New Hampshire first of 10 in the Race to the Chase

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Ten tracks, 10 excitement-filled weekends of intense, side-by-side competition.

That's the scenario facing Sprint Cup Series teams as the advent of summer coincides with a seasonal mile-marker: the Race to the Chase.

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The 2009 edition begins with Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (TNT, 1:30 p.m.), the first of a 10-event span culminating Sept. 12 at Richmond, when the field will be set for the Chase.

As championship dreams heat up along with the weather, consider what the next 10 weeks could reveal:

• Will three-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson win an unprecedented fourth consecutive title?

• Will two-time series champion Tony Stewart claim his third crown in this his first year as an owner/driver?

• Will four-time series champion Jeff Gordon continue his resurgence in 2009 and win his fifth championship, moving him closer to the all-time series record of seven titles shared by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt?

• Will Kyle Busch, considered to be one of the most-talented young drivers in the sport, break through and win his first career championship?

• Will the resilient 50-year-old Mark Martin snare that elusive championship after coming so close, so many times?

• Can Johnson and Matt Kenseth qualify for their sixth consecutive Chase -- becoming the only drivers to do so?

• Will Juan Montoya make the Chase after coming over to NASCAR three years ago following a successful career in open-wheel racing?

• Will David Reutimann be a surprise qualifier for the Chase after experiencing some struggles in his first two seasons driving for Michael Waltrip Racing?

The Race to the Chase presents 10 different challenges -- plus the lure of traditional summer clashes on Daytona's high-banked tri-oval; Indianapolis' tricky turns; Watkins Glen's demanding road course, the August mixing-bowl atmosphere under Bristol's lights and a new addition to this stretch of races -- the lightning-fast surface at Atlanta. And, for the third consecutive year, teams begin both the Race to the Chase and the Chase at New Hampshire's Magic Mile.

During these next 10 races, the quest for bonus points becomes even more important to those drivers who strive to make the Chase. Seeding for the Chase will be done via the number of wins accumulated through the first 26 races. The Chase-eligible driver with the most wins will begin the Chase as the top seed. Drivers will be seeded 2-12 using their to-date win totals as the determining factor.