Mark Martin has four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race victories and now has the lead in the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
After 26 long and grueling races, the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup is finally ready to kick off in Loudon, N.H., with Sunday’s running of the Sylvania 300.
Just to refresh the memory: After last Saturday night’s race at Richmond, the top 12 drivers in the Sprint Cup standings all qualified for the Chase. Per NASCAR’s rules, those 12 drivers each had his respective point total reset to 5,000 plus 10 bonus points for every race victory in NASCAR’s regular season.
Thus, Mark Martin begins the Chase with the points lead based on his four race victories, most of any Chase-eligible driver.
Whoever ends the next 10 races with the most points is crowned series champion.
Here’s how the Chasers stack up headed into Sunday’s opening round of NASCAR’s playoffs.
1. MARK MARTIN, Hendrick Motorsports, 5,040 points — While he has never won at the 1.058-mile NHMS oval, the 50-year-old Martin has been plenty consistent here, with an average finish of 11.080. In 25 starts, he has eight top-five and 13 top-10 finishes.
2. TONY STEWART, Stewart-Haas Racing, 5,030 — Stewart nearly won his first race here as a rookie in 1999 before running out of gas at the end. But he’s gone on to score two victories, 11 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in 21 races here. His average finish here is 12.238.
3. JIMMIE JOHNSON, Hendrick Motorsports, 5,030 — The three-time defending series champ has a finishing average of 9.867 at NHMS, where he has two victories, four top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 15 starts.
4. DENNY HAMLIN, Joe Gibbs Racing, 5,020 — Hamlin has always fared well at flat tracks, and New Hampshire is no exception: In seven starts, he has one win, two top fives, five top 10s and an average finish of 8.286, best in the field.
5. KASEY KAHNE, Richard Petty Motorsports, 5,020 — With an average finish of 16.000 and just one top five in 11 starts, NHMS is not Kahne’s favorite track. He does have five top 10s, though.
6. JEFF GORDON, Hendrick Motorsports, 5,010 — Gordon has led a whopping 1,205 laps at NHMS, where he has three victories, 13 top fives and 16 tops 10s, along with an 11.310 finishing average.
7. KURT BUSCH, Penske Racing, 5,010 — Busch won this race five years ago, which launched his championship run that season. Overall, he has three victories here, including one in a rain-shortened race last year. His finishing average, though, is a so-so 14.675.
