished sixth. The car will be spotting the Subway paint scheme this weekend. Bob’s thoughts on Talladega: “Talladega is challenging for a crew chief because so much of it is out of our control. We do the best we can to get the car handling well and create a smart pit strategy, but most of this race depends on the driver and the spotter. It’s always a tense race for everyone involved. We just have to hope to avoid the inevitable wrecks to be there at the end to contend for the win.”

Carl’s thoughts on heading to Dega, “I was a little nervous about Talladega while we were up there real close to the point lead, but now I’m really excited about it. I think in that race you could see a huge swing there. If we could go win the thing, or run top three and a couple of guys could be caught up in wrecks, the Chase could look a lot different. That’s Talladega and anything can happen. Man, I have a love-hate relationship with that place, but I am looking forward to it now and I hope that we can come out of there with a good finish."

For a side note: After the horrible, terrifying wreck in April 2009, when Carl was leading the race, I have to admit I get super anxious for this race. All I remember of that day was seeing Carl go spinning and screaming out loud, and that was my first fan moment that left me shattered! The horrific last-lap crash left Carl spinning in mid-air and crashing into the retaining fence, pieces of his car flying into the stands and injuring fans. Then to see Carl emerge from the car and run across the finish line, I cried, part happiness that he was OK and part sadness of the crash and that he did not win the race. I know Talladega is a great race, full of lead changes and excitement, but part of me will be on the edge of my seat just hoping for some small miracle that all drivers avoid any wrecks! 

7. Tony Stewart - (-236) - Unique Hiram

"The Big One" may become the changing of the guard for some of the Sprint Cup Chase contenders. After dropping to 7th in the points standings at the conclusion of last week's race in Martinsville, Tony Stewart and his race team are looking to rebound by having a better finishing spot once the checkered flag waves in Talladega on Sunday.

The #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet race team and Stewart are headed to the track where he has captured one win, nine top 5s, 12 top 10s, an average finish of 14.8 in 23 races and holds the fifth-best average running position of 14.6. Additionally, he has the fifth-best driver rating of 89.0 and holds the fourth position of running the 49 fastest laps at this track.

Stewart was asked to rate himself as a restrictor-plate racer and his response was as follows: “Well, I’m not any happier about it than I’ve always been, but we’ve had a lot of success at restrictor-plate tracks, especially Talladega. We’ve run in the top-two there a gazillion times. I’m glad we’re halfway decent at it, but it’s still
always frustrating when you have to rely on what everybody else does. It’s not what you do. It’s what you do along with somebody else who decides that they’re going to follow you and help you. That’s the part that frustrates you as a driver.”

There is no doubt that the AMP Energy Juice 500 in Talladega, Ala., will be one of the most watched events this weekend because it is sure to be huge deal in who will be the top three drivers statistically fighting down to the finish in the last three races of the Sprint Cup Chase Series.

8. Jeff Burton - (-246) - Genna Short

By the numbers, Talladega seems to be one of the better tracks for Jeff Burton. Although the seasoned veteran has never had a win at the superspeedway in 33 starts, he has had four top 5s and 13 top 10s. His average running position is 17.1, the 12th best among active drivers, and though that may not seem like much, he still holds some impressive records at the 2.66-mile tri-oval.

For instance, he has 1,163 laps in the Top 15 (55.5%), which is the fifth-most, and holds the series record for green-lap passes at 4,322. So don’t think you’ll be catching the 31 car running near the back of the pack.

“I've run in the back and tried that but the two times I did it, I got into wrecks so I'm much more prone to try to lead some laps and run in the front pack,” says Burton about staying up front.

Quite a statement from a driver about a place where most of them just want to make it through the race relatively untouched and not be caught in “the big one,” but Jeff Burton doesn’t fear this beast. In fact, he sees it as an opportunity to advance in the standings.

“I look at it as an opportunity to go out and gain points you know, we're behind in points so I look at that as an opportunity. You know, when you're behind a little bit, you're looking for odd things to happen and Talladega's a place where odd things can happen.”

It is clear that he is not planning on letting Talladega get the best of him this weekend.

9. Kurt Busch - (-277) - Katy Lindamood

The 2004 Nextel Cup Champion has never won a restrictor plate race. He has come close a couple of times but has never been able to take home that checkered flag. Could Sunday's race a Talladega Superspeedway be his first restrictor plate win? You'll have to tune in to find out.

Heading into the Amp Energy Juice 500 Kurt Busch sits ninth in the points standings 277 behind leader Jimmie Johnson and though his chances of winning the Cup are slim at this point he still has a positive outlook. Earlier this week Busch said, "In every one of these races, I'm out there trying to learn something new. That's especially true every time the rules are tweaked and we change to a different package. The goal always remains the same, though, and that's to be there at the end of the race and positioned for a shot at it."

