Only once, when #48-Jimmie Johnson made the miraculous rally to win his first championship in 2006, has the eventual winner been lower than second place after the first Chase race. Only one New Hampshire winner, however, has gone on to win the title. That was #2-Kurt Busch [then in the #97 Ford] in Chase I in 2004. Johnson has gone 27 consecutive Chase races with at least a Top 15 finish. Sunday was his 18th Top 5 over the same period, a 67% mark. He has Top 10s in 23 of the last 27 Chase races, an 85% rate, and podium finishes in 16 of 27. For a nice breakdown of races, and year-to-year stats, see the Chase Stats after New Hampshire page and the 2009 Chase Rules, History and Stats page.(9-23-2009)
