What to Watch For: Kansas Speedway

CONCORD, N.C. -- And then there were 12.

All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers advanced to the Contender Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which features 12 drivers on equal footing with a shot at a championship.

Points are reset to 3,000 as the drivers prepare to take on Kansas Speedway for the first event of the three-race round.

Before Sunday's race, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN, take a look at some notes to keep an eye on throughout the event.

WIN AND ADVANCE: A win by any driver would mark Hendrick Motorsports' 230th all-time and would also automatically put that driver into the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

HENDRICK AT KANSAS: With five victories at Kansas, Hendrick Motorsports ranks first among teams all-time at the 1.5-mile speedway. Gordon ranks first all-time with three wins at the track, while Johnson’s two victories at Kansas rank tied for second with three other competitors. Gordon also ranks first with 10 top-five finishes, while Johnson ranks first with 14 top-10s and 586 laps led at Kansas.

ALL-TIME AT 1.5-MILERS: Johnson and Gordon rank best among drivers all-time in several categories at 1.5-mile racetracks. Johnson leads drivers with 16 career victories at 1.5-mile racetracks, while Gordon is tied for second with 12. Gordon can move into sole possession of second place past drivers Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth if he wins this weekend at Kansas. 

POLE-LESS AT KANSAS: Although Gordon ranks third all-time with 76 career pole positions, Kansas Speedway is one of four tracks where Gordon has yet to win a pole position. Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kentucky Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway are the other venues where Gordon has never won a pole position.

KAHNE AT KANSAS: In 14 Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas, Kahne has earned three pole positions, four top-five finishes and seven top-10s and has led a total of 100 laps there. Kahne has qualified in the top 10 in eight of his 14 races there. Most recently at Kansas, he led 22 laps and finished third in May. Kahne also is tied with Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Newman for the series’ most runner-up finishes at Kansas with two each.

GORDON AT KANSAS: The 43-year-old driver has three wins (including the May event earlier this year), 10 top-five finishes and 12 top-10s in 17 Cup starts at Kansas. Gordon’s three victories and 10 top-five finishes lead all drivers at the 1.5-mile track while he is tied for the most starts.

DRIVER RATING AT KANSAS: Johnson has the highest driver rating at Kansas with an average score of 117.4 in the last 13 races. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.

EARNHARDT AT KANSAS: In 16 Cup starts at Kansas, Earnhardt has recorded one pole position, two top-five finishes and eight top-10s. He has completed 98.2 percent of all the laps he's attempted (4,143 laps of 4,220 total) at the 1.5-mile racetrack. The 39-year-old driver has led a total of 101 laps there.