Turn 4 Transitions
by Natalie Anthony
10/16/2008

TUMS QuikPak 500
October 19, 2008 (Sunday) - 1:45 pm (ET) - ABC


Chase Watch - Report #6

The inevitable mix up in Martinsville is going to create and an even bigger mess out of the point standings. I can almost guarantee that Jimmie Johnson is safe from potential issues and Jeff Gordon may slip by the Cup wrecker they call Martinsville. However, the rest of the chase contenders who even have a slim shot at the title are all on their own. The last two races have really altered the outcome of the point standings, but Martinsville will rattle the positions of the Top twelve even further. I might be biased living on the East Coast, but we really do have some of the most challenging and season altering NASCAR tracks in the current circuit.

Front Line Chasers
Jimmie Johnson
Hendrick Motorsports - Chevrolet
Point Standings: 1st
Only five races to go and the defending Cup champion of the last two seasons is in the lead again. Only 69 points separate Jimmie from the quiet race thief in the night Jeff Burton, but with the #48 success at Martinsville, the small gap could turn into a big one that the rest of the Top 3 in points can't touch. Jimmie's record at MS shows that Top 5's and 10's are easy money for him and four wins proves that first place is a target he is use to acquiring.

Jeff Gordon
Hendrick Motorsports - Chevrolet
Point Standings: 8th
Jeff's teammate Jimmie may have a bigger stake in the best average finishes (6.0), but that is only one spot better than Jeff. It will definitely be a Hendrick Motorsports driver in Victory lane this Sunday.

Denny Hamlin
Joe Gibbs Racing - Toyota
Point Standings: 12th
Thanks to Denny's teammate Tony Stewart, the Joe Gibbs Racing stable actually has a driver in the chase that has been making some great progress lately. Kyle Busch has improved his game a little, but 326 points out of first doesn't give him enough time to contend for the Cup. Denny has a much better chance than Kyle or Tony to increase his standings this Sunday. Denny is the race winner from the March race at MS this season and the race before that in October of 2007, Denny finished sixth.

Last Lap Challenge Chasers
Clint Bowyer
Richard Childress Racing - Chevrolet
Point Standings: 6th
Clint who is one of the few drivers in the chase that has the least experience at Martinsville will be giving his all this Sunday. Clint will be making his sixth attempt this weekend in the Sprint series and he already has two Top tens in his MS toolbox and he earned those Top ten's in the last two races at Martinsville.

Bottom 25 Chasers
Greg Biffle
Roush Fenway Racing - Ford
Point Standings: 3rd
I don't want to be the one to tell Jack Roush that half his chase contenders are going to make a repeat of last weekend's chase points blow out. Greg and his teammate Carl Edwards are not going to have a race weekend they were hoping for. Greg's been racing at MS for the last eleven races, but with all his effort he is left with only a single Top ten.

Carl Edwards
Roush Fenway Racing - Ford
Point Standings: 4th
I honestly thought it would be either Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards making the chase races too competitive for the rest of the contenders, but 168 points and the expected poor run he will have this weekend will put him out of contention for 2008. Carl has raced at the 12 degree banked oval eight times and has only one Top ten to prove his ability at the half mile track.

Track Stats
Martinsville Speedway (Martinsville, VA) - MS
TUMS QuikPak 500
(Sister Short Tracks - Bristol & Richmond)

Subway 500
(October 21, 2007)
Top 10 Results
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Ryan Newman
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Kyle Busch
5. Matt Kenseth
6. Denny Hamlin
7. Greg Biffle
8. Juan Pablo Montoya
9. Clint Bowyer
10.Kevin Harvick


Goody's Cool Orange 500
(March 30, 2008)
Top 10 Results
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Jeff Burton
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Tony Stewart
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
7. Casey Mears
8. Jamie McMurray
9. Carl Edwards
10.Clint Bowyer


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