Chase driver capsules: Homestead
A weekly in-depth look at the 10 drivers competing in NASCAR's Chase for the Championship.
REWIND: Johnson finished second at Phoenix -- his fifth straight finish of second or better -- to take a comfortable lead into the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Johnson is now on track for his first NASCAR championship.
VITAL STATS: If Johnson finishes 12th or better, or leads a lap and finishes 13th or better, or leads the most laps and finishes 15th or better in the final race at Homestead, he will clinch the championship. He has three top-10 finishes in in five races at Homestead. His other two finishes were 25th or worse, including last year when he finished 40th after wrecking. His average finish of 15.6 ranks fifth among Chase drivers. drivers. QUOTE: "I don't have any strategy other than go down and finish ahead of (everyone.) It's just simple. That's all we've done so far through these last few months, and (we'll) just go down there and do the same thing we've been doing," Johnson said. |
REWIND: Kenseth was once again only mediocre at Phoenix, finishing 13th. He has five finishes outside the top 10 during the Chase, but only one worse than 14th.
VITAL STATS: Kenseth has only one top-10 finish -- a third-place run last season -- in six races at Homestead. His other five finishes at the track are 19th or worse and he has never led a lap. His 25.5 average finish at Homestead ranks seventh among Chase drivers. QUOTE: "As far as our championship chances, well, they definitely aren't good. But anything can happen. All we can do is the best with what we have and see where we stand at the end of the day," Kenseth said. |
REWIND: Harvick won at Phoenix to complete the season sweep at the desert track and score his fifth win of the season. Unfortunately for him, with Johnson running second he could only gain 15 points on the lead. Harvick is the only Chase driver to capture multiple victories during the Chase.
VITAL STATS: Harvick has four top 10s in five races at Homestead. He finished eighth in this race last year and has led in three races. He has a 9.4 average finish at Homestead, ranking first among Chase drivers. QUOTE: "We have had our ups and downs, but for the most part, it's been really good. So we're just having fun and racing as hard as we can. There's really not a lot of pressure, to tell you the truth. It's just go out and go as fast as you can," Harvick said. |
REWIND: Hamlin finished third at Phoenix, but still lost 10 points to Johnson in the standings. He and Jeff Gordon lead Chase drivers with six top 10s during the Chase.
VITAL STATS: Hamlin finished 33rd in his only race at Homestead. He led one lap. QUOTE: "We're just not to that (championship) level. If we come out of Homestead and we end up winning the championship, it's going to be by extreme luck," Hamlin said. |
REWIND: Earnhardt was decent at Phoenix finishing ninth. He and Kenseth are the only drivers to finish in the top 25 in all nine Chase races, but with Johnson finishing first or second in five straight races, it hasn't been good enough. He is the last driver with a mathematical shot of winning the title.
VITAL STATS: Earnhardt has never finished better than 13th in six races at Homestead. He finished 19th in this race last year. Earnhardt's average finish of 19.166 at the track ranks sixth among Chase drivers. QUOTE: "We needed a strong run and a little luck this past weekend at Phoenix, and didn't get either one. We'll do what we can this weekend, get as many points as we can, and see how it all turns out. We'll never quit trying," Earnhardt said. |
REWIND: Gordon finished fourth at Phoenix -- his fourth top five and sixth top 10 of the Chase --, but he was mathematically eliminated from title contention due to three DNFs. The four-time series champion can still get another title this season -- as the owner of Johnson's car.
VITAL STATS: Gordon has six top-10 finishes in seven races at Homestead. He finished ninth in this race last year, extending a streak of four straight top-10 finishes at the track. His 9.571 average finish at Homestead ranks second among Chase drivers. QUOTE: "I'm still a racer and would prefer to be battling Jimmie for the championship. But, since we're not in contention, we're hoping our teammate wins it for Hendrick Motorsports," Gordon said. |
REWIND: Burton finished 10th at Phoenix -- his fifth top-10 of the Chase -- but he was mathematically eliminated from title contention.
VITAL STATS: Burton has three top 10s -- all top fives -- in seven races at Homestead. He has finished 14th or worse in his last three races at the track. He finished 25th in this race last year. Burton's average finish of 13.714 at Homestead ranks fourth among Chase drivers. QUOTE: "I speak from experience -- just because you are leading the points, you are not protected from bad things happening to you. That is part of the sport that is perhaps the most frustrating," Burton said |
REWIND: Martin finished sixth at Phoenix and was mathematically eliminated from title contention. He is the only Chase driver who has failed to win in 2006.
VITAL STATS: Martin has four top-10 finishes -- all top fives -- in seven races at Homestead. He finished second in this race last year, his best finish at Homestead. Martin ranks third with an 11.571 average finish at the track. QUOTE: "It's actually hard to believe that it's actually here. I've been in that car for a long time. It's a part of me and I'm a part of it. Now the time has come for me to hand that over to someone else, but it's going to be a different feeling for sure," Martin said. |
REWIND: Kahne finished seventh at Phoenix -- his fourth top 10 of the Chase -- but with three DNFs, he was mathematically eliminated from championship contention.
VITAL STATS: Kahne has finished 38th and 16th in his only two races at Homestead. QUOTE: "It's been nice to be in the Chase and nice for Evernham Motorsports to be in it for three straight years. I think until about two weeks ago we still had a shot to win the Nextel Cup. I look forward to finishing off the year strong and do all we can to finish up front and get ready for next year," Kahne said. |
REWIND: Busch probably had a top-10 car at Phoenix, but he got caught up in a wreck and finished 38th -- his fourth finish outside the top 25 during the Chase.
VITAL STATS: Busch finished 41st in his only race at Homestead. QUOTE: "Tough end to this year, we are ready for next year," Busch said. |
