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spt_1108_RaceforCup.sTitle = "Agree or Disagree";
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spt_1108_RaceforCup[i++] = new Array("","Jimmie Johnson","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040825/040825_jimmie_vmed_7a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Russ Hamilton", "AP file", "273", "195", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i-1].body = "
Current points standing: 1st
Last week: Johnson wrapped up an incredible month with a second-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway.
In his last four races, Johnson has a win and three runner-up results.
The Texas result enabled Johnson to take over the lead in the Chase standings.
He is 17 points ahead of Matt Kenseth.
This week: This is Johnson's seventh Cup start at Phoenix International Raceway, where he has no poles, no wins, one top-five, and four top-10s.
Johnson was seventh in this event last year, and in April he also placed seventh at this one-mile oval.
His average Cup finish at Phoenix is 8.9, the best of any driver in the Chase.
Chase outlook: Johnson's surge in the second half of the Chase has put him in position to win his first Cup championship with two races to go in the playoff. He's the driver to beat.
He's red hot at exactly the right time to make his title dreams come true, and he and his team look for a win on Sunday with the same chassis that brought them across the checkers seventh at Phoenix in April.
Sound off in our NASCAR message boards";
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i++] = new Array("","Matt Kenseth ","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050831/050831_kenseth_vmed_11a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Rusty Jarrett", "Getty Images file", "273", "186", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i-1].body = "
Current points standing: 2nd
Last week: Kenseth had several hurdles to overcome during the race at Texas Motor Speedway, and even though he never got his car right, he did manage a 12th-place finish.
The result cost him the lead in the Chase standings, but it was good enough that he fell only one spot to second.
The 2003 Cup champion is 17 points behind Jimmie Johnson, and 61 markers ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
This week: This is Kenseth's ninth Cup start at Phoenix International Raceway, where he has no poles, one win, three top-fives, and four top-10s. He also has three DNF's.
Kenseth came home 32nd in this event last year, and in April he placed third at this one-mile oval.
His average Cup finish at Phoenix is 20.8, second-worst of those drivers in the Chase.
Chase outlook: Kenseth qualified in the top spot for the Chase, and he's never been worse than fourth in the playoff.
He has impressed over the last few races with results much better than what was expected from cars not in top form.
It could turn out to be a two-race, two-man battle for the title between Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson so the Roush racer needs a strong result at Phoenix where he has had some ups and downs.
Sound off in our NASCAR message boards";
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i++] = new Array("","Dale Earnhardt Jr.","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040519/040519_earnhardt_vmed_10a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Darrell Ingham", "Getty Images", "273", "196", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i-1].body = "
Current points standing: 3rd
Last week: Despite a strep throat and a brush with the Turn-4 wall on Lap 166, Junior crossed the checkers sixth at Texas Motor Speedway.
It was his third top-10 finish in his last four races.
The Texas result moved Junior from fourth to third in the Chase standings.
He is 78 points from the lead, 61 points back of Matt Kenseth, and two markers ahead of Denny Hamlin.
This week: This is Junior's ninth Cup start at Phoenix International Raceway, where he has no poles, two wins, four top-fives, and four top-10s. He also has two DNF's.
Junior came home 40th in this event last year after being involved in a wreck, and in April he placed 23rd at this one-mile oval.
His average Cup finish at Phoenix is 17.2, third-worst of the drivers in the Chase.
Chase outlook: Junior's certainly within striking distance of Chase leader Jimmie Johnson with two races to go in the playoff.
He knows now without a doubt that he and his team are of championship caliber.
Whether or not they win the title could have a lot to do with how they fare at Phoenix, where Junior's got four top-five finishes in his last six Cup races in the desert.
Sound off in our NASCAR message boards ";
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i++] = new Array("","Denny Hamlin ","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060719/060719_hamlin_hmed4p.hsmall.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Jamie Squire", "Getty Images", "229", "368", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i-1].body = "
Current points standing: 4th
Last week: Not pleased with his car's engine, Hamlin had to feel fortunate to place 10th at Texas Motor Speedway after starting sixth.
