Winning can lead to an impressive boost of momentum. Just ask Casey Mears or Martin Truex Jr. Neither driver has finished lower than 13th in three combined starts since their first victories on tour. While Mears may have been too far back to make a serious run at the Chase (he's 23rd in points), Truex has used the recent boost to put himself in position to race for a title; he's 11th in the standings with 12 races to go.
After a season of the same old drivers running up front, can more surprise contenders follow right behind? Two first-time winners in the last three races have left both old flames and new stars hopeful their victory droughts are about to disappear. In a points race in which the 8th through 17th positions are separated by just 211 points, the boost from a long sought-after win may be exactly what's needed to separate contenders from pretenders in the bottom half of the Chase shuffle.
Who stands the most to gain from a trip to Victory Lane as the second half of the regular season hits full speed? Here are four men who likely need to get over the hump of ending a long victory drought in order to rubber stamp their Chase applications:
Clint Bowyer
With fellow sophomores Denny Hamlin and Truex already visitors to Victory Lane, the spotlight naturally turns to Bowyer as the next "young gun" looking to break through. It's not that the 28-year-old hasn't had his chances: seven top-10 finishes dot the landscape of a solid Chase résumé. That, along with zero DNFs, leave Bowyer eighth in the Nextel Cup standings (remember, his Daytona flip actually allowed him to finish the race upside down). But that's not the only place where Bowyer's season hasn't turned out as expected -- zeroes exist in not just the win column, but top fives as well. Leading only 23 laps all year long, Bowyer hasn't been accumulating a lot of bonus points, either, making him a winless wonder that's the most vulnerable of the men currently vying for those final spots in the Chase.
"I hope so," said Bowyer when asked if he's finally poised to break the drought at Pocono. "We've been trying. It's not from lack of effort. We just keep coming up a little bit short."
Best chance to win: Fontana. In seven combined starts in both the Cup and Busch Series, Bowyer has put together an impressive record out West -- four top 10s and no finish lower than 16th at the two-mile oval. Putting together a winning performance this Labor Day Weekend would provide Bowyer the official stepping stone he needs to cement his bid to compete for a title.
Ryan Newman
Newman came within half a lap of not even making this list. Running down Jeff Gordon when the rains came at Pocono, the No. 12 Dodge was just short of taking the lead when the final caution flag fell for a downpour.
"It was unfortunate for us," Newman said of a battle for the win that came up just short. "But looking back at this come Chase time, you can't think about one spot."
Problem is, Newman has no choice but to think about what might have been; he's 13th in points, and a win would have moved him to within seven points of entering the top 12. Still, a second-place finish was another indicator the team was back on track after two months of struggling early under new crew chief Mike Nelson.
At the very least, the Rocket has his qualifying situation in perfect position once again, as he's snagged the pole in three straight races, the first time he's done that since the end of 2004. However, Newman still hasn't been able to translate those poles into race wins; he's failed to cash in on Victory Lane the last nine times he's started on the pole, the lowlight of a victory drought that's reached a career-high 59 races.
Best chance to win: Loudon. Certainly, with three straight poles the No. 12 team is now a contender to win anywhere, anytime once again. Should the victory drought continue into July, though, I don't expect it to last much past the one-mile flat track up in the Northeast. Newman has made Loudon his own personal playground in years past. He's won twice there in 10 career starts and Loudon also is the site of his last win in September, '05. Overall, Newman has led a total of 515 out of a possible 3,000 laps in the process.
Jamie McMurray
The driver who was the universal pick to be the first one fired by the media this season has put together a performance worthy to be considered for Comeback Driver Of The Year. Fifteenth in points, McMurray has thrust himself back into the spotlight on the heels of five top-10 finishes, all while keeping his DNFs down to a single Daytona wreck.
The problem is that every time McMurray makes a move toward the front it hasn't been combined to a move toward running in front. McMurray has a total of just two laps led all season, putting him behind backmarkers like Jeremy Mayfield, Jeff Green and Dave Blaney in that category (McMurray is tied for 29th). Winless since his surprise win at Charlotte as a rookie back in just his second career start in '02, there's a giant monkey that needs to get off McMurray's back in order for him to take the next step up the ladder.
