In the very first Chase in 2004, Kurt Busch [then in the #97 Ford] built his lead to 96 points as he went to Atlanta for race #7. At Atlanta, Busch blew an engine and Jimmie Johnson (entering the race down 207) won the race, and the Chase was on, although Busch ended up edging Johnson by 8 points. Johnson’s convincing win at Martinsville gives him a Chase record 149 point lead over Greg Biffle with four races to go. If Johnson gains just 13 more points on second over the next three races, he need only start the Homestead race to ice his third straight title. Johnson used a second at Lowes in race #5 as a springboard to his first title in 2006. Counting the last six races of ’06, the 07 Chase and the first six races of the ’08 chase, consider these stats: Top 10 finishes in 20 of 22 races No finish worse than 14th 15 Top Five finishes in 22 races 14 Podium finishes (1st, 2nd or 3rd) 7 wins in 22 races Carl Edwards posted a career best 3rd at Martinsville and still lost 30 points to the leader. However, he gained ground on Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton and is still in striking distance if Johnson and the #48 have some uncharacteristic trouble. Although he’s essentially out of the title hunt, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made a strong showing with a second at Martinsville and gained some margin on a spot at the NY banquet as only the top-10 drivers go to the banquet. Matt Kenseth took 10th place from Denny Hamlin and how has a 12-point lead on Hamlin in 11th. Kyle Busch fell all the way from 9th to last, now 37 points out of Kenseth. See more stats on my Chase Stats after Martinsville page and check out the 2008 Chase News/Stats page.(10-24-2008)
