Under the radar, yet looming just one point behind Jeff Gordon for the final spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship Round race at Homestead are Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards.

The two drivers have yet to win a Chase race, but have survived up to this point by avoiding disastrous finishes and posting timely strong showings.

Edwards may have saved his championship hopes last week at Texas when he
rallied from 30th to ninth over the last 81 laps. Kenseth’s defining moment in NASCAR’s playoffs so far was his decision to draft off rival Brad Keselowski to a second-place finish at Talladega, a move that clinched him a spot in the Eliminator Round.

Kenseth and Edwards head to Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday for the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 (3 p.m. ET on ESPN) where each has had varying success. Kenseth owns a win at the one-mile tri-oval, but has only claimed one top-10 finish since the track was repaved for the 2011 fall race. On the other hand, Edwards claims a win and a runner-up finish in the six races since the track was repaved.

Both drivers should be considered serious championship contenders if they get to Homestead. Edwards has two victories and boasts an average finish of 6.6 at the Miami course, while Kenseth finished runner-up there last year and won its race in 2007.