While the elder Busch does not have a Dega win to his credit Busch has performed well at the Alabama track in the past. In 19 starts Busch has an average finish of 12.8 and has recorded six top five finishes. Don't count him out this weekend as he looks to win his final restrictor plate race as driver as the "Blue Deuce."

10. Matt Kenseth - (-293) - Whitney Richards

Coming off a 15^th place finish last weekend at Martinsville, Matt Kenseth and the Crown Royal Black Team head to Talladega Superspeedway in hopes of avoiding the ‘Big One’ and getting a good finish. In his 21 starts, Kenseth has three top-5’s and six top-10’s. He has an average starting position of 22.3 and an average finishing position of 18.7 at Talladega. He has had three DNFs (September 2003, April 2004, and October 2008) at the track. His best starting position is 2^nd (April 2010), and his best finish is 3^rd(October 2005). Kenseth has completed 3,733 or 3,977 laps and has led a total of 146 laps in his 21 starts. Kenseth comes to Talladega 10^th in the standings, 293 points behind leader Johnson.

11. Greg Biffle - (-316) - Stacie Ball

“We started the season this year with a good run at Daytona and although Talladega is certainly different than Daytona despite them both being superspeedways, I am hoping that we can have that same sort of performance this weekend. We haven’t had a lot of luck at Talladega, but last year we had two top-10s there so it looks like we’re doing something right. If we can just get out of there with a top-10 finish I will be happy.” That's what Greg Biffle said of the race at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend on Halloween, in which he will be celebrating behind the wheel of the No. 16 3M/Manheim Ford Fusion.

After the race of doom at Martinsville Speedway, how do you come back from it? That is definitely the magical question for the 3M Ford this week. For someone who has driven 16 races at Talladega and has only one top 5 and two top 10s, you can see luck is really not on the side of the team. Yet we can hope the next four races we will see a big improvement.

“The superspeedway races are obviously unique races in that even if you have the best driver, the best pit crew and the fastest racecar, you can very easily get caught up in someone else’s accident and take the car home in pieces. Qualifying is not as important as it is at other tracks just because pit selection isn’t that crucial because the pit stalls are so big and no matter where you start you could have the lead one lap and be 20th the next lap. We had a couple of good finishes at Talladega last year so we’ll just go out there and do what we did then to try to get out of there with a top-10 finish.”

Last week when I got home and saw that Biffle was third on the grid, I was really hoping that start would bring some luck to the team. Maybe it was not the best of luck, yet it honestly showed me even the best of hope cannot bring the wins to the driver of my choice. I am a fan of my drivers, as people know. After seeing the great win a few weeks back at Kansas Speedway, I can't help but hope another win is in the future for Greg Biffle and the entire 3M team!

12. Clint Bowyer - (-406) - Amy McHargue

Coming into Talladega, Clint Bowyer's Chase dreams are done. Bowyer is 406 points off the lead, holding down 12^th place in the Chase standings. Still 90 points back from 11^th-place Greg Biffle, Clint has a lot of work to do this weekend to move up in the points.Bowyer will be looking for win number one at Talladega for his team this weekend – and what a season morale booster that would be! Clint has not yet won at Talladega but claims three top-10 finishes in his nine Cup Series starts at this venue.

When one looks at Clint's past performance at this track, it is evident that his performance has improved over his Cup career. His first four starts at Talladega resulted in no better than an 11^th-place finish, whereas his last five Cup starts here have brought Bowyer three top 10s. With an average finish of 21.4, Clint has his work cut out for him and the #33 Richard Childress Racing Team. Working in his favor is his average finish on superspeedway tracks in general. He claims a 15.4 average finish at this kind of track ... maybe it just took Clint a few years to settle in here at 'Dega.

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Chase Coverage: Charlotte Motor Speedway Preview

The Chase for the Sprint Cup reaches its half-way point as we head to NASCAR's backyard, Charlotte, for the fifth race of the playoffs. The only night race in the Chase, Charlotte Motor Speedway will see the 12 Chase drivers battling to keep their championship hopes alive under the lights.

In Thursday's qualifying session, five of the top 10 drivers are in the Chase, led by four-time champion Jeff Gordon. See where they qualified here.

Twelve of our contributors look at the Chasers' chances for Saturday's Bank of America 500. Check back Tuesday to see our recaps from Charlotte.

