Chase Capsules
A glance at the 12 drivers competing in NASCAR's Chase for the Nextel Cup championship, in order of point standings:
• DRIVER: Jeff Gordon
• TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports
• CAR: No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet
• CHASE POINTS: First, 5,690
• POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1
• WHAT HAPPENED: Gordon used a last-lap pass of teammate Jimmie Johnson to win at Talladega, scoring his fifth win of the season and taking over the career mark for wins at restrictor-plate tracks (12). He also got to celebrate for the first time in Victory Lane with his newborn daughter, Ella.
• SPEAKING: "It was probably the coolest Victory Lane that I've ever had. I always wondered and hoped that that moment would come, and I hope that it comes again when she can talk and remember the experience. But the fact that she was there, as soon as I started thinking about her meeting me there, I started tearing up."
• DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson
• TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports
• CAR: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet
• CHASE POINTS: Second, -9
• POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1
• WHAT HAPPENED: Johnson was leading the race on the last lap at Talladega and was stunned when Gordon blew past him to claim the win.
• SPEAKING: "I hate losing, and I couldn't figure out what I did wrong to leave that opportunity. I thought I did a good job of controlling the head of the pack and doing all I could to hold my position."
• DRIVER: Clint Bowyer
• TEAM: Richard Childress Racing
• CAR: No. 07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet
• CHASE POINTS: Third, -63
• POSITION CHANGE: None
• WHAT HAPPENED: Bowyer had to survive a rash of failures by motors in Richard Childress Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. cars. Although his engine seemed to fade, he finished 11th.
• SPEAKING: "It wasn't as strong as it needed to be, but hey, it did its job and got me to the end. That's what we needed to do here."
• DRIVER: Tony Stewart
• TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing
• CAR: No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet
• CHASE POINTS: Fourth, -154
• POSITION CHANGE: None
• WHAT HAPPENED: Stewart led 38 laps but lost the lead late when he didn't hold off the pack behind him. It was his second straight frustrating finish and another win his team believes got away.
• SPEAKING: "All we can do is just do our job. Even if we win the race for the next seven weeks in a row, there is still no guarantee that we could close the gap. It really takes the pressure off of us. All we can do is go for broke now."
• DRIVER: Kevin Harvick
• TEAM: Richard Childress Racing
• CAR: No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet
• CHASE POINTS: Fifth, -202
• POSITION CHANGE: None
• WHAT HAPPENED: Harvick had a weak motor and nursed it home to his 20th-place finish.
• SPEAKING: "Hopefully, we can get this problem solved this week and compete for a win at Charlotte. It's just really frustrating knowing you have a car that can compete for a win and something like this happens."
• DRIVER: Carl Edwards
• TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing
• CAR: No. 99 Office Depot Ford
• CHASE POINTS: Sixth, -205
• POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1
• WHAT HAPPENED: Edwards finished 14th at Talladega and then lost his appeal of the 25-point penalty he received because his car failed inspection after his win at Dover.
• SPEAKING: "I'm really excited to get back to a track that I feel comfortable at. We're bringing our California car this weekend -- the car we finished second in -- so I'm confident we'll be good."
• DRIVER: Kurt Busch
• TEAM: Penske Racing
• CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
• CHASE POINTS: Seventh, -215
• POSITION CHANGE: Plus 2
• WHAT HAPPENED: Busch was in position late to win at Talladega and was lined up with teammate Ryan Newman to give the Penske cars an incredible shot. But the Hendrick cars ganged up on them, and Busch finished seventh.
• SPEAKING: "We want to put together a complete race where we are competitive from the beginning until the end (at Charlotte). Over the last couple of years, it's been the case where we've had a really competitive car and led a ton of laps, only to see the handling go away during the race and end our chances for a win or a good finish."
• DRIVER: Kyle Busch
• TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports
• CAR: No. 5 Kellogg's Chevrolet
• CHASE POINTS: Eighth, -260
• POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2
• WHAT HAPPENED: Another week of wrong place, wrong time for Busch, who was wrecked when a mechanical problem caused Bobby Labonte to shoot down the track and directly into Busch. He finished 36th.
• SPEAKING: "The team of course wants to be optimistic, and they want me to be optimistic. But I'm sorry, it's the realism that sets in that you are so far back that it's going to take a lot to get back in this deal."
• DRIVER: Denny Hamlin
• TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing
• CAR: No. 11 Fed Ex Chevrolet
• CHASE POINTS: Ninth, -262
• POSITION CHANGE: Plus 3
• WHAT HAPPENED: Hamlin was slightly involved in an early 11-car accident, but his crew patched up the damage, and he recovered to finish fourth.
• SPEAKING: "We have ourselves in a pretty deep hole now, but we'll keep fighting because there are positions to be gained. Our goal all along has been to beat our season performance from last year when we finished third. We know it would take some unbelievable circumstances to catch the guys up front with the lead they have opened up, but it doesn't change our desire to win some races before the end of the season."
• DRIVER: Martin Truex Jr.
• TEAM: Dale Earnhardt Inc.
• CAR: No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet
• CHASE POINTS: 10th, -300
• POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2
• WHAT HAPPENED: Truex's motor failed -- one of five RCR-DEI engines to blow up -- and he finished 42nd.
• SPEAKING: "The past three weeks we've had great cars capable of winning every race, and we just can't seem to find any luck. Without any freaky luck for anyone else, we're pretty much out of it."
• DRIVER: Matt Kenseth
• TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing
• CAR: No. 17 Dewalt Tools Ford
• CHASE POINTS: 11th, -318
• POSITION CHANGE: None
• WHAT HAPPENED: Kenseth was caught up in an 11-car accident and finished 26th.
• SPEAKING: "Talladega was typical Talladega. Every time we go there, no matter what package we're running, we always have a big wreck that takes out a bunch of cars. There's nothing we can do about that."
• DRIVER: Jeff Burton
• TEAM: Richard Childress Racing
• CAR: No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet
• CHASE POINTS: 12th, -336
• POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2
• WHAT HAPPENED: Burton had one of the RCR-DEI engine failures, and he finished 43rd.
• SPEAKING: "I suspect this is just too much for us to overcome regarding the championship."
