Lean on me to choose the leading contenders and I'll name Kyle Busch, Gordon and Harvick. While none of them has a Chase trophy (Gordon's four championships were before the Chase format began in 2004), all three enter the Chase with their confidence needle quivering on high.
Kyle Busch and Harvick are tied for the most wins this season (four). In the last six races, Busch has one win, two other top-five finishes and a top-10. He's led the most laps this year, by far, 1,181. Gordon is next with 721 laps led; Johnson is third with 655.
Harvick's win at Richmond last Saturday follows two top-10s in his last five races. Observers believe Harvick's decision to fold his Camping World truck series operation and blend his Nationwide teams into Richard Childress Racing will allow him to focus more on winning the Chase.
A major disadvantage for Harvick, however, is he's the only RCR driver in the Chase. All the others have teammates who can help them.
In Gordon's last seven races, he has a win, three top-fives and two top-10s.
Talented drivers and fast race cars are keys to winning championships. Another is experienced crew chiefs. Combined with pre-race preparation, they'll make Chase-deciding decisions during races.
Chad Knaus has guided Johnson to five consecutive titles. Jimmy Fennig, now Kenseth's crew chief, won the 2004 championship with Kurt Busch. Several other crew chiefs have Chase experience.
"It's certainly advantageous to have an experienced crew chief," Kyle Busch said. "Last year, [crew chief] Dave Rogers and myself didn't have a notebook to fall back on. We were building a notebook. This year, at Atlanta, we [said], 'What do we need to do for qualifying? What did we do last year?' It helped us: We qualified third."
Keselowski and crew chief Paul Wolfe are in their first Chase. They won last year's Nationwide series title, but there's nothing comparable to Chase pressure and glare in that series.
