CUP: Championship Race Tightens

Sprint Cup

CUP: Championship Race Tightens

Jimmie Johnson’s lead is just 6 points after Martinsville...

Tom Jensen | Posted October 24, 2010 Martinsville, VA

Jimmie Johnson admits it's natural to get tired of the same driver always winning. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Denny Hamlin’s third consecutive victory at Martinsville Speedway, coupled with Jimmie Johnson’s fifth-place run, has made the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup a virtual dead heat.

Hamlin came on strong to win the Tums Fast Relief 500 and now trails Johnson by just 6 points with four races left in the season. Kevin Harvick finished third in the race behind Hamlin and runner-up Mark Martin and stayed in third in points as well, cutting his deficit to Johnson to just 62 points.

Here’s how the 12 Chase drivers compare following six races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup:

1. JIMMIE JOHNSON, Hendrick Motorsports, 5th place in the race — With his car set up to be at its best on short runs, Johnson got bitten when the race stayed green over the last 98 laps. Still, he’s out front, even if his margin is far from comfortable.5,998 points.

2. DENNY HAMLIN, Joe Gibbs Racing, 1st — This was a critical race for Hamlin, crew chief Mike Ford and the rest of the No. 11 team and they stepped up big-time after a wonky set of tires early on. It’s definitely game on from here. 5,992 points.

3. KEVIN HARVICK, Richard Childress Racing, 3rd — This was Harvick’s best finish ever at Martinsville, which along with Charlotte is one of his worst tracks in the Chase. He ran up front for much of Sunday’s race before finishing 3rd. 5,936 points.

4. KYLE BUSCH, Joe Gibbs Racing, 4th — Martinsville isn’t usually a good track for the younger Busch, but he claimed fourth place from Johnson after a spirited last-race duel. Unfortunately for Busch, he’s too far back to contend with four races to go. 5,826 points.

5. JEFF GORDON, Hendrick Motorsports, 20th — Gordon got put into the frontstretch wall by Kurt Busch, who took exception to Gordon bumping him out of the way to pass in the previous corner. 5,795 points.

6. CARL EDWARDS, Roush Fenway Racing, 8th — Edwards had a solid afternoon at a track where he historically had had difficulties. He also was best in class among the Ford drivers, the only one to finish in the top 10. 5,785 points.

7. TONY STEWART, Stewart-Haas Racing, 24th — A non-factor for most of the race, Stewart was bitten by a pit-road speeding penalty and then a flat tire. He will not win a third title this year. 5,762 points.

8. JEFF BURTON, Richard Childress Racing, 9th — After leading the most laps in the race, Burton faded at the end, as he seems to have done a lot this season. Great car, disappointing finish. 5,752 points.

Jeff Gordon struggled at Martinsvile Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)

9. KURT BUSCH, Penske Racing, 16th — Busch’s race was notable only for the fact that he dumped Jeff Gordon, presumably seeing it as payback from some early season confrontations between the two. 5,721 points.

10. MATT KENSETH, Roush Fenway Racing, 15th — The 2003 Sprint Cup champ struggled at Martinsville, as he managed a respectable finish but not a strong one. 5,705 points.

11. GREG BIFFLE, Roush Fenway Racing, 33rd — Absolutely nothing good happened for the Biff, who had a pit-road penalty, a flat tire and in general an afternoon of abject misery. 5,682 points.

12. CLINT BOWYER, Richard Childress Racing, 38th — The only one of the three RCR drivers to struggle, Bowyer backed his car into the wall early on and limped around the rest of the day. 5,592 points.

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Jensen

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