Could a pit road blunder have cost Tony Stewart a chance at the 2007 Nextel Cup championship?

Just past halfway in Saturday's Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway (Lap 177 of 334 to be exact), Stewart looked to have pulled off a coup by pitting for gas only and pulling away in hopes of grabbing the lead. Unfortunately for the driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet, he did not notice that cars were still streaming into the pits as he tried to make his quick exit, and he hit Paul Menard on the way out. As if that wasn't enough, he bumped into Kasey Kahne seconds later.

I won't get into whose fault it is - because that's really not relevant at the moment. What is relevant however is the points that Stewart lost as a result of this mistake.

Yes, he went on to finish seventh on the night ---- but that was after his team fixed damage to his car and he drover like a madman for the result. If he could have kept his car clear of damage, don't you think that he could have challenged race winner and championship leader Jeff Gordon?

But what do you think? Did Tony Stewart blow his chance at a championship due to the pit road mistake? Can he bounce back and win the title?

Let us know your thoughts.

As has been the case the last four weeks, the focus of this week's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway will be on the 12 deserving drivers who qualified for the title deciding Chase for the Nextel Cup, particularly championship frontrunners Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

But is there a third Hendrick Motorsports driver who could steal the show this weekend?

There is, and his name isn't Kyle Busch - the third Hendrick Motorsports driver in the Chase.

The driver is the often forgotten Casey Mears.

Ever since winning his first career Cup race (which, coincidentally, took place at Lowe's earlier this season), Mears has been showing the promise that many had predicted but few had seen.

In the last four weeks, the driver of the No. 25 National Guard Chevrolet has scored four consecutive top 10s. Combine that with the fact that the winner of the Coca Cola 600 has returned in October and swept the Lowe's Motor Speedway races, and it could equal a very special weekend for the entire "Mears Gang."

What do you think? Can Casey Mears steal the spotlight from the Chase drivers as Greg Biffle did two weekends ago? Which Chase driver can halt Mears' sweep dreams?

Let us know your thoughts.

It may still be early in the 2007 version of the Chase for the Nextel Cup, but some drivers are in danger of being eliminated from championship contention.

One of those drivers is Denny Hamlin.

After starting the playoffs with a decent 15th-place finish at Loudon, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has stumbled down the charts following results of 38th and 29th respectively at Dover and Kansas.

Unfortunately for the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet, things won't get better this weekend at Talladega as he has an average finish of 30.66 at all restrictor plate races.

Is Denny Hamlin out of the championship hunt? Can he bounce back and compete with frontrunners Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer?

Let us know your thoughts.

Can Clint Bowyer's life get any better?

In the span of three weeks, the second-year driver of the No. 07 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet has qualified for the championship deciding Chase for the Nextel Cup, won his first career Cup race, and worked hard to finish 12th and stay in the title hunt.

This weekend things are only going to get better as Bowyer heads to his homestate, Kansas, for the running of the LifeLock 400.

While he is only seventh in this week's Power Rankings, he could surprise the world as he qualified sixth and finished ninth in his rookie visit to the 1.5-mile Kansas track.

What do you think?  Can Clint Bowyer continue his string of surprising runs and contend for a victory - and possibly the championship lead - this weekend? Who will win this year's championship?

Let us know your thoughts.

Alright, let's face facts, it would not have been fun to be Kurt Busch at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Sure, the driver of the No. 2 Dodge was one of the hottest drivers going into the Chase, but now all that matters is how you perform in the 10 Chase races - and Kurt did not do well last weekend.  As a result, he fell to 12th in this week's Power Rankings.

Is he out of championship contention?  Jimmie Johnson finished 39th last year at Loudon and went on to win the championship - so Busch can obviously fight back.  However, he cannot falter anymore, especially not this weekend at Dover.

What do you think?  Can Kurt Busch fight back from his dissapointing NHIS performance to put himself back in championship contention?  Who will win this year's championship?

Let us know your thoughts.