Confident Bowyer takes 91-point lead into Phoenix

Two weeks ago, Clint Bowyer had a 196-point lead over Carl Edwards in the Nationwide Series standings. That's a significant number. Because if Bowyer emerges from Saturdays' race at Phoenix International Raceway with a 196-point lead, he will clinch his first series title.

Fast facts

What	Hefty Odor Block 200
When	4:45 p.m. ET Saturday
TV	ESPN2, 4 p.m. ET
Radio	MRN (Sirius Ch. 128), 4:30 ET

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Unfortunately for Bowyer, he has lost 105 points to Edwards in the past two races. He still has a solid lead -- 91 points -- but with two races left in the season, Bowyer is no lock for the title.

Phoenix is a good track for Bowyer to stem Edwards' momentum. In seven starts on the 1-mile oval, Bowyer has a win and five top-10 finishes, including eighth in April. He also has a pole, earned last season.

"It's just the right size," Bowyer said. "You have to have your car turning good in the center of the corner, but then again, you have to drive the wheels off of it, too.

"Another thing I like about Phoenix, and racetracks that are like it, are the differences between the corners. Turns 1 and 2 are tight and Turns 3 and 4 are long and sweeping. You're not going to find a perfect setup and go out there and wax everybody. You have to carry the car in one corner to be good in the other. You have to find a happy medium, so it's up to you.

"You have a little more control over your destiny at a track like Phoenix."

Edwards has solid numbers there as well. He has yet to finish lower than eighth in his seven races and won in 2005. His 4.4 average finish is best among drivers with at least five starts; Bowyer is second at 7.4.

Despite Edwards' success at Phoenix and his recent bite out of the points lead, Bowyer still isn't worried.

"I'm really looking forward to this weekend," Bowyer said. "Obviously, we won the spring race last year, and it's always fun to go back somewhere as a former winner. We're taking the same car back, and that's a very fast BB&T Chevrolet. I'm excited about getting unloaded and seeing if that car still has the same magic it had last April. Hopefully, we can prove ourselves again."

Notes: Kyle Busch, along with Kevin Harvick, will be competing in all three NASCAR events in Phoenix. ... Busch, who has won four of the past seven races, will try to make history Saturday with another victory. His win last week at Texas tied Sam Ard's single-season record of 10 victories. Ard set the record in 1983, the year he won his first of two series titles.