Who Will Win?
Johnson
Jimmie Johnson: Hey, when the train gets rolling, you don't complain that it's the same one that's come through here five times before, you just hop on board. And so I'm going straight chalk and taking Jimmie Johnson this weekend. Is this a reverse-reverse-reverse jinx? Maybe so. Or maybe it's just called "hedging my bets." Johnson gets his sixth win at Charlotte this weekend, and the wailing begins. – Jay Busbee
Kyle Busch Busch has to win sometime in the Chase, right? And if he's going to, Charlotte may be his best chance. Until a crash led to a 32nd-place finish in this year's Coca-Cola 600, Busch had never finished lower than eighth while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing at CMS, a span of six races. It's not the amount of points at this stage for Busch, it's the drivers ahead of him, and if he's going to be a legitimate threat, Saturday night is the time to move. – Nick Bromberg
Jimmie Johnson: No, he hasn't owned Charlotte like he did from 2003-05 when he won five of six races, but did you notice how ridiculously dominating he was at Kansas – another 1.5-mile track? The 48 crew is clicking on all cylinders, plus a few they've stolen from Jeff Gordon, evident by the fact that J.J. has led 555 laps – or 20 percent of them – over the last eight races. – Jay Hart
Chase drivers average finish at Charlotte (best to worst) and their May finish:
Edwards
1. Jimmie Johnson: 10.8 (6 wins); May finish: 28th
2. Carl Edwards: 13.3 (0 wins); May finish: 16th
3. Tony Stewart: 13.8 (1 win); May finish: 17th
4. Matt Kenseth: 14.9 (1 win); May finish: 14th
5. Jeff Gordon: 15.8 (5 wins); May finish: 20th
6. Denny Hamlin: 16.6 (0 wins); May finish: 10th
7. Kyle Busch: 17.7 (0 wins); May finish: 32nd
8. Kevin Harvick: 19.9 (1 win); May finish: 1st
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 19.4 (0 wins); May finish: 7th
10. Brad Keselowski: 19.5 (0 wins); May finish: 19th
11. Kurt Busch: 19.7 (1 win); May finish: 4th
12. Ryan Newman: 20.0 (0 wins); May finish: 31st
Top storyline
Harvick
• Eight drivers are still in the title hunt. By the end of Saturday night's Bank of America 500, that number could be divided in half. Charlotte traditionally has been the place where the Chase field gets whittled down. Finish in the top 10 and you're still in it; suffer a mechanical failure or get caught in a wreck and you're title hopes are likely over*. (*Does not pertain to Jimmie Johnson) – Jay Hart
• Kevin Harvick says he doesn't like Charlotte, Carl Edwards says the track has been hit or miss for the team and Jimmie Johnson hasn't been as invincible as he was at Charlotte when he reeled off four straight wins in 2004 and 2005. Does that mean the top three are vulnerable Saturday night? – Nick Bromberg
• Kyle who? Oh, yeah, that guy. Kyle Busch hasn't had any bad races in the Chase, but he hasn't had any particularly good ones either, and the elites are starting to pull away. He's not out of the Chase by any means, but this is a critical race for him. One good week and he's back in the hunt; one bad week and it's 2012 time. Which way will it go this weekend? – Jay Busbee
From The Source
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "I was hoping to have won a Cup Series race in a points paying race there [Charlotte Motor Speedway] by now. … We came so close this year to almost winning. Being so close to home, that's one of the places that you really want to get a trophy from. So hopefully that will happen. That's kind of my Daytona 500 now."