Checker OReilly Auto Parts 500 News and Notes

A glance at the 12 drivers in the Chase
November 11, 2009

A glance at the 12 drivers competing in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship heading into this weekend's race at Phoenix International Raceway (in order of points):

DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson

CHASE POINTS: first, 6,297

CAR: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAREER PHOENIX STARTS: 12

AVERAGE PHOENIX FINISH: 5.4 (won three times)

LAST WEEK: Johnson's charmed run through the Chase came to an abrupt end when he got tangled up with Sam Hornish Jr. three laps in at Texas, missed over 100 laps and then drove a car apparently built by somebody's shop class to a 38th-place finish. Still has a firm grip on fourth straight title.

CHASE CHATTER: ``All along we've been trying to tell everybody this thing is far from over, what our mindset has been,'' Johnson said. ``Luckily we've raced for every point throughout this Chase. We still have a decent points lead right now.''

DRIVER: Mark Martin

CHASE POINTS: second, -73

CAR: No. 5 Carquest/Kellogg's Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAREER PHOENIX STARTS: 25

AVERAGE PHOENIX FINISH: 9.0 (won twice)

LAST WEEK: Got the break he needed when Johnson found trouble and took advantage with a strong fourth-place finish at Texas. His hopes are flickering, but he's heading back to a track where he won in the spring.

CHASE CHATTER: ``(The car) wasn't very good the first half and then magically midway the car became a top-five car,'' Martin said.

DRIVER: Jeff Gordon

CHASE POINTS: third, -112

CAR: No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAREER PHOENIX STARTS: 21

AVERAGE PHOENIX FINISH: 10.9 (won in 2007)

LAST WEEK: Squeezed out a 13th-place finish at Texas, but knows he probably needed a top-five to have any realistic shot at catching Johnson.

CHASE CHATTER: ``I am just really disappointed in this day,'' Gordon said. ``A total missed opportunity that completely got away from us. We just didn't have it today.''

DRIVER: Kurt Busch

CHASE POINTS: fourth, -171

CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

TEAM: Penske Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 2

CAREER PHOENIX STARTS: 13

AVERAGE PHOENIX FINISH: 12.5 (won in 2005)

LAST WEEK: Stalked younger brother Kyle for much of the day at Texas before stretching his fuel enough to capture his second win of the season and give departing crew chief Pat Tryson a nice parting gift.

CHASE CHATTER: ``It's bittersweet because, hey, Pat is leaving,'' Busch said. ``We wish that we could stick together. We want to get the best we can out of these last few races.''

DRIVER: Tony Stewart

CHASE POINTS: fifth, -178

CAR: No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart/Haas Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAREER PHOENIX STARTS: 15

AVERAGE PHOENIX FINISH: 10.1 (won in 1999)

LAST WEEK: Smoke picked up his 23rd top-10 finish of the year with a sixth-place finish at Texas

CHASE CHATTER: ``I thought team-wise we had an awesome day working together and making gains at it,'' Stewart said. ``We never said, 'Well, we just can't get it any better.' We kept throwing things at it to try to make it better.''

DRIVER: Juan Pablo Montoya

CHASE POINTS: sixth, -236

CAR: No. 42 Target Chevrolet

TEAM: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2

CAREER PHOENIX STARTS: 5

AVERAGE PHOENIX FINISH: 21.4 (best 16th in 2008)

LAST WEEK: Had a chance to make a push at Texas only to lose it on lap 174 and collect fellow Chaser Carl Edwards in a crash that sent both to the garage. He finished 37th and gained just three points on Johnson.

CHASE CHATTER: ``This week we didn't have the car we wanted, but we were getting better and better as the day went on,'' Montoya said. ``It kinda (stinks), but things like this happen.''

DRIVER: Greg Biffle

CHASE POINTS: seventh, -247

CAR: No. 16 3M Scotch Brand Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAREER PHOENIX STARTS: 11

AVERAGE PHOENIX FINISH: 14.9 (best 2nd, twice)

LAST WEEK: Put together a quiet eighth-place finish at Texas for his fourth top-10 of the Chase.

