Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Tony Stewart — Stewart held on to his points lead despite being ran into the wall by Mark Martin with about 30 laps to go. Stewart recovered to finish sixth, and lost only five points to Jimmie Johnson, his closest pursuer, who finished fifth.
"That's a clear case of team orders right there," says Stewart. "Martin was trying to take me out for the benefit of the three Roush Racing cars still chasing me. Sure, I was angry at Mark, but not for long. How can you stay mad at Mark? He's just so darn cute. Now, if that would have been a Jeff Gordon, a Kurt Busch, or Kevin Harvick, someone would have got punched."
Stewart finished 33rd at Phoenix in April, and a repeat of such a finish could prove disastrous. But don't count on it. He has top-10s in six of eight Chase races, and odds are those numbers will be seven of nine.
2. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson finished fifth at Texas, and chipped five points off of Stewarts' points lead. Johnson now trails Stewart by 38 points with two races remaining. By taking four tires in the pits during the final caution, Johnson was able to pass eight cars, including Stewart's, in the last 13 laps to salvage a pivotal result.
"There's a lot of coin flipping in the pits during situations like that," says Johnson. "Heads, two tires, or tails, four tires. And if you don't have a coin, you stay out."
In four career starts at Phoenix, Johnson has two top-10s and has never finished lower than 15th. He hopes to take at least double digits from Johnson's lead when the day is done.
3. Carl Edwards — Edwards won his second consecutive race, leading 82 laps on his way to leading teammates Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth across the line. Edwards knocked 30 more points off of Stewart's points lead, and has taken 72 points off of his lead in the last two races.
"Two wins, two backflips," says Edwards. "That can easily be four wins and four backflips. And if one of my teammates can successfully run Stewart off the track and keep him there, I just might have a chance."
Edwards finished seventh in April at Phoenix in a race won by teammate Kurt Busch. Can Edwards surprise with his third straight victory? That may be his only hope of positioning himself for a run at the title at Homestead next week.
4. Mark Martin — Martin was the middle man in a one-two-three Roush racing sweep, finishing second to Carl Edwards. Martin moved up a spot in the points to fifth. He added to the Chase excitement by sending Stewart into the wall with about 30 laps to go.
"One race without Tony calling someone an 'idiot' is just too many," says Martin. "It's not the racing that makes NASCAR popular. It's the bickering. You get these guys going, it's like junior high out there."
Martin is 123 points behind Stewart and needs wins, along with trouble for Stewart and Johnson. Martin has been at both ends of the spectrum — a 41st at Talladega and a 34th at Martinsville, but all other results in the Chase have been seventh or better.
5. Greg Biffle — With a 20th-place finish in Texas, Biffle is likely out of the running for the Chase. A loose wheel led to a green flag pit stop that left Biffle in last place, a lap down early in the race. He was unable to get the lap back until lap 319 when he was recipient of the "lucky dog" free pass. From there, he worked his way up to the 20th position by race's end.
"Everybody said at the beginning of the Chase," says Biffle, "that it would be Stewart, Johnson, and a Roush driver battling for the lead. They were right. It's just that the Roush driver is not me; it's Carl Edwards."
Biffle is 122 behind Stewart, and, like Martin, needs wins and a lot of help, or a lot of luck.
6. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth led 149 of 334 laps, finishing third behind Edwards and Martin for his fifth top-five of the Chase. He picked up one spot in the Chase standings, and now resides in sixth, 135 behind Stewart.
"I just realized something," says Kenseth. "Five of the Chase results have been either third or fifth. One was a 35th. A three and a five. Another finish was a 26th. Three and five make eight. Two and six equals eight. Our other Chase finish was a 12th. One and two is three. What does all that mean? Probably that I should spend more time driving and less time counting."
It would take a minor miracle for Kenseth to make up that much ground on Stewart in just two races. And Stewart doesn't believe in miracles.
7. Ryan Newman — Newman began the weekend with a bang, taking the pole on his first qualifying lap, that quickly became a bust when he crashed on his second qualifying lap. As a result, Newman had to start at the back of the field, and could only manage a 25th place finish.
"I went from hero to zero in one qualifying session," says Newman. "Kind of like my Chase experience. Did I win the first race in the Chase, or was I just dreaming?"
That was reality, Ryan. As is this: you raced your way out of contention in the last two weeks. He is 174 points down after two straight finishes outside of the top 20.
8. Kurt Busch — Busch scored only his fourth top-10 of the Chase, finishing 10th after starting 18th. He steadily climbed up the standings throughout the day, making a pass to gain 10th on lap 324 and held that position of the final 10 laps.
"If it takes nearly a full race to reach the top ten," says Busch, "then you know your car is mediocre. That's been the story of our Chase, mediocrity."
Busch was anything but mediocre earlier this year in Phoenix, where he won the Subway Fresh 500 convincingly, leading 219 of 312 laps.
9. Rusty Wallace — Wallace was only 76 points off the lead after three Chase races. Since then, he's lost 239 points, and now stands 315 out. A 22nd-place finish in Texas gives him four straight results of 19th or worse.
"It's not what I'd call a retirement party," says Wallace. "But at least now Kurt Busch can take over in the No. 2 car next year without having to finish his contract with Roush. Cup dreams were made to be broken, as were contracts."
Wallace has two more farewell races left, so there is still time for a retirement/victory celebration.
10. Jeremy Mayfield — Mayfield experienced mechanical problems for the second race in a row, and has almost guaranteed himself a 10th-place finish in the Chase. This time, the culprit was a vibration caused by an out of balance tire that required a green flag pit stop to remedy. Mayfield fell two laps down and was never able to recover, finishing 35th, four laps down.
"You can't fault my consistency," says Mayfield. "That'll be two years in a row I've finished 10th in the Chase. That's not luck. It's all skill."
Mayfield finished 13th earlier this year at Phoenix, and has nothing to lose, certainly not a position in the points, so he can let it all hang out.
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