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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: 46 Cars At Phoenix
A total of 46 cars are entered for the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted November 09, 2009   Charlotte, NC
A total of 46 cars are entered for the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway this weekend. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
It’s game on for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, which thanks to Jimmie Johnson’s 38th-place finish at Texas on Sunday suddenly really is a chase again.

Johnson, second-place Mark Martin and 44 other drivers will head to the Valley of the Sun this weekend for Sunday’s Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, the penultimate race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

Martin, who won the spring race at PIR and led the most laps then, needs another strong weekend if he’s to further erode the 73-point margin he trails Johnson by. Then again, if Johnson wins and leads the most laps and Martin finishes 30th or worse at PIR, Johnson will clinch his record fourth consecutive championship.

This is another tripleheader weekend, with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rolling off Friday night and the Nationwide Series Saturday afternoon.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Entry List

Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500

Phoenix International Raceway, Nov. 15

• Must qualify on speed

Car number, driver, sponsor, brand, owner

00, David Reutimann, Aaron's Dream Machine, Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

1, Martin Truex Jr., Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats, Chevrolet Impala SS, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates

02, Brandon Ash, Efusjon Energy Club, Dodge, Ash Motorsports •

2, Kurt Busch, Miller Lite, Dodge Charger, Penske Championship Racing

5, Mark Martin, Kellogg’s/ Carquest, Chevy, Hendrick Motorsports

6, David Ragan, UPS, Ford Fusion, Roush Fenway Racing

7, Robby Gordon, Jim Beam, Toyota, Robby Gordon Motorsports

07, Casey Mears, Jack Daniel’s, Chevy, Richard Childress Racing

09, David Gilliland, Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, Dodge, Phoenix Racing •

9, Kasey Kahne, Budweiser, Dodge, Richard Petty Motorsports

11, Denny Hamlin, FedEx Ground, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing

12, David Stremme, Penske Racing, Dodge, Penske

13, Max Papis, GEICO, Toyota, Germain Racing •

14, Tony Stewart, Old Spice, Chevy, Stewart-Haas Racing

16, Greg Biffle, 3M, Ford, Roush

17, Matt Kenseth, USG, Ford, Roush

18, Kyle Busch, Pedigree, Toyota, JGR

19, Elliott Sadler, BBY Insignia, Dodge, RPM

20, Joey Logano, Home Depot, Toyota, JGR

24, Jeff Gordon, Dupont, Chevy, Hendrick

26, Jamie McMurray, Irwin Marathon, Ford, Roush

29, Kevin Harvick, Shell-Pennzoil, Chevy, RCR

31, Jeff Burton, Cat Financial, Chevy, RCR

33, Clint Bowyer, Cheerios/Hamburger Helper, Chevy, RCR

34, John Andretti, Taco Bell, Chevy, Front Row Motorsports

36, Michael McDowell, Wave Energy Drink, Toyota, Tommy Baldwin Racing •

37, Tony Raines, Long John Silver’s Dodge, Front Row Motorsports •

39, Ryan Newman, U.S. Army, Chevy, Stewart-Haas

42, Juan Pablo Montoya, Target, Chevy, EGR

43, Reed Sorenson, PVA.org, Dodge, RPM

44, AJ Allmendinger, Ford Racing, Ford, RPM

47, Marcos Ambrose, Little Debbie-Kingsford-Clorox, Toyota, JTG-Daugherty Racing

48, Jimmie Johnson, Lowe's, Chevy, Hendrick

55, Michael Waltrip, NAPA, Toyota, MWR

66, Dave Blaney, TBA, Toyota, Prism Motorsports •

70, Andy Lally, TBA, Chevrolet, TRG Motorsports •

71, Bobby Labonte, TBA, Chevrolet, TRG Motorsports •

77, Sam Hornish Jr., Mobil 1, Dodge, Penske

78, Regan Smith, Furniture Row, Chevy, Furniture Row Racing •

82, Scott Speed, Red Bull, Toyota, Red Bull Racing •

83, Brian Vickers, Red Bull, Toyota, Red Bull

87, Joe Nemechek, TBA, Toyota, NEMCO Motorsports •

88, Dale Earnhardt Jr., National Guard/AMP Energy, Chevy, Hendrick

96, Erik Darnell, Valvoline, Ford, Hall of Fame Racing

98, Paul Menard, Johns Manville/Menards, Ford, Yates

99, Carl Edwards, Aflac, Ford, Roush

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED, and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com! Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to



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