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Winston Cup Series




Wednesday, October 23
Updated: November 12, 7:53 PM ET
Final showdown
ESPN.com

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.

TITLE CONTENDERS
Driver Points    
back
Last    
race
Recent finishes at Miami
Fall '01

Tony Stewart 0 8th 19th

Tony Stewart

   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.

Mark Martin 89 4th 24th

Mark Martin

   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.

Kurt Busch 230 6th 23rd

Kurt Busch

   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.

Jimmie Johnson 238 15th 25th

Jimmie Johnson

   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.

Rusty Wallace 238 2rd 12th

Rusty Wallace

   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.

Jeff Gordon 239 3rd 28th

Jeff Gordon

   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?

Ryan Newman 253 18th --

Ryan Newman

   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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