Texas Speedzone - Texas Motor Speedway set for NASCAR Nextel Cup November 4-5

Texas Motor Speedway Public Relations

Ft Worth, TX (October 25, 2006) - As the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup tightened considerably, next week’s Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway could serve as the critical juncture in determining championship aspirations.

Eight of the 10 Chase drivers are within 99 points of leader Matt Kenseth as they head to Atlanta this weekend, but time is running short. The Dickies 500 is the eighth stop in the 10-race Chase and the Chase drivers’ performances at Texas could put them in legitimate contention or out of the picture with only two to go.

And to make it more interesting, half of the Chase drivers (Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Kenseth) have previously won a Cup race at Texas. Is that a good omen? Perhaps not – there has never been a repeat winner in 11 Cup races at TMS.

The field is the closest the top 10 have ever been after six events in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. Just 171 points separate the top 10, and just 48 points separate the top five. The margin from first to 10th in 2004 was 364 and the margin in 2005 was 216.

So, how critical can one race be in the Chase?

Consider Jimmie Johnson’s win at Martinsville last Sunday. He entered the race 146 points behind Burton, the then-points leader. Johnson made up 153 points on Burton and now sits in third, just 41 points behind Kenseth. The maximum amount of points any driver can make up in a race on a fellow competitor is 156.

Burton’s tough luck at Martinsville (DNF, 42nd) and strong performances by Johnson and runner-up Denny Hamlin (now fourth in the Chase, 47 back) have tightened the field dramatically. Burton’s poor finish as a result of engine woes dropped him from the Chase lead to fifth (48 behind). His Richard Childress Racing teammate, Kevin Harvick, who has already claimed the Busch Series title, has moved into second and is just 31 points off Kenseth’s pace. Although he does not have a Cup win, Harvick certainly knows his way around Texas Motor Speedway with a pair of Busch Series wins, including the inaugural O’Reilly Challenge last November.

Martin hinted that his hopes of winning his first Cup championship may have dampened when he finished 30th two weeks ago at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. But Martin, always a fan favorite at Texas, is just 96 points (seventh in the Chase) off the pace, and considering Johnson’s jump in the standings following Martinsville, the four-time winner at TMS (1 Cup, 3 Busch wins) isn’t ready to concede just yet.

“I’m going to drive the fool out of the race car,” Martin said. “I’m going to leave it to Jack Roush and Pat Tryson to give me some good stuff, and if it doesn’t work out, you know what, I made the Chase and we’ve had a great year.”

Earnhardt Jr. (sixth in the Chase, 94 back) and Kahne (eighth, 99 behind) can use the experience of past success at TMS for a late-season surge of their own in the Chase. Junior won his first Busch Series (1998) and Cup Series (2000) races of his career at Texas. Kahne won April’s Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race as well as the April 2005 O’Reilly 300 NASCAR Busch Series event.

Fans attending the Dickies 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series weekend will get a chance to pen their “best wishes” to retiring two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and native Texan, Terry Labonte. Labonte, a Corpus Christi native, is driving in his final Cup race of his career in the Nov. 5 Dickies 500. A giant postcard that measures eight feet in height with “Terry Labonte – Thanks For The Memories” inscribed at the top will be inside the “10 Year Experience” display tent outside of Gate 4 on the frontstretch. Throughout the weekend, fans can write a special message for “Texas Terry” by signing the card, which will be given to Labonte following the Dickies 500. A replica of the No. 44 Chevrolet with the special “Terry Labonte Tribute” paint scheme will also be on display in the tent.