Clint Bowyer

Well if Clint Bowyer felt he had any chance of making a title run after the penalty at Loudon, his finish at Dover put an end to that.  Bowyer who admitted this weekend at Kansas that all the media and talk about the appeals and the penalty did distract the team.

The team had a poor qualifying run at Dover.  He had a 25th place finish after uncharacteristic speeding penalties. Bowyer sits in an even deeper hole but the good thing is this weekend they are at his home track of Kansas.

Bowyer at Kansas has one top five and two top 10 finishes. His average finish is a solid 11th and on Sunday he will start 27th. Another poor qualifying has him starting deep in the pack and will need early cautions to gain some track position.

Bowyer needs to just focus on racing and let the rest take care of itself.

Tony Stewart

Just like Bowyer, Tony Stewart disappointing run at Dover all but sealed his fate for the title in 2010. He needed a strong run to make up points loss after running out of fuel at Loudon. Instead they struggled and finished 21st.

Stewart heads to Kansas where he has two wins including last year’s race in the Chase. He has four top five’s, six top 10’s and an average finish of 13.2. Stewart needs a good, solid run this weekend not just to help his title hopes but to change the momentum.

He helped his cause on Friday during qualifying; he laid the 14th quickest lap. This was a good start for a team that just needs to finish in the top 10. Stewart knows that his gamble at Loudon was costly but he also knows there is plenty of racing left.

Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch is quietly putting together a very solid season. In fact, Busch who is third in the standings is arguably the sleeper in the title hunt. Busch at Dover did exactly what he needed to do and that was run solid, lead laps and finished sixth.

Busch now heads to a track that is not one of his best tracks in the Chase. He only has one top 10 finish and carries a Chase worse 24.3 average finish. Busch will start 19th on Sunday and will have some work to do to get to the front.

Even if Busch doesn’t win the title this overall could be one of his best years in his career. He is racing smarter and taking what the car gives him. Busch is still in this fight though and he won’t go down without a fight.

Greg Biffle

It was only a few years ago in 2008 when Greg Biffle came to Dover and won, sweeping the first two races of the Chase. Last Sunday, Biffle was barely a factor as he and his team once again struggled at a track where he has had past success. His 19th place finish didn’t help his championship chances last Sunday.

Now Biffle comes to Kansas another track where he has won before but the question is can he capitalize on his past success? At Kansas he five top 10’s and five top five finishes with a sparkling ninth place average finish.

Biffle has work to do if he wants back into the title hunt and Kansas could be that place. He once again qualified well in the top 10 in fifth. If there is one driver to watch on Sunday Biffle could be it. He is right on the edge in being a real contender for the title.

Jimmie Johnson

Well if you thought Jimmie Johnson was out of this title hunt, or was off his game you obviously didn’t watch Dover where he dominated and won. Johnson jumped to second in the standings and is looking to repeat history in the final eight races.

Something that seems to be repeating itself recently is poor qualifying for Johnson. For the second time in three races Johnson will start outside top 20. This week at Kansas he starts 21st. Johnson won’t have good track position early.

At Kansas his numbers include one win, two top five’s and six top 10 finishes. Johnson will be a factor on Sunday just will take a little longer than usual.

Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon was looking forward to Kansas far more than any other driver in the Chase. That is because it is a mile and half track, the type of track where in 2010 he has been the most successful. Gordon at Dover had a seventh place car. A tough final pit stop cost them five positions under green and Gordon was only able to salvage an 11th place finish.

Gordon won the first two races at Kansas but since then have not visited victory lane, even though they have been close here since 2002. He has seven top 10’s, six top fives and a stout average finish of 8.9 at Kansas. 

 Gordon and his team have been focusing on qualifying in recent weeks. It finally seemed to pay off with his best qualifying effort in three months on Friday. He will start third and has that much coveted track position. Gordon is only 83 points out and Kansas could jumpstart their title hunt.