After 26 races, Chase field set for championship run

Richmond is over, the Chase field is set and the 12 drivers who qualified start the 10-race playoffs on relatively equal footing.

The final 10 races will determine whether a handful of victories will be required to win the Chase or whether consistency can win the day.

Martin

1. Mark Martin
Hendrick Motorsports :: No. 5 Chevrolet

• Chase experience: This is Martin's fourth Chase. He has qualified every year he has driven full time.

• Past championships: None, but has finished second four times.

• Performance: Martin's No. 5 has been consistently fast, but the team can't afford mistakes, such as the misguided fuel-mileage gamble at Michigan in August.

• Momentum: Martin overcame three finishes of 40th or worse to make the Chase. With his spot in the Chase on the line at Bristol and Atlanta, he responded with top-five results.

Stewart

2. Tony Stewart
Stewart-Haas Racing :: No. 14 Chevrolet

• Chase experience: Stewart has missed only one Chase, in 2006, when he was knocked out of the top 10 at Richmond.

• Past championships: Two (2002, 2005).

• Performance: Stewart made the most of his close relationship with Hendrick Motorsports by posting three wins and leading the standings after 26 races.

• Momentum: A string of 10 consecutive top-10 finishes, including all three of his wins, ended at Michigan in August. Since then, Stewart hasn't looked quite so bulletproof.

Johnson

3. Jimmie Johnson
Hendrick Motorsports :: No. 48 Chevrolet

• Chase experience: Johnson is the only driver to qualify for all six Chases.

• Past championships: Three (2006, 2007, 2008).

• Performance: Johnson says his cars have never been better in the "regular season." But a broken axle at Atlanta is emblematic of the gremlins that have beset the team this year.

• Momentum: In the six events after his victory at the Brickyard, Johnson posted one top-10 finish (eighth at Bristol). He finished 11th at Richmond.

Hamlin

4. Denny Hamlin
Joe Gibbs Racing :: No. 11 Toyota

• Chase experience: This is Hamlin's third Chase. His best finish was third as a rookie in 2006.

• Past championships: None.

• Performance: Hamlin has been consistently strong and consistently better than teammate Kyle Busch -- even though he has two fewer wins than Busch.

• Momentum: The dark horse pick to win the Chase, Hamlin won at Richmond and posted 10 top 10s with one finish worse than 15th in the 12 races leading up to the Chase.

Kahne

5. Kasey Kahne
Richard Petty Motorsports :: No. 9 Dodge

• Chase experience: Kahne finished eighth in 2006 in his only previous appearance.

• Past championships: None.

• Performance: Kahne is at his best in a stable environment. To his credit, he has excelled in the merger capital of NASCAR -- RPM. The new Dodge engine has given him the speed to win.

• Momentum: Kahne's pressure-packed victory on Sept. 6 at Atlanta was huge. So was the news that RPM would partner with Yates Racing and switch to Ford next year.

Gordon

6. Jeff Gordon
Hendrick Motorsports :: No. 24 Chevrolet

• Chase experience: Despite having three wins, Gordon failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2005 -- the only Chase he has missed.

• Past championships: Four (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001).

• Performance: The season highlight was a breakthrough victory at Texas in April. Since then, Gordon has been good, but not great.

• Momentum: In the 13 races leading up to the Chase, Gordon posted 10 top 10s, including four runner-up finishes. If consistency can win the Chase, Gordon has a shot.

Busch

7. Kurt Busch
Penske Racing :: No. 2 Dodge

• Chase experience: Busch won the first Chase by eight points over Johnson. This is his fourth Chase.

• Past championships: One (2004).

• Performance: The new Dodge R6 engine, introduced last year, has picked up Busch's program, but the team made some questionable choices on setups late in the regular season.

• Momentum: Crew chief Pat Tryson will leave the team at the end of the season. Potentially, that's a bigger wreck than the crashes that knocked Busch out of two of the past three races.

Vickers

8. Brian Vickers
Red Bull Racing Team :: No. 83 Toyota

Chase experience: None.

Past championships: None.

Performance: Late in the season, Vickers showed he could sustain his speed for an entire race.

Momentum: Vickers announced his Chase candidacy with a breakthrough win at Michigan. In the seven races leading to Richmond, no other driver scored more Cup points. Then he got the job done at Richmond, finishing seventh and beating out Kyle Busch by eight points for the final spot in the Chase.

Edwards

9. Carl Edwards
Roush Fenway Racing :: No. 99 Ford

• Chase experience: This is his fourth Chase. Last year, Edwards finished second after dueling with Johnson. Edwards won three of the final five races; Johnson won the other two.

• Past championships: None.

• Performance: Edwards just hasn't had the speed this year -- and it's a handling, not a horsepower issue.

• Momentum: The eight races leading to the Chase produced two top-five finishes, but Edwards' best finish in the other six events was 14th.

Newman

10. Ryan Newman
Stewart-Haas Racing :: No. 39 Chevrolet

• Chase experience: This is Newman's third Chase, but his first since 2005.

• Past championships: None.

• Performance: More remarkable, perhaps, than Stewart's leading the points at the end of the regular season is that both of the Stewart-Haas Racing cars are in the Chase, particularly after Newman's rocky start.

• Momentum: Newman hasn't won this year, but top-10 finishes at Bristol and Atlanta solidified his position in the Chase.

Montoya

11. Juan Montoya
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing :: No. 42 Chevrolet

• Chase experience: None.

• Past championships: None.

• Performance: The quintessential points racer, Montoya found a way to reach his foremost regular-season goal -- making the Chase. His No. 42 Chevy also has shown the speed to run up front.

• Momentum: Montoya overcame a couple of speed bumps at Michigan (19th place) and Bristol (25th) with a third-place finish at Atlanta.

Biffle

12. Greg Biffle
Roush Fenway Racing :: No. 16 Ford

• Chase experience: Biffle finished second (2005) and third (2008) in his previous two appearances.

• Past championships: None.

• Performance: On occasion, Biffle has been the fastest of the Roush Fenway cars, and his over-the-wall crew is arguably the best on pit road.

• Momentum: Biffle saved his Chase spot by rallying from a lap down to finish 10th at Atlanta. But late in the season, he was fighting for top-10s, not wins.