CHASE CHATTER: ``We had a good run today, but we weren't as good as we were here in the spring,'' Biffle said. ``We were just a little off.''

DRIVER: Denny Hamlin

CHASE POINTS: eighth, -322

CAR: No. 11 FedEx Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 3

CAREER PHOENIX STARTS: 8

AVERAGE PHOENIX FINISH: 10.4 (best 3rd, three times)

LAST WEEK: Bounced back from a horrible week at Talladega to finish second at Texas thanks to a little fuel-sipping at the end.

CHASE CHATTER: ``Played out in our favor, for sure,'' Hamlin said. ``Usually these fuel-mileage races don't go our way. Obviously we gained some spots today on the fuel-mileage thing.''

DRIVER: Ryan Newman

CHASE POINTS: ninth, -324

CAR: No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart/Haas Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1

CAREER PHOENIX STARTS: 14

AVERAGE PHOENIX FINISH: 22.9 (best 2nd in 2004)

LAST WEEK: The good news? He didn't have to be extracted from his car after a 12th-place finish at Texas. The bad news? His ill-handling car didn't make him a factor.

CHASE CHATTER: ``I was sore all weekend, but it was good to be back in the race car,'' said Newman, who had to be cut from his car after a harrowing crash at Talladega.

DRIVER: Kasey Kahne

CHASE POINTS: 10th, -399

CAR: No. 9 Budweiser Dodge

TEAM: Richard Petty Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1

CAREER PHOENIX STARTS: 10

AVERAGE PHOENIX FINISH: 19.5 (best 5th in 2004)

LAST WEEK: Looked good early at Texas before his car developed engine trouble late in the race and he faded to 33rd.

CHASE CHATTER: ``The guys did a good job of making adjustments,'' Kahne said. ``We just couldn't tighten it up enough to get out front and then we had an engine issue at the end.''

DRIVER: Carl Edwards

CHASE POINTS: 11th, -440

CAR: No. 99 Aflac Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1

CAREER PHOENIX STARTS: 10

AVERAGE PHOENIX FINISH: 13.0 (best 4th, three times)

LAST WEEK: Is the season over yet? Edwards got mixed up with Montoya to extend his winless season.

CHASE CHATTER: ``His car must have been really loose and it just snapped on him,'' Edwards said. ``It looked like he needed another couple inches and it wasn't there, but that's racing.''

DRIVER: Brian Vickers

CHASE POINTS: 12th, -520

CAR: No. 83 Red Bull Toyota

TEAM: Red Bull Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAREER PHOENIX STARTS: 10

AVERAGE PHOENIX FINISH: 19.3 (best 5th in 2005)

LAST WEEK: Vickers struggled most of the day at Texas and actually spent most of the day running behind teammate Scott Speed before finishing 26th.

CHASE CHATTER: ``When I put rear brake into the car, it started acting like it was supposed to. I can't explain it,'' Vickers said.

Checker Auto Parts 500 preview
By Micah Roberts

Just when we thought NASCAR’s Chase for the Championship was a runaway lacking any kind drama with Jimmie Johnson running away, Sam Hornish crashed the party by wrecking Johnson last week at Texas.

Johnson lost 111 points and is only 73 points ahead of second place Mark Martin and 112 points ahead of third place Jeff Gordon. He still has a comfortable lead with two races to go, but at least it‘s something to talk about unlike what we’ve had fir the duration of the Chase where Johnson has ran away in his quest to win four straight titles.

This week it’s off to Phoenix where Johnson has three career wins at including a sweep in 2008. Earlier in the season, Johnson finished fourth behind winner Mark Martin making it five straight wins in Phoenix by a Hendrick Motorsports driver.

“Yeah, I would say that looking at the schedule, the best track remaining for us would be PIR,“ said Johnson. “We had a really fast car in the spring and had some different issues on pit road and some bad luck with the timing of the caution that kept us back in the pack, and still ended up with a reasonable finish but we passed a lot of cars, and in our opinion felt like we had the strongest car.”

“For me it's a great track but it's also a great track for Jeff. He runs very consistent there, and then Mark won in the spring. The two guys I'm trying to stay ahead of in the points have that track as a strong one, as well.

