Leaders Cautious in Qualifying

The first 26 qualifying races of NASCAR’s Nextel Cup series this season produced 10 candidates for the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup. The first nine races of the Chase have winnowed the championship candidates to two -- Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson -- with Carl Edwards a remote outsider.

Today and tonight, in the daylight-to-darkness Ford 400, the 2005 champion will be decided on the 1.5-mile oval of South Florida’s Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Stewart, the 2002 champion driving one of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chevrolets, has a commanding 52-point lead over Johnson, second the last two years in a Chevrolet owned by fellow driver Jeff Gordon as part of the Rick Hendrick racing empire.

Edwards, the only contender remaining of the five Fords fielded by Jack Roush that made up half of the Chase field, is 87 points behind Stewart, probably too far back to be taken seriously. He kept his flickering hopes alive Saturday by qualifying his Office Depot Ford on the pole for today’s race with a lap of 176.051 mph.

“It’s a great springboard for Sunday’s race, but I really don’t have any option other than just go out and try to lead the most laps and win the race,” Edwards said. “If we can leave here with a victory and a good performance on our part, we’re going to be happy no matter what.”

Ryan Newman put a Penske Dodge on the outside of the front row with a lap of 176.039 mph.

Stewart and Johnson, displaying the cautious nature that Chase leaders have adopted, will start 20th and 32nd, respectively.

The Chase was designed a year ago by NASCAR President Brian France in hopes of generating enough late-season excitement to combat the NFL and the World Series in October and November for space on the airways and in newsprint. It may or may not have succeeded, but Homestead-Miami will be packed with 65,000 fans today with millions more watching on NBC, starting at 1 p.m. PST.

“I think it’s pretty exciting, I think it’s been good for our sport,” Stewart said. “I think it might need a little tweaking, but I’m not saying what needs to be done. The thing is, through the first nine weeks I was worrying about having bad luck instead of worrying about who was the best that given week and getting the most points. I don’t think the championship should be decided on who is worrying about having the worst day.”

Hendrick, whose operation includes Johnson, Gordon and rookie Kyle Busch, who qualified fourth, agreed with Stewart’s analysis.

“To be honest, to me, this format has taken a little of the bloom out of the championship,” Hendrick said. “Not that it’s any less important, but if you have a good lead going into the last 10 races you’ve got to start playing defense. I think guys who win races should get more points than the guys running second and third. It would pay you to go out there and race to win.”

Stewart gave what few fans remained late Friday a scare when he spun during practice. Amazingly, the sliding No. 20 hit nothing as it went around and around, but there were some gasps from the Gibbs pit.

If the car had crashed and the team had to switch cars, it would have been a sentimental blow to Stewart because the chassis, No. 83, is the one he was in when he won the Brickyard 400. It was the most cherished victory in his long career, coming at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, close to his hometown of Columbus, Ind.

The Nextel Cup championship isn’t the only thing on the line today.

There is a $1-million bonus for the driver finishing 11th -- a bone tossed to the non-Chase qualifiers. Four-time champion Jeff Gordon holds a 10-point margin over Jamie McMurray, with Elliott Sadler and Kevin Harvick close enough to be threats.

“A million dollars would be nice, but our objective today is to get our car in as strong a position as we can for next year’s season,” Gordon said.