The Chase To The Sprint Cup Headed To Phoenix

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There are only two races left in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season. Race #8 of The Chase will be at Phoenix International Raceway this Sunday for the Kobalt Tools 500. The championship is likely to come down to a head to head battle between Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart.

There are a total of 9 drivers in the original field of 12 Chase drivers who have not been mathematically eliminated from a shot at the Sprint Cup Championship. However, realistically, it would take an epic bad day for Carl and Tony to open the door for any of the other 7 drivers to win the championship.

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Carl sits in the points lead with Tony a mere 3 points back in second place. As they both prepare for this week’s race at Phoenix, there are several things to consider. Carl is in the points lead as a result of consistency. He has had a great 2011 season overall. He’s only won one race, but he’s been in the top 10 in 24 races and of those 17 have been top 5 finishes.

Tony has gotten hot at the perfect time. Heading into the 10 race NASCAR “Playoffs” known as “The Chase”, Tony stated he felt that he and his team didn’t really belong there. However, did they ever turn that around as Tony won the first two races in The Chase. He struggled slightly over the next four races but then heated up again winning the races in the last two weeks to be just 3 points behind Carl for the championship.

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How do the two drivers stack up against each other at Phoenix? They both have a single win at the track. Carl is the defending race winner capturing the checkered flag in the Kobalt Tools 500 in November of 2010. Tony hasn’t been to Victory Lane at Phoenix since the November race of 1999. This could all be immaterial though since the track has been repaved and had some minor banking adjustments made to it since the last time the Sprint Cup drivers raced at Phoenix in the spring. Carl, Tony and all the drivers will be in a slight “relearning process” at Phoenix.

Now factor in the “spoilers” for this weekend’s race that Carl and Tony will have to contend with. The Chase drivers that have won before at Phoenix include 5 time defending Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson who has won at the track 4 times, including 3 of the last four November races there. Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick have all won at the track twice before, Jeff being the most recent winner in the February race earlier this year. Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch have both found the

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way to Victory Lane in the desert of Arizona once before as well. Any of these drivers could capture the win and changes things in the points heading into the final race at Homestead.

We will all have to wait until Sunday to see what scenario unfolds at Phoenix. You can get a preview of what to expect in the Kobalt Tools 500 by joining JD & Kevin in the Morning on B104, Friday morning, at 6:50am for Wilson’s Race Report.

You can hear all the action of race number nine of The Chase, the Kobalt Tools 500, from Phoenix International Raceway on our sister station WJBC FM, 93.7, starting at 1pm central time Sunday  (11/13/11).