Wide-open Kansas next stop in wide-open Chase

Two races into the 2007 Chase for the Nextel Cup, and drama appears unceasing.

Expect another dose as the Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway and Sunday's LifeLock 400 (1 p.m. ET, ABC) -- the third Chase event.

Snarled standings set the stage: Miniscule margins -- a total of four points -- separate the top three drivers. Ten points divide the top four and only 18 separate the top-five drivers.

Official Standings

Pos.	Driver	Behind
1.	Jeff Gordon	--
2.	Tony Stewart	-2
3.	Jimmie Johnson	-4
4.	Kyle Busch	-10
5.	Clint Bowyer	-18
6.	Carl Edwards	-28
7.	Martin Truex Jr.	-46
8.	Jeff Burton	-75
9.	Kevin Harvick	-115
10.	Matt Kenseth	-116
11.	Kurt Busch	-151
12.	Denny Hamlin	-158

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The logjam continues down to seventh, where only 46 points separate seventh-place Martin Truex Jr. from leader Jeff Gordon. The impact? All 12 eligible Chase participants remain a title threat.

"There's still eight races to go and many more points to be gained and lost," Gordon said.

The 10-point gap between first and fourth is the closest such margin -- after two events -- in the Chase's four-year history.

The top four were separated by 18 points following the first two Chase events last year. That margin was 21 points in 2005 and 57 points in 2004.

With eight races remaining, expect more excitement and shifting fortunes. This week at Kansas Speedway? Stay tuned for more ups and downs.

With its place on the schedule, the 1.5-mile oval just west of suburban Kansas City, Kan., has contributed to several championship battles in the past six years.

• In 2001, then-standings leader Gordon won the first series event at Kansas, regaining 10 points he'd lost the previous week. He departed with a 222-point lead over then-second-place Ricky Rudd, the closest anyone got until he clinched his fourth series crown two months later.

• In 2002, then-standings leader Sterling Marlin saw his title hopes derailed by an accident that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

• In 2003, then-standings leader Matt Kenseth finished 36th due to engine problems, allowing then-second-place Kevin Harvick to creep within 259 points.

• In 2006, Tony Stewart didn't qualify for the Chase -- he finished 11th in the final standings -- but his first victory at Kansas also was the first of three in 10 Chase events.

Stewart will try to become the first driver to win consecutive races at Kansas since Gordon in 2001 and '02. Gordon is ahead of Stewart in the Chase by two points.

Sunday's event will be the seventh series race at Kansas, which resembles its sister facility, Chicagoland Speedway.

"They're about as close as you can get to being the same," Stewart said. "The only difference between the two tracks -- the backstretch at Chicago is a little bit rounded while Kansas' is straight."

Both 1.5-mile tracks debuted in 2001, but subtle differences exist due to climate.

• Expect multiple grooves: As track surfaces mature, racing grooves widen, giving drivers more lane choices.

"It just makes you confident that you know you have options when you go into the corner where you can help yourself out as a driver," Stewart said. "It makes this place a lot more fun to race when you're able to move around and find different grooves.

"The first couple of times we came here we all dreaded it because it was just single-file racing, and all you heard us talk about was aero push. Now, you can't really use the aero push excuse too much anymore because you have the ability to move around on the racetrack more."

• More grooves equal more options: Fuel mileage factored in last year's race, but no one can predict the final caution. That's why crew chiefs get gray hair. Last year, Stewart coasted to the checkered flag on fumes.

'Just Clint'

Throughout his rise to NASCAR's elite levels, not much seems to bother Clint Bowyer. It's a trait that should serve him well this weekend, when he competse before many who helped him along the way.

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"We were able to take the chance because we had nothing to lose," Stewart said. "Not being in the Chase gave us that opportunity to take the chance and go ahead and run for it. It's not a chance we can take this year."

• Plan ahead for green-flag runs: A mature track means more racing and tougher decisions, such as when to pit, whether to short pit or gamble on two tires.

Stewart won earlier this year at Chicagoland.

"The two tracks are so alike. You'd like to think that if you had success at one track that you'd have success at the other," Stewart said. "I'm hoping that it's going to. But at the same time, there are no guarantees in this sport. As fast as technology changes, what worked a month ago might not work now. We won't know anything until we hit the track."

No place like home

Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards won the first two Chase events at New Hampshire and Dover, respectively, and now head for the third event at a track they call "home."

Both are Midwest natives who cut their racing teeth on regional dirt and short tracks.

Bowyer hails from Emporia, Kan., approximately 90 minutes south. Edwards is a Columbia, Mo., native who still spends time there, approximately three hours east.

Neither driver has won a Nextel Cup or Busch Series event at Kansas.

"It would be so cool to be able to celebrate a victory with everybody who has helped me and supported me during my career," Bowyer said. "I've got so many family and friends who will be there and then there's everyone who I used to race with. It's just everything that goes along with racing an hour-and-a-half away from where I grew up."

Edwards has a 10.3 average finish in three Cup starts at Kansas. He finished third there in 2005.

"I don't think there could be a bigger win on the Cup schedule," Edwards said. "The Daytona 500 would be spectacular and the Brickyard 400 would be as well, but to win that close to home at Kansas would be just as big."

Edwards finished sixth last year, and led once for seven laps.

"We were racing right there with him," Edwards said of winner Tony Stewart. "He stayed out, we stopped for fuel and he rolled across the finish line, won the race. One of the biggest disappointments in my career was realizing that we could have maybe won that race, too."

Bowyer also excelled, finishing ninth and leading three times for 43 laps.

"Last year was the first time I actually led a significant amount of laps and I felt like, as a team, we stood on our own two feet," Bowyer said. "You know, we had something for them. If I hadn't made a mistake, I think we had a legitimate shot to win the race. Nonetheless, we were fast and that's all you can ask for.

"It's so nerve-wracking to go to your home track because that's where you want to be able to perform and run well. If you can run up front, lead laps and be in contention to win in front of the hometown crowd -- that's important."

Of the two, Edwards leads in the home-track milestone department: He won the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series event at Kansas.

"Hit the wall on the first lap and pretty much destroyed the right side of the truck," Edwards said. "I still have the right-side suspension pieces that were bent and we ended up winning that race. That was just unreal. That was probably the coolest drive home I've ever had from a racetrack."

Labonte targets landmark finish for Petty

As Nextel Cup teams embark on the season's final eight events, Bobby Labonte has a goal just as an important as any Chase participant. The 2000 series champion is fighting for a top 15 final finish. Currently 17th, he trails 16th-place Casey Mears by 160 points and 15th-place Greg Biffle by 184 points.

If he succeeds, it will equal or exceed the best Petty Enterprises finish since John Andretti finished 17th in 1998.

"Everyone has their own goals until the end of the season," said Labonte, in his second season at Petty Enterprises. "A lot of people are focused on the championship, but every team has a battle to fight. We always want to get better and be better than before. We know we've made progress, but it's slowed a little bit. It's time to get back on track and be even better."

Labonte's newest partner is crew chief Doug Randolph, who joined the team six weeks ago at Michigan International Speedway.

"We were better at California and he's made changes to that part of our program, Labonte said. "I'm anxious to get to Kansas and see what we have because it can be something pretty good.

"It's a track that can help us get started in moving in a faster direction to the front. I'm confident in Doug's abilities to prepare good cars for us."