#17-Matt Kenseth had to rally after being in 16th place at the halfway mark of The Race to The Chase, but he joined #48-Jimmie Johnson in making his fifth straight Chase. Are the first 26 races relevant to Chase performace? Yes and No. Kurt Busch was seventh best in points over the first 26 in 2004, and then went on a big run and won the inaugural Chase. Tony Stewart led at the end of 26 in 2005 and also after 36. Jimmie Johnson was second after 26 in 2006 and won the Chase. He was fourth after 26 in 2007 and won the title. #31-Jeff Burton got off to a strong start this season, scoring the second most points in the first 13, but he limped home with the 15th most points in the second half. Burton and teammate #07-Clint Bowyer have the least amount of top 5s coming into The chase, with four. Only once has a driver come from further back than second place after five Chase races to take the title: 2004-Kurt Busch led by 24 points after five and won by 8 2005-Tony Stewart was tied with Jimmie Johnson after five and won by 35 2006-Jimmie Johnson made Chase history by roaring back from 7th place and 146 points out to win by 36 2007-Jimmie Johnson trailed Jeff Gordon by 68 points after five and won by 77. See more on my Chase stats page after Richmond page and also on my 2008 Chase page.(9-11-2008)
