CUTTING TO THE CHASE WITH TWO EVENTS LEFT, SEVEN SPOTS REMAIN FOR DRIVERS TO MAKE TITLE RUN.Byline: Louis Brewster Staff Writer FONTANA - For at least seven drivers, the 2005 NASCAR NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla. Nextel Cup The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series is NASCAR's top racing series. It was formerly known as the Strictly Stock Series (1949), Grand National Series (1950-1971), and the Winston Cup Series (1972-2003). season is down to a pair of races. Only three will get to compete for the championship after events at California Speedway The California Speedway is a two-mile, low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California, similar to that of "sister track" Michigan International Speedway. It is located approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill. and Richmond, Va. Welcome to the high-pressure stakes of the Chase for the Championship. At the end of 26 races, only the top 10 in the points standings will compete for the title. ``The sense of urgency is amazing over the last two years,'' said Elliott Sadler Elliott Sadler (born April 30, 1975 in Emporia, Virginia) is a race car driver in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. He currently drives the #19 Dodge Avenger for Gillett Evernham Motorsports with teammates Scott Riggs and Kasey Kahne. , who used his victory in the inaugural Labor Day Labor Day, holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday in September to honor the laborer. It was inaugurated by the Knights of Labor in 1882 and made a national holiday by the U.S. Congress in 1894. Sunday race in 2004 at Fontana to secure a spot in the Chase. ``Racing is twice as hard than it ever was.'' Only four drivers will not feel that sense of urgency this weekend. Points leader Tony Stewart For other persons named Tony Stewart, see Tony Stewart (disambiguation). Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart (born May 20, 1971) is an auto racing driver who was born in Columbus, Indiana. He has won championships in sprint cars, Indy cars, and stock cars. , Jimmie Johnson This article is about NASCAR driver. For the football player, see Jimmie Johnson (American football). For people named Jimmy Johnson, see Jimmy Johnson (disambiguation). and Greg Biffle Gregory Jack Biffle (born December 23, 1969 in Vancouver, Washington) is a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver. He now lives in Mooresville, North Carolina. He has also left a lasting impression as the "Most electrifying Craftsman Truck Series driver of the late 90s". - the top three in points - have secured their places in the 2005 Chase, and Rusty Wallace Russell William "Rusty" Wallace (born August 14, 1956 in Fenton, Missouri) is a former NASCAR champion, NASCAR Busch Series car owner, and television broadcaster with ESPN and ESPN on ABC. Wallace had his first live broadcast of the Indy 500 on May 28, 2006. would get his invitation just by taking Sunday evening's green flag. ``The Chase has made it frustrating - twice as much. It used to be if you were eighth or ninth in the points, you were going out to win the race since you were out of the championship race,'' driver Elliott Sadler said. ``Now, you just want to hold on to 10th place.'' At the moment, 10th place belongs to Jeff Gordon. He's at the center of the Chase bull's-eye. Eighty-four points separate eighth place Carl Edwards (2,849) from Sadler (2,765) in 13th. Dale Jarrett and Dale Earnhardt Jr. trail Sadler and are unlikely to seriously challenge for the 10th spot because they trail Gordon by 78 and 117 points, respectively, with two races to go. The most points that can be gained or lost in a race is 156. ``Not even worried about (it),'' Earnhardt said of the Chase after Saturday's Sharpie 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. ``I'm having fun driving these race cars, and that's all I think about. We dug ourselves a pretty big hole, so I'm just going to keep driving and have a helluva hell·uv·a adj. Slang Used as an intensive: He's a helluva great guy. [Alteration of hell of a.] good time doing it.'' Neither Jarrett, who finished 31st Saturday night at Bristol after a run-in with Ryan Newman, nor Earnhardt, whose ninth-place effort kept his slim hopes alive, have the time to make the climb in the standings, such as Matt Kenseth has. In a 12-race span, Kenseth has made up 281 points on 10th place. His victory Saturday night at Bristol vaulted him four spots in the standings, and he now is in 11th place, 11 points behind Gordon. ``I thought we were out (of the Chase),'' Kenseth said in his postrace news conference. ``We had a great run at Michigan (third place). I felt like, performance-wise, we won the race, we just came up short on fuel, but I had a great car. That really put us back in it. Leading all the laps and winning, of course, I knew that was going to get us closer, but there are still a couple of races to go. ``I see some of those guys had trouble, and if we can run like we did at Michigan at California, I think we'll be right there.'' Gordon jumped two spots after his sixth-place finish at Bristol, his fourth top 10 in the past 14 races. Jamie McMurray (12th) and Kevin Harvick (16th) dropped two spots, and Jarrett fell three. ``That's what I was happiest about,'' Gordon said after the race. ``The way our season's gone, no matter how good we're running, no matter how bad, you just never know what's going to happen.'' CAPTION(S): photo, 2 boxes Photo: Jeff Gordon, center, holds onto the 10th spot for the Chase for the Championship entering Sunday's race. Getty Images Box: (1) HOW THEY SCORE IT (2) THE CHASE |
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