Scouting Report

HOW THEY WILL FINISH

1. Kyle Busch
2. Carl Edwards
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Greg Biffle
5. Tony Stewart
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
7. Jeff Gordon
8. Jeff Burton
9. Matt Kenseth
10. Denny Hamlin
11. Kevin Harvick
12. Clint Bowyer

Regular Season Finish 1ST | WINS 8 | TOP 5s 15 | TOP 10s 17 | BEST at Dover | WORST at Homestead

1. KYLE BUSCH
After waiting all year for the kid to crack, Cup rivals now recognize that the championship is Busch's to lose. In putting together a breakthrough season he has become the circuit's most complete driver, winning on road courses, superspeedways and short tracks, as well as—most significantly—on the intermediate ovals that make up five of the Chase's 10 races.

Regular Season Finish 2ND | WINS 6 | TOP 5s 11 | TOP 10s 19 | BEST at Atlanta | WORST at Martinsville

2. CARL EDWARDS
Nobody is hotter right now: Edwards's average finish in the last seven races of the regular season was 4.71. He has always had a nose for the checkered flag, but this year he has shown the focus to stay in contention even when things aren't going his way (see California on Aug. 31). If Busch falters, the number 99 team will be there to scoop up its first Cup.

Regular Season Finish 3RD | WINS 4 | TOP 5s 9 | TOP 10s 14 | BEST at Charlotte | WORST at Kansas

3. JIMMIE JOHNSON
After winning at California on Aug. 31, when he led 228 of 250 laps, Johnson was quick to say that the gap between his car and those of the two favorites remains significant. Still, Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus just got another win on Sunday at Richmond and they're the best on the circuit at closing out a season. Look for JJ to give Busch and Edwards a run for the title.

Regular Season Finish 8TH | WINS 0 | TOP 5s 8 | TOP 10s 11 | BEST at Homestead | WORST at Talladega

4. GREG BIFFLE
Call him the comeback driver of the year: The Biff returns to the Chase after a two-year absence. In his first full season with crew chief Greg Erwin, he has had one of the most quietly successful seasons on the circuit. Quiet, of course, means that Biffle has yet to take a checkered flag, and that makes him a likely also-ran in the hunt for the Cup.