Saturday, September 15, 2012

Cup Champion - As Chase Action Opens In Joliet - Chicago Sun - Times

BY TINA AKOURIS Sun-Times Media

Is NASCAR nation completely ready for just a Sprint Cup champ affiliated with a foreign automaker?

I feel they need to be, Martin Truex Jr. said, for the reason that there exists a not bad possibility of them developing this year.

Truex is one of three Toyota owners inside the 10-race Chase to the Sprint Cup, that opens using the GEICO 400 upon Sunday from Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet. Truex s teammate with Michael Waltrip Racing, Clint Bowyer, along with details boss Denny Hamlin most of drive Toyotas.

The trio gives the Japanese automaker it is most robust possibility that you'll developing a shining driver for any brand new considering that Toyota registered this Cup sequence throughout 2007 around a partnership by using MWR. The past period Toyota acquired some autos within the Chase has been 2008, any time most of three people were Joe Gibbs Racing teammates: Hamlin, Stewart in addition to Kyle Busch. JGR dropped Chevrolet just Toyota in 2008.

It means a lot, and also Toyota continues to be thus instrumental with that constructing associated with each of our team, Truex said. For us, we re also truly extremely pleased helping put a pair of vehicles in presently there to get them.

For Truex, the significance of your Chase isn big t nearly the actual a few Toyota cars, but extra so the effect search for possess on MWR. For a business that almost gone bankrupt throughout 2007 despite possessing big-name sponsors, Truex plus Bowyer characterize precisely how a mid-level to be able to little crew could completely overcome that 'ninja-like' teams like Hendrick Motorsports in addition to JGR.

To wit, Hendrick offers many several connected with it is owners inside the Chase: five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, four-time champ Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and also Kasey Kahne. Kahne plus Gordon selected the past a couple of wild-card locations that will top off the actual 12-driver field.

And Roush-Fenway Racing models away the massive clubs along with a couple individuals within that Chase, Matt Kenseth as well as Greg Biffle.

Biffle, the regular-season points leader before the standings had been reset to zero after a week ago utes Richmond race, may be a 10-1 favorite for you to win the tournament depending on Las Vegas odds. But he s not necessarily many in which impressed using the quality odds.

Sounds just like a great way to create many money, Biffle mentioned immediately after Friday utes first exercise session. I certainly not truly look at that will material much. It doesn t appear to be which superb of odds.

And Johnson is seemingly a 9-5 favorite to obtain his sixth Cup championship. Like Biffle, this individual s its not all that will wrapped up inside odds.

I still don capital t find out what in which means, Johnson said. I find it s in the best from the list, and also I ended up being requesting Hamlin plus Biffle simply because they both equally realize most this stuff, in addition to none one of these may possibly offer me personally a particular respond to concerning just what exactly it seriously meant.

Defending champ Tony Stewart is not discounted. Third inside the factors standings, Stewart started out their tournament run at Chicagoland Speedway very last year along with his initial triumph of the season. That seemed to be almost all Stewart needed, because your dog rattled away from some extra wins en approach to their third championship.

Stewart has possessed lots of being successful within Joliet by using three victories, eight top-five coatings along with nine completes while in the leading 10.

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