CHASE FACTS:

•The Chase consists of the season’s last 10 races.

•The top 12 drivers in the series standings after the season’s 26th race (Richmond on Sept. 11)
qualified for the Chase.

•All Chase drivers had their point totals reset to 5,000. They then received 10 bonus points for each race victory prior to the Chase, creating seedings. The top seed at the outset of the Chase was Denny Hamlin with 5,060 points, going into this week’s event at New Hampshire.

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THE CHASE SCHEDULE (track sizes in parentheses)
Sept. 19—New Hampshire (1.058 miles); Sept. 26—Dover (1 mile); Oct. 3—Kansas (1.5 miles); Oct. 10—Auto Club Speedway (2 miles); Oct. 16—Lowe’s Motor Speedway (1.5 miles); Oct. 24—Martinsville (.526 mile); Oct. 31—Talladega (2.66 miles); Nov. 7—Texas (1.5 miles); Nov. 14—Phoenix (1 mile); Nov. 21—Homestead (1.5 miles).

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SOME STORYLINES:

•”Best Chase Ever” Begins Sunday: Prior to last Saturday night’s race at Richmond, Carl Edwards gave a bold prediction, one echoed by a number of competitors: “It has been so wild this year and each race is so different. You just never know. I can’t pick a favorite as a fan looking at it and I don’t think you can say which rivalries are going to build. I think this is going to be the best Chase we have ever had.”

•11 vs. 1: Who, If Anyone, Can Knock Off 4-Time Series Champion Jimmie Johnson: Many drivers labeled this Chase field the most competitive since the format’s inception in 2004. That’s a fair statement. After all, all 12 members have prior Chase experience, all have won multiple races in their career, and five have won at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. But knocking of “Superman” won’t be easy. Statically, it seems Johnson saves his best for the Chase. One stat that proves that: His 18 wins in the Chase are more than the second-, third- and fourth-most combined. Second and third in Chase wins are Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle, with six each. Tony Stewart is fourth with five victories. Plus, no one knows playoff pressure better than Johnson. He’s the only driver to qualify for all seven Chases.