#48-Jimmie Johnson’s torrid run in Chase VI continued Sunday with another podium finish at Martinsville. Since finishing 24th at Talladega in the fourth Chase race in 2006, Johnson has accomplished the following over the last 32 chase races:
* No finish worse than 15th
* 28 Top 10s out of 32 races
* 22 Top 5s
* 20 Podium Finishes [top 3]
* 11 Wins
The #48 figures to hang out in the back at Talladega on Sunday, and make a run to the front over the last 10 to 15 laps. A top five at Dega would encourage the Sprint Cup engravers to get to work. Johnson’s Dega finishes in the last three title runs: 24th in 2006, 2nd in 2007 and 9th in 2008. Johnson’s 118-point lead over Mark Martin is not his greater margin after six Chase races. Last year, he led by 149 at the six-race mark. The difference is, Talladega was race #4 on last year’s schedule. While Jimmie Johnson may hang in the back Sunday, #5-Mark Martin and #24-Jeff Gordon must go for it. Given the fact the #5 and #24 are the only two within one race range of Johnson, it figures the title will be won by one of the three Hendrick teammates.
After six Chase races [of 10], #48-Jimmie Johnson has the 2nd largest points lead of any of the 6 Chases [2004-2009]. The points leaders after six races in each of the 6 chase seasons:
2009: Jimmie Johnson 118 points ahead of Mark Martin
2008: Jimmie Johnson 149 points ahead of Greg Biffle
2007: Jeff Gordon 53 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson
2006: Matt Kenseth 30 points ahead of Kevin Harvick (Johnson was 3rd -41 and won the Chase)
2005: Tony Stewart 15 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson
2004: Kurt Busch 96 points ahead of Jeff Gordon
(season champ in bold), see year-by-year comparision after 6 races, race-by-race for 2009 on my Chase Stats page and Chase history, how things would had looked back to 1975 if the Chase was used, on my 2009 Chase Rules and History page.(10-27-2009)
