NASCAR Sprint Cup: What Winning the Title Would Mean to Top 10 Contenders

The contenders for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup title have been narrowed to only a few, but the road to Chase was paved with hopes and dreams for all the drivers who have made it to the top 10.

The 26-week preseason battle to make the playoffs in NASCAR's most elite series is a grinding battle week after week, filled with the highs and lows of a sport built on danger.

Each race requires every driver to always be on his game, to focus on the win, and top finishes for his team, sponsors and fans.

The pressure on a Cup series driver comes in many forms and from many directions, but the most pressure comes from within.

Every driver wants to be the best, but only 10 will be considered Chase drivers at season's end, and only one of those drivers will have captured the ultimate goal of a championship.

Let's take a look at the 10 current contenders in the Chase with two races remaining in the season; we will look at some of the specific reasons for each driver that would make winning the title so special.

1. Carl Edwards

Carl Edwards has remained atop the Chase point standings because of his consistent finishes, but he has been unable to garner a win.

Edwards began driving in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series during 2001. By 2003 he had caught the eye of Jack Roush and began driving the No. 99 truck for him, and by '05 he was driving in the NASCAR Nationwide and Cup series for Roush.

Earlier this year he signed a new contract with RFR and would like nothing better than to reward his boss with a title.

In '08 Edwards was runner-up for the series title and he knows the importance a championship brings a driver who has fought his way to being a star in the elite series of NASCAR.

The driver of the Aflac No. 99 is very physically fit and his fitness regimen may be the reason he is able to filter out mind-game distractions in the 10-week battle for the title.

Edwards has proven talent as a Cup driver with 19 career wins in the series, but he needs personal validation of his ability that only winning a title can bring.

He looks to be the lead contender for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, but Tony Stewart has set his sights on the championship and has been ripping off wins. 

It will likely come down to the last lap at Homestead-Miami before Edwards knows if the title is his.

Edwards currently remains first in the point standings.

2. Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart has proven he can win in many series, including two NASCAR Sprint Cup titles (one in '02 and again in '05).

Stewart is the only driver to have won championships under the Winston Cup pre-Chase format and the Chase format that was implemented in 2004.

Should the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy win the 2011 title he would be the first owner/driver to do so since the late Alan Kulwicki did it in '92; being able to do that would make a title that much sweeter.

Stewart was winless during the 26-week schedule leading to the Chase, and he thought perhaps he didn't even belong in the Chase. We now know he truly belongs and he did whatever necessary to get his crew chief and total team operation in sync and on track.

He has given notice to point leader Carl Edwards that he is serious about winning the 2011 championship, and Stewart has backed that up with four wins (half of the Chase races).

If he were to win a third title, Stewart would be elevated to the level of a select few legendary drivers including Lee Petty, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson and Darrell Waltrip.

The Chase really looks to be a two-man battle with Stewart and Edwards, but it's not over for other contenders yet.

Stewart is second in the point standing just three points behind the leader.

3. Kevin Harvick

Kevin Harvick was thrust into a car at Richard Childress Racing immediately after the death of the seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt Sr.

The driver of the No. 29 Budweiser car is certainly an accomplished driver with 18 career wins in the Cup series. In 2010 he finished third in the point standings behind five-time champ Jimmie Johnson.

Perhaps the most important reason Harvick wants to win a title, other than personal pride, is to bring a championship back to Richard Childress Racing.

Harvick is so committed to winning a title he decided to close down operations of Kevin Harvick Inc. in order to concentrate on a Cup title.

Currently Harvick is third in the point standings—33 points behind the leader. He is mathematically still in the fight for the title, but it is looking a bit more difficult with only two races to go.

4. Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth is the reason for the Chase.

In '03 he won the Cup series title with only one win during the season and 25 top 10 finishes, and NASCAR implemented the Chase in '04 to provide more of a playoff format with hopes of making the series more exciting.

Kenseth is certainly an accomplished driver with his 21 Cup wins. He has one win in the Chase and looked like he would be another strong Roush Fenway Racing title challenger.

The low key driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford is not one to throw down challenges to other drivers, or even show much enthusiasm when he finishes well.

Though Kenseth doesn't show just how important another title is, rest assured he wants a second championship, and his hard racing under the guidance of crew chief Jimmy Fennig has proven that.

Winning a title under the Chase format is especially important to him, being that it was implemented because of his dominance in 2003.

Currently, chances of a title win in 2011 are slipping away with him sitting fourth in the point standings, 38 markers out of the lead.

5. Brad Keselowski

Brad Keselowski is a young gun in NASCAR, but he is a bit of a throwback style racer who just wants to drive hard and win.

