The Winston Cup circuit heads to Miami this weekend for Sunday's season finale, the Ford 500. Tony Stewart has the best chance to win the championship, but Mark Martin is still alive. Check out our breakdown of which drivers are where, which have had success at Miami and who is going to need it as the final checkered flag nears.
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TITLE CONTENDERS
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Driver
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Points    back
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Last    race
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Recent finishes at Miami
Fall '01
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Tony Stewart
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0
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8th
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19th
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Skinny: Will clinch the title with a 22nd-place finish. If he can qualify well and his team can pull off some clean stops to keep him up front, title should be Stewart's.
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Mark Martin
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89
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4th
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24th
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Skinny: Realistically, needs something near a top-five finish to keep hopes alive. That, and the No. 20 car blowing an engine. It's not over, but it'll be tough.
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Kurt Busch
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230
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6th
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23rd
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Skinny: Has stormed to third place in the standings, and the way he has been running lately, a top-five finish to hold onto this spot is a realistic expectation.
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Jimmie Johnson
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238
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15th
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25th
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Skinny: Needs reversal of luck. Last week's finish at Phoenix was OK, but needs to regain early- and mid-season magic to claim third and beat out Ryan Newman for ROY honors.
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Rusty Wallace
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238
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2rd
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12th
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Skinny: All he cares about -- still -- is winning a race. It's his last chance to keep the streak going, and a victory would be a great way to claim third.
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Jeff Gordon
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239
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3rd
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28th
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Skinny: A third-place overall finish would put a positive exclamation point on a tough season. And do any of the '03 title contenders really want Gordon coming off a "disappointing" third?
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Ryan Newman
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253
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18th
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Skinny: Still battling Johnson for Rookie of the Year honors. Would love to add legitimacy to possible ROY win by actually finishing ahead of Johnson in overall points.
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