Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Tony Stewart — Stewart extended his points lead by 28 points with a ninth-place finish in Atlanta. Stewart now leads Jimmie Johnson by 43 points, and has a 75-point edge on Greg Biffle. Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards are 107 back.
"The important thing is we increased our lead," says Stewart, "and I led one lap for the all-important five bonus points. And I went a full race without calling anyone an 'idiot.'"
Stewart has collected bonus points in all but one of the Chase races, for a total of 45 points, which is almost exactly his points lead. Stewart finished 31st in April in Texas, due to a blown engine. It was his only "did not finish" of the year.
2. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson raced in the top 10 for most of the day until a late handling problem arose, possibly caused by falling track temperatures in the ate afternoon shadows. It wasn't a disastrous result by any means, as points leader Tony Stewart finished only seven positions ahead in ninth.
"Anytime you finish behind the points leader," says Johnson, "you haven't done your job. But we're still in position. We still feel like it's a two-car race, and isn't it interesting how it's come down to a battle of home improvement stores?"
Johnson finished third in Texas earlier this year, and in last year's Chase, finished strong with three top-six finishes in the final three races.
3. Greg Biffle — Biffle shaved a meager eight points off of Stewart's points lead with a seventh place finish in Atlanta, the last of four Roush cars in the top ten.
"Stewart left the door slightly ajar," says Biffle, "and instead of slamming it shut, we closed it gently, and didn't wake up a soul. With Stewart finishing ninth, a win would have been the perfect result for us."
Hold that thought, Biffle. Earlier this year, you won in Texas with a dominant win. Duplicate that victory, and you should see more than eight points fall from Stewart's lead.
4. Carl Edwards — Edwards completed his sweep of races in Atlanta, leading 115 of 325 laps to duplicate his Atlanta win in March. He improved one position in the points, to fourth, and sliced 42 points off of his deficit to Stewart. Edwards' third win of his rookie year showed just how much he's improved in just one season.
"I'm twice the driver I was when this season started," says Edwards, "but I'm at least three times the back flipper. There are still some form improvements I could make, and my landing could be better. Next year, I'm hiring a Bulgarian coach."
Realistically, Edwards needs another similar points gain to position himself for a mad dash to the finish. That would necessitate a vast improvement on his 19th-place finish in his first Texas Cup race.
5. Ryan Newman — After starting on the poll, Newman's day went downhill, as he suffered handling problems all day and slammed the wall near the midway point while already a lap down. The result was a drop of two points positions to sixth, and a loss of 44 points to Tony Stewart's lead.
"Hey, but I did lead a lap," says Newman. "The first lap."
Good job, Ryan. Any pole-sitter worth his salt should lead the first lap.
In four previous starts at Texas, Newman has one top-10, a win in 2003. He started on the pole there this April, but managed only a 16th-place finish. In his position, he has no choice but to gun for the win.
6. Mark Martin — Martin rebounded from his 34th place finish at Martinsville with a third in Atlanta, improving his points position one notch to sixth, and holding on to a very slim chance at the Cup. Martin overcame a pit lane speeding penalty to pick up his fourth top five finish of the Chase.
“We're holding on for dear life,” says Martin. “If they made Viagra for cars, now would be the time to take it. But if I don't win it this year, there's always next year, and years after that, depending of how much begging Jack Roush is willing to do.”
In nine starts at Texas, Martin has three top fives. Martin needs wins, and help from others, to have any chance at the Cup.
7. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth's fifth in Atlanta was his fourth top five of the Chase, and moved him up two places in the Chase, to seventh. Kenseth is 155 points behind Stewart.
"Four top-fives in seven races is pretty good," says Kenseth. "There's only one problem. That leaves three races outside of the top-five, and two of those were a 35th and a 26th. Throw those out, and I'm right in the hunt."
In his last two Texas efforts, Kenseth has two top-20 finishes. But with three races left in the Chase and 155 points down, top-20s mean absolutely nothing.
8. Rusty Wallace — Wallace's championship hopes took a brutal hit in Atlanta, where he was sucked into an early race crash, resulting in a 37th-place finish, 67 laps down. Wallace lost 91 points to Tony Stewart, and now stands 257 points down.
"We got caught up in an accident involving the No. 37 and No. 66 cars," says Wallace. "Does anyone know who drives those cars? I didn't think so. I'm sure whoever they are, they shouldn't have any impact in the Chase. Why don't we just put the 10 Chase cars on the track, and let the other 33 race in the parking lot?"
Now, Wallace is racing for ... well, I'm not sure what he's racing for. But it's surely not the cup.
9. Kurt Busch — Busch's up and down Chase run took another turn for the worse with a 36th-place finish in Atlanta, his third finish outside the top 20 in Chase races. A flat tire was the culprit, and it sent Busch into the wall, then behind the wall, for repairs. He finished 55 laps down, and his run of two straight top six finishes came to a halt.
"I'm sick of flat tires, and I'm sick of walls," says Busch. "I'm also sick of NASCAR penalizing anyone named Busch for rough driving. Last week, it was me. This week, it was my brother, Kyle. NASCAR calls it rough driving. We call it passing an inferior car. The anti-Busch conspiracy continues."
Busch finished seventh this April in Texas. He can expect a similar result this time, on a track that favors Roush cars.
10. Jeremy Mayfield — Mayfield's worst finish of the Chase, a 38th, cost him 94 points to Tony Stewart, and dropped him to last in the standings, 310 back. A faulty flywheel sent Mayfield to the garage early, and lengthy repairs left him 99 laps down at the end.
"I was never good at math," says Mayfield, "but I sense that I will soon be mathematically eliminated from the Chase. But I'm still alive. Three wins in the remaining three races, and I could possibly finish third, or maybe second."
In nine races at Texas, Mayfield has two top-10s and one pole. He finished 11th there this April after starting second.
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