One and Done: Sylvania 300

As the Sprint Cup Series heads to New Hampshire, it enters the third and final portion of the season: the all-important Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Twelve drivers and teams now have the opportunity to win a championship, from those expected to be there (Jimmie Johnson) to those who barely snuck in (Brian Vickers).

As the Sylvania 300 is the first race of the Chase, it’s important for the Chase drivers to assert themselves as title contenders early. A good finish at Loudon can launch a driver into title contention for the rest of the way.

Consider Clint Bowyer’s 2007 win and Greg Biffle’s victory last year. Both of them used wins in this race to elevate themselves to the upper echelon of the Chase, and while neither won the championship, both were threats until the end.

For those of you playing One and Done, you know that the game resets for this week, meaning that all drivers are once again available to you. There are twelve drivers in the Chase, and there are ten races to go in the season.

Unless you have a stone-cold lead-pipe lock for a victory in some race later this season, do not—I repeat, do not—stray from those twelve drivers. They’re the ones racing for the wins every weekend. Everybody else is an also-ran.

With that in mind, which Chase drivers look the best for this weekend? (in order of best to worst average finish)

Denny Hamlin (avg. finish: 8.3)

Hamlin could easily pull a Bowyer or a Biffle and set himself up for a strong title run by winning this weekend. But unlike those two drivers in 2007 and 2008, Hamlin already has wins this season, at Pocono and Richmond last week. Combine that momentum and his consistency this year with a career worst finish of 15^th at Loudon, and it seems like an obvious choice.

Jimmie Johnson (avg. finish: 9.9)

If you remember my Chase columns from last year, you know that I don’t need to write anything here. Johnson elevates his game in the Chase, to the tune of three consecutive championships. Here’s an interesting tidbit, though: While Johnson hasn’t finished outside of the top 10 at Loudon since 2006, he hasn’t won at the track since sweeping its races in 2003.

Mark Martin (avg. finish: 11.1)

How’s “points leader Mark Martin” sound? Despite skipping both Loudon races in 2007 and again in 2008, Martin came back this summer with a 14^th placed finish. True, he’s never won at the track, but he’s consistently racked up a solid record, and The Kid has surprised us this season before.

Tony Stewart (avg. finish: 12.2)

Smoke’s gotta be mad that Chase rules took away his comfortable points lead and gave Martin a 10-point advantage. Luckily for him, 10 points mean diddly squat at this point, and Smoke’s led 645 laps at New Hampshire since 2005. In the four fall races in that span, Smoke has three podium finishes and an 8^th. He’ll be strong.

Brian Vickers (avg. finish: 23.1)

Call it a hunch, seeing as Vickers’ Loudon record is miserable at best. It’s the worst of all Chase drivers. But he was running better than his 35^th place finish in the summer showed, he just got caught up in a wreck. Look for Vickers, carrying momentum from a strong Richmond finish, to be much better than that.

The third and final section of OnPitRow.com's One and Done game starts this weekend. Sign up now to be eligible for prizes!