The reigning Nextel Cup champion, Jimmie Johnson, has taken advantage of the new Chase format to enter it with the lead.
Johnson has 5,060 points, thanks to 10 points for each of his six victories, while the season’s dominant driver in terms of consistency, Jeff Gordon, trails by 20 after leading the standings for 21 straight races. Had there been no change in the Chase format this year, Gordon would still be leading.
After trailing Gordon by 412 points before the 12 championship finalists had their points adjusted, Johnson took the lead on the basis of victories. Now, though, the emphasis returns to points, and Johnson has the most DNFs (“did not finish”) of the 12 Chase drivers. Gordon has five more top-10 finishes (21-16) and one more top five (15-14).
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