A glance at the 12 drivers competing in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup championship heading into this weekend’s race at Talladega (in order of points):
DRIVER: Carl Edwards
CHASE POINTS: First, 2,203 points
POSITION CHANGE: None
CAR: No. 99 Aflac Ford
TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Finished third after a tough battle with Kyle Busch in the closing laps.
CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 14
BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 5th (2005)
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DRIVER: Kevin Harvick
CHASE POINTS: Second, -5
POSITION CHANGE: NONE
CAR: No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet
TEAM: Richard Childress Racing
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Struggled but still finished sixth at one of his least favorite tracks.
CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 21
BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (2010)
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DRIVER: Matt Kenseth
CHASE POINTS: Third, -7
POSITION CHANGE: Plus 2
CAR: No. 17 Crown Royal Ford
TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Won his first race of the Chase.
CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 23
BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 3rd (2005)
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DRIVER: Kyle Busch
CHASE POINTS: Fourth, -18
POSITION CHANGE: Plus 4
CAR: No. 18 M&Ms Toyota
TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Started last, dominated the race, and finished second after losing a restart to Kenseth.
CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 13
BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (2008)
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DRIVER: Tony Stewart
CHASE POINTS: Fifth, -24
POSITION CHANGE: Plus 2
CAR: No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet
TEAM: Stewart-Haas Racing
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Was very strong early, then rallied from an incident with Greg Biffle to finish eighth.
CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 25
BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (2008)
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DRIVER: Brad Keselowski
CHASE POINTS: Sixth, -25
POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2
CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
TEAM: Penske Racing
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Struggled the entire race and considered himself fortunate to finish 15th.
CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 5
BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (2009)
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DRIVER: Kurt Busch
CHASE POINTS: Seventh, -27
POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1
CAR: No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge
TEAM: Penske Racing
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Was just OK the entire race and finished 13th.
CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 21
BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 3rd (2001, 2002, 2006, 2007)
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DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson
CHASE POINTS: Eighth, -35
POSITION CHANGE: Minus 5
CAR: No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet
TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Wrecked late in the race with a hard headfirst hit into the wall. Finished 34th.
CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 19
BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (2006, 2011)
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DRIVER: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
CHASE POINTS: Ninth, -60
POSITION CHANGE: None
CAR: No. 88 AMP Chevrolet
TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Another ho-hum run for Earnhardt, who started 15th and finished 19th.
CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 23
BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (2001, 2002-twice, 2003, 2004)
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DRIVER: Ryan Newman
CHASE POINTS: 10th, -61
POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1
CAR: No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet
TEAM: Stewart-Haas Racing
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Finished 10th at Charlotte, his second top-10 finish of the Chase.
CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 19
BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 3rd (2009)
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DRIVER: Jeff Gordon
CHASE POINTS: 11th, -66
POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1
CAR: No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet
TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: He wrecked and finished 21st at Charlotte.
CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 37
BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (1996, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2007-twice)
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DRIVER: Denny Hamlin
CHASE POINTS: 12th, -86
POSITION CHANGE: None
CAR: No. 11 FedEx Toyota
TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Grabbed his first top-10 finish of the Chase with a ninth-place finish.
CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 11
BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 3rd (2008)