By Michele Vincze
Fort Worth Star-Telegram staff writer
With four races remaining until the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins, we take a look at the Top 12 in points heading into the Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway:
1. Tony Stewart (3,383 points)
The long and winding road: With his track-record fifth victory at Watkins Glen International on Monday, Stewart reminded NASCAR Nation that it’s Smoke’s world and we’re all living in it. He led 34 of 90 laps to earn his third win of the season and 10th consecutive top-10 finish. “We’ve still got work to do,” Stewart’s crew chief Darian Grubb (above right) told the media after the race. “We’re trying to get stronger every week and this was a testament to the effort we put forth every week.”
Career stats at Michigan: One win, nine top-fives, 14 top-10s, 12.2 average finish in 21 starts.
Ode to Motown: Stewart only needs to start Sunday’s race to become the first owner-driver to earn a spot in the Chase. Super-fast Michigan International Speedway suits Stewart and his stats show it. He hasn’t finished outside the top 12 in the past five races there. “We look forward to going there obviously because the manufacturers are there and it’s a driver’s track,” Stewart said in a release. “You can help yourself out as a driver by moving around on the race track.”
2. Jimmie Johnson (3,123 points, -260)
The long and winding road: After starting on pole Monday, Johnson battled a lose race car all afternoon. He managed a 12th-place finish despite going for a spin off the track. “Spun out down there in [Turn 1],” Johnson said in a TV interview after the race. “That didn’t help us any. There was some dirt on the track. Came to the braking zone [and] I could see dirt and trash blowing around and I thought, ‘OH MAN, there I go.’ And sure enough, away I went.”
Career stats at Michigan: No wins, two top-fives, six top-10s, 14.9 average finish in 15 starts.
Ode to Motown: Johnson could also clinch a spot in the Chase if he finishes Sunday’s race 586 points ahead of 13th place. He has a 496-point advantage on 13th-place Kyle Busch right now. Johnson led 146 of 200 laps at Michigan in June, but finished 22nd after he ran out of fuel with just more than a lap remaining. Michigan is one of six tracks on the NASCAR circuit where Johnson hasn’t won.
3. Jeff Gordon (3,041 points, -342)
The long and winding road: The accomplished road racer had a very disappointing weekend at Watkins Glen. After qualifying an uncharacteristic 31st, Gordon was involved in two accidents, the second of which left his car destroyed and Gordon’s back sore. “It’s just not what I needed you know,” Gordon said of his back troubles in a TV interview after the accident. “You take three or four steps forward up to this point, and you take a hit like that and you take a couple steps backwards. So yeah, it was a heavy impact.”
Career stats at Michigan: Two wins, 16 top-fives, 21 top-10s, 11.5 average finish in 33 starts.
Ode to Motown: Gordon finished second at Michigan in June after starting in the rear of the field because of an engine change. His last win at the track was in 2001. His aching back shouldn’t limit him on Sunday, but Bristol on Aug. 22 may test Gordon’s mettle.
4. Kurt Busch (2,902 points, -481)
The long and winding road: Busch’s strong seventh-place finish on Monday at The Glen helped solidify his standing in the race to the Chase. He led three times for 23 laps. The 2004 Cup champion is lurking quietly as the Chase approaches.
Career stats at Michigan: Two wins, two top-fives, seven top-10s, 19.4 average finish in 17 starts.
Ode to Motown: Busch fondly remembers his two wins at Michigan; the second, in 2007, came on a Tuesday after rain pushed the race back two days. Busch, who finished eighth at Michigan in June, is ready for another “typical” Michigan race. “Can you say ‘fuel mileage race’?” Busch said in a release. “Seriously, that’s one track that you always come in there planning on it to have fuel mileage involved in the equation. Mark [Martin] won there in June because of fuel mileage. Dale [Earnhardt] Jr. won the first race there last year due to fuel mileage.”
5. Denny Hamlin (2,847 points, -536)
The long and winding road: Hamlin overcame an early pit-road speeding penalty to earn in his second consecutive top-10 finish Monday in Watkins Glen. It was his sixth top-10 in eight races, a stretch that has seen him go from 10th to fifth in the standings. “That penalty early on really hurt us, but to drop that far back and work our way back into the top 10 says a lot about this FedEx team,” Hamlin said in a team release. “We kept after it and got a good result.”
Career stats at Michigan: No wins, two top-fives, three top-10s, 13.7 average finish in seven starts.
Ode to Motown: Hamlin’s hot streak started at Michigan in June, when he finished third. His only blip since then was a 34th-place showing at Indianapolis. He qualified 16th for Sunday’s race.
6. Carl Edwards (2,830 points, -553)
The long and winding road: Edwards isn’t known for his road-course skills, but he was able to pass a few strong cars late in the race and finished third, a vast improvement from his 33rd starting spot.
Career stats at Michigan: Two wins, six top-fives, nine top-10s, 6.3 average finish in 10 starts.
Ode to Motown: Edwards won this race last year and finished fourth at Michigan in June. Edwards, or one of his Roush Fenway Racing teammates, is a safe bet to win Sunday. In 149 starts, Roush drivers have 11 wins, a team record for any Sprint Cup track. “That racetrack takes several aspects of the team into account,” Edwards said in a team release. “The racing is high in speeds, the engines are run out there, and fuel mileage is very important. I feel our team has a lot of depth in those areas and we should do very well there.”
7. Juan Pablo Montoya (2,781 points, -602)
The long and winding road: Montoya’s sixth-place finish Monday was much like his sixth at the Infineon Raceway road course in June: steady and uneventful. The June finish in California propelled him into the top 12; Monday’s result at Watkins Glen pushed him up one spot to seventh, the highest he’s ever been in the Sprint Cup standings.