Johnson will be using his Martinsville chassis from last month in which he finished second to Denny Hamlin. Though much shorter in length, the flat nature of Martinsville is very suitable for Phoenix. If things don’t work out, they can roll their back-up out which has won four of five races it started including Richmond and Phoenix last season.

Jeff Gordon got his first career win at Phoenix in 2007, but had always run fairly well despite the win drought. He’ll be looking to press the issue this week as only two races remain.

“A lot can happen in these final two races,“ said Gordon at an attempt of being optimistic. “There are hundreds of moments that you have as a team every single weekend that maybe don’t materialize, or that don’t get seen by the public or even the media. But we see it. There are close calls all the time, and it can happen at any time. I get through every race and think, ‘whew, we survived this moment or that moment. Phoenix has certainly been on our radar because it’s a track that’s been hit or miss for us. I’m a little disappointed in how we performed earlier this year, and we certainly need to improve on that this weekend. A lot still has to happen if we are going to realistically battle for the championship in the season finale. But we need to make sure we do everything in our control to secure as many points as possible this weekend.”

True, a lot can happen, but the “Lot” happened last week at Texas. We all kind of figured that there would be a lapse by Johnson somewhere and assumed it would be at Talladega, but it happened at Texas instead. Asking for a Johnson collapse on a track like Phoenix where his worst career finish in 15th and he’s finished in the top-5 for six straight races might be a little too much.

The bottom line is that the gift came last week and drivers like Martin and Gordon didn’t capitalize enough on it to make Johnson feel the pressure a little bit. This guy is about as cool as they come and these are the types of moments that have already defined him as one of the best ever.

We have the luxury at Phoenix of looking back at two other facilities to get a better grasp on who may win the race. The flat banking and length of New Hampshire and Richmond are very similar and just about every year we see multiple wins by at least one driver from a team who has figured out the layout.

So far, Martin is that guy having won at Phoenix earlier in the year and New Hampshire in September. The others with one win are Kyle Busch at Richmond, Joey Logano in a rain shortened New Hampshire race, and Denny Hamlin at Richmond.

Martin, Busch and Hamlin will again be contenders to win this week based on their excellence on those tracks this year. Of the three, Martin will be charging the hardest trying to gain as many points possible to ensure he doesn’t just finish second in the points again, something he’s done four times in his career without ever winning the title.

The driver I’m going to key on this week is Hamlin. I like the way he drives on these type of tracks, especially what he‘s done lately. In his last run at New Hampshire, he finished just behind Martin in second place. The race prior to New Hampshire, he won at Richmond and just to boot, he won on the smaller flat track of Martinsville as well. He’s never won at Phoenix, but has finished third on three separate instances.

As for the point leader, Mr. Johnson, the Sports Books have him listed as the favorite to win based on past history, but I’d look for him to play it conservative this week and race for points, since 73 is the margin between running first and 15th. Johnson should finish with a top-10, but after getting a huge scare last week, don’t expect him to let it all hang out and go for the win in a race he’d be normally very capable of winning under different circumstances.

TOP 5 Finish Prediction:

1) #11 Denny Hamlin (8/1)
2) #18 Kyle Busch (10/1)
3) #5 Mark Martin (8/1)
4) #24 Jeff Gordon (10/1)
5) #48 Jimmie Johnson (5/1)

Driver Handicaps: Phoenix
Racingone.com

This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Phoenix Int'l Raceway for Sunday's Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500. To help you make your fantasy racing picks, RacingOne brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 312-lap event.

Who's HOT at Phoenix
• Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with a 5.4 average finish.
• Denny Hamlin has a 6.6 average finish in his last five starts.
• Spring winner Mark Martin leads all drivers with 10 top fives and 833 laps led.
• Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle each have an 8.8 average finish with the COT.
• Kurt Busch has a 2.5 average finish in his last two starts.
• Carl Edwards has finished 11th or better in eight of his last nine starts.
• Jeff Gordon has finished in the top 10 in 15 of his 21 starts, including a win in the 2007 spring race.

