The pressure is on for NASCAR’s bubble drivers

How each one handles it will play a huge role in who succeeds.

“I know there is pressure, but I don’t feel it,” said Ryan Newman, a point out of the 10th and final qualifying spot for the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship. “I haven’t had any migraines, it’s been life as usual.

“I’m a numbers guy, but it’s all about performance. When performance happens, the numbers fall in place the way you want them to.”

Six drivers have their spots in the Chase locked up, and Jeremy Mayfield will make it by finishing 39th or better Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.

The rest of the spots in the 10-man Chase are up for grabs, and the drivers from eighth place to 16th are mathematically alive.

Carl Edwards is in eighth place, followed by Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray, who has just a one-point hold over Newman for last spot. Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon is 12th. Elliott Sadler, Dale Jarrett, Kevin Harvick and Joe Nemechek also are still eligible.

Emotions were all over the map during race preparations Friday, but the bulk of the contenders wanted only to worry about themselves. That’s the strategy Mayfield took last September, when he broke a four-year winless streak by taking the checkered flag to secure his spot in the Chase.

McMurray learned the hard way that staying relaxed is the best approach.

He was a nervous wreck last year when he came into the race 11th in the standings. He ended up missing the Chase by just 15 points.

He’s much more at ease this time, even though his grip on the final qualifying position is just one point.

“It’s a lot better to be on the inside, it’s something mentally that makes you feel a lot better,” McMurray said. “So this is nothing like it was last year for me. I was tore up, I didn’t want to eat.

“But this week is a lot better. I even played golf this week.”

Gordon has admitted that this one-race opportunity is one of the most pressure-packed situations of his career. Of all the bubble drivers, Gordon has the most at stake because he’s the most recognizable driver in NASCAR and many believe the playoff-style title hunt will be a dud if he’s not involved.

“To me, it’s going to come down to driving our hearts out, doing everything we can and then trying to get ourselves in the best position,” Gordon said.

There are wide-ranging concerns, though, that road rage might play a decisive role in who makes the Chase.

“You’d like to expect clean racing, but I know (this race) last year it wasn’t clean racing,” Newman said. “There were a couple drivers who intentionally tried to do some things to make their way into the Chase, and you never know what’s going to happen.

“It’s a very high-pressure situation, but you expect people to have a lot of respect and race people like they always did. Whether that happens or not is just a situation of time will tell.”

NASCAR tends to keep a watchful eye on dirty driving and has a history of handing down swift punishments. Dale Jarrett was immediately penalized two laps after intentionally wrecking Newman two weeks ago.

That accident crippled Jarrett’s bid to make the Chase and cost Newman several valuable points.

So how does a driver stay out of a trouble with so much on the line?

“You just have to be aware of who you are around. You know the guys who are going to take chances, so you stay away from them,” McMurray said. “There a lot of people who maybe have one coming, and this could be the night (they get it).”

But even Gordon admits that with so much on the line, he might be inclined to cross it.

“If somebody tells me, `You have to pass that car right there,’ I guarantee you I’m going to step up the aggressiveness to a whole other level and that may mean beating and banging,” he said. “But until it calls for that moment, I’m not expecting to go out there and just beat and bang for no reason.”