By Dick Mittman
allstate400atthebrickyard.com
Monday, September 13, 2004
Let the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup begin.
For the first time in NASCAR history, a 10-driver, 10-race shootout for the championship will be conducted, starting with the Sylvania 300 on Sept. 19 at New Hampshire International Speedway. It'll be sort of like the NBA playoffs on wheels.
The powerful Hendrick Racing team of Jeff Gordon and teammate Jimmie Johnson, like the Los Angeles Lakers, is the team to beat. Gordon and Johnson will be the dynamic duo of this playoffs, and they must be stopped if the other eight drivers hope to pick up the $5-million champion's check at the New York banquet in early December.
Four-time Brickyard 400 winner Gordon, seeking his fifth Cup title, supplanted Johnson as the leader after the 26-race run to determine the 10 drivers who will participate in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. Gordon, driver of the DuPont Chevrolet, finished third in the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 on Sept. 11 at Richmond International Raceway to end with 3,602 points, 54 more than Johnson, who pilots the Lowe's Chevrolet.
Still, they finished 1-2. This means Gordon has five more points than Johnson and only a 45-point advantage over 10th-place Ryan Newman. Each of the 10 drivers received five points less than Gordon in descending order.
To be certain the 11th-place driver wouldn't make a charge and score more points than any of the 10 drivers in the Chase, the top 10 in points had their totals elevated from 5,050 for the leader down to 5,005 for 10th. Meanwhile, 11th place Jamie McMurray's points total remains at 3,171.
The happiest drivers at conclusion of the Richmond race were veterans Mark Martin, Jeremy Mayfield and Newman. They filled the final positions, from eighth to 10th, respectively, after a tension-packed race.
Mayfield, driver of the Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge for Evernham Motorsports, surged from 14th to ninth in points by winning the race when leader Kurt Busch had to make a fuel stop with seven laps to go. It was Mayfield's first victory since the first Pocono race in 2000, when he was driving for Roger Penske, and fourth of his career. He was ecstatic while celebrating in Victory Circle.
Martin brought his Viagra Ford home fifth to finish a six-race surge that brought him from 15th in the standings to eighth. He said the last 100 miles of Saturday's race were the most draining of his long career.
Newman, now Penske's driver in the ALLTEL Dodge, didn't have a great race, but a 20th-place finish gave him just enough points to hang onto 10th by 15 points over McMurray.
McMurray placed ninth in his Texaco/Havoline Dodge, but three unexpected top-10 finishers, Mike Bliss in fourth, Carl Edwards in sixth and Mike Wallace in seventh took points he needed to make the Chase.
Wallace was 50th, Edwards 55th and Bliss 71st in the standings entering the race.
Three Brickyard 400 champions all missed the Chase in 13th, 14th and 15th points positions, respectively. Bobby Labonte, winner at Indy in 2000, is 13th in points, Kevin Harvick, 2003 Brickyard champion, is 14th, and Dale Jarrett, who won the Brickyard in 1996 and 1999, is 15th. Labonte and Jarrett also are former Cup champions.
The interesting thing about the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup is that the drivers eliminated from the title run still will be out there competing in all 10 races and hoping to take points from the contenders by winning or placing in the top 10.
Points will be scored as usual in the 10 races so Gordon, for instance, could have two straight poor races and fall far out of first. Finishing high in every race seems to be a necessity to capture the NEXTEL Cup and huge payday.
Rounding out the drivers in the Chase are: Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished one point behind Johnson in third; Tony Stewart, fourth; Matt Kenseth, fifth; Elliott Sadler, sixth, and Kurt Busch, seventh.
INs
1. Jeff Gordon 5,050 (3,602 after 26 races)
2. Jimmie Johnson 5,045 (3,542)
3. Dale Earnhardt 5,040 (3,541)
4. Tony Stewart 5,035 (3,410)
5. Matt Kenseth 5,030 (3,337)
6. Elliott Sadler 5,025 (3,316)
7. Kurt Busch 5,020 (3,306)
8. Mark Martin 5,015 (3,213)
9. Jeremy Mayfield 5,010 (3,193)
10. Ryan Newman (5,005) (3,186)
OUTs
11. Jamie McMurray 3,171
12. Kasey Kahne 3,158
13. Bobby Labonte 3,137
14. Kevin Harvick 3,129
15. Dale Jarrett 3,100
16. Michael Waltrip 2,798
17. Rusty Wallace 2,275
18. Casey Mears 2,762
19. Sterling Marlin 2,752
20. Greg Biffle 2,749
21. Jeff Burton 2,746
22. Robby Gordon 2,714
23. Terry Labonte 2,674
24. Brian Vickers 2,625
25. Joe Nemechek 2,580
26. Scott Wimmer 2,430
27. Ricky Rudd 2,412
28. Ward Burton 2,276
29. Scott Riggs 2,254
30. Jeff Green 2,155
31. Brendan Gaughan 2,127
32. Ken Schrader 2,106
33. Kyle Petty 2,082
34. Ricky Craven 1,901
35. Jimmy Spencer 1,565
36. Dave Blaney 1,295
37. Johnny Sauter, 1,217
38. Derrike Cope 1,058
39. Morgan Shepherd 747
40. Todd Bodine 686
41. Kevin Lepage 616
42. Bobby Hamilton Jr. 560
43. Kirk Shelmerdine 529
44. Carl Edwards 498
45. Bill Elliott 498
46. John Andretti 460
47. Hermie Sadler 450
48. Mike Wallace 400
49. PJ Jones 316
50. Johnny Benson 271
51. Carl Long 267
52. Mike Bliss 230
53. Boris Said 223
54. Scott Pruett 207
55. Joe Ruttman 207
56. Andy Hillenburg 206
57. Kenny Wallace 201
58. Kyle Busch 198
59. Larry Foyt 194
60. Geoffrey Bodine 192
61. Stanton Barrett 184
62. Ron Fellows 170
63. Tony Raines 162
64. Larry Gunselman 147
65. Kerry Earnhardt 137
66. Shane Hmiel 127
67. Klaus Graf 112
68. Tom Hubert 110
69. Jim Inglebright 106
70. Andy Belmont 98
71. Mike Skinner 97
72. Eric McClure 90
73. Tony Ave 70
74. David Green 70
75. Ted Christopher 55
76. Austin Cameron 49
77. Jason Jarrett 43
78. Brandon Ash 40
79. J.J. Yeley 40
80. Greg Sacks 37
81. Randy LaJoie 34
82. Chad Blount 34
83. Jason Leffler 34
84. Jeff Fuller 34 ***
2005 tickets: The 12th Brickyard 400 is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 7, 2005. Customers who are upgrading or purchasing Brickyard 400 tickets for the first time should act quickly to increase their chances of obtaining their desired seats.
To purchase tickets, camping or parking, contact the IMS ticket office at (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, (317) 492-6700 locally or log on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.
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