Keep an Eye on at Phoenix
• Kevin Harvick has finished in the top 10 in the last three fall races at PIR, including a win in 2006.
• 2005 Fall Phoenix winner, Kyle Busch has finished in the top 10 in four of his last five starts.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. has led 150 laps with the COT at Phoenix.
• Martin Truex Jr. has finished in the top 10 in three of his last four starts at Phoenix.
• Jeff Burton has a 10.4 average finish with the COT at Phoenix.
• David Reutimann is coming off his first top 10 at Phoenix after finishing eighth.

RacingOne Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Mark Martin
Pete Pistone: Jimmie Johnson
Rachael West: Tony Stewart

Top 30 Driver Notes - Ordered by Current Standings

(All stats/notes are in regards to Phoenix Int'l Raceway unless noted)

1. Jimmie Johnson: Three-time winner; Won this event in 2008 after leading 217 laps from the pole; Has finished seventh or better in last eight starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 540) that finished second at Martinsville last month.

2. Mark Martin: Won the spring race from the pole in first track start with Hendrick Motorsports; Has a 9.0 average finish in 25 starts; Also won the 1993 race with Roush Racing; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 538) that won at Phoenix and New Hampshire.

3. Jeff Gordon: Won the 2007 spring race from the pole; Three-time pole winner; Has an 18.0 average finish in the five races at the track with the COT.

4. Kurt Busch: Phoenix is his best track on the circuit based on his 12.5 average finish; Has finished second and third, respectively, in last two starts; Won the 2005 race with Roush Racing; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 576) that has led a combined 123 laps at Phoenix in its last two starts.

5. Tony Stewart: Finished second in April in track debut with Stewart-Haas; Posted one win and six top fives in previous 14 starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Will be back in the same car (chassis No. 535) that he raced in the spring at Phoenix.

6. Juan Pablo Montoya: Finished 24th in April in first track start in a Chevrolet; Best finish came in the 2008 spring race in April; Has a 21.4 average finish in the five races at the track with the COT; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 909) in the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500.

7. Greg Biffle: Has an 8.8 average finish in last five starts; Finished fifth in the spring; Led seven laps and finished 11th in this event last year; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 546) that finished fourth at Bristol in August.

8. Denny Hamlin: Second-best average finish (6.6) among drivers that have raced in every COT race at the track; Finished sixth in April.

9. Ryan Newman: Finished 16th in track debut with Stewart-Haas Racing in April; Posted three top 10s in previous 13 starts with Penske Racing; Leads all drivers with four poles.

10. Kasey Kahne: Has posted a 26.6 average finish in the five races at the track with the COT; Last of three top 10s came in this event in 2006; Has yet to lead a lap in 10 starts.

11. Carl Edwards: Has posted a 14.2 average finish in the five races at the track with the COT; Has finished in the top 10 in last three starts; Led 87 laps in this event in 2007 from the pole before an engine failure; Will be back in the same car (chassis No. 647) that finished 17th in the September race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

12. Brian Vickers: Has posted a 26.8 average finish in the five races at the track with the COT; Coming off best finish with Team Red Bull in 19th; Only top 10 came in the 2005 spring race, in eighth, when he was driving for Hendrick Motorsports.

13. Kyle Busch: Has an 11.7 average finish in three starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Won this event in 2005 driving for Hendrick Motorsports; Has yet to lead a lap in last six starts; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 261) in the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500.

14. Matt Kenseth: Has posted an average finish of 17.6 in the five races with the COT at the track; Won the 2002 race; Last of six top 10s came in this event in 2007; 93 of his 154 laps led came in that event.

15. Clint Bowyer: Has posted a 14.6 average finish in the five races at the track with the COT; Last of two top 10s (second) came in the 2008 spring race; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 255) that most recently finished 19th at Martinsville last month.

16. David Reutimann: Coming off first top 10 after finishing eighth in April; Has posted a 20.8 average finish in four starts.

17. Jeff Burton: Has posted a 10.4 average finish in the five races at the track with the COT; Won the 2000 and 2001 events with Roush Racing; Best finish with Richard Childress Racing is third, which came in the 2005 spring race; Will return in the same chassis (No. 280) that most recently finished 23rd at Kansas.

