NASCAR SCS (PHOENIX) - SERIES NOTES

• Down To The Wire: Chase Participants Head For Phoenix
• A Gordon Rebound A Phoenix Possibility
• NASCAR’s “New Car” Set For 16th And Final Race In ‘07
• No. 22 Team Bolsters Top-35 Ranking
• In The Loop: Gordon, Johnson Also Close In Pre-Race Stats
• On The Line: Kyle Busch On The NASCAR Teleconference

Desert Duel: Johnson, Gordon Renew Title Battle In Phoenix

Tight, tough and unyielding.

Description applicable both to the setting of Sunday’s Checker Auto Parts 500 and to the title battle it features.

As the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series roars into Phoenix International Raceway, reigning series champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) leads four-time series champion Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) by 30 points atop the standings.

Sunday’s event is the penultimate in the 2007 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and focus has crystallized upon those two drivers.

Hendrick Motorsports teammates, they’ve traded the Chase lead throughout the first eight events – Johnson reclaiming it with last Sunday’s victory at Texas Motor Speedway. And although third-place Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet) lurks 181 points behind Johnson, the title-eligible pairing of past and present champions appears set.

“We have momentum going our direction right now,” Johnson said, “but it's only 30 points. And if you look at the last two weeks, I've been able to make up roughly 60 points, and Jeff hasn't had bad races the last two events. He's had strong finishes. So it's not like he's had bad nights. So I can finish tenth and he can win and I'm back in second.”

Johnson enjoys the most momentum; he’s fresh off three consecutive victories for the second time in his six-year career, having conquered Martinsville Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas, respectively, in preceding weeks.

The last time Johnson won back-to-back-to-back was during the ’04 Chase, when he won at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Martinsville and Atlanta, respectively.

Johnson also owns a series-high nine wins in ’07.

But this week’s locale may favor Gordon, who excels on Phoenix’s narrow, flat one-mile track. He won in April from the pole – his first Phoenix victory – and has three poles, eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes there.

Johnson – who finished fourth in April – has three top-five and six top-10 finishes at Phoenix.

How close are they, aside from 30 points in the standings? Close enough for one bobble to make a desert-sized difference.

NASCAR’s season-to-date Loop Data statistics offers more concrete quantification: Johnson has a series-high 934 Fastest Laps Run while Gordon has a series-high Average Running Position of 9.2.

Pre-race Loop Data statistics for Phoenix show Johnson second in Laps in the Top 15 (1,446) with Gordon third (1,384).

And they’re also one-two in season-to-date Driver Rating. Johnson has a series-high 109.8 rating, followed by Gordon with the second-highest rating of 108.6.

Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Notebook, Week 9

Two To Go, Time To Go … Catch standings leader Jimmie Johnson.

That’s second-place Jeff Gordon’s charge with two races remaining in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup – not as monumental a task as it appears.

Johnson’s win at Texas last Sunday erased his then-nine-point, second-place deficit to Gordon, boosting him into a 30-point lead.

So it’s Gordon in second as NASCAR NEXTEL Cup teams prepare for Sunday’s Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix.

The one-mile track nestled at the foot of the Estrella Mountains isn’t quite his playground, but it’s been kind enough that Johnson may find himself on the defensive this weekend.

First, the statistics: • Gordon has one win, three poles, eight top fives and 14 top 10s at Phoenix. • Johnson has three top fives and six top 10s.

Then, the facts: • Gordon won his first race at Phoenix in April, and now goes for the season sweep there. • Johnson kept pace in the spring with a fourth-place finish.

Here, the numbers: • Fifteen times in ’07, Gordon has “out-pointed” Johnson by more than 30 points in consecutive races. Phoenix is among those tracks.

In successive April weeks, Gordon finished fourth at Texas and won at Phoenix, “out-pointing” Johnson by 151 points.

The Phoenix win coupled with one at Talladega Superspeedway the following week helped Gordon “out-point” Johnson by 50 points during that two-race sequence.

