NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase at Martinsville: Harvick Scrappy, Edwards Can't Hide

Drivers in the fight for the NASCAR Sprint Cup title were in survival mode at Talladega last weekend, but as they head to the smallest track, they may just have to fight for coveted points.

Qualifying for the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway was scrapped in lieu of giving the drivers much-needed practice time. Bad weather had canceled previous practice sessions.

Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth are No.'s 1 and 2, respectively, in the point standings. The pair of Roush Fenway Racing drivers caught a lucky break since the cars will roll off pit road based on the points.

Edwards, who will be on the pole, is not alone in failing to find success in previous trips to Martinsville. His teammate Kenseth will start beside him, but their starting positions may not hold up long on the .526-mile track.

Neither of the Ford drivers have won at Martinsville, with Edwards having only two top-five finishes at this track and Kenseth with just one.

Edwards has found his way to the top of the point standings, but not by winning races. His consistent finishes near the top have garnered the premier position for the time being, as he battles to win the series title.

 At Talladega, Edwards hung out in the back half of the field in hopes he would stay out of harm's way. When the checkered flag flew, he was in 11th position, the first time he had ended a race this season outside of the top eight finishers in the Chase.

The tension of the Chase was evident during the practice session when Kevin Harvick slowed a bit on Turn 4 and was pushed by Greg Biffle in his No. 16 3M Ford.

Harvick was angered by the hit and then returned the move with a tap to Biffle's left rear in Turn 1. The drama continued between the two on the backstretch, where they both stopped and then headed to the garage.

Unable to let go of the incident, Biffle bumped the back of Harvick's No. 29 Budweiser car as they headed to their stalls in the garage area.

Biffle exited his car and rushed to Harvick's stall where the two had an animated discussion amongst team members and NASCAR officials.

Harvick can't forget just how close he came to capturing the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup title with his third place finish, 41 markers out under the old point system.

Now Harvick wants to bring a title back to Richard Childress Racing, but his fifth-place slot in the standings shows a deficit of 26 points which could easily go south if he doesn't get a win and finish well in the final four Chase races.

 Look for Harvick to be a bit of a street fighter at Martinsville. His mix-up with Biffle is just a sampling of the pressure he currently finds himself under.

Harvick has one win at Martinsville, coming in the spring race this year. His average finish is 16.5 at the track, but look for him to head to the front from his fifth-place starting spot.

The spring win at this track devastated Junior Nation, when Harvick stole the lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr. with four laps to go.

Hendrick Motorsports is looking for their 200th win in the elite series of NASCAR. Junior looked racy in practice and may be out for revenge and an end to his winless streak, which is now at 125 races.

Jimmie Johnson may be 50 points behind in the Chase standings, but he still is not mathematically out of contention for the title. His average finish at Martinsville is 5.6 and he has six wins along with 17 top-10 finishes.

Each of the drivers with a shot at the title will have an agenda on a track where it is easy to get lapped and the driving can get pretty rough.

Tempers will flair and the crew chiefs will have their hands full as they try to keep the cars coming out of the turns strong for the quick straightaways knowing brake fade can easily ruin the day.

The Martinsville race can certainly be a game-changing day for Edwards and Kenseth, knowing that the front row start will require aggressive driving because they can only go backwards from there.

There is no place to hide for any of the drivers in the Tums Fast Relief 500. It should be a fun race to watch and the point standings are sure see some surprise moves.

Enjoy the race!