By the Numbers: Kansas

The Nationwide Series makes one visit to the Land of Oz, also known as Kansas, and for two drivers who call The Sunflower State home, this is their one opportunity for a special homecoming, despite the fact the duo are racing for completely different goals.

For Emporia, Kan., native Clint Bowyer, the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN2) is a chance to extend his 186-point lead in the point standings, inching him closer to his first ever NASCAR national series title.

On the other end of the spectrum is Jennifer Cobb, a Kansas City native attempting to make just her third career Nationwide Series start and first in 2008. For Cobb, just making the race could be considered a victory.

Cobb has raced before at the 1.5-mile track located in her hometown. She has four ARCA starts with a best finish of ninth in 2004 and a 16th at the track in 2002. In her two attempts in a national series race though, the results haven't been quite as impressive -- in fact it's safe to say they couldn't have gone worse for Cobb.

The '06 Kansas race is the last Nationwide race Cobb has raced in, with three attempts in 2007 coming up short when she failed to make races at Kansas, Phoenix and Homestead. With 48 cars on the entry list for Saturday's race, getting in to the race is clearly priority No. 1.

For Bowyer, it's just the opposite. Sitting on top of the point standings, Bowyer's focus is on extending his points lead and Kansas may be the track he does just that. He has raced at his home track four times, and while things started out shaky, he has clearly found the secret to success.

Bowyer's closest adversary in the point standings is Carl Edwards. When comparing the two at Kansas, if history holds, this race could be looked back as the one where Bowyer put the championship out of reach.

A look at the 2008 stats and it's clear Bowyer and Edwards deserve to be the two drivers battling it out for the championship. The interesting thing is the two have reached that point in two entirely different ways.

Edwards has had moments of grandeur, but Bowyer has maintained his excellence all season long.