It’s halftime in the Nextel Cup playoffs.
Five races in the books, five to go.
All 12 drivers remain alive for the championship, but only three are really in the hunt.
Leader Jeff Gordon, who has captured the past two races, is the favorite to win his fifth title. In the playoffs, he has performed as well as he did in the first 26 regular-season races. In fact, if you judge him from the old scoring system, he would have an insurmountable, 478- point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson.
As it is, Gordon leads Johnson by 68 points, the biggest playoff margin this year.
Here’s a look at the 12 drivers, based on their points standing, heading into Sunday’s race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway:
1. Gordon. His win Saturday in Concord, N.C., was his sixth of the season, tying him with Johnson for the series lead. Gordon also leads the series in top-10 finishes (25), top fives (19), average finish (7.5) and laps led (1,112). Based on his consistency, only a handful of wrecks or blown motors would keep him out of contention down the stretch.
2. Johnson. The defending champion won in April at Martinsville and is second in average finish (12.1), top fives (16) and laps led (1,069). Gordon co-owns his car, so there won’t be any hard racing against the two. But if Gordon has bad luck or multiple mistakes the rest of the way, Johnson will gladly take his place.
3. Clint Bowyer. The series sophomore began the playoffs winless and in 12th place, but captured the first Chase race at New Hampshire. His second-place finish Saturday was his third top-two finish in five Chase races.
4. Tony Stewart. A third title likely will elude Stewart because of his 39th-place showing Sept. 30 at Kansas. He wrecked in that race because of a blown tire after gambling that the tire would hold up. Otherwise, Stewart has had a good playoff run, finishing third, ninth, eighth and seventh.
5. Carl Edwards. Stewart’s blown tire at Kansas also cost Edwards, who crashed into Stewart and finished 37th. Edwards rallied to finish fifth last Saturday and gained a spot, and with a 240-point deficit, he’s probably the last guy who has a chance at the crown.
6. Kyle Busch. An avid Broncos fan, Busch performed like the NFL team in the first four Chase races. He finished fourth and fifth at New Hampshire and Dover, Del., before ending 41st and 36th at Kansas and Talladega, Ala. He gained two spots, to sixth, with an impressive third-place result last Saturday.
7. Kurt Busch. He has had a terrific season and leads the series with 1,664 quality passes, defined by passing cars running in the top 15 under green- flag conditions.
8. Kevin Harvick. Has just one win this year. He’ll need at least four more to have a chance to win his first title.
9. Denny Hamlin. He was in the top three of the standings for 13 weeks of the regular season but has just one top-10 result in the Chase.
10. Jeff Burton. Finished fourth Saturday after finishing 36th at Kansas and 43rd at Talladega. Still, another good season from the veteran.
11. Martin Truex Jr. It’s a good second year for the Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver, considering he’s guaranteed to finish ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
12. Matt Kenseth. A blown engine and an accident have helped keep him outside the top 25 for the past four races.
NASCAR Extra
SPOTLIGHT: SAM HORNISH JR.
Tough time
Hornish, the IRL’s all-time winner, has failed in his first four attempts to qualify his Roger Penske-owned Dodge. He will try again this weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, as well as in the remaining four races.
ON THE MOVE: KYLE PETTY
Eye on No. 35
Petty, who owns and drives the No. 45 car, hasn’t won a race since 1995, but he is close to securing a starting spot for the 2008 Daytona 500. He is 35th, 109 points ahead of owner Glen Wood’s No. 21 car.
Points standings
(Driver || Pts.)
1. Jeff Gordon 5,880
2. Jimmie Johnson 5,812
3. Clint Bowyer 5,802
4. Tony Stewart 5,682
5. Carl Edwards 5,640
6. Kyle Busch 5,600
7. Kurt Busch 5,565
8. Kevin Harvick 5,552
9. Denny Hamlin 5,531
10. Jeff Burton 5,514
11. Martin Truex Jr. 5,502
12. Matt Kenseth 5,438
THIS WEEK’S RACE: SUBWAY 500
At Martinsville, again
11 a.m. Sunday, KMGH-7
Where: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval, 12 degrees banking in corners)
Distance: 500 laps, 263 miles
Qualifying: Friday, 1:30 p.m., ESPN2
