A look at Lucky Dog Racing's 2014 Chase field

The 2014 Chase to the Cup will mark the 10th season that we have used the Chase format. We have new rules and a new format which will bring some change that we have not seen in previous seasons. 16 drivers made the field to reflect the new change that NASCAR made for the 2014 season.

The league is using a different format from what NASCAR uses. The Chase will be split into two halves, the Challenger round and the Championship round. Eight drivers will advance after the first 5 race which will consist of race winners and the highest drivers in the standings. Those 8 drivers will race for the championship in the final 5 races.

This year we have a mix of veterans, rookies and some members that end some long Chase droughts. We have 3 past champions that will be looking for their 2nd or 3rd championships.

Now here is a look at the drivers listed in order by how they are seeded into the Chase.

1. Fred Sanchez - The first of two rookies to make the Chase this year. This marks the third year in a row that we've had a rookie in the Chase, but in the two previous seasons, there has been just one rookie. There have now just been 4 rookies in the last 7 years to make the Chase. Fred had a great regular season and turned some heads for sure. He won two races and has been in the top 10 or at least hanging around it since late March. He goes into the Chase as the number one seed which marks the first time that a rookie has done that since Jordan Hunt in 2007. Fred hopes he can follow in Jordan's footsteps since he won the championship that year.

2. Gary Wheat - Gary Wheat make his 5th career Chase after an up and down regular season. He won two races this year at Auto Club Speedway and Bristol which puts him in the #2 spot but he's also had some bad finishes along the way. He finished 42nd at Bristol which knocked him down to 20th place. He may not be entering the Chase as he would like but he now gains 18 spots and has new life. Gary's highest Chase finish was 5th place in 2011.

3. John Wilson - John was the 3rd driver to win two races this year and like Gary has had an up and down season. Gary finished as the lowest winner and came close to falling outside of contention after finishing in 22nd place after Richmond. John won at Dover and Watkins Glen, the first time that he won multiple races since 2011. John made his only Chase that year, now three years later he gets his 2nd. John was the lowest finishing Chase driver that year, he's hoping for better things this time around.

4. Ryan Smith - Ryan was the points leader for the past 7 weeks but since he only won one race this year at Darlington, he goes in the Chase in 4th place. Ryan had a strong season win a win, 5 top 5's and 11 top 10's. If he keeps that pace up, he will be tough to beat. This is the 4th Chase that Ryan has made, his others included 2011, 2010 and 2005. His highest finish was 3rd and his lowest was 7th.

5. Randy Cook - Randy is a veteran member but like John Wilson, has only made the Chase once in his career. That was way back in 2008 when he finished 10th. He finally ends a 6 year chase drought after a season where he seemed to go hot and cold. He was great from April to Mid July where he even led the standings for a couple of weeks. He struggled in the last 7 weeks except for picking up one top 5 in that time. He's hoping to start another hot streak at the right time.

6. Charquillia Addison - Charquillia has been in the league since the first season way back in 2004 when she was just 11 years old, now a decade later she's 22, older and wiser. Charquillia isn't someone that you usually see in the Chase, like John and Randy she's only made it once. Her only appearance was in 2007 so she breaks the longest drought this year. Her only appearance 7 years ago resulted in a 3rd place finish so she made the most of it. She could be a dark horse to challenge for her first championship this time.

7. Ed Blackman - Ed has been through a rough time last year after a bad accident so it's good to see Ed doing well this year. He won at Indianapolis and finished the regular season in the top 10. Ed has made the Chase twice before, in 2012 when he finished 4th and 2010 where he finished 6th. He's also won the Chaser Eraser in 2010 as well. Ed's hoping to get his first championship so his friend Harry Jeffery can't keep holding that over him.

8. Joe Tenpenny - Joe is the second rookie to make the Chase this year and has had a solid season by remaining in the top 10 or 15 for most of it. He won the first race at Richmond but sat the 2nd one out. It will be a real fight to see which rookie will finish higher in the standings and also win rookie of the year.

9. Robby Stone - Robby make his 4th Chase in a row, that's the longest running consecutive streak. His last three finishes were 5th, 10th and 4th. This year he won at Talladega and finished 3rd at Daytona, his good restrictor plate finishes can help him with his return trip to Talladega during the Chase.

10. Ron Blackman - Winning at Pocono got Ron Blackman into the Chase which he makes for the 2nd year in a row. Last year Ron came oh so close to winning the Championship last year but finished just 10 points champion Lou Demian. Ron is still probably irked about Paul Menard blowing up which cost him the championship. There probably isn't anyone else in the Chase more fired up than Ron who will be giving his all and making up for what could have been.

11. Stephen DiCaprio - Stephen is the highest of the winless drivers this year and could be considered the biggest threat to win the championship. Despite not getting that elusive win, Stephen has had a great year after scoring 13 top 10's¦ that's half of the races run this year. The Hall of Fame member would like nothing better to finally win that first championship and this could be his best shot to do so. He's made the Chase 5 times but hasn't done so since 2010. He'll be looking to make up for lost time this year.

12. Dean Higley - Stephen's Cup teammate joins him to make an RTI powerhouse duo. If there's anyone who knows how to run in a Chase it's Dean. Before this season, he's made 5 Chases and won two of them, 2012 and 2009. Like Stephen, he did not get a win this year but there's no time like now to light it up. We could see the two of them fighting it out for the championship in the second half of the Chase.

13. Jose Rodriguez - In his 2nd full season, Jose makes the Chase for the 2nd year in a row. Jose didn't win a race yet this year but he has been in contention for most of the year, hanging in and around the top 10. Last year he finished in 8th place, he's looking to improve on that this year. Jose is in good position to win the Nationwide championship, there's nothing more than he would like to become the first person to win two championships in the same year and complete the trifecta since he already has a Truck championship.

14. Jordan Hunt - The 2007 Cup series champion makes his 6th career Chase this year and gives Northeast Ohio Motorsports three members in the Chase. That's the most out of all the teams this year. Besides his championship year, his other three finishes were 7th, 8th and 8th. He did not win a race but would like to get especially now since it's been over 2 years since his last. So far he only has one win during a Chase, that was in 2008.

15. Lou Demian - The defending champion from last year made the Chase in the final week in what involved three members in a dramatic finish. Lou passed Kevin Sullivan after a 10th place finish at Richmond. He makes his 6th career Chase and now has the opportunity to become the 2nd member to win back to back championships.

16. Kevin Sullivan - Luckily for Kevin, Harry Jeffery fell out in the final week which put Kevin into the Chase. Harry had made the Chase five consecutive years but saw that streak snap this year. Kevin takes advantage of that to make his 4th career Chase and first since 2011. The last time that Kevin was in the Chase he finished in 2nd place. Kevin has been in the league for awhile and would love to finally get his first championship.

That's all 16 members, everyone with a good shot to win the championship. We know 8 of them will be eliminated at the halfway point and from there it will be a real battle to see which drive will get to hoist that very special Lucky Dog Racing trophy. Good luck to all!