Cross' Words: Never forget (cont'd)

Say What?

"I qualified bad [37th] and that's what you get when you qualify bad. You start in the back with all the donkeys and the guys that can't drive. I guess I can't drive because I qualified bad to start with."
-- Greg Biffle, who was collected early in a wreck and finished 39th at Richmond

Figuratively Speaking

24,439 -- Series-best points total for Jimmie Johnson since the beginning of the 2004 season, including adjustments for the Chase (chart at right).

Up Next

Sylvania 300 | Loudon | 1 p.m. ET Sunday | ABC
Race No. 27 of 36 | Get tickets | Book travel

• Defending race winner: Kevin Harvick
• Most victories at the track: Jeff Burton (4)
• Best average finish (minimum five starts): Matt Kenseth (10.7 in 15 starts)
Active drivers only

Sound off

• This week's topic
Which track would you subtract from the Chase -- and which would you add?

Surf over and weigh in on the blog.

• Last week's topic
Gibbs-Toyota -- a match made in ...

Brigit
I believe this will be the chance that Toyota needs to get in the game. Remember, whatever Joe Gibbs touches turns to gold.

FloydB
Who cares if it's a Chevy or a Toyota? I'm sure Tony Stewart will be able to drive it. No big worry for me.

bradmjohnson
I can guarantee one thing: It will either be the best thing that ever happened to Toyota or it will be the worst thing that ever happened to JGR.

PoppaJ420
Money makes the world go round, but ... ahem, it can't guarantee success or -- as we've seen this year -- even a spot in the show. I think this is a bad move. TRD's engines can run top 10 at best. When your best finish all year is a fuel-mileage gamble, something's got to be up.

arebin
I know that huge money is essential at this level of motorsports, but no matter how many times I've read the last month or so that this was going to happen, I didn't completely believe it. JGR is going to be competitive, but with Toyota they seem certain to finish within the top 15 on average.

RIR3QTR
I agree with everything everybody is saying, but it is still a Toyota. It's just not right!

sweetkena
The more I read around here lately, the madder I get. Where are these people coming from? It's like they all crawled out of a hole at once ready to spread ignorance and hate everywhere they go. Yeah, it's a big deal to the NASCAR world that JGR went to Toyota. But is it world-shattering? I don't think so.

Read all the responses ...

Six of one ...
Chase drivers with momentum heading to Loudon:

• Jimmie Johnson -- He has accumulated a series-best 970 points during the past six races, including back-to-back victories.

• Kurt Busch -- As absurd as it sounds for a former champion to be a dark horse, he may be the guy to beat down the stretch.

• Tony Stewart -- Five of the Chase races are COT events. Expect him to break out in at least one of them and pick up a win.

• Martin Truex Jr. -- This would be a true dark horse pick ... but nothing he does should surprise anyone. He'll be rock-solid.

• Kyle Busch -- Odd man out? It'll be interesting to see how he handles the pressure -- on and off the track.

• Carl Edwards -- He continued the trend of making the Chase in odd-numbered years. Let's see what he does for an encore.

Half a dozen of the other ...
And six drivers who need a jump start:

• Denny Hamlin -- Last year's experience should bode well for the No. 11 team; he's more than capable of hoisting the Cup. In 2010.

• Clint Bowyer -- A good finish at Loudon may be the start of something big, but he's never finished on the lead lap at New Hampshire.

• Jeff Gordon -- He's happy to be in the Chase, but bummin' his dominating performance in Races 1-26 was tossed out with little fanfare.

• Matt Kenseth -- He doesn't enter the Chase on hot streak but the race goes to the most consistent, as he proved once before ...

• Jeff Burton -- Seven top-10 finishes in the first 11 races but only five top-10s in the past 15 races. It's time to flip the switch.

• Kevin Harvick -- Could he be the second consecutive Daytona 500 champion to win the Cup? If so, he's gotta lot of improving to do.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.