The Texas result dropped him one spot to fourth in the Chase standings.
He is 80 points from the lead, just two points behind Dale Earnhardt Jr., and 25 markers ahead of Kevin Harvick.
This week: This is only the third Cup start for Hamlin at Phoenix International Raceway, where he has one pole, no wins, no top-fives, and no top-10s.
Hamlin was 13th in this event last year after starting from the pole, and in April he placed 34th after starting sixth at this one-mile oval.
His average Cup finish at Phoenix is 23.5, worst among the drivers in the Chase.
Chase outlook: The first rookie ever to make the Chase, Hamlin continues to keep alive a shot at the title.
He made the most of a trying day at Texas to stay in the championship hunt.
Hamlin has twice qualified well in the desert, but he's had mechanical woes or problems on pit road that have kept him from great finishes.
That's a trend he hopes to break on Sunday.
Sound off in our NASCAR message boards ";
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i++] = new Array("","Kevin Harvick ","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/080406/040806_kevinHarvick_vmed_10a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Rusty Jarrett", "Getty Images file", "273", "196", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i-1].body = "
Current points standing: 5th
Last week: After winning the Busch Series race last Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway, Harvick struggled early in the Cup race on Sunday at the same track, but he rallied to finish third.
The Texas result lifted him one spot in the Chase standings to fifth.
The Richard Childress driver is 105 points from the lead, 25 points behind Denny Hamlin, and 52 markers ahead of Jeff Gordon.
This week: This is Harvick's eighth Cup start at Phoenix International Raceway, where he has no poles, one win, two top-fives, and two top-10s.
Harvick was 23rd in this event last year after starting eighth, and in April he won after starting 15th at this one-mile oval.
His average Cup finish at Phoenix is 16.4.
Chase outlook: Harvick is back in the top five after falling to sixth two weeks ago.
The never-give-up mentality of Harvick and his RCR team helped pull out a top finish at Texas -- one which gained him 16 points on the lead spot in the Chase.
With just two races to go in the playoff, Harvick will be bidding for a season Cup sweep at Phoenix, and he basically needs to pull off such a feat to make a push on the four drivers in front of him.
Sound off in our NASCAR message boards";
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i++] = new Array("","Jeff Gordon ","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/041021/041021_gordon_vmed_12p.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Bob Brodbeck", "AP file", "273", "199", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i-1].body = "
Current points standing: 6th
Last week: The handling on his No. 24 Chevrolet was not optimum, but Gordon still managed a ninth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway.
The Texas result moved Gordon up one place in the Chase standings to sixth.
He is 157 points from the lead, 52 points behind Kevin Harvick, and 27 markers ahead of Jeff Burton.
This week: This is Gordon's 16th Cup start at Phoenix International Raceway, where he has one pole, no wins, six top-fives, and 12 top-10s. He also has one DNF.
The four-time Cup champion was third in this event last year, and in April he placed 10th at this one-mile oval.
His average Cup finish at Phoenix is 8.9, second best among the drivers in the Chase.
Chase outlook: Gordon said several races ago that this was \"just not meant to be our year,\" so he's racing for wins in the last two events in the Chase.
On Tuesday Gordon wed Belgian model Ingrid Vandebosch in a private ceremony in Mexico.
He followed his June engagement to Vandebosch by winning his next Cup race in Sonoma, Calif.
Gordon hopes marriage yields the same immediate payoff on the track that getting engaged did.
Sound off in our NASCAR message boards";
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i++] = new Array("","Jeff Burton ","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060707/060707_burton_vmed_4p.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Jonathan Daniel", "Getty Images", "273", "180", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i-1].body = "
Current points standing: 7th
Last week: Burton cut a tire and crashed 90 laps into the race at Texas Motor Speedway.
His team patched up his car, but he could do no better than to finish 38th.
The Texas result dropped Burton two places to seventh in the Chase standings.
He is 184 points from the lead, 27 points behind Jeff Gordon, and 49 markers ahead of Kyle Busch.