1. Jimmie Johnson – Leader – Rebecca Kivak
For the third year in a row Jimmie Johnson leads the Chase points standings going into Charlotte Motor Speedway, arguably his best track on the NASCAR circuit. Johnson has had so much success at Charlotte that many refer to the track as "Jimmie Johnson's house." The four-time champion is tied with 2011 Hall of Fame inductee Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for most wins - six - at the 1.5-mile oval. This means Johnson has won 33 percent of the 18 races he's entered at Charlotte.

In 2004 and 2005, Johnson and the No. 48 Lowes team had a stranglehold on the track, winning all four Cup events in that time period, then finishing second at both of the 2006 races. Johnson wouldn't find victory lane again at Charlotte until last year's fall Chase race. He has led 1,370 laps here and has collected nine top 5s, 13 top 10s and three poles. Johnson's driver rating of 115.3 at Charlotte is the best in the series. His average finish of 10.2 is the highest among Chase drivers.

In May's Coca-Cola 600, Johnson suffered a 37th-place finish after his racecar got loose on turn 2 and he hit the inside and outside walls, sustaining major damage. Starting 10th in Saturday's Bank of America 500, Johnson and the No. 48 team will do everything they can to defend their victory from a year ago, put a disappointing Coca-Cola 600 behind them and add to their 36-point buffer over Denny Hamlin.

2. Denny Hamlin – (-36) – Holly Machuga
Denny Hamlin goes into Charlotte Motor Speedway this week second in points. He fell behind two weeks ago with a 12th-place finish at Kansas, but had a decent run at Fontana last weekend, finishing eighth. Both tracks are a challenge for Hamlin, but with the help of his team, they were able to work their way through it.

Denny has 10 starts at Charlotte, which has proven to be a tough track for the No. 11 team also. In those 10 starts, Denny has three top-10s and no top-5s. No wins have been earned. He has an average start of 15.1 and an average finish of 18.5 with one DNF due to an engine problem.

Hamlin has said that he is not concerned with the 36-point cushion that Jimmie Johnson has over him. His goal in the remaining races? To have all top-10s, preferably top-5s with some wins to get those coveted 10 bonus points, and to lead some more laps (he has led 918 all season with his six wins).

There has been no talk of his ACL problem that was supposed to have affected his driving early on in the season, but brought him multiple wins in reality. He seems to be keeping his chin up and taking care of his medical issues silently.

The No. 11 FedEx team and Denny Hamlin are still pursuing the championship. They have not given up and will not let Jimmie Johnson take his fifth championship without some pressure and a fight.

3. Kevin Harvick – (-54) – Amber Arnold
Charlotte Motor Speedway is another bump in the road for Kevin Harvick. While it’s not his best track, it’s not his worst either.

In 19 races at CMS, formerly Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Harvick has no wins or poles. He has just one top 5 and three top 10s along with one DNF. His average finish at the 1.5-mile track is 20.7. 

Harvick and the 29 team are definitely going to have to up their game this weekend if they hope to keep their championship hopes alive. They are just 54 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson, and just 18 points out from taking over second place. In a Chase which has been deemed the closest it’s ever been, clearly anyone currently out of the top 5 has a tall order on their hands to be able to hoist the championship trophy at Homestead.

4. Jeff Gordon – (-85) – Genevieve Cadorette
Jeff Gordon finished in 33^rd place in practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday afternoon, but a few short hours later during qualifying, Gordon won his first pole of the season. This is also his 69^th career pole, tying him with Cale Yarborough. Gordon has won at least one pole a season for 20 consecutive years. If you factor in his 12 Nationwide wins, he now has 81 poles.

Gordon told the press that he was surprised to have won (the pole). In response to last week’s speeding penalty, he takes the blame and says a “ninth-place finish isn’t good enough; it never is. Won’t say must win, but gotta be closer to the front.”

Other interesting stats for Gordon at Charlotte are that he’s won five times; finished in the top five 16 times and finished in the top ten 20 times. He’s driven a total of 2,154 miles in the top 15.

Gordon’s goal for the Chase this season was to stay in the lead, and he’s been doing just that. 

5. Tony Stewart – (-107) – Unique Hiram
Headed into an evening race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday (Bank of America 500), Tony Stewart and the #14 Office Depot/Old Spice race team definitely have momentum on their side. For the past two Chase races, they have successfully captured a top-5 finish and a win respectively. Currently, this driver and team have climbed to 5^th in points standings and they are looking to move up even further to compete for that coveted trophy at Homestead.

