Let’s Go “Chase” Racin’!
By Adam Ruggiero
Love of Sports Correspondent
The dust, debris and especially the tempers, settled Sunday evening after the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 at Richmond.
It left the 12 fastest bandits of the ‘08 Sprint Cup season in line to chase down the championship.
Here’s everything you need to know going into this weekend’s postseason action:
The Top 12 in points have qualified for the 10-race Chase. Their points have been reset to 5,000, with 10 bonus points added for each victory this season.
Your Chasers
1. Kyle Busch (5,080 points)
--15 Top 5s / 17 Top 10s / 1 DNF
Well, duh. Busch is on the cusp of capping off a record-breaking season. If he can finish like he’s started, he could break Jeff Gordon’s and Richard Petty’s modern-era record of 13 wins in a season ... and win the championship.
2. Carl Edwards (5,050)
--Six wins, with 10 bonus points disallowed due to penalty / 11 Top 5s / 19 Top 10s / 1 DNF
At the end of the year, Edwards matched Busch’s dominance and kindled a fierce rivalry in the process. Things could get chippy in the final 10 races, making for an epic run to championship.
3. Jimmie Johnson (5,040)
--Nine Top 5s / 14 Top 10s / 1 DNF
All Johnson’s four wins came in the last five races! He’s one dominant performance away from being the title favorite.
4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (5,010)
--Eight Top 5s / 13 Top 10s / 0 DNF
Earnhardt’s No. 88 team was the flagship at Hendrick at the beginning of the year, but things have dropped off dramatically. There’s communication problems between driver and crew, and the car setups aren’t competitive with the class of the field. The team needs to get back to the way things were or else they’ll sink.
5. Clint Bowyer (5,010)
--Four Top 5s / 12 Top 10s / 0 DNF
Bowyer was last year’s Cinderella story, and though other drivers know his name, he’d still be a huge surprise to win the Cup. A solid team all around, they just need to make their cars fly with the Gibbs, Roush and Hendrick machines.
6. Denny Hamlin (5,010)
--Nine Top 5s / 14 Top 10s / 2 DNF
Three straight third-place finishes have elevated the No. 11 team’s hopes for the Chase. Inconsistency, though, has been the word for Hamlin this year. Can he overcome that?
7. Jeff Burton (5,010)
--Four Top 5s / 12 Top 10s / 2 DNF
It’s been a steady slide for the No. 31 team since briefly leading the points at the beginning of the season. Not a true contender anymore, but he should keep his car clean and finish in the top half of the Chasers.
8. Tony Stewart (5,000)
--Nine Top 5s / 13 Top 10s / 3 DNF
Looking at his stats, you could easily argue that Stewart had either a great or terrible season, depending on how you swung it. He’s led in almost every race and been in contention late more than many of his Chase counterparts, but he garnered no wins and had some heated exchanges with his crew over their performance on pit road. It’s possible, but it’s a long shot.
9. Greg Biffle (5,000)
--Eight Top 5s / 11 Top 10s / 2 DNF
Biffle’s season was marked by inconsistency, but he, along with Roush teammate Carl Edwards, have benefitted from stronger Fords. It looks like The Biff could be in the hunt.
10. Jeff Gordon (5,000)
--Nine Top 5s / 12 Top 10s / 4 DNF
“Winless” defines this NASCAR legend’s ‘08 campaign. It’s a testament to his remarkable ability this record-low season still qualifies him for championship contention. Still, something’s amiss with the No. 24, and it’ll almost certainly keep him from winning.
11. Kevin Harvick (5,000)
--Six Top 5s / 12 Top 10s / 0 DNF
Only true NASCAR followers would stand a chance of naming Harvick among this year’s Chasers. He stayed under the radar by going winless and not having any confrontations with his team or fellow drivers. Despite no trips to victory lane, he’s actually the most dangerous sleeper in the bunch.
12. Matt Kenseth (5,000)
--Six Top 5s / 15 Top 10s / 0 DNF
Kenseth deserves the consolation award for being the only Cup driver left to have made the Chase every year of its existence (beginning in 2004), because he won’t be winning any other forms of hardware this year. The team just doesn’t have the chemistry or the confidence to pull it off.
The Chase for the Cup begins Sunday at the one-mile oval in Loudon, New Hampshire, with the Sylvania 300. Here’s the full Chase schedule (times EST):
Sun., Sept. 14 - Loudon - 2 p.m.
Sun. Sept. 21 - Dover - 2 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 28 - Kansas City - 2 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 5 - Talladega - 2 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 11 - Charlotte – 7:30 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 19 - Martinsville – 1:30 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 26 – Atlanta – 2 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 2 – Fort Worth – 3:30 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 9 – Phoenix – 4 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 16 – Homestead, FL – 4 p.m.
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