1.   Being the defending series champion carries a certain degree of respect.

2.   Chevy, the defending series champion, can wrap up this title by winning any of the remaining nine races.

3.   Defending series champion Bobby Labonte will start from the pole today, with defending race winner Jeremy Mayfield third.

4.   Defending series champion Ben Bostrom, who greatly benefited from the system Mladin is knocking, agrees.

5.   Defending series champion Brendan Gaughan of Las Vegas finished fourth and continued to close in on Winston West points leader and rookie Mark Reed of Bakersfield.

6.   Defending series champion Randy Lajoie was upside down after colliding with another car but escaped serious injury.

7.   Hornaday is the two-time defending series champion.

8.   Montoya, the defending series and Long Beach champion, agreed.

9.   The defending series champion jumped out to a seemingly unsurpassable lead, reminiscent of his opening-race performance at Miami.

10.   The defending series champion started on the pole but was quickly in trouble.