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Title Chasers

By Alex Ferguson Last updated: 20th October 2008

Busch: Title favourite

The 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup will start in earnest at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday. Alex Ferguson profiles the 'Chasers', and who to watch out for...

THE FAVOURITES

Kyle Busch: Has had a phenomenal 2008. Despite making himself hugely unpopular by spinning out crowd favourite Dale Earnhardt Jr in the Richmond Spring Race in May, Busch has been pretty dominant this year, winning eight races and scoring no less than 17 top ten finishes.

Carl Edwards: Another who has also had a fine year, winning six races so far. His biggest moment of the year was spinning Busch on the warm-down lap after his victory at the Sharpie 500 in Bristol, and don't be too surprised if we see Edwards' trademark post-victory backflip during the latter days of the 2008 Sprint Cup season.

Jimmie Johnson: Coming into the Chase with two straight wins, the 2006 and 2007 champion is as dangerous as they come. Always good at coming on strong at the end of the season, rule Jimmie Johnson's No.48 car at your peril.

MR CONSISTENCY

Dale Earnhardt Jr: The race at Richmond International Speedway on Sunday personified Dale Jr's season - consistently strong, but good enough for victory? Not so much. Although Junior has broken his winless streak by winning at Michigan early in the year, 2008 may well be seen as a season that could have been so much better that it ended up. Having said that, if he walks away with the title after finishing second at every single Chase race of the season, I don't think anyone at Hendrick Motorsports would be complaining.

LUCKY TO GET IN

Clint Bowyer: Managed to get in ahead of David Ragan, his closest competitor. Now he finds himself in fifth. Could 2008 - a year in which he waltzed in Victory Lane after a prang between two other drivers - be lucky enough to give Clint Bowyer his first Championship?

FORMER CHAMPIONS

Jeff Gordon/Tony Stewart: After 2008, both drivers' paths will take a somewhat different direction. Gordon will continue the success of Hendrick Motorsports, while Tony Stewart has left Joe Gibbs Racing to start Stewart-Haas Racing, where there will be no expectation of Chases and Championships. Both drivers have won titles in their past, and will have the thirst for more. This year they've won exactly zero races - although Stewart's second place was a close call on Saturday. This'll have to change if they are going to lift the title.

AND THE REST...

Jeff Burton/Kevin Harvick/Denny Hamlin/ Greg Biffle/Matt Kenseth: Burton and Hamlin are the only ones to have a victory this season. Burton started the season very, very well but completely faded off as the season went on. Hamlin, who has been super-critical of his Joe Gibbs car lately, feels lucky to be in the Chase. Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick know how Hamlin feels. Kenseth might be the 'best of the rest' because he's won a title before, but if any of these win the Sprint, this writer will be very, very surprised.