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It’s chase time! This is new to me. I find a lot of old school NASCAR fans who really hate the idea, but on first glance, I like it. Think about it, up until the finish of the Chevy Rock ‘n’ Roll 400, Jeff Gordon was cruising along with a nice, fat lead. Suddenly, on the basis of wins, Jimmie Johnson is suddenly ahead of him, and from here on out, I don’t think the Rainbow Warrior will be mailing it in.
I’m looking forward to wide open crazy racing over the last 10 of 2007- ya know, the kind of racing we saw on the final laps of last night’s race at Richmond. It was cool to see the likes of Junior, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson going toe-to-toe. In the field, we have:

Jimmie Johnson, #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet. He’s behaving like a guy who wants a repeat of 2006. Week after week, he’s a contender. Johnson had a mid-season slump, but he’s sure running right now.

Jeff Gordon, #24 Du Pont Chevrolet.. My personal favorite. A 5th Nextel Cup seems like a fitting finish for a guy who just became a dad, and has been behaving like a real leader out there. All you folks who have been labeling Gordon a whiner must admit he has been vocal in his praise of other winning drivers, and he’s taken responsiblity for the mistakes he’s made. Gordon’s first four Cups came from 1995, 1997, 1998 & 2001.

Tony Stewart, #20 Home Depot Chevrolet. Smoke’s recent performance has done nothing to tarnish his image as a strong second half driver. With his recent wins (especially at his beloved Indianapolis) and strong finishes, all the conterversy seems to have faded into the past. He’s going great, just when he needs to. Smoke has two Cups to his credit from 2002 & 2005.

Kurt Busch, #2 Miller Lite Dodge. The big blue beer can has just been flying as of late. Was he unstoppable at Pocono and Michigan, or what? It’s been a slight surprise to see him kind of back away at the end of the last two races. No doubt, he’s represented Penske and Dodge well. “Big Shrub” is looking for Nextel Cup number two, winning his first in 2004.

Carl Edwards, #99 Office Depot Ford. The King of Concrete is sure to win at least one title this year. As far as I’m concerned, the mockery he’s made of the point standings in the NASCAR Busch Series makes a case for the chase. As good as he is, it’s easy to forget he’s a young guy, and this is only his second chase. It might be kinda cool to see a back flip in response to a 2007 Nextel Cup presentation.

Kyle Busch, #5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet. By no less than Kyle Petty (who’s probably seen a race or two), “Little Shrub” has been called the best young racer in NASCAR today. He definitely reinforced the notion with a dominating performance in the Busch race at Richmond Friday night. For Kyle, a Nextel Cup title would be a fitting swan song for the Hendrick Motorsports driver headed next year to the Joe Gibbs’ Racing team.

Denny Hamlin, #11 Fed Ex Chevrolet. Denny has done nothing but make noise (99% positive noise) since coming on board in 2006. He’s been racking up wins here and there, and along with Tony Stewart, gives JGR a powerful 1-2 punch. Don’t count him out. His chase opponents sure aren’t.

Martin Truex, Jr., #1 Bass Pro Chevrolet. Thanks to Truex, Dale Earnhardt Inc. has representaion in the Chase. He hasn’t been around all that long, but don’t forget he was a two-time (2004 & 2005) winner of the Busch Series title not all that long ago. A Cup would sure cement Truex as a leader at DEI.

Matt Kenseth, #17 De Walt Ford. The 2003 winner of the Nextel Cup has flown under the radar this year. It seems like the only time I hear much about him is when he’s complaining about how his car is running. But, by golly, here he is. He does have one victory to his credit (the 1st race at Fontana this year), and his appearance among the list is testament to his consistency.

Jeff Burton, #31 AT&T Chevrolet. J.B. is one of three Richard Childress Racing drivers in the chase. He’s had some real ups and downs, but somehow, he’s here. The victory at Texas was a great moment for the pride of South Boston, Virginia in 2007.

Kevin Harvick, #29 Pennzoil Chevrolet. The 2nd member of the RCR team in the chase. Kevin had to race smartly last night to weave his way in. The winner of the Daytona 500 and All-Star Weekend managed to thread the needle on what seemed like every crash. There must have been some nervous moments when he had all that grass caught in his grill, but “Happy Harv” made it through.

Clint Bowyer, #07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet. If you’ve read articles or seen stories about him, you know this guy could easily be the face of NASCAR. The Kansan has a certain middle-American charm, and he is a car guy through and through- complete with an oval track in his back yard- something to do when he’s not restoring cars. It’s hard to believe that as good as Bowyer is, he hasn’t won anything at this level yet.

This is a very impressive field. I think that due to consistency- you have to rate Stewart, Gordon, Johnson and maybe even Hamlin as favorite to take it. The Busch Brothers, Edwards, Kenseth and Truex are racers poised to pounce should the favorites fall off, and goodness knows they could. The 2007 road has had it share of potholes for Bowyer, Harvick and Burton , but there’s a reason races are run on tracks and not paper.

This will be a good one. Stick around.