Gordon also has a series-high 20 top fives and 29 top 10s in ’07. He has six wins, second only to Johnson’s series-high nine victories.

Johnson ranks second with 19 top fives and is tied with two-time series champion Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet) with 22 top 10s.

Jeff Gordon has “out-pointed” Jimmie Johnson in 15 consecutive ’07 races:

Feb. 18 & Feb. 25 (Daytona/California) +93 March 25 & April 1 (Bristol/Martinsville) +40 April 1 & April 15 (Martinsville/Texas) +106 April 15 & April 21 (Texas/Phoenix) +151 April 21 & April 29 (Phoenix/Talladega) +50 June 4 & June 10 (Dover/Pocono) +173 June 10 & June 17 (Pocono/Michigan) +185 June 17 & June 24 (Michigan/Infineon) +61 June 24 & July 1 (Infineon/New Hampshire) +44 July 1 & July 7 (NH/Daytona) +41 July 7 & July 15 (Daytona/Chicago) +107 July 15 & July 29 (Chicago/Indy) +200 July 29 & Aug. 5 (Indy/Pocono) +124 Oct. 7 & Oct. 13 (Talladega/Lowe’s) +74 Oct. 13 & Oct. 21 (Lowe’s/Martinsville) +44

Phoenix To Host ’07 New-Car Finale

Sunday’s Checker Auto Parts 500 is the 16th and final time that series teams will compete with the Car of Tomorrow – NASCAR’s next-generation race car – in ’07.

The new car will be used fulltime in ’08. Teams were schedule to run it in 16 of 36 events this year to prepare for next season.

Phoenix’s April event marked just the third new-car event. It has competed at nine other tracks this season – Bristol Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Darlington Raceway, Dover International Speedway, Infineon Raceway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Watkins Glen International.

Hendrick Motorsports has won eight of the 15 previous new-car events, including the April race at Phoenix, where Jeff Gordon triumphed.

Teammate Jimmie Johnson won the most recent new-car event, the fall race at Martinsville three weeks.

Series teams also tested at Atlanta Motor Speedway two weeks ago, on the Monday and Tuesday following that track’s October event. That test – the seventh and final NASCAR-sanctioned test of ’07 – was in preparation for the new car’s ’08 debut on 1.5-mile tracks.

Versatility The “New-Car” Key

Using the same chassis at different tracks is a hallmark of NASCAR’s new car – borne out by the following numbers:

Through 15 “new car” events and three “new car” specific tests

• 13 teams have used the same chassis in six events • Seven teams have used the same chassis in seven events • Five teams have used the same chassis in eight events • Three teams have used the same chassis in nine events • Two teams have used the same chassis in 10 events

On The Bubble: No. 22 Tightens Grip On 35th Place

A 21st-place finish last week at Texas halted the No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota’s recent streak of consecutive bad outings at Martinsville and Atlanta. Which means driver Dave Blaney and his Bill Davis-owned team gained some points – and breathing room – in their quest to retain the crucial 35th spot in the car owner standings.

Blaney’s team now leads its closest pursuer – the No. 21 Ore-Ida Ford (owned by Glen Wood and driven by Bill Elliott) – by 127 points in the owner standings. The margin between positions 35 and 36 had shrunk to 82 points prior to last Sunday’s Texas race, thanks to consecutive finishes outside the top 30 by the No. 22.

Blaney and his team are only 23 points out of the 34th position, currently held by the No. 45 Wells Fargo Dodge owned and driven by Kyle Petty.

The top 35 teams in the owner standings are guaranteed automatic starting spots each week. Other teams must earn their berths based on qualifying speeds.

