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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Chase Field Conceding Nothing To Johnson
Most of the Chasers have work to do this weekend at Kansas...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted October 02, 2009   Kansas City, KS
Ryan Newman will head into Sunday’s Price Chopper 400 at Kansas Speedway seventh in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

While Hendrick Motorsports teammates Mark Martin and
Jimmie Johnson have opened an imposing points lead on the field in the first two races of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, no one is giving up yet.

“I don't really care what the No. 48 (Johnson) or the No. 5 (Martin) or anybody else is doing,” said Ryan Newman, who enters Sunday’s Price Chopper 400 at Kansas Speedway seventh in points, 110 behind Martin and 100 behind Johnson. “I want to win a race. That's the bottom line. And now is the time to do it. Multiple races would be great, but it doesn't really matter to me what the No. 48 or the No. 5 are doing. We just go out there and race our race and do our thing and where we end up, is where we end up.”

Newman’s attitude seemed rather pervasive among the challengers at Kansas Speedway on Friday. Right now, eight drivers are 100 points or more behind points leader Martin, and Johnson, of course, is the three-time defending Cup champion, as well as last week’s winner.

Yet despite the big margin the top two Hendrick drivers have, the other contenders maintain that eight races is plenty of time to make up the difference. And they specifically insisted they aren’t intimidated by Johnson, despite his dominating performance in winning last Sunday at Dover.

“I’m not scared,” said Brian Vickers, who is 10th in points, 151 behind Martin. “Obviously, I don’t think the (48) team that won the last three championships, it’s like a huge shocker that they won Dover. It’s not like we didn’t see that coming. We knew they were going to be good and we know this is a team we have to beat. It doesn’t mean we’re scared of them and it’s not like a revelation that they’re running good.”

Hoping to get things going in the right direction this weekend are Roush Fenway Racing teammates Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, who are ninth and 11th, respectively, in the standings.



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