The way to make the Chase for the Cup is not to think about the Chase for the Cup.
That?s not deep philosophy, but it is the pervasive attitude of many veteran drivers in the NASCAR garage. With perennial contenders like Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle only 180 points out of 10th place in the Nextel Cup standings, the competition will be tighter than ever in the four races leading up to the Chase for the Cup.
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We have become accustomed in the past to hearing about “points racing” and not making mistakes, but a new attitude has developed among drivers in the garage who insist their focus is on anything but the Chase itself.
Defending champion Tony Stewart, who fell out of the top 10 for a week before climbing back to seventh, says he does not even pay attention to the points.
“I?m not worried about it,” Stewart said. “I?m worried about winning this weekend and then going to win [next weekend]. I don?t look at it right now.”
Stewart?s sentiment is echoed by fourth-place driver Jeff Burton. Some teams plan to drive conservatively, but Burton sees that as being counterproductive.
“We?re here because we have been racing to try to win races, and we?re going to continue to do that,” Burton said.
Instead of being preoccupied with points, Burton added, “all you can worry about are the things that make you go fast. Anything else is a complete waste of time.”
Why this change in thinking among some drivers? Taking pressure off their teams in the middle of a hotly contested points race is certainly one reason, but veteran Mark Martin offers a more logical explanation: “You only get one chance a year to win a championship. You get 36 chances to win a race. You can overcome the odds sooner by concentrating on races.”
Martin also has a simple strategy for making the Chase.
“The strategy is to win,” he said. “That?s pretty much what it is for every race.”
Stewart agrees.
“That?s the easiest way to go out and get maximum points: Win the race,” he said.
The focus may be on winning races, but there is no question that drivers are thinking about the Chase, even if they choose not to admit it.
“You put together a couple of bad races, and you can be in a really bad position,” said series leader Jimmie Johnson. “To have someone like Tony Stewart, two-time champion, sitting outside the top 10 was a huge message to everyone in the garage area.”
And while that message has been received loud and clear by all the teams hoping to make the Chase, for now, at least, everybody is trying not to think about it.
Get up to speed on the latest in NASCAR by listening to Wilson?s Race Report every Monday and Friday at 5:39 p.m. on 93.1 WPOC. You can e-mail Steve at [email protected].
