Six of the dozen drivers beginning pursuit of NASCAR’s Chase for the Championship on Sunday weren’t in the playoff-on-wheels last year. When these six look around, they’ll see four former Sprint Cup champions in the Chase. Talk about intimidation . . .
Jimmie Johnson is the Chase king: He has won the last three Chases. The other titlists are Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch.
If Johnson wins again, he’ll be the first driver in NASCAR history to win four consecutive Cup titles. Cale Yarborough is the only other three-time winner.
Consider Johnson a force again in this year’s Chase, which starts at New Hampshire and then moves to Dover, Del., Sept. 27. Johnson has the most Chase wins of all time (14). He’s the only driver in all six Chases.
Gordon has had a very consistent season. He was runner-up in points to Tony Stewart entering Saturday night’s race at Richmond. Gordon has four runner-up finishes in the last 12 races. Philadelphia Daily News
“It’s anybody’s championship,” Johnson says. “Guys that have been locked in have been running decent but not scoring the most points. The guys around the bubble have probably been scoring the most points. It’s really tough to pick a favorite.”
As the sixth edition of the 10-race, 12-driver run for NASCAR’s premier championship kicks off Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, there might not be a clear-cut choice to win the title, but there is a consensus among the contenders that this is perhaps the most wide-open Chase yet.
Consider the recent plight of the Chase’s three drivers with multiple championships.
Tony Stewart, who held the points lead through 26 races, hasn’t notched a top-10 finish since winning at Watkins Glen International four races ago. Johnson has been burned by balky spark plugs (Pocono), faulty fuel mileage (Michigan), loose lug nuts (Bristol), broken axles (Atlanta) and a weak setup (Richmond) in not registering a top five since his Indianapolis victory. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon hasn’t won since Texas Motor Speedway in April. USA Today
While the Chase features some of the usual suspects when a NASCAR championship is on the line, newcomer Brian Vickers may be the driver to watch.
The No. 83 Red Bull Toyota man held the hot hand over the final 10 races before the Chase, erasing a 197-point deficit to make the playoff for the first time.
“I guess the Chase is about who can be the best for 10 races, that’s the bottom line,” Vickers said.
“You know, we have done it for the past 10 weeks. There’s no reason we can’t do it for the next 10. It doesn’t mean we will. That’s a big hill to climb and there’s a lot of challenging teams in this Chase, very competitive teams and talented drivers. So, we have got a big road ahead of us.”
Vickers left the Hendrick team in 2007 to join the fledgling Red Bull NASCAR operation in a move many thought was nuts. But after a difficult first year, Vickers rebounded to finish 19th overall in 2008.
This season, he had six poles and scored Red Bull’s maiden NASCAR Cup victory in Michigan last month. A seventh last weekend was enough to get him into the Chase for the first time in his career.
The Red Bull driver’s success came at the expense of Matt Kenseth who held the 12th and final Chase spot going into Richmond. The No. 17 Ford driver missed the Chase for the first time since its inception in 2004 after only finishing in the top-10 once in the final 10 races before the Chase. Globe and Mail
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