After an off weekend of hunting multicolored eggs and unwrapping foil-covered chocolate, the Sprint Cup Series drivers return to the track this weekend -- at Phoenix, a one-mile track that lends itself to hare-raising, pin-your-ears-back fender rubbing under the lights.

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The down time also allowed each driver to assess his chances of making a run for a spot in the top 12 during the next five months. Chase berths are won and lost between April and August; pinning your chances on a last-gasp run at Richmond does not foster hope of a championship run.

Jeff Burton and Mark Martin are familiar with the drill. They made their bones vying for the series title -- but neither has ever hoisted the Cup at season's end. Nonetheless, Burton and Martin remain hopeful that 2009 will be their year. And Phoenix could prove to be a springboard for both drivers.

While Jimmie Johnson will garner the majority of the headlines (he has won three consecutive races at the Desert Mile), it's Burton and Martin who should have the spotlight Saturday evening at PIR.

Burton is 12th in the point standings while Martin is 18th -- up nine positions after his sixth-place finish (his third consecutive top-10 run) at Texas on April 5. Martin trails Burton by 93 points entering Race No. 8.

Both Burton and Martin have celebrated in Victory Lane at Phoenix, though it has been a while since their wins; Martin in 1993, Burton in 2000 and '01.

"Although we have a bunch of top 10's, Phoenix-style race tracks have been a weakness in our [RCR] program, particularly for the No. 31 team," Burton said. "We haven't done as well at Phoenix, New Hampshire and Richmond as we needed to.

"For us, this is an important race. We run a lot at these types of race tracks throughout the season so we need to be better. We've put a lot of effort into this program and we're looking forward to the outcome of our efforts."

Martin's recent successes have helped salve early season woes -- he failed to finish on the lead lap at Fontana, Las Vegas and Atlanta because of mechanical issues -- but he knows there's still work to be done if the No. 5 team is to contend for a Chase berth -- and it continues at Phoenix.

"I have always loved racing at Phoenix," he said. "There's just something about that track that naturally clicked with me. It didn't take long at all before we were challenging for a win there.

"Last year, I thought I was going to get another win. But we had to pit for fuel with just a few laps to go, and I ended up finishing fifth. It was still a good finish, but extremely hard to take when I knew we could have had a win."

Last year, Martin was driving a partial schedule for DEI; contending for a Chase berth was not a priority. This year, however, the stakes are higher -- even among his teammates. Johnson's success at PIR is well documented and Jeff Gordon has a win among 15 top-10 finishes in 20 starts. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has two wins in 13 races. In fact, Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won the past four races at Phoenix.

"The key to Phoenix is turning through the center well," said Alan Gustafson, crew chief for the No. 5. "It really becomes a compromise because if you use the back of the car to roll through the center, then you give up the driver's ability to really use the throttle off of the corners.

"There's a fine balance, and it forces you to compromise between the two. Ideally you get to the point where the front of the car turns really well, but that's hard to do."

Once reason, Burton said, is because of the track. "It's a really cool race track. Both ends of the race track are completely different. It's not really a short track. It's like a small superspeedway. The straightaways are real long and restarts are really aggressive.

"The front straightaway is down hill which leads to a really sharp Turn 1 corner. The exit of Turn 2 is like nowhere else I've ever been," Burton said. "Turns 3 and 4 are big, long, sweeping corners. Some people can run the top and some can run below the apron which gives the drivers different options. It's a challenge because it's so different on both ends of the race track."