Jimmie Johnson raced to his third victory in the Chase for the Sprint Cup to take control of the championship standings.
With the victory, Johnson took command in the Chase by padding his lead to 90 points over Mark Martin, who finished 17th, and 135 ahead of Gordon.
Despite his 90-point advantage, Johnson wasn’t ready to claim a record fourth consecutive title.
“We’re only halfway through this thing,” he said. “So much can happen. Somebody at Martinsville [next week] can lose their brakes and clean you out. With the double-file restarts, there’s going to be a lot of bumping and banging. Somebody can get into you and knock a valve stem out or cut a tire. Auto Racing Daily
Below is a look at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series top 12 going into the sixth race of the 2009 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 25.
1 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 114.2
2009 Rundown
• Six wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s; three poles
• Average finish of 11.2
• Led 26 races for 1,808 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Six wins, 11 top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 5.3 in 15 races
• Average Running Position of 6.6, second-best
• Series-best Driver Rating of 124.3
• 482 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 91.403 mph, second-fastest
• 4,001 Laps in the Top 15 (88.7%), second-most
• Series-high 242 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green)
2 - Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.1
2009 Rundown
• Five wins, 12 top fives, 18 top 10s; seven poles
• Average finish of 14.1
• Led 21 races for 797 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, 11 top fives, 22 top 10s; three poles
• Average finish of 13.3 in 43 races
• Average Running Position of 15.6, ninth-best
• Driver Rating of 82.3, 11th-best
• Average Green Flag Speed of 90.734 mph, 11th-fastest
3 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 102.0
2009 Rundown
• One win, 15 top fives, 22 top 10s
• Average finish of 10.1
• Led 16 races for 768 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Seven wins, 21 top fives, 27 top 10s; seven poles
• Average finish of 6.8 in 33 races
• Series-best Average Running Position of 6.3
• Driver Rating of 124.3, second-best
• Series-high 539 Fastest Laps Run
• Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 91.463 mph
• Series-high 4,039 Laps in the Top 15 (89.6%)
4 - Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.5
2009 Rundown
• Four wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s
• Average finish of 9.0
• Led 17 races for 370 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Two wins, eight top fives, 12 top 10s; three poles
• Average finish of 12.1 in 21 races
• Average Running Position of 7.0, third-best
• Driver Rating of 114.1, third-best
• 338 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 91.305 mph, third-fastest
• 3,971 Laps in the Top 15 (88.0%), third-most
5 - Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.8
2009 Rundown
• One win, eight top fives, 18 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.0
• Led 18 races for 530 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• One win, two top fives, four top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 21.8 in 18 races
• Average Running Position of 17.7, 16th-best
• Driver Rating of 81.1, 14th-best
• 83 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
• 2,500 Laps in the Top 15 (55.4%), ninth-most
6 - Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Target Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.1
2009 Rundown
• Six top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 13.2
• Led 9 races for 348 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• One top 10
• Average finish of 12.6 in five races
• Average Running Position of 16.8, 13th-best
• Driver Rating of 80.4, 15th-best
7 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.0
2009 Rundown
• Nine top fives, 14 top 10s
• Average finish of 14.1
• Led 12 races for 545 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• One top 10
• Average finish of 23.1 in 13 races
• Average Running Position of 23.7, 28th-best
• Driver Rating of 65.5, 26th-best
• 306 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
8 - Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet)
• Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.2
2009 Rundown
• Five top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 13.9
• Led 13 races for 187 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
• Five top fives, seven top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 14.4 in 15 races
• Average Running Position of 16.2, 12th-best
• Driver Rating of 84.4, 10th-best
• 391 Green Flag Passes, second-most
• 2,207 Laps in the Top 15 (48.9%), 12th-most
• 149 Quality Passes, 10th-most
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