18. Marcos Ambrose: Coming off best finish in 14th; Has a 16.0 average finish in two starts.

19. Joey Logano: Finished 21st in first track start in April; Will be back in the same car (chassis No. 250) that most recently finished 21st at New Hampshire.

20. Casey Mears: Has yet to post a top 10 in 11 starts; Finished 20th in first track start with Richard Childress Racing in April; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 258) that he raced in the spring at Phoenix.

21. Kevin Harvick: Won both Cup races in 2006; Has posted a 14.4 average finish in the five races at the track with the COT; Will be back in the same car (chassis No. 285) that finished 10th at Martinsville last month.

22. Jamie McMurray: Only top 10 (third) in 12 starts came in this event last year; Has posted an average finish of 15.4 in the five races with the COT at the track; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 637) that finished 18th at New Hampshire in September.

23. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Has posted a 14.7 average finish in three starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Has led a combined 150 laps with the team; Won the events in 2003 and 2004 with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 541) that finished 35th at New Hampshire after being involved in an accident while running fourth.

24. Martin Truex Jr.: Has posted a 17.0 average finish in the five races at the track with the COT; Coming off third top 10 after finishing seventh in April; Led 72 laps in this event in 2007; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 908) that finished 28th at Martinsville last month.

25. Elliott Sadler: Has the worst average finish (32.8) among the drivers that have competed in all five races with the COT at the track; Only top 10 came in 2002 when he finished 10th with the Wood Brothers.

26. AJ Allmendinger: Best finish in two starts came in this event last year in 16th. Finished 35th in April.

27. David Ragan: Only top 10 (10th) in five starts came in this event last year; Has yet to lead a lap; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 613) that finished 24th at Dover.

28. Reed Sorenson: Has yet to post a top 10 in seven starts; Has posted an average finish of 23.8 in the five races with the COT at the track; Coming off best finish in 12th; Only lap led came in this event in 2007.

29. Bobby Labonte: Finished 29th in first track start with Hall of Fame Racing in April; Has posted an average finish of 17.2 in the five races with the COT at the track; All three of his top fives came with Joe Gibbs Racing.

30. Sam Hornish Jr.: Coming off first top 10 in four starts after finishing ninth in April; Has yet to lead a lap.

NASCAR in Phoenix
By Brobury Sports

Jimmie Johnson is the favorite this Sunday as he looks to rebound from a horrific 38th place finish in Texas.

Johnson’s car suffered heavy damage in the third lap after hitting the wall. His 184-point season lead is down to 73 over Mark Martin with two races to go.

That makes this race in Phoenix even more exciting, especially considering that most of the top guns have had success here.

Here are the favorites for Sunday’s Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. It will be broadcast on ABC at 3:15 pm EST.

Jimmie Johnson (+400)

Johnson has three wins, seven Top 5’s and 10 Top 10’s in 12 Phoenix starts. He won three races in a row from 2007-2008 and his average finish is 5.4.

Mark Martin (+500)

Martin has two wins, 10 Top 5’s and 16 Top 10’s in 25 Phoenix starts. He won this past April and in 1993. His average finish is ninth.

Denny Hamlin (+800)

Hamlin has no wins, four Top 5’s and five Top 10’s in eight Phoenix starts. His average finish is 10.4.

Tony Stewart (+800)

Stewart has one win, seven Top 5’s and nine Top 10’s in 15 Phoenix starts. The win was in 1999 and his average finish is 10.1.

Jeff Gordon (+1000)

Gordon has one win, eight Top 5’s and 15 Top 10’s in 21 Phoenix starts. The win was in 2007 and his average finish is 10.9.

Juan Pablo Montoya (+1000)

Montoya has no wins, no Top 5’s and no Top 10’s in five Phoenix starts. His average finish is 21.4.

Kurt Busch (+1200)

Busch has one win, four Top 5’s and seven Top 10’s in 13 Phoenix starts. The win was in 2005 and his average finish is 12.5.

