Johnson holds a 184-point lead over second place Mark Martin with three races remaining in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) season.
Mark Martin, No. 5 Pop Tarts/CARQUEST Impala SS, was the victim of the final accident of the day and relegated to the 28th finishing position. He lost 63 points to Johnson to remain in the runner-up spot in the standings.
Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Impala SS, remains third in the points order, eight points down to Martin after finishing 20th in the final shuffle that forced the race to a green-white-checkered finish on lap 191, three laps over the advertised distance. Auto Racing Daily
Below is a look at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series top 12 going into the eighth race of the 2009 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 8.
1 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 113.6
2009 Rundown
• Six wins, 14 top fives, 22 top 10s; three poles
• Average finish of 10.8
• Led 27 races for 1,972 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One win, six top fives, nine top 10s
• Average finish of 8.5 in 12 races
• Average Running Position of 10.6, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 103.8, third-best
• 180 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 172.670 mph, second-fastest
• 2,173 Laps in the Top 15 (72.0%), fifth-most
• 270 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), eighth-most
2 - Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.8
2009 Rundown
• Five wins, 12 top fives, 19 top 10s; seven poles
• Average finish of 14.3
• Led 23 races for 805 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One win, five top fives, nine top 10s
• Average finish of 13.8 in 17 races
• Average Running Position of 14.2, 11th-best
• Driver Rating of 86.8, 13th-best
• 496 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
• 1,902 Laps in the Top 15 (63.1%), seventh-most
• 243 Quality Passes, 13th-most
3 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 102.1
2009 Rundown
• One win, 16 top fives, 23 top 10s
• Average finish of 10.2
• Led 18 races for 816 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One win, seven top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 15.2 in 17 races
• Average Running Position of 14.1, 10th-best
• Driver Rating of 92.2, ninth-best
• 136 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
• 1,869 Laps in the Top 15 (62.0%), ninth-most
• 249 Quality Passes, 11th-most
4 - Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Target Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.1
2009 Rundown
• Seven top fives, 17 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 13.0
• Led 11 races for 388 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• Two top 10s
• Average finish of 20.4 in five races
• Average Running Position of 16.1, 13th-best
• Driver Rating of 80.2, 17th-best
5 - Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.3
2009 Rundown
• Four wins, 15 top fives, 22 top 10s
• Average finish of 9.8
• Led 18 races for 371 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One win, four top fives, nine top 10s
• Average finish of 12.6 in 15 races
• Series-best Average Running Position of 8.8
• Driver Rating of 105.4, second-best
• 229 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 172.715 mph
• 2,445 Laps in the Top 15 (81.1%), second-most
• 286 Quality Passes, seventh-most
6 - Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.9
2009 Rundown
• One win, eight top fives, 18 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.6
• Led 19 races for 537 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One top five, eight top 10s
• Average finish of 14.8 in 13 races
• Average Running Position of 15.0, 12th-best
• Driver Rating of 89.3, 10th-best
• 100 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
• Series-high 583 Green Flag Passes
• 306 Quality Passes, fourth-most
7 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.4
2009 Rundown
• 10 top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.2
• Led 13 races for 551 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One win, three top fives, four top 10s
• Average finish of 22.1 in 11 races
• Average Running Position of 16.3, 14th-best
• Driver Rating of 95.7, fifth-best
• Series-high 263 Fastest Laps Run
• 526 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 172.591 mph, fourth-fastest
• 288 Quality Passes, fifth-most
8 - Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.5
2009 Rundown
• Five top fives, 15 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 14.3
• Led 15 races for 213 laps
Texas Motor Speedway Outlook:
• One win, three top fives, three top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 23.3 in 12 races
• Average Running Position of 23.1, 25th-best
• Driver Rating of 65.8, 23rd-best
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