Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson perservered in an incredibly grueling night in Charlotte to win his fourth race of the season and second of the Chase. Johnson qualified third, but started last in the field after an engine change, then overcame an alternator problem and a cut tire for the win, which moved him into a dead heat with Tony Stewart atop the points.
"Wasn't that a fun race to watch?" jokes Johnson. "Green flag, blown tire, yellow flag. Green flag, blown tire, yellow flag. Exciting, wasn't it?"
Up next is Martinsville, where Johnson has six-straight top-10s, including the win last year during the Chase. Look for Johnson to be in the points lead by himself after the smoke clears.
2. Tony Stewart — Like many fellow drivers, Stewart cut a tire and spun while leading in last Saturday's race. But unlike those fellow drivers, the ramifications of Stewart's spin were quite severe for the No. 20 Home Depot car. Instead of leading the points with his nearest pursuer 75 points back, Stewart is now tied for the lead, with two other drivers less than 20 points back.
"That track was about as abrasive as my temperament after crashing," says Stewart. "If they expect us to do 180 miles per hour, then the least they can expect from us is a decent track on which to drive."
Stewart has six top-10 finishes in his career at Martinsville. With Johnson one of the favorites, Stewart will need a finish better than what he's posted his last two times at the Virginia half-miler, when he finished 15th and 26th.
3. Greg Biffle — Biffle finished third at Charlotte, following Jimmie Johnson and teammate Kurt Busch across the finish line. Biffle remained firm at number three in the points, but sliced 77 points off his deficit to the leader. He trails Tony Stewart and Johnson by only 11 points.
"I'm totally happy with my position," says Biffle. "But, how dare NASCAR delay the start of our race until the end of the USC/Notre Dame football game. I had to sit in my car for 15 extra minutes. Luckily, I had the game feed coming in through the team radio. What a game!"
In his last two outings at Martinsville, Biffle has a 29th and a 35th. With only five races left in the Chase, Biffle's championship hopes may be riding on a much better finish.
4. Ryan Newman — Despite a seventh-place finish, Newman dropped two places to fourth in the points, only 17 points out of the lead. But there's a silver lining: Newman was 75 points behind the leader when he was in second-place in the points prior to Charlotte.
"I guess that's a good thing, right?" asks Newman. "It kind of reminds of my Busch series record. I've won five-straight races, but I'm only 39th in points. I can't win for losing."
Newman has top-five finishes in his last three races in Martinsville, so look for him to battle for the win.
5. Mark Martin — Martin advanced two more spots in the points with a fifth-place finish in Charlotte, and now holds fifth, 51 points out of the lead. In the last two races, Martin has improved from nine to five in the points. He avoided major tire-wear problems to gain his third top five, and fourth top-10 of the Chase.
"There were quite a few anxious moments during the Charlotte race," says Martin. "In fact, every moment was an anxious moment. Every turn I made, I realized the possibility that I could blow a tire and hit the wall. We've got safety devices all around us. One would think the tires we use would fall into that category."
This spring, Martin collected his best finish in Martinsville since winning in the spring of 2000. He's always dangerous at short tracks, and needs to finish in front of Stewart and Johnson to cut into their lead.
6. Carl Edwards — Edwards finished 10th in Charlotte, the last of four Roush drivers in the top 10. Edwards holds fast at number six in the points, 54 off the pace. That's 41 points closer than he was last week at this time. It was Edwards' fourth-straight top-10 finish.
"The Chase is all about top-10 finishes," says Edwards, "and wishing misfortune on those in front of you. Last week, we put the hex on Tony Stewart. This week, we need Jimmie Johnson to lay an egg."
In two Cup races at Martinsville, Edwards has a 24th and a 38th. If he can get through this race and remain less than 100 points down, he'll be thrilled.
7. Rusty Wallace — Wallace had his share of problems at Charlotte, and a disappointing day ended with a 24th-place finish, dropping Wallace three places to seventh in the points, 92 out of the lead. In addition to tire issues, the No. 2 Miller Lite car was penalized for pit lane speeding, suffered a spin, and made an extra pit stop to tighten lug nuts.
"Kurt Busch is not even in the car yet," says Wallace. "And already his bad luck is rubbing off on it."
Wallace hopes to make up lost ground at Martinsville, where he has seven wins in his career, most recently in last year's spring race.
8. Matt Kenseth — Like many others, Kenseth was victimized by a flat tire on his way to a 26th-place finish. In his case, he was saddled with a case of double jeopardy when he felt a tire going flat just before a caution came out. he had a choice: pit before the pits open and take a penalty, or wait until the pits open and risk the tire blowing and damaging the car.
"I guess you know what happened next," says Kenseth. "Screwed if I do, screwed if I don't. Now I know how Kurt Busch feels."
Kenseth waited, and the tire blew.
In his career at Martinsville, Kenseth has only one top five finish, in 2002. By the end of the day, he hopes to be no more than 100 points out of the lead.
9. Kurt Busch — It may have taken him five races, but Busch finally put his bad luck behind him, avoided trouble that has cost him so far, and took the runner-up position at Charlotte. Still last in the points, Busch knocked 82 points of his deficit to the leaders.
"I figured I would give these other nine suckers a head start," says Busch. "Just a quick reminder to everyone. Last year, I didn't make my Cup-winning run until the final two races. This year, I'm starting early."
Busch is usually solid at Martinsville, and he led 33 laps in the spring on his way to a 19th-place finish. He will likely need top-fives in each of the remaining races to make a run for the Cup.
10. Jeremy Mayfield — You can't fault Mayfield for his consistency. In five Chase races, he has four finishes between 11th and 16th. His only top-10, a seventh, came at Dover. Still, Mayfield moved up a spot in the standings to eighth, 115 points out of first.
"So I've got no finish lower than 16th, huh?" asks Mayfield. "Check the stats. I think you'll see that I'm the only one in the Chase with no finish lower than 16th. That's got to be good for something."
Mayfield sorely needs a win to make up considerable ground in the Chase. Martinsville may be the place. Last year, in the fall race, he finished sixth.
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