Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Sorting Through NASCAR's Sprint Cup Chase Contenders

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, NASCARThe seventh edition of NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup kicks off Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with 12 drivers scrambling to claim top honors for the 2010 season.

Who are these guys, and what chances do they each really have to bring home the hardware? FanHouse answers these questions below, in order of the initial seeded point standings:

1) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | Hamlin has been NASCAR's streakiest driver of the season -- both good and bad. During a 10-race span toward the middle of the 26-race regular season, Hamlin notched five wins. The feat was all the more impressive because Hamlin was driving while still recovering from a knee injury that had been surgically repaired due to a ligament tear in the offseason.

But Hamlin, with his series-best six wins on the year, has also had stretches of drought. Until winning last weekend at Richmond, he had registered just three top-10s in the 10 previous races. Mechanical issues were at fault in some finishes, crashes in others. Regardless, Hamlin's championship run a year ago was derailed by the same issues. ODDS: 9-2

2) Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (-10) | Going against Jimmie Johnson to win the 2010 Chase is a lot like going with the Utah Jazz to beat Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1996 or 1997 NBA playoffs. Sure, John Stockton and Karl Malone winning the title over the Bulls -- six-time champions in the 1990s -- would have been the pleasing story. But it didn't happen then, and one is hard pressed to make a substantial case that Johnson will lose now. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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