2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Owner Points – After 34 Races

Pos. Points Team Owner Driver

30th 2,847 No. 88 Ford Robert Yates Ricky Rudd 31st 2,844 No. 66 Chevrolet Joe Custer Jeremy Mayfield 32nd 2,778 No. 38 Ford Robert Yates David Gilliland 33rd 2,736 No. 70 Chevrolet Joe Custer Johnny Sauter 34th 2,677 No. 45 Dodge Kyle Petty Kyle Petty

35th 2,654 No. 22 Toyota Bill Davis Dave Blaney

36th 2,527 No. 21 Ford Glen Wood Bill Elliott 37th 2,390 No. 10 Dodge James Rocco Scott Riggs 38th 2,214 No. 83 Toyota Dietrich Mateschitz Brian Vickers 39th 2,183 No. 00 Toyota Cal Wells David Reutimann 40th 1,784 No. 55 Toyota Buffy Waltrip Michael Waltrip

Keys To Victory

Phoenix International Raceway

Kevin Harvick: “Phoenix is another place where you need to get through the center of the corner, but you also have to have forward bite. As the run goes on, the car tends to get tighter in the center of the corner, so you need to keep your car turning well there and be able to stay in the throttle up off.”

Crew chief Todd Berrier: “Phoenix is very similar to a (New Hampshire) or Richmond, the races are short, and you really have to have your act together when the thing starts; it’s really hard on brakes. It’s really similar to (New Hampshire); you have to turn well, but you have to do it all really early because it’s a 300-lap race. If you’re off a little bit, you’re 30th, it takes a long time to get back to the front.”

In The Loop: Too Close To Call Between Johnson And Gordon At Phoenix

Round 8 of the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup went to Jimmie Johnson, winner of three straight and nine overall this season.

Johnson now owns a 30-point lead over Jeff Gordon with two races to go. The next obstacle: The one-mile oval in the Arizona desert, Phoenix International Raceway.

And the Loop Data statistics couldn’t be more even at Phoenix. In the five Phoenix races since 2005, Johnson and Gordon are neck-and-neck in practically every key category – which makes a duel a Homestead likely.

The Phoenix tale of the tape:

• Driver Rating: Johnson edges Gordon, 112.5 to 107.3 • Average Running Position: Johnson nips Gordon, 6.1 to 8.1 • Laps in the Top 15 (out of 1,560): Johnson leads Gordon, 1,445 to 1,384

The duo’s performance at Phoenix mirrors their performance in this year’s Chase. Actually, their stats over the eight Chase races couldn’t be more similar – they have each led 267 laps over the eight races, for instance.

The tale of the tape from the first eight Chase races:

• Average Finish: Gordon leads Johnson, 4.6 to 5.3 • Driver Rating: Johnson leads Gordon, 113.0 to 105.4 • Average Running Position: Johnson edges Gordon, 10.931 to 10.988 • Percentage of Laps in the Top 15: Gordon leads Johnson, 81% to 79.7%

And of those vying to play spoiler, Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet) makes the strongest case to visit Victory Lane.

Harvick swept there last season, and sits atop most Loop Data statistics. He ranks first in Driver Rating (113.8), Average Running Position (5.8) and Laps in the Top 15 (93.1%). Additionally, he’s notched 122 Fastest Laps Run, third-most.

Also watch for Tony Stewart this weekend. For the first time all season, Stewart failed to crack the top-10 in three consecutive races. The slide could end Sunday. Stewart finished second in two of the last three Phoenix races and has a Driver Rating of 102.6 there.

NNCS, Etc.

On The Line: Kyle Busch On Weekly NASCAR Teleconference

Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup competitor Kyle Busch (No. 5 Kellogg’s/ CARQUEST Chevrolet) was the guest on Tuesday’s weekly NASCAR Teleconference. He’s fourth in the Chase standings with two races remaining in the season.

Following are some teleconference highlights:

Q. With so much going on in the Chase, you're running four events this weekend, is there a chance to get burned out; or, is this a chance that you look at to keep your mind off of everything else and be ready for Sunday?

BUSCH: Well, I think it's both ways. You can get burned out pretty easily, but I feel like I'm young enough and have a good time still and do everything I want to do. It's another way to keep your mind off it. So we're just trying to go out there and do the best I can, of course, in whatever I race, doesn't matter what it is.