Best chance to win: Daytona. The Pepsi 400 this July could prove a key turning point in whether McMurray makes or breaks his run for the Chase. In the last 10 restrictor plate races, he's accumulated four top-five finishes, including a second in Daytona's night race back in '05. However, it's usually feast or famine for McMurray -- he's also accumulated four DNFs due to late race wrecks that have ruined his chances with a strong car. Win, and McMurray builds momentum towards a Chase bid; wreck, and his chances may end up falling just short for the fourth straight year.
Carl Edwards
If there's any doubt as to how long Edwards has failed to visit Victory Lane, just take a look at the face of No. 99 hauler driver Tom Giacchi. Announcing early last year he wouldn't shave until his driver wins a Cup race, Giacchi's turned into the racing version of Santa Claus while Edwards' drought has reached new heights.
Considering he won a Nextel Cup race in just his 17th career start, no one expected Cousin Carl to go 52 races without taking the checkered flag first, but that's been exactly what's happened in a frustrating series of events the past two years.
The funny thing is that Edwards is winning in just about anything else; he's dominated the Busch Series this season to the tune of four wins, and he even came out on top during last Wednesday's dirt track race for charity at Eldora, the Nextel Cup Prelude to The Dream. But for whatever reason, that momentum hasn't transferred over to Cup. Edwards is seventh in points and remains vulnerable with just two top-five finishes in what otherwise has been a season built on consistency rather than running up front.
"I feel like we're on our way back to meeting our potential with this team," said Edwards after finishing third at Dover, his best finish of the year. "Had a chance to win the last three races, including this one. We've had cars good enough."
Now, Edwards simply needs to cash in.
Best chance to win: Michigan. Heading into this weekend with a fair amount of momentum -- Edwards picked up his fourth Busch win Saturday at Nashville -- it wouldn't be surprising to see him break out of the slump this weekend. Edwards has finished in the top 10 in four of his five career starts at Michigan, with a 22nd last August the only blip on the radar. Michigan has typically been a Ford powerhouse, with teams winning six of the last 10 races there -- making it seven out of 11 would make the Chase a high probability for the likable kid from Missouri.
After a season of the same old drivers running up front, can more surprise contenders follow right behind? Two first-time winners in the last three races have left both old flames and new stars hopeful their victory droughts are about to disappear. In a points race in which the 8th through 17th positions are separated by just 211 points, the boost from a long sought-after win may be exactly what's needed to separate contenders from pretenders in the bottom half of the Chase shuffle.
Who stands the most to gain from a trip to Victory Lane as the second half of the regular season hits full speed? Here are four men who likely need to get over the hump of ending a long victory drought in order to rubber stamp their Chase applications:
Clint Bowyer
With fellow sophomores Denny Hamlin and Truex already visitors to Victory Lane, the spotlight naturally turns to Bowyer as the next "young gun" looking to break through. It's not that the 28-year-old hasn't had his chances: seven top-10 finishes dot the landscape of a solid Chase résumé. That, along with zero DNFs, leave Bowyer eighth in the Nextel Cup standings (remember, his Daytona flip actually allowed him to finish the race upside down). But that's not the only place where Bowyer's season hasn't turned out as expected -- zeroes exist in not just the win column, but top fives as well. Leading only 23 laps all year long, Bowyer hasn't been accumulating a lot of bonus points, either, making him a winless wonder that's the most vulnerable of the men currently vying for those final spots in the Chase.
"I hope so," said Bowyer when asked if he's finally poised to break the drought at Pocono. "We've been trying. It's not from lack of effort. We just keep coming up a little bit short."
Best chance to win: Fontana. In seven combined starts in both the Cup and Busch Series, Bowyer has put together an impressive record out West -- four top 10s and no finish lower than 16th at the two-mile oval. Putting together a winning performance this Labor Day Weekend would provide Bowyer the official stepping stone he needs to cement his bid to compete for a title.
