12 men started the 2011 edition of the Chase for the Sprint Cup with the goal of becoming champion. But after nine events that whittled the combatants down like contestants on an afternoon game show, we’re left with just two challengers.
Enter Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart.
In one corner you have a driver who has won races and championships in a variety of disciplines. A driver, who no matter what unfolds on Sunday, will go down as one of the best NASCAR drivers of his era.
In the other corner, you have a driver who while talented, is looking for his first championship of note. A driver who, while on the cusp of greatness, is still looking to take the next step and cement his place in NASCAR’s record book.
One driver owns his team while the other drives for one of the more powerful and well-off owners in the sport.
One represents Ford; the other has strong ties to Chevrolet. So much so he left the powerhouse Joe Gibbs Racing team because of their newfound allegiance to Toyota.
Sunday, under the Southern Florida blue skies the two will engage in the final round of their championship fight.
With a scant three points separating the two, this title isn’t going to be won by playing it safe and lagging in the middle of the pack.
To walk away with the hardware you’re going to need to run up front, and depending how the chips fall, maybe even win to secure the title.
“I truly believe this could come down to who wins this race is going to win this championship,” said Edwards yesterday during the championship contender’s press conference.
If that is the case, the odds are definitely in Stewart’s favor, as winning in the Chase is something he’s grown quite accustomed.
Since the green flag waved on the Chase, the Hoosier native has been won four times in a variety of ways.
There was the fuel-mileage win at Chicagoland, the late-race rallies at New Hampshire and Martinsville, where Stewart only led a combined 16 laps, yet still found a way to find Victory Lane, and of course the complete domination at Texas, when he led a race-high 173 laps and won by a comfortable one-second margin.
But it takes more than just winning to score a championship. It also takes consistency. And that very characteristic is why Edwards, and not Stewart, is leading the points.
“There are different approaches you can take to it,” explained Edwards, who is looking to deliver Ford it’s first driver’s title since 2004. “To be clear we haven’t gone out and said we aren’t going to try to win the race and just cruise and do our best. That is one of the things I am most proud of. We have performed very well even on the days when things didn’t stack up in our favor.”
No driver this year has scored more top-fives and top-10s than the driver who’s trying to deliver car owner Jack Roush’s third Sprint Cup title.
Not to mention, Edwards’ 9. 5 average finish makes him the only such driver to have an average finish in single digits. And through nine Chase races, Edwards worst result is an 11th at Talladega with a remarkable average finish of 5.2.
While Stewart was busy winning races in the Chase, Edwards was showcasing the consistency which has had him atop the standing 23 of 35 weeks.
While you may decry Edwards for having only one victory this season – in the third race of the year at Las Vegas – let’s not forget about those near-misses at Daytona, Bristol, Darlington, Richmond, Texas and Phoenix, all races where Edwards finished in the runner-up position.
It’s not as if Edwards is in the position he’s in based on pure luck. He’s earned it, just as much as Stewart has earned his four victories this season.
If you’re wondering who has the advantage Sunday, the scale would have to tip slightly in favor of the guy who has yet to win a championship.
In addition to being the hunted instead of the hunter, Homestead-Miami Speedway just so happens to be a place Edwards excels, having won two of the last three races here along with having six consecutive finishes of eighth or better.
It also helps that Ford has won seven of the last nine races on the 1.5-mile track
Conversely, because of the position he’s in entering the weekend, Stewart’s approach is that of someone who has nothing to lose with all the pressure squarely on Edwards’ shoulders.
If comes down to the last lap, Stewart made no secret of what he would do to win the championship.
“I’d wreck my mom to win a championship,” said a smiling Stewart.
Not surprisingly, Edwards isn’t exactly of the same mindset. Or at the very least, doesn’t want to reveal what he’s thinking publically.
“You don’t know what will happen in a race or how it will work out, said Edwards. “I am not about to tell him what I am going to do or what lengths I am willing to go to. It doesn’t help me to tell him my strategy. He has stated what he is willing to do and that is fine.
“I don’t think either of us underestimates the others resolve to win. I think that would be foolish.”
As for Stewart, who’s looking to become the first owner-driver since Alan Kulwicki to win the championship, he makes no bones about what this weekend is all about.
“I respect him as a driver, but this isn’t about friendships this weekend,” said Stewart. “This is a war. This is a battle. This is for a national championship. It’s no holds barred this weekend. I didn’t come this far to be one step away from it and let it slip away, so we’re going to go for it.
“They say there are talkers and doers. I’ve done this twice.”
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Interesting Championship with, as you say, two different sort of drivers. One is a scary freak with a hair-trigger temper and the other is Tony Stewart.