This week: This is Burton's 15th Cup start at Phoenix International Raceway, where he has no poles, two wins, five top-fives, and seven top-10s.
Burton was 15th in this event last year, and in April he placed ninth after starting 37th at this one-mile oval.
His average Cup finish at Phoenix is 11.6.
Chase outlook: For the first half of the Chase, Burton appeared bullet-proof to any kind of misfortune or bad luck.
That has changed in the second half of the playoff as the veteran has been one of the most unfortunate drivers chasing the title.
A blown engine at Martinsville did damage to Burton's championship bid, and the cut tire and crash at Texas have put him on the brink of elimination with two races to go in the playoff.
Sound off in our NASCAR message boards ";
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i++] = new Array("","Kyle Busch","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050120/050120_kyleBusch_vmed_2p.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Jamie Squire", "Getty Images file", "273", "178", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i-1].body = "
Current points standing: 8th
Last week: Busch ran in the top 10 for most of the race at Texas Motor Speedway, and he came home fourth.
The Texas result lifted him two spots to eighth in the Chase standings.
He is 233 points off the lead, 49 points behind Jeff Burton, and 20 markers ahead of Mark Martin.
This week: This is Busch's fourth Cup start at Phoenix International Raceway, where he has one pole, one win, one top-five, and two top-10s.
The Hendricks Motorsports racer won this event last year after starting 15th, but in April he was 36th after starting from the pole at this one-mile oval.
His average Cup finish at Phoenix is 15th.
Chase outlook: In just his second full season in the Cup series, Busch is gaining from the experience of being in the Chase.
Up until this week he had not been above ninth place throughout the playoff, but he'll be going all out to get a win or two in the final couple of races of the season.
Sound off in our NASCAR message boards";
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i++] = new Array("","Mark Martin ","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050601/050601_markMartin_hmed_1p.hsmall.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Rusty Jarrett", "Getty Images file", "265", "368", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i-1].body = "
Current points standing: 9th
Last week: Martin had to start 43rd in a backup car at Texas Motor Speedway, and he could do no better than to finish 22nd.
The result dropped Martin one spot in the Chase standings to ninth.
The veteran is 253 points from the lead, 20 points back of Kyle Busch, and 37 markers ahead of Kasey Kahne.
This week: This is Martin's 21st Cup start at Phoenix International Raceway, where he has no poles, one win, eight top-fives, and 13 top-10s. He also has one DNF.
The Roush racer was 14th in this event last year, and in April he placed 11th at this one-mile oval.
His average Cup finish at Phoenix is 9.4, third-best among drivers in the Chase.
Chase outlook: Martin has never won a Cup championship, finishing runner-up four times, and with this being his final season of full-time Cup racing, he's fallen into a hole from which he can't win a title.
Martin's had a lot of success at Phoenix over the years, but his one win in the desert came back in 1993.
Sound off in our NASCAR message boards ";
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i++] = new Array("","Kasey Kahne ","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060407/060407_kahne_vmed_4p.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Jonathan Ferrey", "Getty Images", "273", "205", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_1108_RaceforCup[i-1].body = "
Current points standing: 10th
Last week: Kahne might have been able to make a run on eventual race winner Tony Stewart late in the event at Texas Motor Speedway, but his engine blew with six laps remaining.
The Texas result dropped Kahne one spot in the Chase standings to 10th.
The Ray Evernham Racing driver is 290 points off the lead, and 20 markers behind Mark Martin.
This week: This is Kahne's fifth Cup start at Phoenix International Raceway, where he has no poles, no wins, one top-five, and two top-10s.
Kahne was 27th in this event last year, and in April he was sixth after starting 22nd at this one-mile oval.
His average Cup finish at Phoenix is 13.8.
Chase outlook: Kahne's wreck at Atlanta cost him a lot of points, and his blown engine at Texas has dropped to the bottom of the Chase standings.
Well, there's always next year.
Sound off in our NASCAR message boards "; spt_1108_RaceforCup[i++] = new Array("spt_0910_chase","Vote: Who will win?","","","","", "lv2", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); // END editorial data