After 26 races, the regular season comes to an end and the playoffs begin. John Wilson surprised everyone by running away from the rest of the field and won the first part of the year. Unfortunately for him the lead is now erased so he'll have to start all over again. He won't even have the official lead at the start of the Chase. Here is a look of what the 2011 Chase will look like, in order of how they will be reseeded.
1. Kevin Sullivan - 2006 points. Kevin Sullivan makes his third straight Chase and will have the official lead entering Chicagoland. Kevin finished 9th last year and 4th the year before. He'll be looking for that Championship and trying to lead his team to a championship as well.
2. John Wilson - 2006 points. John was the surprise of the year after leading the standings since the 8th race of the season. Since Kevin Sullivan two 2nd place finishes, John will be credited with 2nd place in the standings. This is the 1st Chase appearance for John who has been in the league since 2005. His highest previous finish was 29th place.
3. Robby Stone - 2006 points. Robby is the final driver of the three-way tie at the top and was also a little bit of a surprise this year. He picked up his first two career wins this year and will make his first Chase appearce. He finished 17th last year and 34th in his rookie year.
4. Bob Douce - 2003 points. Last year Bob had a disappointing season and missed his 1st chase after 4 full seasons. He'll be looking to make up for it this year with his 4th Chase appearance.
5. Gary Wheat - 2003 points. Bob Douce's teammate, Gary Wheat will be starting right with him. This year they are the only two teammates in the Chase which is a much different story from last year when three teams took up 10 of the Chase spots. Gary had a disappointing 2010 season but with his third Chase appearance this year, he'll look to make up for it.
6. Troy Wiggins - 2003 points. Troy is the lone entry for Intimidator Racing, Inc. this season and is one of two members that has a chance to get their 2nd Cup championship. He was the lowest finishing Chase driver last season but will look to become the highest finishing one this year. This is Troy's 4th Chase appearance.
7. Dean Higley - 2000 points. Just like IRI, Dean is surprisingly the only entry for Racing Traditions, Inc. this year. The first season when the team has has just one member make the Chase. Dean will be battling with Troy to each get their 2nd championship. It's the third straight Chase appearance for Dean which puts him to a tie with Kevin Sullivan and Harry Jeffery for longest running consecutive Chases runs.
8. Ryan Smith - 2000 points. Last year Ryan led a good amount of the season and four straight weeks in the Chase, but collapsed in the final three races of the year. He'll be looking for redemption this year and get that first Championship. This is Ryan's third Chase appearance.
9. Rene Nadeau - 2000 points. Rene adds a little international flair this year and hopes to make Canada look good with a Championship. Like John Wilson, Rene was also a surprise this season. He's been in the series since 2005 and this will be the first time that he makes the Chase.
10. John Magee - 2000 points. With John Magee's 2nd season in the Cup series, he makes his first Chase appearance. He won the Nationwide series Championship last year, now he'll be looking for the big prize. He could be one to watch this year.
11. Hurricane Sidwell - 2000 points: wildcard. Hurricane Sidwell has the most wins on the season with 3 but things were very tense with him at Richmond. His 41st place finish nearly knocked him out of the top 20 but he managed to hold on in 19th place and make his first Chase appearance.
12. Harry Jeffery - 2000 points: wildcard. Harry gets the final Chase spot thanks to his two wins this season. He'll look to make the most of it with his 5th Chase appearance and third consecutive. Harry is now tied with Nathan Helton and Stephen DiCaprio for all-time Chase apperances.
Congratulations to the 12 Chase drivers and may the best man win!
