Who Will Win?
Kahne
Mark Martin: Mark Martin has had an outstanding start to the Chase, winning the first race, and finishing second in the second. Kansas is most similar to Chicagoland, where Mark won earlier this season. Logic suggests they bring the same car, and logic suggests they have a good chance at performing equally as well, offering Martin a great opportunity to extend his point lead. – Ricky Craven
Kasey Kahne: Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, take your pick. They're at the front every week, so why not at Kansas? Martin won earlier this season at Chicagoland, which is just like Kansas, and Johnson's the defending champ. I could and should pick one of them, but that's not much fun. Going with a hunch. Kasey Kahne. – Jay Hart
Jeff Gordon: Nobody's got more top 10s than Gordon, and this is his last, best chance to catch up to the Johnson/Martin freight train. He had troubles at New Hampshire but started getting his act together in Dover, and I like Gordon to make a solid run at the checkers in Kansas. – Jay Busbee
Three drivers I'll be watching at Kansas, by Ricky Craven
Craven
1. Juan Pablo Montoya …, the surprise thus far in the Chase, has been very impressive, first qualifying for the playoffs, then overachieving once there. The third-year driver has contended in each of the first two events, his confidence appearing to build with each race over the last two months.
Montoya and the 42 team seem unfazed by the pressure typically associated with being in this position and appear equally unconcerned by the teams they are up against. A few more weeks of similar performance will only make them more dangerous down the stretch. Montoya and his team should not be underestimated.
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2. Roush Fenway drivers … Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle were unable to capitalize on their strong history at Dover. However, teammate Matt Kenseth did by finishing third – his best finish since the start of the season. What might Kenseth offer from this strong run that could apply to the No. 99 or No. 16?
Both drivers are very good on 1.5-mile tracks and cannot afford the deficit to Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson to grow any larger. It's not time for a Hail Mary-type of race from Edwards and Biffle, but time will run out if they are not soon able to rediscover their 2008 Chase speed. Neither driver has a win this season, and both need to try something different if they are to contend from here on out.
3. Denny Hamlin … had as much momentum as any driver when the Chase began, capitalizing on it with a second-place finish at New Hampshire. But Dover went completely the other way for the No. 11 team and they struggled throughout the event.
Afterward, Hamlin said he knew he was in big trouble when the race began.
Winning a championship not only comes down to running well and ultimately winning races. It also has a lot to do with managing your bad days, when the car isn't perfect. This is what Jimmie Johnson did in his run of three straight championships – salvaging top 10s.
Last month at Pocono, Hamlin proved how mentally tough he can be when he rallied late in the race to win. If he has any chance of winning this year’s title, he needs to rediscover that strength this week.
Top storyline
Martin
• It's time for drivers not named Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin to make their move, otherwise the 2009 Chase will turn into a two-man race. Average finishes won't cut it, as Johnson and Martin proved by posting average finishes of 2.5 and 1.5, respectively, in the first two races. It's time for those drivers in the lower half of the Chase to perform. – Ricky Craven
• Several drivers are running out of time to make a charge here, and it's high time Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, among others, put on their best driving exhibitions of the year. They may already be toast, but without a strong run this weekend, it's time to start looking to 2010. – Jay Busbee
• Is Juan Pablo Montoya for real? Actually, we already know he is, but a strong run at Kansas will tell us exactly how real. These days, championships are won and lost on the 1.5-mile tracks, so if Montoya can hang with Jimmie Johnson this weekend, there's a good chance he will for the rest of the Chase. – Jay Hart
From The Source
Tony Stewart (on comparisons to Alan Kulwicki): "I think it's an unfair comparison. He had to work a lot harder than we did because he had his own engine program. He had to do his own chassis. That's something we've had the advantage of this year with our alliance with Hendrick Motorsports and knowing that we don't have to worry about the engine package each week. We don't have to worry about the chassis and how they are evolving. We have that luxury that Alan didn't have."