Chasers look to get off to a quick start at Loudon

Races can't be won on the first lap, but they can be lost.

The same argument can be made for NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup, the 10-race "playoff" that starts with Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Drivers won't lock down the Sprint Cup championship with a strong run at New Hampshire, but their championship hopes certainly can be dimmed by a poor finish.

Fast facts

What	Sylvania 300
When	2 p.m. ET Sunday
TV	ABC, 1 p.m. ET
Radio	PRN (Sirius Ch. 28), 6:45 ET

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The Chase locks in the top 12 drivers in the Cup standings for the final 10 races of the season, and their points are reset to 5,000 each. Ten bonus points are given to each driver for every win through the first 26 races of the season. Kyle Busch enters New Hampshire with 5,080 points, while Carl Edwards is second at 5,050. Jimmie Johnson, who has won three of the last seven races, sits third with 5,040.

Johnson hopes to make history as he attempts to match Cale Yarborough's record of three consecutive series championships. No one has won more races in the Chase format -- Johnson has 11 -- and he's won the last two titles by closing stronger than anyone.

With all of that success in his hip pocket, Johnson is trying not to become overconfident.

"I'm trying to show up at next week's race scared, worried about 11 other guys, and worry about doing my part," Johnson said. "And the thing is I have confidence in what my abilities are and what my team is capable of and the packages we have put together in the last five or six months -- short track, big track, all of it.

"With the way the pack is running, especially the 99 [Edwards] and the 18 [Busch], you can't show up and run at 80 percent and just hope that a top-10 is going to get the job done. You have to show up and bring your 'A game' each week."

Although it pays to be at the top of the standings at Homestead, history says a strong start in New Hampshire can be a very good thing.

In 2004, Kurt Busch parlayed a win in the first Chase race at New Hampshire to the series title, while rivals Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman -- both favorites that season -- fell out of that race early and watched their title hopes evaporate. In this race last year, Clint Bowyer went from a surprise Chase qualifier to championship contender with a victory. The momentum carried him to third in the final standings.

Stewart is the only driver to win championships both in the Chase format and prior to the Chase's implementation, and he knows better than anyone that just one small problem -- even one outside of his control -- can hinder his Chase chances. That's especially true when you factor in he's starting the Chase without any bonus points.

"According to the odds, we've got a one in 12 shot," Stewart said. "We've just got to work from there. There are so many variables that go on each week that you can't control. There [are] more variables that you can't control than you can. You've just got to hope every lap that everything goes alright. You don't want to have any bad luck or have anything bad happen."

For the first time since he earned his first series championship in 1995, Jeff Gordon is perceived by many to be a long-shot in the title fight. But his 657-point deficit has been erased with the points resetting, and Gordon is now just 80 points and a few top-five finishes away from being a contender.

"I've had big leads before wiped away when the Chase started, and we're on the flipside now," Gordon said. "While it has not been a stellar year for us so far, that could change in the final 10 races. We just need to give it our best effort every single weekend and hope that we surprise them in the Chase."