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Chase for the NEXTEL Cup Field Nearly Set
Kevin Harvick will look to steer his Impala SS into the Chase this weekend. |
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick looking to hold for final spots
Eight of the 12 spots in the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup have been locked up entering the regular season finale at Richmond, with two drivers just needing to start and two past PIR winners requiring solid finishes to make the 10-race playoff.
To ninth-place Clint Bowyer and 10th-place Martin Truex Jr., the starting command of "gentlemen, start your engines" will take on an added meaning this Saturday evening at Richmond. Normally a simple line of pre-race fanfare, the command to ignite the No. 07 and No. 1, respectively, will officially entitle the second-year competitors to berths in the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.
With 3047 points, Bowyer sits 166 points ahead of 13th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2881 points.) Truex is close behind at 3042, 161 points ahead of his Dale Earnhardt, Inc. teammate. Merely starting the race will earn them at least the minimum of 34 points for a 43rd-place finish, and they will be provided a sufficient cushion regardless of Earnhardt's Richmond performance.
April 2005 PIR winner Kurt Busch will look to solidify his berth in the Chase, and needs only a 36th-place finish at Richmond - and that's if Earnhardt wins and leads the most laps - to do so. Currently, Busch is 11th in the NEXTEL Cup Series standings with 3022 points, 141 points ahead of Earnhardt.
Kevin Harvick is another past PIR winner with sights set on a berth in the Chase. Harvick, winner of both NEXTEL Cup races at PIR in 2006, needs only a 32nd-place finish - if Earnhardt takes the maximum number of points - to seal his spot. He currently sits 12th with 3009 points, 128 up on Earnhardt.
Here's a look at the top 13 drivers in the NEXTEL Cup Series standings entering Race 26 at Richmond on Saturday night:
In:
1. Jeff Gordon - 3679
2. Tony Stewart - 3362
3. Denny Hamlin - 3335
4. Carl Edwards - 3330
5. Matt Kenseth - 3309
6. Jimmie Johnson - 3249
7. Jeff Burton - 3219
8. Kyle Busch - 3199
Need only to start race:
9. Clint Bowyer - 3047
10. Martin Truex Jr. - 3042
Still in the hunt:
11. Kurt Busch - 3022
12. Kevin Harvick - 3009
***
13. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 2881
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