In a recent interview, Stewart was asked about the driving skills and methods that need to be taken in order to be successful in getting around Charlotte Motor Speedway, otherwise known as “The Beast of the Southeast,” and he had this to say: “It always seems like it’s a battle of trying to get your car to cut through the center of the corner and keep the forward drive in it. It seems like it’s a sacrifice of one or the other, but the two ends of the track are different. It seems like you can carry a lot more speed through (turns) one and two, and (turns) three and four are little more thread-the-needle-type corners. Sometimes there isn’t a big difference between the fall and spring races at Charlotte. They’re spread out so far and they’re at the beginning of summer and the end of summer, so a lot of times they can be very similar.”

The statistics for Stewart at this track include one win, six top 5s, 11 top 10s, 596 laps led, an average start of 14.6 and an average finish of 13.4. Although these statistics may not seem as competitive as some of the other Chase drivers, it is quite evident that Stewart and the #14 Office Depot/Old Spice team are definitely on a focused mission to make it all the way to the top spot in the Chase points standings.

6. Kurt Busch – (-140) – Katy Lindamood
Seven drivers have won both the All-Star Race followed by the 600-mile race at Charlotte, but no driver has ever completed a clean sweep of all three races at the North Carolina speedway. This Saturday, Kurt Busch hopes to be the first to accomplish the feat and kick his drive for a second Cup title into overdrive, but it won’t be easy. Busch, who finally conquered Charlotte this season, has had difficulties finishing strong in the Chase races so far in 2010. Up to this point Busch has collected two 13th-place finishes, a fourth place and a 21st-place finish in the four Chase events.

In 20 races in Charlotte, Busch has an average finish of 20, with one win (two if count All-Star), four top-5s, and five top-10s. Busch has lead a total of 492 laps at the track.

Busch will start Saturday’s race from 15th position and will be keeping his eye on the finish line. As he said in this interview, it’s free beer for life if he wins the Chase. That will go nicely with the million dollars he won back in May.

7. Carl Edwards – (-162) – Amada Ebersole
For Carl Edwards and team, this weekend’s race is a time to rally their efforts towards the ultimate goal of dethroning Jimmie Johnson as the Sprint Cup champion. We head towards the home track of NASCAR, Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile track that is centered in the midst of all the race shops, drivers' homes and more importantly crew members’ homes. Teams always look forward to racing at Charlotte because that means they are able to sleep in their own beds. Also key to Charlotte’s race is a chance for the crew who work in the shop, who never get to travel, to be able to come to the track and support their teams … all said, Charlotte is a great race for the teams.

Carl Edwards has 11 previous starts at Charlotte and in those races he has four top 5s, seven top 10s and his best finish was two third-place finishes in 2005 and again in 2006. Carl has also led 34 laps in those races.

Crew chief Bob Osborne is bringing a new chassis to the race and expects good things. “We’re taking a new car to Charlotte that should be very competitive. We need a good run to keep our Chase hopes alive. We had a little setback in California last weekend, but this team is strong enough to overcome one bad race.”

As for Carl, don’t count him out yet either. “Now we’ve got six races left to run the way we know we can run. If we can get a couple wins and a couple solid top 5s, and maybe if Jimmie (Johnson) can have a bit of trouble then it can be anybody’s race. We need to rally this weekend at Charlotte."

8. Jeff Burton – (-177) – Genna Short

It’s been a long time since Jeff Burton’s last win - 71 races to be exact. In fact, Burton’s last win came here at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the fall of 2008. He won the race from a fourth-place starting position after leading 58 of the 334 laps run that day - the least amount of laps he’d led in any of his three wins at Charlotte.

In 33 starts at the 1.5 mile quad-oval track, Burton has eight top 5s and 15 top-10 finishes. However, he still has not had a top 10 in the last three races since his 2008 victory here. Even so, Burton is very confident that he can post that top 5 or possibly drive the 31 car to victory again this weekend.

“It's been a good race track for us- we typically run well there,” Burton stated in an interview posted on wwwRCRRacing.com.

“Even though we haven't won there recently, we feel like it's a good racetrack for us, a solid racetrack for us. It's a very difficult racetrack - but we feel like that's a good racetrack for us.”

Even if the 31 car hasn’t posted as much as a top-10 finish at Charlotte since 2008, Burton seems very satisfied with their chances of posting a good finish or a win here this weekend.

9. Kyle Busch – (-187) – Lindi Bess
As we move into Charlotte for the Bank of America 500, it marks the halfway point of the Chase. Lets look back at Kyle’s stats for the 2010 Season.

2010 Stats

• 3 wins
• 8 top 5s
• 16 top 10s
• 2 poles

Kyle has had an average finish of 13.2 and led a total of 16 races for 1,028 laps. His season-to-date driver rating in the #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry is a 97.6.

