NASCAR with new Chase, new car, New Hampshire

 The field is set. The stakes are high. Ten races, 12 drivers competing for one prize: the 2007 Nextel Cup Series championship.

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The Nextel Cup Series returns to New Hampshire International Speedway for the second time this season and the 1.058-mile oval is the first of 10 races in the Chase to the Nextel Cup. It all begins with the Sylvania 300

 "Being the Nextel Cup champion means that you were better than anyone else in the clutch," Jeff Gordon said. "You beat 11 other guys who were about even with you in just 10 races. This year's Chase will most likely come down to the last race, but it's about gaining momentum and starting this first race off strong."

This year's lineup for the Chase for the Nextel Cup could very well deliver the most wide-open and competitive championship race in recent memory. Consider these top-line stories:


• Jimmie Johnson. Can the reigning Cup champion avoid disaster? Last year, Johnson recovered from a 39th-place finish at Loudon to win the title, but with 12 guys in the Chase, it will be harder to make up lost ground.

"I think I like the mindset I've been in before where I'm in a hole and we need to dig out. I think I've shown we're capable of operating well in that pressure and that situation," Johnson said.

"The one thing that I've learned is you look at it on paper and you think 10 races, that's a short period of time. But when you're living it day-to-day, that's a long 10 races. It's two, three months of racing. So it's long, and you've got to set a pace that you can maintain and keep. And I think that's something that the 48's good at doing."



Johnson, who along with Tony Stewart has led the most laps on the year -- 863 of a possible 6,999, is the top seed in the Chase with 5,060 points. Johnson's season-best sixth win came this past Saturday night at Richmond and was also his second consecutive victory. Johnson took advantage of the revision to the Chase format with the additional emphasis on winning over the first 26 races, racking up 60 bonus points, or 10 points per win. Johnson attempts to become the first driver since Gordon (1997-98) to repeat as series champion.

"Being the top seed is certainly an advantage," Johnson said. "I'm hoping that that works in the right direction and helps us out and helps us win the championship. I just like to operate in that mindset and not being in a place to defend."

• Jeff Gordon. Can the four-time champion -- who has led 17 races on the year, most of any driver -- return to a points-racing mindset after exhibiting a victory-or-bust mentality since locking up a spot in the Chase?

In a season that has seen him as a poster boy for consistency with four wins, 15 top-fives, and 21 top-10s, Gordon led the point standings for 22 consecutive weeks this year. But he'll start the Chase as the second seed, 20 points behind Johnson, after his teammate's back-to-back wins.

"Jimmie was able to gain ground on us in the past two races by winning them both," Gordon said. "Those of us who were locked in were not racing for a consistent top-five or top-10. It was all about getting those bonus points for victories. However, now it's time to race consistently and get the best possible finish we can."