Going After It...For Real

Well, on Sunday afternoon, there'll be a different feeling in the air at Chicagoland Speedway.

For the first time in 2011, there's a title on the line for the 12 drivers in the Chase. That means, more than for the first 26 races of the season, there's no kidding, no lazing and no messing around...unless it's messing directly with another driver.

That brings to mind the different feuds we've seen lately...Kyle Busch-Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards-Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch-Kevin Harvick, Kevin Harvick-pick a driver, Kurt Busch-Jimmie Johnson...the list goes on.

Will we see some of this on Sunday night? I'd wager it's 60-40 we will. Everyone wants to get off to a good start, but when the line is crossed, you're either the windshield or you're the bug. If you're the windshield, you have won the round...but you may yet lose the war. If you're the bug, you lost the round, but you can still win the war...and make sure the windshield in your particular case goes forward with a crack or two.

On one hand, that's as it should be. Eye for an eye, and all that. On the other, it has far-reaching implications vis-a-vis the Chase. With the way the points are now, overcoming a big deficit is much harder. You can't gain 30-40 points a race. You can gain maybe 25 in a big swing.

Of course, there's no way to go huge on the front end, either, so it balances out.

In other news, there's a rumbling about Paul Menard causing a caution to help a teammate at Richmond last week. Don't believe it, but it's out there. RCR is old-school, and causing a caution to help yourself or a teammate is not unheard of, by any means.

Tune in on Sunday to see what happens...I will be!