The Michigan native found success with JR Motorsports behind the wheel of a Nationwide car and in 2010 he got a ride with Penske racing.

He won the NASCAR Nationwide championship in 2010, driving both the first and second-tier series for Penske. In 2011 he became the driver of the legendary Blue Deuce at Penske Racing.

Keselowski is paired with crew chief Paul Wolfe, formerly of Nationwide, who now shoulders the responsibility of the Cup team for the No. 2.

Perhaps this team doesn't know what they don't know—the driver just wants to go to the front and the crew chief is willing to take chances. So far they have made tremendous progress this season.

Keselowski wants to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup title simply because he is a hard racer, and the fact that he is young and relatively new to Cup racing would make a title that much more rewarding.

Though he looked to be the wild card to topple Jimmie Johnson's reign as champion, he did make the wild-card slot to contend for the Chase after being mid-pack in the points earlier in the season.

Now Keselowski may be pretty much out of the title run. He is fifth in the point standings, 49 points out of the lead.

6. Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet, has accomplished the unimaginable with five consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships.

Winning a sixth title would secure him a place in the history books, which will likely never be matched by another NASCAR driver.

For Johnson, the 2011 title would have just extended what has been a bit of a fairy-tale adventure, and deep down this driver has probably been amazed that the Hendrick Motorsports team has continued this ride as it has.

Title chances this year appear to be over with Johnson sixth in the standings and 55 points behind the leader.

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the son of one of NASCAR's most legendary drivers, a seven-time champion known as the "Intimidator."

Though his name is the same as his fathers, he has never tried to mirror his father's persona or driving; he is in fact a different personality, but does share the same desire to win.

Winning has not come easy for Hendrick Motorsports' No. 88—in fact, it has not come at all for the last 127 races, though he does have 18 career victories in Cup racing.

Junior started this year with a new team and high hopes for improvement over the two years prior (his worst years ever).

Earnhardt did make the Chase this year, but he knew it would be tough to contend for a title and the team is still not up to a championship level of consistency.

Winning the title this year would mean validation for Junior in the Cup series; it somehow would give him an inner peace, knowing how proud his father would be.

Junior has many more years with Hendrick Motorsports and there very likely could be a championship or in his future.

For now his goal is to continue to work with his team to try for a win this year which would make the winter months easier for a driver who wishes the racing season was longer.

Currently Earnhardt is seventh in the point standings, 79 points behind the leader.

8. Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon has made history in his own right with the four NASCAR Winston (Sprint) Cup titles and 85 career wins in the series which have elevated him to an elite group in the sport.

Gordon brought Jimmie Johnson into the fold at Hendrick Motorsports and has failed to win a title since (little did he imagine his teammate would win five consecutive titles).

This year has seen a rejuvenated Gordon who has won three races and looks to be hot on the tail of Johnson to capture this year's championship.

No. 24 has not won in the Chase and finished worse than 21st in four of the eight Chase races.

There is little doubt that Gordon wants to win a title in the Chase format and to tie the title record of Johnson. This looked to be the year Gordon would achieve that all important goal, but it is not to be.

Gordon is ranked eighth in the point standings, 81 markers out of the lead.

9. Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch won the 2004 NASCAR Cup title driving for Roush Racing and currently wheels the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge for Penske Racing.

Busch is an accomplished driver with 24 career wins in the top series of NASCAR, and won the first title under the Chase format.

This season has been one of inconsistency, especially in the Chase. He has one win in the eight races of the playoff series, but has had some less than stellar finishes.

The biggest reason, other than personal gratification, Busch would like to win another title this year, or any other year, is to bring his boss a NASCAR championship.

Roger Penske has numerous championships in the open-wheel series, but despite his many years as a NASCAR team owner, he has yet to have a driver win the title.

Busch, however, has had a somewhat tumultuous relationship with his team, having expressed his displeasure with the cars prior to the Chase and during the Chase.

This driver is ranked ninth in the point standings and 87 points out of the lead.

10. Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin drives the No. 11 FedEx Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. During the 2010 season he thought he would be the one to dethrone Jimmie Johnson, but ended up as the runner-up.

Hamlin took the loss pretty hard and 2011 seems to be the hangover effect with inconsistent finishes and only one win prior to the Chase.

The JGR driver fought his way to the wild-card slot for the Chase with hopes his luck would turn to contend for the title once again.

Hamlin has only had three top 10 finishes in the Chase with continued inconsistency and his hopes for a title this season have been dashed.

Winning the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup title would have been pure vindication for the pain he felt in failing to close the deal in 2010; the No. 11 team just cant seem to regain the mojo it had in the 2010 season.

Hamlin slipped into the top 10 Chase contenders by one point, and is ranked 10th in the standings, 99 points out of the lead.