Four clear castes in the hunt for the Chase

This Article Is Sponsored By:
www.MotorCityOil.com

I will tell you how I see the Chase unfolding. I have divided the drivers into three groups -- the probables, the possibles and the long shots.

THE PROBABLES

The winner will come from this group: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart.

I am blown away by the overall performance of Gordon and actually feel bad for him that he has to give up his big lead. I also was impressed with his strong run Saturday after three poor finishes.

Is there any question that Johnson is back? He has grabbed the spotlight from Busch and Stewart. For a while there, I thought Busch and Stewart were going to share the rest of the victories. Speaking of Busch and Stewart, I love their tenacity.

This is a really strong group. Not only does each driver know how to race, each knows how to win. That's an important distinction. Arguments can be made for each to be the 2007 champion.

THE POSSIBLES

In this group we have Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin. Whereas each of the drivers in Group 1 has at least one championship, only Kenseth has one in this group.

That said, I don't think Kenseth has the most potential in this group to win the 2007 championship. That goes to Edwards. Holding Edwards back is the same factor that holds back Hamlin -- his pit crew. The No. 99 and No. 11 teams have been very uneven, to the point of costing their drivers victories outright or opportunities to contend for victories.

I love Busch's aggressiveness, but I just don't see him prevailing over a 10-race period. Kenseth's albatross has been his cars. Why should we expect them to be much better during the Chase?

THE LONG SHOTS

None of the Richard Childress Racing drivers -- Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer -- excites me, and I don't think Martin Truex Jr. (or DEI) is ready to compete for a championship.

This group has three wins, one for each driver except for Bowyer. Truex went through a period when he was red hot, but for the most part, this group hasn't put together the kind of dominant stretches you find among the other eight drivers.

Ask yourself this: Does any driver in the Group 3 strike fear into your heart? Not mine.

Let the Chase begin.

This Article Is Sponsored By:
www.MotorCityOil.com

For More Information About This Article Please Email:
Trevor@MotorCityAutoParts.com

Article Number: 000084