Week 31 -- Lowe's
We're into the home stretch now, and here's where guys like Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon will have to shine if they are to be crowned champion at Homestead five weeks from tomorrow. I have my reservations about Junior, but Busch and Gordon both run these tracks well, as does Mark Martin. Lowe's may not clarify the top of the Chase picture, but it does give the frontrunners a chance to step it up on a track that has been friendly to many of them.
Glenn's Ten:
* Jimmie Johnson (winner) -- Am I being overly optimistic? Don't know what it is about Jimmie and Lowe's, but he always steps it up a notch or three when he's running at his sponsor's track. He's pretty much done for the season as far as his title hopes go, but a win would ease some of the pain of an otherwise horrific past two months.
Rest of the top 10 (in no particular order):
* Ryan Newman -- He shattered the track record with his pole run. Like Johnson, he has little to lose at this point.
* Jeff Gordon -- Car didn't look that good in qualifying or practice, but winners have a way of finding their stride when the heat is on.
* Mark Martin -- In days of yore Mark was a dominant force at Lowe's. Still very much alive in the Chase.
* Matt Kenseth -- What's good for Martin is good for his protege.
* Kasey Kahne -- Needs the good finish to go with all these great runs he's had lately.
* Kurt Busch -- Points leader will find a way to make it into the top 10. Wants to stay ahead of Earnhardt and Gordon.
* Tony Stewart -- Ran down Newman on his way to a victory here a year ago.
* Jeff Burton -- Richard Childress Racing's 35th anniversary. Burton used to dominate on tracks like Lowe's. Been running better now with the #30 team.
* Joe Nemechek -- Two poles and a win last week, these guys are stepping up. Maybe he can sneak into the top 10.
And what about... Elliott Sadler? (Maybe, but I think more like at top 15)... Dale Earnhardt Jr.? (Prove it. Still convinced last week was a fluke)... Jeremy Mayfield? (Might surprise me, but more likely a victim of calamity.)