More of The Field

Kyle Busch (+1200)
Carl Edwards (+1500)
Clint Bowyer (+2000)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+2000)
Greg Biffle (+2000)
Kevin Harvick (+2000)
Kasey Kahne (+2500)
Matt Kenseth (+2500)
Ryan Newman (+3000)
Jeff Burton (+5000)
Joey Logano (+5000)
Martin Truex Jr. (+5000)
David Ragan (+6000)
David Reutimann (+6000)
Jamie McMurray (+6000)
Brian Vickers (+7500)

Chassis selections for Phoenix

#00-David Reutimann The #00 Aaron's Dream Machine for this week is chassis #651. This is a brand new Aaron's Dream Machine.

#07-Casey Mears will race Chassis #258. This is the same car Mears raced to 21st and 18th-place finishes at Martinsville in April and October, respectively. This is the same Chevy that Mears drove at PIR earlier this year, where he finished 20th.

#1 Martin Truex Jr. The #1 Rain-X team will bring chassis #908 to Phoenix this weekend. This chassis was last used for the fall 2009 Sprint Cup Series event at Martinsville (10/09), helping Truex to qualify third.

#2-Kurt Busch #2 The car of choice for this weekend out of the "blue deuce" stable is the "PRS-576" Miller Lite Dodge. Its impressive track record includes the second at Phoenix last November and the third there in April, along with a sixth at New Hampshire last September, a third there in June and sixth there in September and a 12th at Richmond on May 2. In the six races that the team has used this car, they have posted a 5.3 average finish and they led laps in five of those races.

#5-Mark Martin: crew chief Alan Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis #5-538 for Sunday's race at Phoenix. This is the same chassis that Martin drove to victory at PIR in April and at New Hampshire in September.

#6-David Ragan will be unloading chassis RK-613 as the primary, was last ran Dover and finished 24th. The Backup: RK-573 Last ran Martinsville fall 2008 finished 13th. The Estrella Center (SLIC - 8531) in the Desert Mountain District was selected for Phoenix race. The center is recognized for its outstanding improvement across all major business elements on the district's Balanced Scorecard.

#11-Denny Hamlin: and JGR team will unload JGR 256 this weekend at Phoenix, a brand new car from the JGR stable. Secondary JGR 246 raced two weeks ago at California and is the car Hamlin drove to a win at Richmond in September. FedEx Ground Atlantic Region will ride along and will be have "ATLC" on the wing caps of the #11 to recognize the team for being selected as a top performing region in various customer service metrics.

#12-Brad Keselowski ands the Penske Racing Dodge team will use chassis PRS-622 during Sunday's 500-mile event. PRS-622 last raced in October at Auto Club Speedway where it crossed the finish line in the 16th position with David Stremme driving.

#14-Tony Stewart This car debuted at Phoenix in April. After only being tested in the wind tunnel, Chassis #14-535 hit the racetrack in impressive fashion, as Stewart used it to qualify sixth and lead once for 19 laps before finishing second, which at the time was the best finish for Stewart-Haas Racing. Chassis #14-535 returned to another flat track via New Hampshire in June, but its time on the racetrack was short after it crashed in practice. It was repaired with new front and rear clips for its return trip to New Hampshire in September. There, Chassis No. 14-535 led four times for 52 laps before a loose axle cap forced an unscheduled pit stop, which resulted in a 14th-place finish. The November trek to Phoenix will mark the car's third career start.

#18-Kyle Busch: Sunday's Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500k will be the first-ever start for JGR #261.

#26-Jamie McMurray and the Irwin Marathon team will be unloading chassis RK-637 at Phoenix, last raced at New Hampshire, Sept. finishing 18th

#29-Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis #285 from the Richard Childress Racing Sprint Cup Series stable. This Chevy was previously raced in September at Richmond where it finished ninth and New Hampshire where it finished 32nd. It was also raced last month at Martinsville where it finished 10th.

#31-Jeff Burton will pilot Chassis #280 from the RCR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built new for 2009, this Caterpillar Chevy was put through its first paces at Chicago in July where the 16-year veteran was credited with a 37th-place finish after being collected in a late-race multi-car incident. Most recently, this #31 racer finished 23rd when the series visited Kansas last month.

