DRIVERS The Chase for the championship

Tony Stewart
Car: No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet
Chase points: First, 6,415
Position change: None
What happened: Stewart finished fourth on Sunday in Phoenix to stretch his lead to 52 points over Johnson. Stewart can win his second NASCAR championship by finishing ninth or better during the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Jimmie Johnson
Car: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet
Chase points: Second, 6,363
Position change: None
What happened: Johnson was better than Stewart for most of Sunday's race, then faded at the end to finish seventh and lose more ground to him. He knows he'll need Stewart to falter at Homestead if Johnson has any shot of winning the title. Johnson has been good in the finale, with three top-10 finishes in his last three races there.
Carl Edwards
Car: No. 99 Office Depot Ford
Chase points: Third, 6,328
Position change: None
What happened: Edwards tried to win his third straight race, but had to settle for a sixth-place finish. Now he's 87 points out and needs bad luck from both Stewart and Johnson for any chance to win the title.
Greg Biffle
Car: No. 16 National Guard/Subway Ford
Chase points: Fourth, 6,313
Position change: None
What happened: Biffle did all he could in Phoenix, leading 189 laps before finishing second. He's the last driver still mathematically eligible to win the championship, but at 102 points out, realizes it's probably not going to happen this season.
Mark Martin
Car: No. 6 Viagra Ford
Chase points: Fifth, 6,253
Position change: None
What happened: Martin finished a sub-par 14th in Phoenix to fall out of title contention. He can make up positions in the standings with a strong run at Homestead, but that's all he has left to race for.
Ryan Newman
Car: No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge
Chase points: Sixth, 6,208
Position change: Plus 1
What happened: Newman wrecked during an early practice session at Phoenix and had to go to a backup car. He still pulled out a 12th-place finish.
Matt Kenseth
Car: No. 17 DeWalt Tools Ford
Chase points: Seventh, 6,187
Position change: Minus 1
What happened: Kenseth lost a spot in the standings by finishing 32nd in Phoenix after mechanical problems dropped him two laps down. He can finish as high as third in the final standings.
Rusty Wallace
Car: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
Chase points: Eighth, 6,016
Position change: Plus 1
What happened: Wallace finished 29th in Phoenix, two laps down. He'll make the final start of his long, storied career on Sunday at Homestead, then drive off into retirement.
Kurt Busch
Car: No. 97 Irwin Industrial Tools/Sharpie Ford
Chase points: Ninth, 5,974
Position change: Minus 1
What happened: Busch had a Friday night run-in with Phoenix police and was charged with reckless driving. It led car owner Jack Roush to suspend him for the final two races of the season, ending his Roush career because he's scheduled to drive for Roger Penske next season. But because of the Chase format, Busch won't finish lower than 10th in the standings.
Jeremy Mayfield
Car: No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge
Chase points: Tenth, 5,939
Position change: None
What happened: Mayfield had another rough Chase race, finishing 24th. The good news is he'll pass the suspended Busch in the standings to avoid finishing 10th in the Chase for a second straight season.
Associated Press
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