How The Chase Works

Prior to 2007, the top-10 drivers in Nextel Cup points and any driver within 400 points of the series leader after race No. 26 was eligible for The Chase For The Nextel Cup. Those eligible then had their points readjusted in increments of five; first place began the 10-race Chase with 5,050 points, second with 5,045 and so on.
In January, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France announced changes to The Chase format.
• Only the top 12 drivers in Nextel Cup points following the season’s 26th event are eligible for The Chase.
• Through the first 26 races, drivers will earn 10 bonus points for each race victory. After the 26th race, the series standings will be adjusted, and drivers will be seeded based on the number of triumphs they’ve earned.  All drivers will begin with 5,000 points before bonus points are factored into the driver’s point total. For example, Jimmie Johnson, who was sixth in series points heading into the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, jumped to first place to begin The Chase thanks to his series-leading five victories.
• All 43 competitors race each week, and those outside of The Chase continue to earn points based on NASCAR’s standard point system.
• The driver who has earned the most points through the 10-race Chase will be crowned champion during Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The Chase Schedule

Date	Race	Location
Sept. 16	Sylvania 300	New Hampshire Int'l Speedway
Sept. 23	Dodge Dealers 400	Dover Int'l Speedway
Sept. 30	Kansas 400	Kansas Speedway
Oct. 7	UAW-Ford 500	Talladega Superspeedway
Oct. 13	Bank of America 500	Lowe's Motor Speedway
Oct. 21	Subway 500	Martinsville Speedway
Oct. 28	Pep Boys Auto 500	Atlanta Motor Speedway
Nov. 4	Dickies 500	Texas Motor Speedway
Nov. 11	Checker Auto Parts 500	Phoenix Int'l Raceway
Nov. 18	Ford 400	Homestead-Miami Speedway

The Dirty Dozen

FIRST

Jimmie Johnson (Autostock Photo)

JIMMIE JOHNSON

Age: 31
Car: No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Crew chief: Chad Knaus
Outlook: Looking for his second title, the defending champ earned the No. 1 seed by scoring his fifth and sixth victories of the season at California and Richmond.
2007 stats

Starts    Poles     Wins     Top 5     Top 10
26        1             6         14          16   

SECOND

Jeff Gordon (Autostock Photo)

JEFF GORDON

Points: -20
Age: 36
Car: No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Crew chief: Steve Letarte
Outlook: The four-time champion is on the “drive for five” with four wins and 21 top 10s. He led the points for 21-straight weeks.
2007 stats  
Starts    Poles     Wins     Top 5     Top 10
26           6          4          15           21   

THIRD

Tony Stewart (Autostock Photo)

TONY STEWART

Points: -30
Age: 36
Car: No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Crew chief: Greg Zipadelli
Outlook: Last season, Stewart missed The Chase by 16 points, but he scored three victories in the final 10 races.
2007 stats
Starts    Poles     Wins     Top 5     Top 10
26           0          3          9            18   

FOURTH

CARL EDWARDS

Carl Edwards (Autostock Photo)

Points: -40
Age: 28
Car: No. 99 Office Depot Ford
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Crew chief: Bob Osborne
Outlook: Edwards has been in Chase contention since the season’s fourth race and leads his team in victories.
2007 stats
Starts    Poles     Wins     Top 5     Top 10
26          0           2          7            11   

FIFTH

KURT BUSCH

Kurt Busch (Autostock Photo)

Points: -40
Age: 29
Car: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
Team: Penske Racing
Crew chief: Pat Tryson
Outlook: With two victories in the last seven races, the 2003 champ has made his way back into the top 12 in points.
2007 stats
Starts    Poles     Wins     Top 5     Top 10
26          1           2          5             10  

SIXTH

DENNY HAMLIN

Denny Hamlin (Autostock Photo)

Points: -50
Age: 26
Car: No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet
Team:  Joe Gibbs Racing
Crew chief:  Mike Ford
Outlook: The second-year driver has been comfortably in the top three in points since the Pocono 500 in June.
2007 stats
Starts    Poles     Wins     Top 5     Top 10
26          1           1         11           15   

SEVENTH

MARTIN TRUEX, JR.

Martin Truex, Jr. (Autostock Photo)

Points: -50
Age: 27
Car: No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet
Team: Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Crew chief: Kevin Manion
Outlook:  Truex turned his season and his title hopes around with his first career victory at Dover in June.
2007 stats
Starts    Poles     Wins     Top 5     Top 10
26          0           1           5           10   

EIGHTH

Matt Kenseth (Autostock Photo)

MATT KENSETH

Points: -50
Age: 35
Car: No. 17 DeWalt Tools Ford
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Crew chief: Robbie Reiser
Outlook: With 16 top 10s, Kenseth has been a serious threat to capture his second Nextel Cup title throughout the season.
2007 stats  
Starts    Poles     Wins     Top 5     Top 10
26          0           1          8             16   

NINTH

KYLE BUSCH

Kyle Busch (Autostock Photo)

Points: -50
Age: 22
Car: No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Crew chief: Alan Gustafson
Outlook: Busch has been in the title hunt nearly all season and scored the first CoT victory at Bristol in March.
2007 stats
Starts    Poles     Wins     Top 5     Top 10
26           0          1          6             14 

TENTH

Jeff Burton (Autostock Photo)

JEFF BURTON

Points: -50
Age: 40
Car: No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Crew chief: Scott Miller
Outlook: Burton ended a 175-race winless streak last September and notched another victory this season in Texas.
2007 stats
Starts    Poles     Wins     Top 5     Top 10
26           0          1          7            12

ELEVENTH

Kevin Harvick (Autostock Photo)

KEVIN HARVICK

Points: -50
Age: 31
Car: No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Crew chief: Todd Berrier
Outlook: It’s been an up-and-down season for Harvick, who won the season-opening Daytona 500.
2007 stats
Starts    Poles     Wins     Top 5     Top 10
26           0          1          4             11  

TWELFTH

Clint Bowyer (Autostock Photo)

CLINT BOWYER

Points: -60
Age: 28
Car: No. 07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Crew chief: Gil Martin
Outlook: Bowyer, the only driver in The Chase without a victory, has been in the top 12 for 24 of 26 weeks.
2007 stats
Starts    Poles     Wins     Top 5     Top 10
26          1           0          2              12  

UNLUCKY 13

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Autostock Photo)

DALE EARNHARDT, JR.

Points: -895
Age: 32
Car: No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet
Team: Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Crew chief: Tony Eury, Jr.
Outlook: Earnhardt flirted with making The Chase all season, but six DNFs have him mired in 13th, 198 points outside of 12th. This year will be the second time Earnhardt has missed The Chase.
2007 stats
Starts    Poles     Wins     Top 5     Top 10
26          1           0          6             10