CHASE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP
CHASE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP
NASCAR driver profiles
Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet
Chase points: First, 6,572
Position change: None
What happened: Johnson won his 10th race of the season — and fourth in a row — to move within striking distance of defending his Nextel Cup title. He needs to finish 18th or better in Sunday’s finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win his second championship.
Speaking: “I’m trying to think about how or why this has all happened, and how we can keep it and re-create it. But I don’t know what it is. It’s just clicking on all eight cylinders and I’m so stoked to be in this position. It’s a situation that a kid would dream of, any athlete in any sport would dream of. But there’s still 400 miles left to get the job done. It’s just been a dream year,” Johnson said.
Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet
Chase points: Second, -86
Position change: None
What happened: Gordon finished 10th at Phoenix, and although he’s still mathematically able to win the title, he conceded the championship to Johnson as soon as he climbed from his car.
Speaking: “With the wins, with the type of on-track performance we’ve had and being a new father, this has just been an incredible year for me. I’d like nothing more than to add a championship to it. But, if we win it, it’s going to be because Jimmie and the 48 team has problems. And while we’ll accept it, we don’t want to win the championship that way,” Gordon said.
Clint Bowyer
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet
Chase points: Third, -241
Position change: None
What happened: Bowyer finished 11th at Phoenix and was eliminated from title contention. He’d need a disaster at Homestead not to finish third in the final standings.
Speaking: “Homestead hasn’t been the best track for me. I haven’t quite figured out what it takes to be on top there. We’ve been improving on our finishes just about everywhere this year, especially in the Chase,” Bowyer said.
Kyle Busch
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet
Chase points: Fourth, -387
Position change: None
What happened: Busch won the Truck Series and Busch Series races at Phoenix, but missed out on becoming the first driver in NASCAR history to sweep the weekend when he finished eighth in the Cup event. Homestead marks his final race for Hendrick Motorsports.
Speaking: “It’s been a good and exciting year, but it’s been frustrating, too. I feel like we could have won so many more races, but because either I did something or we were involved in someone else’s mistake we weren’t able to get the finishes we deserved,” Busch said.
Tony Stewart
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet
Chase points: Fifth, -403
Position change: Plus 1
What happened: Stewart finished fourth despite a pair of bad pit stops, but was still mathematically eliminated from title contention.
Speaking: “You can’t pass 80 cars and expect to win the race. We got ourselves in such a bind there that we had to run too hard, and then we wore the tires out, and then when you get in a situation where you need to play strategy, you can’t do the right things because you’ve got to make up the time you lost on pit road,” Stewart said.
Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 Dewalt Tools Ford
Chase points: Sixth, -469
Position change: Plus 4
What happened: Kenseth nearly finished second for the second consecutive week, but lost position to teammate Greg Biffle in the closing laps and finished third.
Speaking: “It’s the last race of the season, and overall, I’d say ours has been pretty good. Of course, we would like to have won more races, but here lately we’ve been running really well,” Kenseth said.
Kevin Harvick
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet
Chase points: Seventh, -479
Position change: Plus 1
What happened: Harvick finished sixth, despite banging fenders with Gordon late in the race.
Speaking: “He swerved left. He ran into the side of us. He is going to get what he has got coming back, and I gave it back to him. I guess we’re even,” Harvick said.
Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet
Chase points: Eighth, -483
Position change: Minus 1
What happened: Burton was ninth, but is still capable of finishing in the top five in points for the second consecutive season.
Speaking: “When we look at our program from this year, we see that we have some deficiencies that we need to work on. We did a nice job this year but for us to continue to be competitive and put ourselves in position to win a championship, we have to take another step,” Burton said.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 99 Office Depot Ford
Chase points: Ninth, -505
Position change: Minus 4
What happened: Edwards started on the pole, but his motor failed and he finished 42nd.
Speaking: “That thing is awesome. It was something important in the engine. I don’t know what it is, but we don’t have many engine failures,” Edwards said.
Kurt Busch
Team: Penske Racing
Car: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
Chase points: 10th, -516
Position change: Minus 1
What happened: Busch finished 12th, and is clinging to the final spot on the stage at the awards ceremony in New York.
Speaking: “The way they have it this year is that there are 12 drivers in the Chase, but only the top 10 get to drive their show cars around Manhattan and take to the stage at the ... banquet. It’s a case of team pride and wanting to be able to do all you can for your sponsors,” Busch said.
Martin Truex Jr.
Team: Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Car: No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet
Chase points: 11th, -563
Position change: Plus 1
What happened: Truex nearly won the race, but after fading to seventh, he was angry at his crew for pit decisions.
Speaking: “No matter what pit sequence we decide on the pit box, we get ridiculed and criticized by the driver on the track. It is tough to swallow,” crew chief Kevin Manion said.
Denny Hamlin
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 11 Fed Ex Chevrolet
Chase points: 12th, -599
Position change: Minus 1
What happened: Hamlin finished 16th despite two speeding penalties.
Speaking: “This season taught me a lot. It really reinforced just how hard it is to sustain success in this sport and it gives you an appreciation for what it takes to be competitive. You basically have to remove as much chance for error as you can if you want to compete for a championship,” Hamlin said.