Career stats at Michigan: No wins, no top-fives, one top-10, 27.6 average finish in five starts.
Ode to Motown: Before a sixth-place finish at Michigan in June, Montoya was downright awful at the two-mile oval. He finished 43rd because of an accident in his first trip to the track, and he didn’t finish better than 25th in the other three tries. “Well, if you think about Michigan and the No. 42 car, normally we really [stink] here,” Montoya said during a media session Friday. “We do! But this year, for some reason we seem to be running good everywhere.” Montoya will start third Sunday in Chassis No. 819, the same car that finished 11th at Indianapolis and second at Pocono two weeks ago.
8. Kasey Kahne (2,754 points, -629)
The long and winding road: Kahne fought a lose race car at Watkins Glen on Monday and settled for a 17th-place finish. His day was somewhat marred by an multi-car accident he triggered that left his Dodge with minimal damage but ended the race for Sam Hornish Jr., Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton. “I feel really bad about that deal there with Sam [Hornish],” Kahne said in a team release. “I went down into the corner and got loose and he was there. I’m not sure he even knew I was there but it’s not good for those guys and I know ‘sorry’ doesn’t fix it.”
Career stats at Michigan: One win, five top-fives, five top-10s, 16.8 average finish in 11 starts.
Ode to Motown: Kahne dropped one spot in the standings, but still has a 127-point cushion over 13th place. A good showing Sunday would be a great boost for his team and manufacturer. “I feel like this is one of the races ... being in Michigan and near Detroit ... you always want to perform for your manufacturer, but this year it seems like a win would really benefit [the manufacturer] and excite some people that are a huge part of Dodge,” Kahne said.
9. Ryan Newman (2,727 points, -656)
The long and winding road: Newman’s 21st-place finish at Watkins Glen continued an alarming trend for the No. 39 Stewart-Haas team. After turning in eight top-10 finishes in 10 races in the spring and early summer, Newman has recorded only one top-10 in the past eight events.
Career stats at Michigan: Two wins, four top-fives, four top-10s, 18.9 average finish in 16 starts.
Ode to Motown: Newman won consecutive races at Michigan in August of 2003 and June of 2004. Since then he hasn’t finished higher than 12th. He battled handling issues in June before finishing 23rd. With only 100 points separating him from the cutoff spot, Newman needs a solid result Sunday. “We just need to do what we’ve done, only we need to try to do it better,” Newman said in a release. “We’ve got ourselves in a position to be in the top 12, but we need to do it better because we’re sitting ninth right now, and that’s a dangerous place to be sitting with four races to go.”
10. Greg Biffle (2,718 points, -665)
The long and winding road: The good news for Biffle at Watkins Glen? He turned in his best career finish (fifth) at the track, which propelled him up two spots in the standings. The bad news? Despite the bump, he went from being 101 points out of 13th to only 91 points out. “I had a really fast car — it was a good day for us, a good top-five in points, and we’re going to some race tracks where we feel like we can win, and hopefully lock ourselves into this Chase,” Biffle said in a team release.
Career stats at Michigan: Two wins, six top-fives, eight top-10s, 12.5 average finish in 13 starts.
Ode to Motown: The should’ves and could’ves were plentiful for Biffle after the June race at Michigan. After a stout late-race battle for the lead with Jimmie Johnson, Biffle ran out of fuel on the backstretch of the final lap and coasted in for a fifth-place finish. He led 42 laps in that race and should contend again Sunday.
11. Mark Martin (2,716 points, -667)
The long and winding road: Martin sure didn’t need a 23rd-place finish at Watkins Glen on Monday, but at least he finished, which can’t be said for his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Martin fell one spot in the standings and is 89 points ahead of 13th.
Career stats at Michigan: Five wins, 17 top-fives, 29 top-10s, 13.4 average finish in 47 starts.
Ode to Motown: Martin’s five wins at Michigan are the most for him at any NASCAR track and his most recent Michigan victory — two months ago — came courtesy of fuel strategy. Martin knows he can’t relax in these final races before the Chase. “In my head, I’m always 13th. I’m always on the outside looking in,” Martin said in a team release. “I don’t ever want to get comfortable or think we’re safe. You can’t count on that until the end of the race at Richmond. We had a rough weekend at Watkins Glen. We didn’t expect that, and that’s why you can’t get comfortable.”
12. Matt Kenseth (2,685 points, -698)
The long and winding road: After starting 42nd Monday at Watkins Glen, Kenseth finished a quiet 14th, but still fell one spot in the standings. It was his third consecutive top-15 result. “We always want to do better, but with how we have been running, I’m pretty happy with that,” Kenseth said in a team release. “We finished 14th, which is about what we were, to be honest. That was a good finish for us.”
Career stats at Michigan: Two wins, nine top-fives, 13 top-10s, 9.6 average finish in 20 starts.
Ode to Motown: Two conversations you’ll likely hear over Kenseth’s team radio on Sunday are, “How are we on fuel?” and “Where is the 18?” Kenseth is 58 points ahead of 13th-place Kyle Busch (driver of the No. 18 Toyota) and 96 points in front of Brian Vickers in 14th. The good news for Kenseth is, since 2000, no one has been better on two-mile ovals. He leads all drivers in wins (five), top-fives (16) and top-10 finishes (24).
Note: Stats compiled from team releases/Web sites and www.nascar.com
Photos: Getty Images; The Associated Press
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