Clint Bowyer
Clint Bowyer has to be wondering what if? After a dramatic win on Sunday at Talladega Bowyer now has two wins in the Chase. Most out of any Chaser but instead of challenging for a title he is left running out the season and trying to play spoiler. Bowyer is not known for is restrictor plate racing but on Sunday he was able to stay up in the lead pack and when it counted he was in position.
At Texas Motor Speedway, Bowyer’s average finish is 15.3. He has two top fives and four top 10 finishes at TMS. Bowyer has run well at this track, in fact in the spring he was caught up in an accident and ended up finishing 36th. Three of his last five starts have resulted in top 10 finishes at TMS. I’d watch out for Bowyer on Sunday.
Points: 12 (-367)
Tony Stewart
Early on in the race at Talladega Tony Stewart was forced to pit road after having a cut tire. It took him a while but he ended up back on the lead lap late in the race. After the restart for debris Stewart was deep in the pack and was never able to get any momentum forward before the caution waved under the white flag. He finished 31st on Sunday.
At TMS, Stewart does have one win, four top fives and 10 top 10 finishes. Not one of his best tracks but Stewart finds a way to finish in the top 10. In the spring race he was caught up in a late race incident that ended what was looking like a solid top 10 if not top five day. Stewart hasn’t finished in the top 10 since his win at California. This weekend is the perfect opportunity to get back on track.
Points: Seventh (-317)Kyle Busch
On Sunday, Kyle Busch was looking like he was going to play it safe and not risk getting involved in a big wreck. He dropped to the back on multiple occasions but was able to make his way forward when needed. The late caution for debris cycled Busch to the back of the pack. With no help from his teammates late Busch was unable to make his move forward, he finished 25th.
Busch doesn’t have a win at TMS but he has run very well there in the past. He has four top fives and five top 10 finishes. In his last five races at the track he hasn’t finished worse than 18th and a best finish of third in the spring. Busch and his team are going for broke with the title out of reach and that makes him even more dangerous.
Points: fifth (-230)
Greg Biffle
It was a fairly quiet afternoon for Greg Biffle on Sunday. He ran in the lead pack for most of the day at Talladega. He was shuffled back on the late caution and was unable to get enough guys behind him to move to the front. He finished 19th but he had a car capable of moving to the front.
At TMS he has an average finish of 20.1 but he does have one win. Along with that win are three top fives and six top 10 finishes. Biffle has a four race streak of top 10 finishes at TMS. In his last six races his worst finish is 39th and that was in 2008. Biffle could very well win this race on Sunday they have had good cars on the mile and half tracks in the Chase.
Points: 11 (-361)
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson needed to finish the race at Talladega; he couldn’t afford to wreck or get caught up in the big one. So the team played it safe Johnson dropped to the back and only raced when he had to and that was at the very end. With the help of teammates Johnson was able to finish ahead of Denny Hamlin in seventh.
Johnson has another tough race ahead of him as the points are tighter than ever before. At TMS, he has one win, seven top fives and 10 top 10 finishes. Johnson in the last three of the last four races he has finished second including in the spring. Johnson needs to finish ahead of Hamlin and he is more than capable of winning this weekend.
Points: Leader
Jeff Gordon
It had been a while since Jeff Gordon finished a race at Talladega in one piece. After qualifying deep in the pack Gordon dropped to the back where he ran most of the day. Late in the race he and teammate Johnson hooked up and went to the front in two laps. Gordon suffered overheating problems and had to drop back. On the final restart Gordon was able to find his teammate and move forward, he finished eighth.
TMS has never been Gordon’s best track but in recent years he has grown to like the track. In the spring he led 124 laps and was dominating late. He got caught up in a wreck after being shuffled mid pack during a late pit stop. Gordon has one win, seven top fives and nine top 10’s. Still searching for his frist win of the season, TMS could be just the place.
Points: Fourth (-207)
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