Sprint Cup: The Chase is On!!

Here they come!

Here's the field for the 2009 Sprint Cup "Chase for the Championship."

1. Mark Martin, Chevy, 5040 pts.
2. Tony Stewart, Chevy, 5030 pts.
3. Jimmie Johnson, Chevy, 5030 pts.
4. Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 5020 pts.
5. Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 5020 pts.
6. Jeff Gordon, Chevy, 5010 pts.
7. Kurt Busch, Dodge, 5010 pts.
8. Brian Vickers, Toyota, 5010 pts.
9. Carl Edwards, Ford, 5000 pts.
10. Ryan Newman, Chevy, 5000 pts.
11. Juan Montoya, Chevy, 5000, pts.
12. Greg Biffle, Ford, 5000 pts.

Matt Kenseth, winner of the Daytona 500 and the first race in California in February missed the Chase for the first time since the Chase format was adopted. Kyle Busch who tied Mark Martin for the most wins also did not make the field. The field included no drivers from Richard Childress racing who ran three teams in the Chase in 2008 driven by Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, and Kevin Harvick. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in last year's field but his struggles in '09 have been well documented. With Kyle Busch not making the lineup and Tony Stewart now racing for his own team, only one team, Denny Hamlin, represents Joe Gibbs Racing.

This year's "Chase" marks the first entries by Brian Vickers for Red Bull Racing and Juan Pablo Montoya who represents the merged operation Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing. With the merger of Gillette/Evernham and Petty Enterprises, this is the first Chase to have the Petty name in competition as Kasey Kahne races for Richard Petty Racing.

Surely the success of Stewart-Haas racing has to be one of the major story lines for this year's chase. Though Stewart has not raced well for the past few races, no driver has dominated the season the way his new #14 team with crew chief, Darian Grubb. While Ryan Newman won no races, his consistency brought him into the field as the second entry for the first year operation.

For those who did not make the field, winning races still has its rewards. Many drivers and crew chiefs are racing for jobs next year as sponsorship dollars are tight. Will there be more stories like the merger of Yates into Richard Petty racing on the horizon? Might we find out that next year's NASCAR season could gain a woman's touch as the rumors about Danica Patrick's possible move to NASCAR grow louder, but would she start at the Sprint Cup level or get her apprenticeship racing in the Nationwide or Camping World Trucks series?

Mark Martin leading the field surely must most popular with NASCAR fans. Surely, if any driver is capable of running off a series of wins, the cagey old veteran is as good as they come. Naturally, Jimmie Johnson would be a hard one not to pick given his team's ability to find a little something extra as the series transitions into fall. There's no telling how powerful Tony Stewart's team could be if they get a second win, and oh by the way, there's a fellow in the Chase who has four championships, Jeff Gordon.

More thoughts as the drivers head to New Hampshire next weekend.

x