#33-Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis #255 from RCR's Sprint Cup Series stable. Built new for 2009, this Chevy debuted at Atlanta in March, where Bowyer recorded a sixth-place finish, a 36th-place finish at Charlotte in May, and a 10th-place finish at New Hampshire. Most recently, Bowyer raced this car to a 19th-place finish at Martinsville in October.

#42-Juan Pablo Montoya are bringing chassis #909 to Phoenix this weekend. This is a brand new chassis.

#48-Jimmie Johnson and the Lowe's Chevy will run chassis number 540 in Sunday's race in Phoenix. He last drove it to a runner-up finish at Martinsville in October. Backup chassis number 520 has won four of its five starts (Richmond, Fall 08, Martinsville Fall, 08, Phoenix, Fall 08 and Martinsville, Spring 09).

#71-Bobby Labonte and the TRG Motorsports Chevy will roll out chassis number 243, was last seen on-track in Kansas where it qualified in 26th position with Labonte behind the wheel, and finished 43rd after being involved in a wreck.

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. HMS engineers and crew chief Lance McGrew will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis #88-541. Earnhardt last raced this chassis at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September. He spent most of the race inside the top 10 and was running fourth when he was involved in an accident with 17 laps remaining. He finished 35th.

#99-Carl Edwards and Aflac Racing team will be unloading chassis RK-647. Edwards raced this Ford Fusion three times in 2009, at Richmond in May and both New Hampshire races.

Truex Jr. tops in Phoenix qualifying

Avondale, AZ (Sports Network) - Martin Truex Jr. shrugged off a penalty assessed by NASCAR to his team earlier this week by winning the pole for Sunday's Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Truex turned a lap at 135.120 m.p.h. (26.643 seconds) for his third pole of the season and the fourth of his Sprint Cup Series career. He won the pole for the season-opening Daytona 500 and the fall night-time race at Atlanta earlier this year.

"It was a good lap for us," Truex said. "We only made two qualifying runs during practice, and I felt like our last one we kind of went the wrong direction. So we had a good idea of what we needed to do to get a good lap in qualifying. Obviously we didn't know it would be that good."

On Tuesday, Truex was docked 50 points and crew chief Kevin Manion received a $50,000 fine after his No.1 Chevrolet failed post-race inspection last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. NASCAR officials discovered the front of Truex's car was too low and therefore did not meet the required height specification.

Truex, currently 26th in points, will make his second-to-last start for Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing at Phoenix. The 29-year-old driver will head to Michael Waltrip Racing for the 2010 Sprint Cup campaign.

Kurt Busch, who won at Texas, qualified on the outside pole with a lap at 134.579 m.p.h.

"It was a good surprising lap for us, but it was a little on the loose side," Busch said. "Some of the momentum from last week carried over, and we're just trying to hit our marks and put ourselves in great position."

Busch's crew chief, Pat Tryson, is leaving Penske Racing at the end of the season to guide Truex's efforts at MWR next year.

Jimmie Johnson will start third, as he looks to rebound from his disappointing 38th-place finish at Texas. Johnson, attempting to win his unprecedented fourth straight Cup championship, crashed in the opening laps at Texas and saw his points lead shrink to 73 over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin.

"Hopefully we're far enough forward to avoid any early issues in the race if there are any," Johnson said. "It felt really good to put down a really strong lap based on the week and thinking about Texas and what took place there with loosing all the points."

Johnson has won three of the last four races at Phoenix, including the last two fall events here.

Kasey Kahne qualified fourth, while Denny Hamlin took the fifth spot.

Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Casey Mears and Martin completed the top-10. Martin won the spring race at Phoenix in April.

"[The car] was just all over the place," Martin said. "I needed a breathtakingly spectacular lap, but I got a below average lap."

Jeff Gordon, currently third in points (-112), will start 14th.

Regan Smith, Kevin Conway and Brandon Ash failed to qualify.

Sunday's race is scheduled to start just after 3:15 p.m. (et).

Practice Notes - Phoenix
By Micah Roberts

Any thoughts of Jimmie Johnson having any lingering affects from last weeks disastrous finish at Texas were quickly put to rest during Saturday’s Final Phoenix Practice in preparation for Sunday’s Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500.

