in NASCAR Articles

Johnson a contender

Last week's Sylvania 300 was the first race in the Chase for the Cup. As we head into race 2-of-10 let's break down each cup contender in efforts of putting you in Victory Lane.

Kevin Harvick - Last week at the New Hampshire International Speedway Harvick took the checkers in dominating fashion. It was a flawless performance by a team that's brimming with confidence and yet is sharp enough not to overlook any details that could lead to them making a mistake. The victory put him atop of the points standings for the first time in his career.

Harvick will be one of the several bettor's choices at Dover on Sunday, but before investing on him keep in mind: When you're on top, everyone is gunning for you.

Denny Hamlin - This rookie has it all going for him, plenty of talent and a very smart veteran crew chief in Mike Ford. Hamlin is showing a remarkable amount of grace under pressure, but was his fourth-place finish last week behind Harvick, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon a fluke or the real deal? It's still too early to tell so backing him at the ticket window on Sunday maybe ill-advised until deeper in the chase.

Matt Kenseth - Kenseth has had his share of cold streaks this season, but now is not the time for the No. 17 to have one of its cold streaks. Despite having mechanical issues all afternoon last week he had a very solid 10th place finish.

Kenseth has the complete package to get the job done this week at Dover, where in his last trip to the Monster Mile he started 19th and finished first. You can expect a repeat performance this weekend. Investing on him would be wise in both driver vs. driver matchups and to win this weekend.

Jeff Gordon - Gordon is definitely the backbone to this team and without him behind the wheel, this team might not be in the Chase. At Dover, Gordon can't afford to have a race like his Hendrick teammates Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch had last weekend. If he does, this team will never recover.

He's strong at Dover and if he starts up front, expect him to stay there. All four of his victories at the Monster Mile have come when he's started in the first two rows. Gordon also has 10 top-5 finishes and 13 top-10's at Dover.

Jeff Burton - Last week, Burton looked like a real contender at Loudon until the final 20 laps, when he pulled another of his bone-headed moves. If this team can do as well in the final 20 laps like it does in the first 20, Burton will have a legitimate shot at a win at Dover and the Nextel Cup title.

Mark Martin - Martin was quoted after last weekend's race as saying he's not worried about the points and that he absolutely doesn't care. He also said that he had a better car than where it finished. Sounds like a guy who's just happy to be in the Chase. With this type of attitude he'll flatten many wallets. Betting against him in the driver vs. driver matchups maybe a very sound move throughout the entire chase beginning Sunday.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Earnhardt Jr. admitted that he and his team just didn't get the job done last weekend. Early in the race, it looked as though he had a winning car. Then, as the pit stops began, his car got worse and worse. If he's to raise the cup, his crew will need to be flawless in every stop. 

In June, Earnhardt was destroying the competition at Dover until he broke a brake rotor, but he should be strong again this weekend at the Monster Mile. It's crucial the No. 8 gang has a good performance at Dover because this is another team that will not recover from a bad race.

Kasey Kahne - The No. 9 team didn't have the kind of race it needed at Loudon. A 16th-place finish is OK in April or May, but not in September and not in the Chase. He'll need to bounce back strong this weekend or it's going to be very difficult to recover in efforts to win the title.

Jimmie Johnson -The No. 48 team had problems last weekend, but don't be overly concerned, because Johnson feeds off of adversity. Crew Chief Chad Knaus is the best at rallying his troops and taking them back into battle stronger than ever. Dover is one of their better tracks and it will show this Sunday.

Kyle Busch -You just get the feeling Busch is still too green behind the ears (and boy are they big) to have a legitimate chance of taking the Cup. Once again, young Busch found himself in the middle of someone else's brain fade with nowhere to go, and the result was a smashed up race car last week.

History tells us that in most cases a team can't come back from a disastrous Chase start. We'll hear a lot of "it's not over yet" from this group, but right now they are just fighting to survive.