It all comes down to this.  Carl Edwards vs. Tony Stewart at Homestead.  It's been a whale of a Chase regardless of who your favorite driver is.  No matter who wins, you could make a valid argument as to why they are a deserving champion.  Edwards has been a model of consistency on the season as a whole, posting four more top-10 and top-five finishes than any other driver thusfar (including seven more top 10s and 10 more top fives than Stewart), whereas Stewart has been relentless in the Chase with four wins and seven finishes of eighth or better in the nine events to date.  Should be fun to watch.  May the best man win.

Finally, thanks for checking out the blog on a weekly basis.  Hopefully, it has helped steer you towards some drivers who "stand out" and one that might surprise people.  Enjoy the season finale, have a great holiday season and we'll see you again when the engines fire back up in 2012.

THE KEEPERS

Carl Edwards.  Homestead is a Roush Fenway track and why not go with the driver who is atop of that stable's heap?  Edwards has won two of the last three races at the track and is riding a string of six consecutive finishes of eighth or better.  In his two victories, the No. 99 car showed the way for triple-digit laps, which means big bonus points in NASCAR.COM's Fantasy Live game.  Speaking of bonus points, in all but one of his seven career starts, Edwards has finished better than where he started at the South Florida track (an average difference of just under eight spots) -- great for pass differential and position differential.

Tony Stewart.  Stewart has yet to recapture the magic he used to have at a flat Homestead-Miami Speedway when he won his first two starts there, but there is a determination in the two-time champion that is as strong as ever.  Everything is on the line and the driver of the No. 14 has loads of momentum with two wins and a third-place finish in his last three races (leading the most laps in the last two).  His intermediate track program was in a lull midseason, but has been gaining steam since Atlanta (half of his Chase wins this year have come on intermediate tracks).  

A.J. Allmendinger.  I am going on a limb here somewhat, but...as mentioned before, we're heading to a Roush Fenway track and the RPM drivers get plenty of support from the RFR camp.  Allmendinger has made strides as of late, finishing 11th or better in four of the last five races overall and each of his three starts at HMS (the track, not the team).  Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth may have better overall resumes at the track, but after Phoenix, I'm reluctant to take Kenseth simply because Vickers might have one coming (or perhaps Vickers will come back for "thirds") and I'm going to pass on Biffle for cost reasons and Biffle typically qualifies really well but fades as the race goes on.  Speaking of Biffle, Allmendinger has his former crew chief.  The No. 43 team can lean on Greg Erwin's mile-and-a-half expertise for a strong run this weekend.  Allmendinger and teammate Marcos Ambrose have been a pleasant surprise on the intermediate tracks and A.J. finishes, on average, more than 11 spots better than where he starts at Homestead.

THE SLEEPER

Martin Truex Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing has little to smile about this year (other than, perhaps, signing Clint Bowyer).  Perhaps Truex Jr. can put a positive spin on things heading into the offseason.  He had a good car at Homestead last year, leading 62 laps (second only to Edwards).  He has finished 11th or better in his last five races there, including a runner-up finish in 2006.  Much like Edwards, Truex Jr. finishes better than where he starts -- he's done so in each of his six races there (average improvement of greater than eight positions).