September 7, 2005

By Rebecca Gladden

In less than a week, the field will be set for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship.

While a few positions will likely change after this Saturday night's race in Richmond, there is a very real possibility that five of the top-10 drivers - the only ones who will compete for the Nextel Cup title - will represent one racing team.

Heading into Richmond, all five of Jack Roush's Cup drivers - a group sometimes called the Roushketeers - are in the top-10 in the point standings. Of the other five drivers currently in the top-10, each is the sole Chase representative for his team. Those drivers and teams are: Tony Stewart (1), Joe Gibbs Racing; Jimmie Johnson (3), Hendrick Motorsports; Rusty Wallace (4), Penske Racing; Jeremy Mayfield (7), Evernham Motorsports; and Jamie McMurray (10), Chip Ganassi Racing.

Depending on how things shake out at Richmond, it is possible that a couple of the current top-10 drivers could be joined by teammates in the Chase. Rusty Wallace's Penske teammate Ryan Newman is teetering just outside the Chase in the 11th spot after losing two positions last weekend with an 18th-place finish in California. Only one point separates Newman from 10th-place driver Jamie McMurray, who slid into the top-10 with an 8th-place California finish.

Hendrick Motorsports driver and four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon is still in the running to join teammate Jimmie Johnson in the Chase, but the odds are not in his favor. Gordon fell out of the top-10 in California and now sits 12th in the standings, 30 points behind McMurray.

The five Roush drivers presently occupying spots in the top-10 are Greg Biffle (2), Mark Martin (5), Kurt Busch (6), Carl Edwards (8) and Matt Kenseth (9).

Greg Biffle has spent most of the season in the top-10 and is tied with points leader Tony Stewart for most wins on the season at five apiece. Although 209 points separate Stewart in 1st from Biffle in 2nd, the difference will be reduced to just five points after Richmond, when NASCAR resets the standings for the Chase participants.

Mark Martin, along with fellow veteran Rusty Wallace, will be in the spotlight throughout the Chase. This was expected to be the final season for both drivers, but Jamie McMurray, Martin's eventual replacement in the 6 car, is contractually obligated to his current team until 2007, creating the possibility that Martin will stay in the 6 for one more year.

Kurt Busch, who enters the Chase as the reigning Cup champion, may find his on-track performance overshadowed by contract issues as well. Busch recently shocked the racing world by announcing his departure from Roush Racing in 2007 to assume the ride being vacated at the end of this season by Rusty Wallace. Whether Jack Roush will release Busch to take over the 2 car for 2006 has not been determined, although presently Roush denies that possibility.

Carl Edwards, though technically not a rookie, is competing in his first full Nextel Cup season. He ran in 13 of 36 Cup races last year and has two wins so far in 2005. Edwards, who maintained his 8th-place standing in the points with a top-5 finish in California, is also third in Busch Series points and has four wins in that series on the season.

Matt Kenseth has had one of the most surprising turnarounds of any driver this year, climbing from 24th-place in mid-June to his current 9th-place standing. Kenseth just moved into Chase contention at California, where a 7th-place finish boosted him two spots in the points.

Of the Roush drivers currently in the top-10, only Edwards and Kenseth face any real risk of falling out of the Chase after Richmond. Kenseth is in a more precarious spot than Edwards, however, with a mere 40 points separating him from Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon, all vying for a coveted Chase position.

Whether three, four, or all five Roush drivers ultimately make the Chase, Jack Roush is no doubt relishing the possibility of picking up his third Cup championship in as many years. Matt Kenseth took the trophy in 2003 and Kurt Busch did the same in 2004.

Regardless of the ultimate series victor, Roush dominance will be one of the compelling stories of the 2005 season.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.