Ryan Newman
Newman came within half a lap of not even making this list. Running down Jeff Gordon when the rains came at Pocono, the No. 12 Dodge was just short of taking the lead when the final caution flag fell for a downpour.
"It was unfortunate for us," Newman said of a battle for the win that came up just short. "But looking back at this come Chase time, you can't think about one spot."
Problem is, Newman has no choice but to think about what might have been; he's 13th in points, and a win would have moved him to within seven points of entering the top 12. Still, a second-place finish was another indicator the team was back on track after two months of struggling early under new crew chief Mike Nelson.
At the very least, the Rocket has his qualifying situation in perfect position once again, as he's snagged the pole in three straight races, the first time he's done that since the end of 2004. However, Newman still hasn't been able to translate those poles into race wins; he's failed to cash in on Victory Lane the last nine times he's started on the pole, the lowlight of a victory drought that's reached a career-high 59 races.
Best chance to win: Loudon. Certainly, with three straight poles the No. 12 team is now a contender to win anywhere, anytime once again. Should the victory drought continue into July, though, I don't expect it to last much past the one-mile flat track up in the Northeast. Newman has made Loudon his own personal playground in years past. He's won twice there in 10 career starts and Loudon also is the site of his last win in September, '05. Overall, Newman has led a total of 515 out of a possible 3,000 laps in the process.
Jamie McMurray
The driver who was the universal pick to be the first one fired by the media this season has put together a performance worthy to be considered for Comeback Driver Of The Year. Fifteenth in points, McMurray has thrust himself back into the spotlight on the heels of five top-10 finishes, all while keeping his DNFs down to a single Daytona wreck.
The problem is that every time McMurray makes a move toward the front it hasn't been combined to a move toward running in front. McMurray has a total of just two laps led all season, putting him behind backmarkers like Jeremy Mayfield, Jeff Green and Dave Blaney in that category (McMurray is tied for 29th). Winless since his surprise win at Charlotte as a rookie back in just his second career start in '02, there's a giant monkey that needs to get off McMurray's back in order for him to take the next step up the ladder.
Best chance to win: Daytona. The Pepsi 400 this July could prove a key turning point in whether McMurray makes or breaks his run for the Chase. In the last 10 restrictor plate races, he's accumulated four top-five finishes, including a second in Daytona's night race back in '05. However, it's usually feast or famine for McMurray -- he's also accumulated four DNFs due to late race wrecks that have ruined his chances with a strong car. Win, and McMurray builds momentum towards a Chase bid; wreck, and his chances may end up falling just short for the fourth straight year.
Carl Edwards
If there's any doubt as to how long Edwards has failed to visit Victory Lane, just take a look at the face of No. 99 hauler driver Tom Giacchi. Announcing early last year he wouldn't shave until his driver wins a Cup race, Giacchi's turned into the racing version of Santa Claus while Edwards' drought has reached new heights.
Considering he won a Nextel Cup race in just his 17th career start, no one expected Cousin Carl to go 52 races without taking the checkered flag first, but that's been exactly what's happened in a frustrating series of events the past two years.
The funny thing is that Edwards is winning in just about anything else; he's dominated the Busch Series this season to the tune of four wins, and he even came out on top during last Wednesday's dirt track race for charity at Eldora, the Nextel Cup Prelude to The Dream. But for whatever reason, that momentum hasn't transferred over to Cup. Edwards is seventh in points and remains vulnerable with just two top-five finishes in what otherwise has been a season built on consistency rather than running up front.
"I feel like we're on our way back to meeting our potential with this team," said Edwards after finishing third at Dover, his best finish of the year. "Had a chance to win the last three races, including this one. We've had cars good enough."
Now, Edwards simply needs to cash in.
Best chance to win: Michigan. Heading into this weekend with a fair amount of momentum -- Edwards picked up his fourth Busch win Saturday at Nashville -- it wouldn't be surprising to see him break out of the slump this weekend. Edwards has finished in the top 10 in four of his five career starts at Michigan, with a 22nd last August the only blip on the radar. Michigan has typically been a Ford powerhouse, with teams winning six of the last 10 races there -- making it seven out of 11 would make the Chase a high probability for the likable kid from Missouri.