Five Things ... Drivers should do on off weekend

For NASCAR's 12 best drivers, only one off weekend remains before the 10-race title run and the 2009 season ends.

How are they going to spend that valuable time?

Some will race elsewhere while others will stay home and relax or maybe take a trip to the beach. Regardless of where they are, NASCAR's Chase will be on their minds.

Therefore, here is a short list of things to consider. Five things Chase-bound drivers should work into their off weekend plans.

Kyle Busch got to bring home a really big pen from Bristol.

1. Count their winnings

With two races remaining before the official Chase cut-off, 20 bonus points are left on the table for any driver who can find Victory Lane in Atlanta or Richmond.

Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have clinched spots in the 12-driver Chase but that doesn't mean they will be any less aggressive going after wins.

"The wins would be great because we don't want to go into the Chase at a deficit in points and have to make up those points," Gordon said.

Those highly coveted bonus points determine the driver's seeding when the Chase starts after Richmond.

Certainly Stewart's Bristol outing was pretty much a throw away race but he missed out on an opportunity to increase his 30 points to 40 and tie Mark Martin and Kyle Busch. But, Busch is also 34 points outside the top-12. If he's not in the Chase, his bonus points are a non-issue.

Meanwhile, Chase hopefuls Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Juan Montoya are still looking for their first win.

Fully-functional equipment is vital for a champion.

2. Radio check one, check two

This season we've seen some devastating outcomes as a result of misinterpreted, questionable or faulty technology. The most recent incident involved Stewart who was "driving blind for 260 laps" in Bristol last weekend after a rare radio problem.

Stewart couldn't hear crew chief Darian Grubb or his spotter and no one could hear Stewart and was forced to convey handling characteristics of his race car with hand signals. One hand on the A-pillar meant the car was tight and a hand on the door meant the car was loose.

Certainly, unforeseeable problems and glitches arise during the Chase so double and triple check the tech.

Stewart lost a lap and valuable time trying to repair the wiring.

"Well, I'm telling you, this was like an episode of the Twilight Zone," Stewart said. "How it started was I switched my frequency on my radio over to Ryan [Newman's] channel to wish them luck, which is not uncommon, but I couldn't go back to my channel.

"Every channel I went to, it was still them. And then I switched to the second radio, which is our backup radio, and I hadn't even touched it, and it was them. So the first 200 laps, I'm listening to Ryan and his spotter. That's what I was hearing on the radio. The reason I stayed on that and didn't unplug the radio was because at least if a caution came out I could hear his spotter calling the caution out."

"You like chicken or steak?"

3. Make friends before Talladega

This season hasn't produced any monumental on-track rivalries, but there are a couple of unresolved tiffs to speak of.

And with Talladega being the proverbial "wild card" in the Chase, it may behoove drivers to make amends before the race where drafting partners or so-called "friends" could help or hurt your outcome.

"You hope just to survive Talladega and then find out where you stand in points," Kurt Busch said. "And if you did, you hope that you just put yourself in position the first six races to be running for the championship. ...with three races to go in the Chase format, that's the 'who's who' on who is going to win the championship."

Brian Vickers could invite Kyle Busch over for a couple of Red Bulls and Kasey Kahne might want to add Juan Montoya to his backyard barbeque invite list because apparently he is looking for some peace and quiet.

Before Bristol, Montoya said, "I think the position we're in we've got to be smart about not wrecking each other and get into the Chase. I'm OK. It's just frustrating because you just want to have nice, quiet days."

Martin could teach these "young guns" a thing or two.

4. Channel your inner Mark Martin

Find out what this man is eating, unearth his workout program, peak into his medicine cabinet. What makes him tick? The 50-year-old is tied with 24-year-old Kyle Busch for most wins on the season and just completed his 1,000th start last weekend at Bristol.

Magic Mark is proving to be an inspiration to all inside and outside of NASCAR circles.

"It shows his work ethic. It shows how determined he is to go out there and still be competitive. I think that fire from within still burns as bright as the first time out because of the fact that he's still searching for that first [Cup] championship," Kurt Busch said. "So I think that helps him continue to pour on the pressure and keep this an old man's game. I'm watching guys like Brett Favre come back and John Smoltz is still pitching ... maybe Mark Martin is their inspiration."

Work on jokes now, you'll need them.

5. Gear up for Letterman

Each year, NASCAR's Chase drivers are invited to join David Letterman on the Late Show. Last year they were incorporated into the infamous Top-10 list.

Recall Kevin Harvick's contribution to the list of top 10 perks of being a NASCAR driver? "You can take your helmet to Taco Bell drive-thru and they will fill it with guacamole for free." Denny Hamlin's perk: "GPS underpants." And the No. 1 perk delivered by Kyle Busch was, "after a race your ass vibrates for days."

Who knows what this year's list will have in store. The drivers need to get that last-minute haircut and some designer digs before demonstrating their hidden humor in the Big Apple.