2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup Races

This relatively flat one mile oval hosts the first race of the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup races. The racing is tight and fast as the flat corners force drivers to make their cars work on the bottom to be fast. This is a handling race track.

When the NEXTEL Cup series visited New Hampshire International Speedway in July Denny Hamlin claimed the win by just one carlength over Jeff Gordon. Both of these Chase drivers would love to start off their 2007 Chase for the Cup with another strong run at NHIS.

Dover Downs is a high-banked one-mile concrete oval. The high-grip surface lets drivers really get aggressive and push the car, but at the expense of tire wear.

This grueling race is a survival race. 400 miles at Dover makes for a long day on the gritty concrete. The last 100 miles typically has some surprises as the track takes its toll on equipment.

Chase driver Martin Truex Jr. picked up the first NEXTEL Cup win of his career here in June. A repeat performance might set him up for a surprise Championship win.

Kansas Speedway was long criticized for not providing exciting racing. That all changed last year as drivers were two and three wide all day long. The finish was exciting too as Tony Stewart coasted across the line out of fuel to take the win. The 2006 event had it all strategy, great racing and a thrilling finish. Hopefully the 2007 race will be just as exciting.

Each year this race is named by every driver in the Chase as the biggest wildcard. This year's event will be even more unpredictable as the 2007 UAW-Ford 500 will be the first ever Car of Tomorrow restrictor place race.

The drivers got a little bit of testing time on the track in September but there are plenty of unanswered questions. Just how will the Car of Tomorrow react to NASCAR's unique restrictor plate racing? Is "The Big One" more or less likely to happen because of the new car? This race could have a huge impact on the 2007 Chase for the Cup.

Located in the Charlotte North Carolina area Lowes Motor Speedway is the home track of most NASCAR teams. This is the only night race in the Chase For The Cup.

In May the 2007 Coca-Cola 600 ended up being a fuel mileage race. Chasers Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin each held the lead near the end of the race but had to pit for fuel before the checkered flag fell. This left Casey Mears in a position to gamble. He had enough fuel and scored the first win of his NEXTEL Cup career.

Even though the spotlight is on the twelve Chasers every week there are 31 other drivers on the track still racing for the win. Those other drivers are out of the Championship hunt but still want to win just as much as the Chase drivers. Maybe even more.

This race is the only short track in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. Martinsville is the shortest, slowest race track on the NEXTEL Cup schedule. Racing here has been compared to driving up one lane of a dragstrip turning around and racing back up the other lane.

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon finished one-two when the series raced at Martinsville on April Fools Day 2007. These two drivers are the top seeds coming into the 2007 Chase and both expect to be a factor again this time.

By this point in the Chase some of the drivers in the Chase will have experienced some bad luck and will be out of contention. The remaining half-dozen drivers will be racing hard to stay on top. With only a few races to go a bad finish in Atlanta could end a driver's shot at the 2007 NEXTEL Cup Championship.

Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart put on a great show when the NEXTEL Cup series visited Atlanta in March. Johnson and Stewart raced side-by-side over the last ten laps until Stewart slipped slightly. That allowed Jimmie Johnson to complete the pass with just three laps to go and hold on for the win.

In April Chase drivers put on a great show for the fans at Texas Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon was leading until he slapped the wall with 23 laps to go and fell back. Matt Kenseth took over the lead and tried to get away but Jeff Burton caught him and the two battled side-by-side for the win. Burton finally made it stick on the bottom in turn two of the final lap and beat Matt Kenseth back to the checkered flag.

Fans like to complain that there are too many "cookie cutter" race tracks in the Chase. However, Texas, Atlanta and Lowes consistently produce thrilling finishes like this. NASCAR is simply putting many of their best races into the Chase.

The NEXTEL Cup drivers make one last trip across the country for the next-to-last race of the season. Phoenix International Raceway is a challenging one mile oval with a kink in the backstretch.

Jeff Gordon battled Tony Stewart over the last twenty laps on his way to the win here in April. Gordon and Stewart traded the lead back and forth in the closing laps with Jeff Gordon picking up the win. The top five spots all went to 2007 Chase drivers as Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth followed Gordon and Stewart across the line.

As has been the tradition since 2002 the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup comes to a close at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Championship strategy plays a huge role in how this race unfolds. The point leaders have to race for the Championship even if it means giving up a chance at the race win. A race win is not worth the risk of losing the title.

In 2004 Kurt Busch came into the race with a narrow lead and had to race hard for his Championship. Busch finished fifth in the race which was just enough to claim the 2004 title.

In 2005 and 2006 Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson ran more conservative races on their way to the Championship. Both drivers knew exactly what they needed to do and both ran safe races to clinch the title.