Some Chasers heading to Chase chasing momentum (cont'd)

The issue for Busch's No. 5 Chevrolet was handling, or rather a severe lack of it.

"We just did not handle whatsoever. I mean, the car was terrible," Busch said. "It just plowed through the center of the corner and it was loose off. I just could not get the thing to turn at all. I was just getting beat through the center of the corner terribly."

It made it seem as if much of the momentum he had built in previous weeks was sapped from the team on the eve of the Chase, he added.

"We had a great last 13 races coming into this race," Busch said. "It's just a bummer deal for today. I'm kind of down on myself for what all happened out there tonight. We'll just have to put that behind us and go into next week trying to punch back through and get up front and battle the other guys for some wins. That'll propel us higher in the standings and put us in the thick of it."

Of course, simply making the Chase puts him -- and the other 11 drivers who qualified -- pretty much in the thick of the race for a championship. That's how Burton and Bowyer said they choose to look at it, despite their struggles Saturday night.

"I come at it from two different points of view," Burton said. "Last year we came to Richmond and it was real stressful. We were one of many people who had to race their way in. It was very close. Then we got in, and we were like, 'OK, now we've got to go for the championship.' This year we've had like three weeks to get ourselves in championship mode. So that's the difference.

"But I don't think there's any question. Going to New Hampshire, you're going to see the intensity level pick up. Because so many people were locked in early this year, I think now you're going to see the intensity level pick up and the racing is going to be phenomenal."

Bowyer added that he still thirsts for his first victory of the season and of his young Nextel Cup career. But he's in the Chase. That in itself is a victory of sorts during a season that began with him sliding across the finish line upside down and on fire at the Daytona 500 way back in February.

"Definitely this season has been satisfying," Bowyer said. "It's been a successful year. I'm not going to kid anyone about that. But at the same time, it has been frustrating not to get our first win. I just want to pull that car into Victory Lane and give back to [team owner] Richard [Childress] for giving me this opportunity -- and to give back to the guys who are working so hard on these cars. That's what this sport's all about; that's what auto racing is all about. It's about winning races.

"That's probably what excites me the most. These last 10 races are at some of our best racetracks. That gives me a lot of confidence going into this thing."