Building the perfect driver: using the best qualities from the chase qualifiers, we've assembled the ultimate Nextel Cup competitor

Matt Crossman

Vision: More than acing a simple eye test, a driver must see things others don't--and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a master at seeing clean air. Driving in clean air means driving without anyone in front of you. Having traffic in front of you creates dirty air, which is turbulence that hampers handling and slows you down, like driving against the wind.

Getting in clean air can be as subtle as a slight move out of the pack to let the nose gulp fresh air, which helps cool the engine, or as daring as diving out of line to pass or find a faster route. Earnhardt sees where to put the car--and then puts it there--better than anybody, a quality he inherited from his father.

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Mind: A smart racer is a fast racer. He makes good decisions in and out of the car. A four-time Cup champion, Jell Gordon is prepared for anything that happens on the track. Nothing fazes him.

NBC played an instructive audio clip from Gordon's radio exchanges with his team during the second race at California. "Patience, Grasshopper," he said when discussing when to make his move. What's next, spotting John Candy in the crowd, a la Joe Montana?

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Butt: You can do all the computer simulations you want, but a driver's butt--reading bumps and grooves--often tells him where the fastest loop around the track is. Ryan Newman and the No. 12 team focus on engineering more than any team in Nextel Cup, but his drive-by-the-seat-of-his-pants approach works.

Newman has worked with former driver Buddy Baker on finding the best line. "It's basically just feel," Newman says. "You don't want to bind your racecar up."

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Heart: They all want it. But who bounces back when things aren't going right? Mark Martin's push to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup, after finishing 34th or worse five times in the first 15 races, makes him the easy choice.

Furthermore, Martin raced his way into the Chase despite having to live out of a suitcase more or less for weeks after being evacuated from his Florida home.

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Hands: They must be twitchy fast without being twitchy. Tony Stewart's long, skinny fingers and dead-on hand-eye coordination have helped him steer his way to a championship in every series he has concentrated on.

Feet: The best drivers use their feet to work the pedals in concert, controlling a car's speed and direction. How fast a car takes a corner determines the success of the turn as much as steering does, so in that sense, drivers steer with their feet. Too much gas, the car gels loose. Too little, it tightens up.

Confused? Think about how your car would react if you make a turn at 20 mph. Now picture spinning the wheel with the same force while going 80. Tony Stewart loves to slide a car across danger's barriers, then repoint it in the right direction.

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Blood pressure: He who reacts least, reacts best. Mall Kenseth has made a career out of calmly driving out from among the dredges of the Nextel Cup Series In the front of the pack. (If his qualifying runs were worth squat, he wouldn't have to.)

Kenseth also has been through the stress of winning a championship. "Been there, done that," says Jeff Hammond, a former crew chief who now analyzes races for FOX. "He and (crew chief) Robbie Reiser know how to win one and how to run away and hide." It's not that Kenseth doesn't get upset; it's that he doesn't let his emotions ruin his chances for a good finish.

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Ears: Jimmie Johnson has been a fixture in the top 10 in his first three full seasons. Having the resources of Hendrick Motorsports is a big part of that, but so is Johnson's willingness to learn from owner-mentor-friend Jeff Gordon, who raves about the teams' chemistry.

Plus, Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus form one of the best combinations in the sport, and their relationship is built on communication.

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