Greg Biffle, left, and Doug Richert were reading from the same page Saturday night at Charlotte. Credit: Autostock

Chase Line: Martinsville

NASCAR.COM's Ryan Smithson gets inside the Chase for the Nextel Cup every Monday.

Biffle was the big winner at Charlotte

UAW-GM Quality 500 Official Results Pos. Driver Pts/Bonus 1. J. Johnson 185/5 2. Ku. Busch 175/5 3. G. Biffle 170/5 4. J. Nemechek 165/5 5. M. Martin 155/0 • Race Results: click here • Cup Standings: click here Inside the Chase Point standings after Charlotte Pos. Driver Points Behind 1. T. Stewart 5,777 -- 2. J. Johnson 5,777 -- 3. G. Biffle 5,766 -11 4. R. Newman 5,760 -17 5. M. Martin 5,726 -51 6. C. Edwards 5,723 -54 7. R. Wallace 5,685 -92 8. J. Mayfield 5,662 -115 9. M. Kenseth 5,653 -124 10. Ku. Busch 5,635 -142 Victory LaneJimmie Johnson celebrates his fourth consecutive LMS win Final lapsJohnson battles Nemechek, Busch late for the win UAW-GM Quality 500Check out all the highlights from Charlotte Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Biffle made up 77 points when Tony Stewart's tire problems bunched up the Chase field, and Biffle's car was ultra-fast all night long.

Unlike Jimmie Johnson, Biffle didn't have a single problem all night, and he was running laps in the 28.60-second range when the race ended. He will be exceptionally tough at Atlanta and Homestead, and Biffle also is comfortable at Martinsville.

Even with the new Chase format, the big winners this year (Stewart, Johnson, Biffle) are 1-2-3 in the standings. That is how it should be, because they have won nearly half of the races.

Charlotte was exactly what Johnson needed

With one swoop, Johnson was able to wipe away the debt he accumulated at Talladega, when he faced a firestorm of criticism after a Lap 20 accident. Because of all the Talladega madness, a lot of people forgot about Johnson's Chase hopes.

Johnson probably never will be accused of being a short-track expert, and that is a shame, because he has as good a feel for the short tracks after anyone, and he will only get better.

All of a sudden, when you look at it, Johnson has four top-10s in five races. That is more than Stewart, and Johnson has won two of the five races.

Johnson's path is reminiscent of the one Kurt Busch took to the title last year, and Johnson certainly had the luck factor down on Saturday night.

Edwards must hold his position in the standings

Carl Edwards finished 10th at Charlotte after running his car at an 80 percent pace most of the night. Even at a slower pace, his tires still blistered, but he showed a lot of maturity by throttling down and settling to just finish the race.

Edwards now stands 54 points out of the lead, but Martinsville arguably is his toughest track. He was 38th there in the spring and looked every bit of the short track novice that he still is.

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The key for Edwards will be a strong qualifying run, which will help him stay on the lead lap. A lead-lap finish for Edwards will be good for a top-20 finish, and that will be a victory for Edwards, who hasn't had a bad race in the Chase yet.

If Edwards can get through Martinsville, the rest of the schedule bodes very well for him.

Kenseth joins the ranks of the eliminated

Jimmie Johnson went from ninth to second in the Chase in 2004, but he had help from Kurt Busch's blown engine in Atlanta. Matt Kenseth is only 124 points out, but we have two co-leaders in the points standings, and that makes it twice as tough to catch them.