LOUDON, N.H. (AP) — Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. have been under the radar all season, never mistaken for one of NASCAR's superstars.

But as first-time participants in the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship, both have an opportunity to improve their status. Bowyer won the pole for Sunday's Chase-opening race at New Hampshire International Speedway, while Truex qualified second.

"It's my time to show what we've got," Bowyer said Friday. "If I can step up my game and run for a championship, I think it moves you into the spotlight, into that elite group of drivers."

Bowyer and Truex are the new guys in the 12-man Chase field, and neither is listed among the favorites. They are hardly mentioned as long shots, and Las Vegas oddsmakers put Truex's title chances at 25-to-1, while Bowyer goes off at 30-to-1.

With just one win between them, the two are largely unknown and often overshadowed by their successful teammates.

Despite two Busch Series titles, Truex is the quiet companion to Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR's most popular driver. He was better on the track this season, and his first career victory — at Dover in June — pushed him into Chase contention.

He never faltered, but got little attention for racking up 10 top-10 finishes. Instead, the focus was on Earnhardt's impending departure from DEI, his rash of broken motors and his unsuccessful bid to make the Chase.

Bowyer is still finding his spot at Richard Childress Racing, where he's surrounded by popular veteran Jeff Burton and cantankerous Kevin Harvick. His teammates have such strong personalities, Bowyer can often hide between them.

"I am probably the ground wire that keeps them two together," Bowyer said. "You've got the politician, the senator, and then you've got the wild one that you never know what's going to happen. I think I am kind of the middle man."

In the Nextel Cup Series last season, Bowyer racked up 12 top-10s while finishing 17th in the final standings. But both Burton and Harvick made the Chase, and the pressure was on for Bowyer to join his teammates in the championship hunt.

Bowyer delivered, even though he's the only Chase driver yet to score a win. In fact, he's only got six top-fives for his career, and has never finished higher than third.

But Burton said Bowyer will be a threat for the title.

"Our company has expectations on him," Burton said. "Anybody who doesn't think that team is a dangerous team has their head covered in the sand."