7 reasons to watch the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway: No. 3 - Tight points battle
Why watch Sunday’s Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway? Because Chase For The Sprint Cup drivers were tough there earlier this year, meaning that things could stay tight in the standings after this race.
While much has been made of Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson and his 73-point lead - and whether he still has his fourth consecutive championship essentially locked up - there are other battles at stake.
Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart are all within 105 points of one another in the battle for the second through fifth positions.
Kasey Kahne holds the final top-10 position, but Carl Edwards is just 41 points behind him. Juan Pablo Montoya, in sixth, is just 11 points ahead of Greg Biffle.
There's still a lot to be gained and lost in the championship run - both in the battle for the top spot and beyond.
And Phoenix is a good battleground for that. Drivers now in the Chase earned the top six finishing positions in the race at the track earlier this season. Chase drivers earned seven of the top-10 spots overall, in fact.
Will they do it again and keep the battle tight going into Homestead?
Stay tuned.
