dewalt tools : NASCAR Nextel Cup Race to the Chase Rundown

The following is a rundown of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Top 10 heading into Sunday’s USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, the second event in the “Race to the Chase,” the 10 events prefacing the “Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.”

The USG Sheetrock 400 is the 18th of 36 races on the series’ schedule (3 p.m. ET on TNT). The first 26 races of the season will determine the drivers involved in the third annual Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, which is contested over the final 10 races. Drivers in the top 10 or within 400 points of the standings’ leader after those 26 races will vie for the 2006 series title in the “Chase.”

No. 1 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet). Team: Hendrick Motorsports. Points: 2,501. Johnson finished a season-worst 32nd at Daytona, retaining his spot atop the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings, but allowed Matt Kenseth to close to eight points. He is the only driver with 13 top-10 finishes this season. Johnson has been among the top 10 for 86 consecutive races, since March 2004. He has three victories in 2006, second to Kasey Kahne with four. Johnson has four top-five finishes in four races at Chicagoland for a 3.0 average finish, tops among drivers with more than one start there. Johnson finished third in this race last year. He has led in all four of his Chicagoland races. Season-to-date Loop Data highlight: Johnson ranks third in Driver Rating (102.1).


No. 2 – Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Power Tools Ford). Team: Roush Racing. Points: 2,493. Kenseth finished fifth at Daytona, his 11th top-10 effort this season. The finish also was his 10th top-five effort in 2006, best among drivers. Kenseth has ranked in the top five since the season’s second race, a victory at California. He has two top-10 finishes in five races at Chicagoland. Kenseth finished second in this race last year, his best showing there. He has a 9.4 average Chicagoland finish. Season-to-date Loop Data highlight: Kenseth is ranked third in Average Running Position (11.269).

No. 3 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet). Team: Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Points: 2,234. Earnhardt finished 13th at Daytona to climb two positions in the standings. He has one victory (2005) and two top-10 finishes at Chicagoland, and a 16.4 average finish. Earnhardt has led in two of his five Chicagoland races but has never led the most laps there. He has finished on the lead lap in four races at the 1.5-mile speedway, failing to do so only in 2003. Season-to-date Loop Data highlight: Earnhardt is ranked ninth in Driver Rating (92.8).

No. 4 – Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge). Team: Evernham Motorsports. Points: 2,209. Kahne finished 25th at Daytona, dropping one spot in the standings. He has a series-leading four victories this season (Atlanta, Texas, Lowe’s Motor Speedway and Michigan), as well as 10 top-10 finishes. Kahne ranked 21st in the standings at this point last season. He finished 36th and 41st in his two Chicagoland starts, both DNFs. Kahne has a 38.5 average finish there. Season-to-date Loop Data highlight: Kahne is ranked seventh in Driver Rating (94.2).

No. 5 – Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet). Team: Joe Gibbs Racing. Points: 2,202. Stewart won at Daytona, climbing two spots in the rankings. He has led at least one lap in 12 races in 2006, tied for second in that category with Matt Kenseth. Stewart has nine top-10 finishes this season. He has one victory (2004) and four top-10 finishes in five races at Chicagoland for an 8.8 average finish. Stewart finished fifth in this race last year. He has led in three of his five Chicagoland races, including the most laps twice; his 275 laps led are the most among drivers. Season-to-date Loop Data highlight: Stewart ranks fourth in Driver Rating (99.6).

No. 6 – Mark Martin (No. 6 AAA Ford). Team: Roush Racing. Points: 2,177. Martin finished 33rd at Daytona, dropping two positions in the standings. He has had only one DNF (at Talladega in October 2005, due to an accident) in the 42 events since the June 2005 event at Pocono. Martin has three top-10 finishes in five Chicagoland races, including a 10th-place effort in 2005. He has a 12.6 average Chicagoland finish. Martin has led in three races at Chicagoland, but has failed to finish on the lead lap in two of his five starts. Season-to-date Loop Data highlight: Martin ranks sixth in Driver Rating (94.4).

No. 7 – Jeff Burton (No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet). Team: Richard Childress Racing. Points: 2,152. Burton finished 15th at Daytona, dropping one spot in the rankings. He has 10 top-10 finishes this season. Burton has one top-10 finish in five starts at Chicagoland, a sixth-place showing in 2003. He finished 30th in this race last year. Burton has a 25.2 average Chicagoland finish. Season-to-date Loop Data highlight: Burton ranks second in Quality Passes (1,026).

No. 8 – Kyle Busch (No. 5 Kelloggs Chevrolet). Team: Rick Hendrick Motorsports. Points: 2,095. Busch finished second at Daytona, his best showing this season, to climb from 12th to eighth in the standings. He has eight top-10 finishes in 2006. Busch has just one DNF this year, at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. He finished 14th in this race last year, his lone Chicagoland start. Busch has yet to lead a lap at Chicagoland. Season-to-date Loop Data highlight: Busch ranks ninth in Average Running Position (13.578).

No. 9 – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet). Team: Richard Childress Racing. Points: 2,088. Harvick finished ninth at Daytona to climb one spot in the standings. He has eight top-10 finishes this season. Harvick has two victories (2001 and 2002) and three top-10 finishes in five races at Chicagoland, tops among drivers. He is the only driver with multiple Chicagoland victories. Harvick finished 19th in this race a year ago, his worst effort there. He has a 9.6 average Chicagoland finish. Harvick led in first three Chicagoland races, but has not led in the last two. Season-to-date Loop Data highlight: Harvick is the ninth-place Mile Leader (234.71).

No. 10 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet). Team: Joe Gibbs Racing. Points: 2,048. Hamlin finished 17th at Daytona to climb back into the top 10 in the standings. He leads 11th-ranked Greg Biffle by six points. He has been the top-finishing Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate in nine of 17 races this season; no other rookie has done so more than three times. This will be Hamlin’s first Chicagoland start. Season-to-date Loop Data highlight: Hamlin is the sixth-place Mile Leader (348.05).

by: BGerhart