Pressure builds on the trio racing for final Chase spot (cont'd)

Bowyer was 23rd-fastest in the final practice. He said he is tired of talking about being on the bubble for the Chase, and insisted he will not worry too much about what Ragan and Kahne are doing once the green flag drops on the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

"You just race your own race. You try the best you can, you expect the same out of your team -- and if we do that, we'll be just fine," Bowyer said. "I'll know where they're at. This is my favorite racetrack. I love racin' here, and what better race to come to where you're trying to put yourself in the Chase than one that you love to race at."

But while Ragan insisted that his season is a success whether he makes the Chase or not, Bowyer said that he doesn't feel quite the same way.

"It's just been a struggle all year," said Bowyer, who was fourth in the points standings after the last race at Richmond, the 10th of the season, in the spring. "It definitely started off the way we wanted it to, the way we expected it go. But then we had a tough summer. Making the Chase could save it, though."

Ragan clearly stated that his season doesn't need saving. No one expected him to get this far.

Furthermore, Ragan candidly admitted that merely getting in the Chase wouldn't mean his No. 6 Ford team for Roush Fenway Racing is ready to contend for the title.

"I think where we're at, we're not a championship-caliber team now," Ragan said. "No matter how good we run in this race, and if we make the Chase, no matter how excited we are, the bottom line at the end of the day is you can't win the championship without winning some races. And you can't win without getting a lot of top-five finishes and leading a lot of laps -- and we're not quite there yet. I think we know that."

Kahne and Bowyer, on the other hand, insist that anything can happen once a team is in the Chase. Kahne said he is looking forward to the opportunity to put himself in that position in his No. 9 Dodge.

"If there is pressure at the end of a race where I'm battling for a win or something like this, I've always enjoyed that. I enjoy trying to step up," Kahne said.

Bowyer insisted that the pressure he feels going into this race is less than what he faced last year after surging to third in the points standings behind eventual champion Jimmie Johnson and runner-up Jeff Gordon during the Chase (after qualifying 12th for it). Regardless, he welcomes whatever this race will bring.

"Probably last year trying to figure out how to beat Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson for a championship was more pressure than something like this. But you know, I like pressure. Pressure is good," Bowyer said. "The pressure is there and there ain't no way getting around it. But I'd rather be me in the Chase right now, rather than be them out of the Chase trying to figure out how to beat me at one of my favorite tracks."