How the Chase field fared Sunday
Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009
Checking out the Chase drivers and how they fared in the season finale:
1. Jimmie Johnson
Did Johnson ever expect to be setting NASCAR history?
“I grew up on two wheels in the dirt,” Johnson said. “I had no clue I was going to end up here racing stock cars and doing something that had never been done before.”
2. Mark Martin (-141)
Martin has now finished as runner-up in the championship hunt to four different drivers – the late Dale Earnhardt, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and now Johnson.
"It’s so incredible to have the rally during the intros and all the support. For me to even have a chance is pretty incredible,” Martin said. “I feel really blessed to have had a chance.”
3. Jeff Gordon (-179)
Gordon finished sixth, which allowed Hendrick Motorsports to finish first, second and third in the series points race – a NASCAR first.
4. Kurt Busch (-206)
Busch was faced with a potentially bad situation when the Chase began – his crew chief, Pat Tryson, was leaving at season’s end. But they rallied with a win at Texas and fourth place finish in the standings.
5. Denny Hamlin (-317)
What might Hamlin have been capable of this season without those three races he failed to finish (two engine failures and a wreck)?
6. Tony Stewart (-343)
Stewart retaliated from a bump from behind by Juan Pablo Montoya by slamming into Montoya while they raced side-by-side. Even Stewart’s crew chief, Darian Grubb, admitted they deserved it.
7. Greg Biffle (-360)
Biffle went winless this season and is hoping Roush Fenway Racing came find some answers for better performance in the offseason.
8. Juan Pablo Montoya (-400)
Montoya had a couple of run-ins during Sunday’s race that ended up costing him a couple positions in the final standings.
He irritated Johnson early when the two nearly collided. Later, Montoya got into a back-and-forth battle with Stewart that left both cars with serious damage.
9. Ryan Newman (-477)
Newman’s day was hurt when he got into the wall early in the race.
“We had a top-10 car in the beginning and a top-10 car in the end,” said Newman’s crew chief, Tony Gibson. “The rest of the race is where we struggled.”
10. Kasey Kahne (-524)
Kahne was a bright spot in a tumultuous season for Richard Petty Motorsports. He won two races, including his first on a road course at Sonoma, Calif.
“We thought our car may change to the good when the race went from day to night, but it just didn’t happen,” Kahne said.
11. Carl Edwards (-534)
Edwards ended the season without a victory and lost a bet.
Edwards bet Kasey Kahne $20 before the race that he'd have the better finish in the final standings, but Edwards came up 11 points short.
“That just added insult to injury,” Edwards said.
12. Brian Vickers (-723)
The best part of the season for Vickers was in the run-up to the Chase, when he put in strong performances to contend for the championship.
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