RICHMOND, Va. — The field has five series champions, the reigning Daytona 500 winner, three of NASCAR's rising stars, two newcomers and a 14-year veteran searching for his first title.

Together, they've combined to win 23 of the first 26 races. Alone, they'll race against one another for NASCAR's biggest prize.

The Chase for the Nextel Cup championship begins Sunday in New Hampshire, and the fourth installment of this 10-race title hunt promises to be the best one yet.

"It's a stout field," defending champion Jimmie Johnson said. "I think it's going to be the most competitive Chase we've seen. You've got a lot of wild cards, a lot of action."

It starts with Johnson, who is trying to become the first driver to win consecutive titles since Jeff Gordon in 1997 and 1998. His win Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway was his second straight and series-best sixth of the season, and it earned him the top seed in the Chase.

NASCAR tweaked the format this year, expanding the field from 10 to 12 drivers and seeding them based on bonus points earned in the 26-week regular season. After one of his typical summer swoons, Johnson rallied the last two weeks to lock down the top spot and take a 20-point advantage over Gordon into the Chase.

"We're happy to be hitting our stride at this point in the season," he said. "As everybody knows, it was a little bit of a tough summer for us. But everything is working right now. We're strong on all fronts and I'm happy that we're able to put it together and win back-to-back weeks like this."