Anybody's Chase to win, unless we're talking 24, 48 (cont'd)

Oh, the numbers for Johnson last year? The numbers that will make your head spin: 39th to get things started at New Hampshire, a 13th at Dover, then 14th at Kansas and 24th at Talladega. How quickly we forget. He was eighth in the Chase with six races to go. Out of it. Like the Yankees chasing the Red Sox. Then again ... Johnson went on a tear, four second-place finishes plus a win at Martinsville. He zoomed from eighth to first and sealed the title with a ninth-place run at Homestead.

So who do you got?

Jeff Gordon has four championships, his last championship came in 2001, and none have come in the Chase format. This might be his best shot.

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"Back then if you were having a good year, you were probably racing four or five guys for the championship at the halfway point of the season," Gordon said. "With about 10 to go, it was down to maybe two or three drivers. You would keep an eye on them during a race, and you might adjust your strategy based on what they were doing.

"You can't do that now. With 12 drivers racing hard for the title, you can't focus on what the other Chase drivers are doing. We'll just focus on our own program and try to get the best finish -- and most amounts of points -- that we possibly can on a given day. That's why I think it's more difficult to win the championship under this format, but also why I think it's probably more rewarding."

This year he may find out. But to do that, he'll have to beat the field, and Johnson, his teammate at Hendrick Motorsports.

"We've been through this before," Johnson said. "We've competed against each other in championships and through it all, year after year, week after week, we recognize how if we work together it helps both of us and that's still the bottom line."

Until you get to the finish line.

"When we get on the track there's still enough going on with each driver's style, each crew chief's style, that when you get out on the track you can race your own independent race and not worry about things," Johnson said. "I would expect us to continue with the open notebook policy that we've always had and try to ensure HMS with a championship."

That's why in this little game you can't have both of them. Two against 10, that's just not fair.

Gordon has watched the Chase and raced in the Chase and like the other 11 drivers he knows the key to success is not to lose it early. For his sponsor, DuPont, this is their home track.

"We're definitely going for wins during the Chase, and I would love to get one here for them," Gordon said. "But wins won't necessarily determine the champion. You must have the consistency during this stretch, as well."

Kenseth knows about that. He is the King of Consistency. Seventh in the Chase, 54 points back of the two tied at the top. What is his view of the field after Round 1?

"To be honest with you, I don't think it's possible to handicap it today. I think you have to wait a few weeks," Kenseth said.

Terrific.

"I don't think any of you guys probably thought of [Clint Bowyer] as one of the guys who was really going to have a shot at it," Kenseth said. "He just kicked everybody's butt this weekend [at New Hampshire]. I think really all 12 teams today, you know, got a legitimate shot. You look at Kurt [Busch]. He had problems [25th at Loudon, 12th in the Chase]. Kurt put that run together right before the Chase, won a couple races, was real fast, worked his way up in there. I think anybody right now could get [on] a roll and be a real contender."

Gee, thanks. So there you have it, straight from a former series champion. "Anybody" could win it.

So, do you want to play a game? If so, Who Do You Got?

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.