Jimmie Johnson wins AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway, but Martin, however, retained the lead in the series standings with a runner-up finish to Johnson, who led 271 laps in claiming his fourth victory of the season. Martin leads his Hendrick Motorsports teammate by 10 points after two of 10 races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
“We’re going to race our guts out no matter where we wind up, and no matter how they are,” Martin said. “That dude still is Superman in my book. Looked like it today.”
Matt Kenseth was the highest non-Chase driver at third.
Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Polaroid Chevrolet, started second, ran in the top five all day and finished fourth. Kurt Busch ended up fifth, followed by Jeff Gordon, A.J. Allmendinger, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman in the top-10. 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 Price Chopper 400 presented by Kraft Foods at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 4.
1 - Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.0
2009 Rundown
• Five wins, 11 top fives, 16 top 10s; six poles
• Average finish of 14.6
• Led 18 races for 775 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• One win, two top fives, three top 10s
• Average finish of 13.1 in eight races
• Average Running Position of 11.9, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 99.4, fifth-best
• 674 Laps in the Top 15 (66.7%), eighth-most
2 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 111.9
2009 Rundown
• Four wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 12.0
• Led 23 races for 1,537 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• One win, two top fives, five top 10s; three poles
• Average finish of 10.4 in seven races
• Average Running Position of 6.4, second-best
• Series-best Driver Rating of 123.1
• Series-high 156 Fastest Laps Run
• 243 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
• Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 162.512 mph
• 929 Laps in the Top 15 (91.9%), second-most
• Series-high 153 Quality Passes
3 - Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Polaroid Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.1
2009 Rundown
• Four top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 13.1
• Led 7 races for 269 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• Average finish of 24.0 in two races
• Average Running Position of 26.4, 34th-best
• Driver Rating of 53.3, 37th-best
4 - Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.3
2009 Rundown
• One win, eight top fives, 16 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.4
• Led 15 races for 523 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• Two top 10s
• Average finish of 20.8 in eight races
• Average Running Position of 20.0, 20th-best
• Driver Rating of 80.3, 16th-best
• 45 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
• 247 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
5 - Tony Stewart (No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.4
2009 Rundown
• Three wins, 13 top fives, 19 top 10s
• Average finish of 9.3
• Led 15 races for 327 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• One win, three top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 14.8 in eight races
• Average Running Position of 12.9, eighth-best
• Driver Rating of 91.3, ninth-best
• 30 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 161.444 mph, seventh-fastest
• 685 Laps in the Top 15 (67.8%), fourth-most
• 123 Quality Passes, sixth-most
6 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.0
2009 Rundown
• Two wins, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s
• Average finish of 12.3
• Led 13 races for 1,014 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• Average finish of 22.5 in four races
• Average Running Position of 21.1, 24th-best
• Driver Rating of 74.8, 21st-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 161.227 mph, 12th-fastest
7 - Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.7
2009 Rundown
• Five top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 13.6
• Led 13 races for 187 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• One win, three top fives, three top 10s
• Average finish of 18.0 in eight races
• Average Running Position of 27.3, 38th-best
• Driver Rating of 51.6, 38th-best
• 262 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
8 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.6
2009 Rundown
• One win, 12 top fives, 19 top 10s
• Average finish of 10.9
• Led 14 races for 698 laps
Kansas Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, five top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 9.8 in eight races
• Average Running Position of 10.1, third-best
• Driver Rating of 103.0, third-best
• 27 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 162.022 mph, third-fastest
• 861 Laps in the Top 15 (85.2%), third-most
• 142 Quality Passes, third-most
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