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The 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup – Week No. 6

October 23, 2005 at 12:00 AM

• Tony Stewart finished second at Martinsville Speedway and remained the leader in the 2005 Chase for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. Stewart is 15 points ahead of second-place Jimmie Johnson. The 10 drivers will race over the remaining four races to determine the 2005 champion who is expected to win in excess of $5 million.
• Seven drivers in the Chase changed points positions at Martinsville Speedway.
• Only three of the 10 Chase drivers led at Martinsville, earning lap leader bonus points: Tony Stewart (283 laps), Matt Kenseth (19 laps) and Greg Biffle (six laps).
• Stewart has earned 40 lap leader bonus points in the Chase, 15 more than any other Chase driver.
• Kurt Busch (35th at New Hampshire, 23rd at Dover, eighth at Talladega, 14th at Kansas, second at Lowe’s and sixth at Martinsville) started the 2004 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup by scoring a victory at New Hampshire and then followed with top-10 finishes in the first six races of the Chase-thru Martinsville. He ranked first in the point standings after this race one year ago. Busch is now eighth in the point standings 172 points behind point leader Tony Stewart.
• Seven of the 10 drivers who made it into the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup are doing so for the second straight year: Greg Biffle, Rusty Wallace, and Carl Edwards are new to the Chase in 2005.
• Nine of the 10 drivers competing in the 2005 Chase for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup have scored at least one victory in the 2005 season. Five of the 10 drivers have scored multiple victories led by Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle each with five. Rusty Wallace is the only Chase driver that is winless in 2005.
• Only one of the “Ford Five” of Jack Roush Racing finished in the top 10: Kurt Busch (sixth). Matt Kenseth was 12th followed by Greg Biffle (20th), Carl Edwards (26th) and Mark Martin (34th).
• Tony Stewart has scored four top-five finishes in the six races in the 2005 Chase for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, the most among Chase drivers.
• Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson, each have scored five top-10 finishes in the first six races in the 2005 Chase for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.
• Jimmie Johnson, who also won at Dover, is the only driver to score multiple victories in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.
• Jamie McMurray (seventh) climbed from 14th to 11th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He leads by just 18 points over 12th-place Kevin Harvick.(NASCAR Statsistical Services)(10-23-2005)