RICHMOND, Va. — A glance at the 12 drivers competing for NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup championship after the field was set Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway:
DRIVER: Mark Martin, Hendrick Motorsports
ADJUSTED POINT STANDINGS: 5,040
HOMETOWN: Batesville, Ark.
AGE: 50
CAR: No. 5 Kellogg’s/Carquest Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Alan Gustafson
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 2nd (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002)
OUTLOOK: Martin just wanted to a win a race this season, so grabbing four wins, six poles and the top seed in the Chase is all a bonus for a driver who ran a partial schedule the past two seasons. He’s steady enough, though, to add the title that has eluded him during his 25-year career.
DRIVER: Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing
ADJUSTED POINTS STANDING: 5,030
HOMETOWN: Rushville, Ind.
AGE: 38
CAR: No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot/Burger King Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Darian Grubb
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 1st (2002, 2005)
OUTLOOK: Having a surprisingly successful first season as co-owner of his team, Stewart is seeking to become the first owner/driver to win the championship since Alan Kulwicki in 1992. He won three races this season, and the All-Star race.
DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports
ADJUSTED POINT STANDING: 5,030
HOMETOWN: El Cajon, Calif.
AGE: 33
CAR: No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Chad Knaus
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 1st (2006, 2007, 2008)
OUTLOOK: The three-time defending series champion is the favorite to win the championship until someone takes it away. He has three wins this season, but proved fallable by giving up victories three more times this year when his car ran out of gas.
DRIVER: Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing
ADJUSTED POINT STANDINGS: 5,020
HOMETOWN: Chesterfield, Va.
AGE: 28
CAR: No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Mike Ford
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 3rd (2006)
OUTLOOK: Hamlin has extreme confidence heading into the Chase, and declared himself the favorite right before Richmond. He’s consistently maintained he’s the best non-Hendrick team, and has momentum from his Richmond victory to take into the Chase.
DRIVER: Kasey Kahne, Richard Petty Motorsports
ADJUSTED POINT STANDING: 5,020
HOMETOWN: Enumclaw, Wash.
AGE: 29
CAR: No. 9 Budweiser Dodge
CREW CHIEF: Kenny Francis
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 8th (2006)
OUTLOOK: Kahne has miraculously won two races this season despite total chaos at RPM. The team just announced a merger with Yates Racing that will move them to Fords next season, and the constant drama will be tough for Kahne to overcome.
DRIVER: Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports
ADJUSTED POINTS STANDING: 5,010
HOMETOWN: Vallejo, Calif.
AGE: 38
CAR: No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Steve Letarte
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 1st (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001)
OUTLOOK: The four-time series champion has been strong at times this season, but has not been as consistent as Stewart or teammate Jimmie Johnson. He won at Texas in April, and has six runner-up finishes this season.
DRIVER: Kurt Busch, Penske Racing
ADJUSTED POINT STANDINGS: 5,010
HOMETOWN: Las Vegas
AGE: 30
CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP: 1st (2004)
OUTLOOK: Busch recently learned he’ll run for a second championship with a lame-duck crew chief. It’s like a football coach going into a bowl game knowing he’ll be at a new school the next year, and that could turn Busch’s Chase chances upside down.
DRIVER: Brian Vickers, Red Bull Racing
ADJUSTED POINT STANDINGS: 5,010
HOMETOWN: Thomasville, N.C.
AGE: 25
CAR: No. 83 Red Bull Toyota
CREW CHIEF: Ryan Pemberton
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 15th (2006)
OUTLOOK: Gave Red Bull its first career victory with a win last month at Michigan, and scored the most points of all drivers over the last 10 races to put himself in Chase contention. A title probably isn’t realistic for the third-year team, and simply making it into the Chase is a team accomplishment.
DRIVER: Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing
ADJUSTED POINT STANDINGS: 5,000
HOMETOWN: Columbia, Mo.
AGE: 29
CAR: No. 99 Aflac Ford
CREW CHIEF: Bob Osborne
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 2nd (2008)
OUTLOOK: The preseason pick to win the championship, Edwards is winless this season and now hobbled by a broken foot from a frisbee game gone bad. Without some momentum, he probably won’t challenge for the title.
DRIVER: Juan Pablo Montoya, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
ADJUSTED POINT STANDINGS: 5,000
HOMETOWN: Bogota, Colombia
AGE: 33
CAR: No. 42 Target Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Brian Pattie
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 20th (2007)
OUTLOOK: Everyone thinks Montoya is the darkhorse of the group, and he used a combination of patience, luck and smart racing to grab his first Chase berth for him and owner Chip Ganassi. But Montoya needs a win or two to be a real contender, unless he finds a way to top-five himself to a title.
DRIVER: Ryan Newman, Stewart-Haas Racing
ADJUSTED POINT STANDINGS: 5,000
POSITION HEADED INTO RICHMOND: 9th, -556
HOMETOWN: South Bend, Ind.
AGE: 31
CAR: No. 39 Army Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Tony Gibson
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 6th (2002, 2003, 2005)
OUTLOOK: Back in the Chase after a three-year absence, Newman is part of the surprising success of upstart Stewart-Haas Racing. But the focus of that team is on Stewart, and the winless Newman would be happy with a strong showing.
DRIVER: Greg Biffle, Roush Fenway Racing
ADJUSTED POINT STANDINGS: 5,000
HOMETOWN: Vancouver, Wash.
AGE: 39
CAR: No. 16 3M Ford
CREW CHIEF: Greg Erwin
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 2nd (2005)
OUTLOOK: Nobody thought he was a title contender last year, then he won the first two Chase races. But he’s winless so far this season, and has shown no signs of coming to life the way he did in 2008.
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