Q. What do you think you have learned from Jeff and Jimmie over the years as far as achieving a level of consistency?

BUSCH: I think learning from Jeff and Jimmie, I think you learn everything, every day. There's a bunch of stuff that you learn in this deal, in this series and in this way of life. So you know, for me, it's been a learning experience my whole career. And what I've learned from Jeff and Jimmie is just consistency. And of course I've got the will to win, but for some reason, not quite able to do it as often as they are. But you know, just trying to get out there every weekend, trying to do the best we can having a good team and having good leadership. Everything like that makes it seem a little bit easier, I guess.

Looking forward to next year being able to move over to the Gibbs side and still want to keep that tradition going. I guess I've become a better points racer, per se; being able to be more consistent and get involved in less wrecked and start stirring less controversy, per se.

Q. Third in the points, is that a realistic goal?

BUSCH: Yeah, pretty much that's what we're looking towards. We want to get Hendrick Motorsports in the top three. It's a great goal and we've had great runs in the Chase. Last year we struggled and couldn't do anything right, and this year, it seems as though we can really hit it strong and run well if something doesn't happen. We got wrecked at Kansas and we got wrecked at Talladega, and then again at Atlanta we got caught there with the pit stop problem, and got mired back in traffic and had a bad finish there. If it wasn't for some of those things, we would be right there contending for this thing, too. We've led laps in almost all of the races here so far and we have been running up front in all the races. So it's been good to see that.

For the complete transcript, please visit www.nascarmedia.com.

Montoya Maintaining Rookie Points Lead

Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge) continues to lead the Raybestos Rookie of the Year point standings over David Ragan (No. 6 AAA Insurance Ford).

Montoya finished 25th at Texas while Ragan was 37th, increasing his lead to 20 points (234-214).

Manufacturers’ Standings

Chevrolet continues atop the Manufacturers’ standings, leading Ford by 84 points after another victory by Jimmie Johnson. Last Sunday’s win gave Chevrolet 25 victories this season.

Watch Out For These Guys

This week’s spotlight may shine brightest on title contenders Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, but other Chase participants also boast good Phoenix histories.

Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet) lead all drivers with two wins each at Phoenix. Burton is seventh in the Chase standings; Harvick is eighth.

A reminder: Harvick also leads three significant categories in NASCAR Loop Data’s pre-race statistics for Phoenix. He’s tops in Average Running Position (5.803), Driver Rating (113.8) and Laps in the Top 15 (1,452).

Four other Chase drivers have one Phoenix win – Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford), Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge).

Triple Duty Time In Phoenix

Both Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick have the opportunity to embellish their Phoenix statistics across the board this weekend.

Both are participating in all three NASCAR events at PIR – Sunday’s Checker Auto Parts 500, the NASCAR Busch Series’ Arizona.Travel 200 on Saturday and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ Casino Arizona 150 on Friday.

Busch also will commute to his hometown of Las Vegas to compete in Saturday night’s Fall Classic Super Late Model feature at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring.

The Race: Checker Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil The Place: Phoenix International Raceway The Date: Sunday, Nov. 11 The Time: 3:30 p.m. (ET) TV: ABC, 3 p.m. (ET) Radio: MRN; SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Channel 128 The Track: 1-mile oval The Distance: 500 kilometers/ 312 miles/ 312 laps The Purse: $4,998,497 2006 Polesitter: Jeff Gordon 2006 Winner: Kevin Harvick Series Standings Pos. Driver Pts. 1 Johnson 6,382 2 Gordon 6,352 3 Bowyer 6,201 4 Kyle Busch 6,043 5 Edwards 6,025 6 Stewart 6,009 7 Burton 5,951 8 Harvick 5,943 9 Kurt Busch 5,929 10 Kenseth 5,928 11 Hamlin 5,858 12 Truex Jr. 5,858 Pre-Race On-Track Schedule (ET): Friday—Practice, 11:30-1 p.m. Qualifying, 3:40 p.m.; Saturday—Practice, 9-9:50 a.m. and 12:50-1:50