With the victory, his first in 26 starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Martin increased his lead in the Cup standings to 35 points over three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson, who ran fourth at the Magic Mile in the first race of the Chase, and Denny Hamlin, who finished second.
Martin, 50, gave crew chief Alan Gustafson credit for the victory.
“Alan won the race,” Martin said, after climbing from his car in Victory Lane. “Alan’s the man. This is a dream come true. ... We still have the lotto at Talladega [Nov. 1], and [I] think we’ll run OK at Martinsville. We finished [seventh] in the spring, but I don’t run good there—but this is my hardest place. It’s a tough place.
“But it’s just these guys [the No. 5 crew]. It’s Alan and the guys that back him up and all the guys that surround him. He is the superstar [Sunday]. I can’t believe we won that race. It couldn’t be easy. We had to have three caution restarts, and all kinds of chances for me to mess up—and I did, but just, I guess, not enough to lose.” Auto Racing Daily
Below is a look at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series top 12 going into the second race of the 2009 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 27.
1 – Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.5
2009 Rundown
• Five wins, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 15.0
• Led 18 races for 775 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• Four wins, 21 top fives, 29 top 10s; four poles
• Average finish of 12.7
• Average Running Position of 9.7, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 100.6, fifth-best
• 226 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
• 2,776 Laps in the Top 15 (77.0%), fifth-most
• 194 Quality Passes, seventh-most
2 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 110.5
2009 Rundown
• Three wins, 10 top fives, 16 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.4
• Led 22 races for 1,266 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• Four wins, six top fives, 10 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 10.4
• Average Running Position of 10.5, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 108.2, third-best
• 320 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• 356 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
• 2,806 Laps in the Top 15 (77.9%), fourth-most
• 191 Quality Passes, eighth-most
3 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 102.3
2009 Rundown
• Two wins, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.0
• Led 13 races for 1,014 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 25.6 in seven races
• Has led 61 laps
• Average Running Position of 22.1, 25th-best
• Driver Rating of 74.6, 16fth-best
4 – Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Target Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.1
2009 Rundown
• Three top fives, 13 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.4
• Led seven races for 269 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• One top 10
• Average finish of 24.4 in five races
• Has led three laps
• Average Running Position of 20.4, 19th-best
• Driver Rating of 70.1, 23rd-best
5 – Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.6
2009 Rundown
• One win, seven top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.7
• Led 14 races for 424 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• Three top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 20.5
• Average Running Position of 12.3, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 93.5, ninth-best
• 119 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
• 335 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 141.112 mph, ninth-fastest
• 2,417 Laps in the Top 15 (67.1%), ninth-most
• 195 Quality Passes, sixth-most
6 – Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.8
2009 Rundown
• Three wins, 13 top fives, 18 top 10s
• Average finish of 9.3
• Led 15 races for 327 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, 10 top fives, 13 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.7 in 21 races
• Has led 1,067 laps
• Average Running Position of 22.7, 26th-best
• Driver Rating of 69.2, 24th-best
7 – Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.0
2009 Rundown
• Five top fives, 13 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.8
• Led 12 races for 158 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• Three wins, six top fives, nine top 10s; four poles
• Average finish of 10.3
• Average Running Position of 8.8, third-best
• Driver Rating of 98.4, seventh-best
• 85 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 141.089 mph, 11th-fastest
• 3,167 Laps in the Top 15 (87.9%), third-most
• 189 Quality Passes, ninth-most
8 – Brian Vickers (No. 83 Red Bull Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.6
2009 Rundown
• One win, four top fives, 13 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.7
• Led 10 races for 101 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• One top 10
• Average finish of 21.5 in 11 races
• Has led seven laps
• Average Running Position of 20.6, 20th-best
• Driver Rating of 70.1, 22nd-best
9 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.9
2009 Rundown
• Eight top fives, 13 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.3
• Led 11 races for 432 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, six top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 10.6
• Series-best Average Running Position of 6.6
• Series-best Driver Rating of 117.0
• Series-high 372 Fastest Laps Run
• 325 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
• Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 141.745 mph
• Series-high 3,352 Laps in the Top 15 (93.0%)
• 276 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most
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