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series points leader laid out the fastest lap of 132.348 mph early in the practice and appears to be primed at taking care of business and increasing his 73 point lead in the Chase for the Championship.

Johnson has a conceivable chance of clinching the title at Phoenix this week with one race still to go, which would be an unprecedented fourth Championship in a row. However, with another poor performance and good runs by his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon, Johnson could also find himself leaving Phoenix third in points.

The later scenario seems very unlikely based on his past history at Phoenix that has never seen him finish worse than 15th with a current streak of six straight top-5 finishes that include three wins.

Johnson’s rocket this week is the same chassis he used while finishing second at Martinsville, a track that -- while half the distance of Phoenix -- is still relevant because of relatively no banking.

There are a few other drivers who have brought their Martinsville chassis as well, but most teams opted to go with their Chassis’ that ran at the combination of New Hampshire, Richmond, or the April Phoenix race, which are all flat tracks and similar in distance.

The top driver on the combined trio of similar tracks this year is Mark Martin who captured victories at Phoenix earlier this year and the last race held at New Hampshire. Martin brought the chassis with him that won those two races and was very quick in final practice with the second fastest lap just behind Johnson.

Martin can be expected to go all out on Sunday like we have seldom seem the cool, collective veteran who rarely pushes anything. He’s fighting for a chance at winning his first Cup Championship and is just 73 points behind. Should he finish the season where he’s at, it would be his fifth second-place finish over his great career.

The third fastest in Happy Hour was another Hendrick driver, but wasn’t Jeff Gordon. No, it was Dale Earnhardt Jr who brought the same chassis he ran with at New Hampshire that running in fourth before being wrecked.

The positive for Junior Nation is that they are running very well of late with some of the newer formatted Hendrick chassis’ and he‘s a two-time winner at Phoenix. However, the negative of just not having any luck has outweighed the actual quality of how good his cars have been.

Juan Pablo Montoya had the 17th fastest single lap during happy Hour, but had the best overall average times for the session which should give him his best career finish on the track which is 16th.

Martin Truex Jr won the Pole on Friday and showed on Saturday that isn’t just fast in qualifying, but that his race set-up is equally as fast. He had the fourth fastest single lap time and the third fastest average speeds. Truex Jr has three top-10 Phoenix finishes over his career.

Last weeks winner, Kurt Busch, cam up with the fifth best lap during Happy Hour, laying it down early like all the other top speeds of the day. Busch used the same Chassis this week that led 123 laps in his last two Phoenix starts. Busch has one Phoenix win over his career, along with one, a-hem, suspension for a traffic altercation outside the raceway in 2005.

One of the surprises of the day was how poorly Denny Hamlin ran with having only the 25th best lap. A lot was expected oh Hamlin because of how ell he did on the last runs at like-tracks by winning at Richmond and finishing second at New Hampshire. Hamlin also won on the short flat track of Martinsville just a few weeks ago giving reason to believe he’d be there contending with Johnson and Martin for the win this week.

Of the former Phoenix winners not mentioned, Jeff Burton came in with the sixth best speed, Jeff Gordon seventh, Tony Stewart 11th, Matt Kenseth 17th, Kevin Harvick 22nd, Kyle Busch 27th.

Top Speeds - Final Practice (Happy Hour)

1) Jimmie Johnson 132.348 mph - 64 laps @ 128.333
2) Mark Martin 132.275 mph - 68 laps @ 127.546
3) Dale Earnhardt Jr 132.018 mph - 41 laps @ 128.039
4) Martin Truex Jr 131.878 mph - 52 laps @ 128.210
5) Kurt Busch 131.868 mph - 61 laps @ 127.863

Top-10 Rated Drivers

Ratings based on Happy Hour, recent past performances on the tracks of New Hampshire, Phoenix, and Richmond along with the current state of the team.

1) Mark Martin
2) Jimmie Johnson
3) Kurt Busch
4) Jeff Gordon
5) Jeff Burton
6) Dale Earnhardt Jr
7) Denny Hamlin
8) Tony Stewart
9) Kyle Busch
10) Martin Truex Jr