There are five out of 12 Chase drivers qualified in the top 10 for Saturday’s Bank of America 500. Kyle is one of those drivers, qualifying sixth on Friday with a speed of 190.644, and 0.133 behind pole sitter #24 Jeff Gordon.

Career History @ Charlotte: His history at Charlotte looks like this: four top 5s, seven top 10s and one pole. He carries an average finish of 17.8 in the last 13 races. Kyle does carry a average running position of 10.9, which is third-best. He has the second-best driver rating at 104.9. Sitting at 77%, in 2nd, he has spent 3,005 laps in the Top 15. He does boast an average green flag speed, considered 2nd fastest, of 175.557.
As a driver of #18 for JGR, this M&M’s Toyota has completed five races at CMS. Of these races he has one pole, four top 5s and five top 10s.

This #18 M&M’s Camry is facing a near impossible battle to get themselves back into the Chase. To those who state it's impossible, I only ask that you look at the first four races of the Chase in regards to the movement each race has produced. Stranger things have happened.

10. Greg Biffle – (-215) – Stacie Ball

Going into the fifth race in the Chase, this is what I would call homecoming weekend for the sport of NASCAR, with the only night race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Here Biffle has two top 5s along with five top 10s, only leading 43 of 4585 laps. What kind of racing will get him back into the Chase once the engine blew up at Auto Club Speedway?

Biffle said regarding the race Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the No. 16 Scotch Blue 3M Ford Fusion, “Well, we’re going to just go out and do our best the rest of the season pretty much like we have all year. We will still go out there every week and try to get the No. 16 3M Ford into victory lane and gain as many positions in the points as we can. This is our last night race of the season and it would obviously be awesome to win in Charlotte. We had a good run during the Coke 600 before I got loose and hit the wall. I feel pretty confident that we should have a good run this weekend with the way we’ve been running at the mile-and-a-half tracks.”

Crew chief Greg Erwin on what it will take to get back into the Chase, after the three of the four races so far: “We’re taking a brand new car to the track this weekend and we feel pretty good about the latest cars we’ve been building here at Roush Fenway. We’ve had some decent runs at Charlotte over the last few years and I know this team is as determined as ever to get to victory lane a few more times before the end of this season. If we can get the car to handle well throughout the race as the track changes, I think we’ve got a good chance of running up front and contending for another win.”

As the only night race in the playoffs as well as homecoming weekend for NASCAR, what else could make it any better? For Biffle, Erwin, the Pit Bulls and Roush Fenway, a win this weekend would definitely get the smile of these guys back on track before going to Martinsville, Talladega and the rest of the tracks in the Chase! 

11. Matt Kenseth – (-241) – Whitney Richards

Matt Kenseth and his crew will head to Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend looking to improve from last weekend’s race at Auto Club Speedway, where mechanical failures left him finishing 30^th. Kenseth’s first career Cup Series win came at Charlotte on May 28, 2000. So far, that is his only win at the 1.5-mile speedway, but he has accumulated six top-5 finishes and 11 top-10 finishes.

In 22 starts, Kenseth has an average starting position of 18.9 and an average finishing position of 15.4 at Charlotte. Kenseth has completed 7,236 of 7,782 laps and has led 305 laps at the track. He has a driver rating of 89.1, which is sixth-best at Charlotte. This weekend, the team is bringing chassis RK-694 to the track. The car was last run at Atlanta , where Kenseth finished 11^th. He will be driving the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion for the Bank of America 500 on Saturday night.

Kenseth comes to Charlotte 11^th in the standings, 241 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

12. Clint Bowyer (-247) – Amy McHargue

Clint Bowyer is coming to Charlotte in the same condition that he arrived to last week's race – in 12^th place in points with nothing to lose. 247 points back, Clint is coming off of a runner-up performance in Fontana and wants to repeat that performance. If Bowyer is to make it into the top five again on Saturday night, he will have to dig deep. Charlotte is not one of Clint's best tracks; he posts a 17.7 average finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway and has finished in the top 10 in 33 percent of his nine Cup starts at the facility.

The most success Bowyer has seen at CMS came in 2007 when he finished second. The past two races in North Carolina have rewarded the #33 Richard Childress Racing team with sixth- and seventh-place finishes. Clint may have the momentum to drive to the front on Saturday night and in doing so could move into 11^th place in the championship points standings – he is just six points behind. Bowyer and his team need to put together more solid runs like last week to get to the front of the field Saturday. Clint's thoughts after Fontana may sum it up best: “We're capable of winning races, and if we keep doing what we did today, we're going to win another one.” 

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