Martinsville a crucial stop for Bowyer and Stewart

Five down, five to go. Time and opportunity shrink by the day.

Urgency is palpable, especially for third-place Clint Bowyer and fourth-place Tony Stewart.

A quick reset: Four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon leads the Chase standings with Hendrick Motorsports teammate -- and reigning series champion -- Jimmie Johnson second, 68 points behind.

Follow with Bowyer, 78 points out, and Stewart, 198 out, and the call to action is apparent, beginning with Sunday's Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway (1 p.m. ET, ABC).

"Martinsville is the type of place where if something can happen, then it will happen to somebody, somehow," said Greg Zipadelli, crew chief for Stewart and the No. 20 team.

Martinsville's .526-mile surface confounds even the smoothest drivers with its tight turns, an unforgiving flatness and historic quirks (those interior concrete curbs).

"Running well at Martinsville is all about the attitude you have when you walk in the gate Friday morning. That will dictate whether you have a good weekend or a bad weekend. I really think it boils down to that," Zipadelli added.

"As soon as you get frustrated, you get behind. Martinsville is one of those places where you can't ask your driver to drive harder, because that's what'll get you in trouble. Track position has always been a big deal, so qualifying well is important, not only in terms of where you'll start on the racetrack, but for pit selection as well."

Bowyer may have the most daunting catch-up task despite his 10-point cushion over Stewart. The first-year Chase participant and second-year driver has an average finish of 18.7 in three career series starts at Martinsville. He finished 11th in April.

"Tension is going to be high when we get to Martinsville with the Chase as close as it is. Anything can happen so we're going to have to be careful," Bowyer said. "We finished 11th at Martinsville in the spring and we need to get more out of it this time. We knew we'd have to pick up our program and finish better at all these racetracks and I think we can go there this weekend and do better than we've done in the past."

Stewart also could be poised for a major gain. He excels at Martinsville, where he's won twice along with six top-fives, 10 top-10s and three poles.

"Patience seems to be the biggest variable that can hold you up at a place like Martinsville," Stewart said. "Needless to say, after going there a couple of times, I've learned how to be patient -- out of necessity, basically."

But a good day's racing is no guarantee of a good day in the points. The leaders will need bad days in order for Bowyer and Stewart and make up ground.

"If they finish first or second, we need to finish third or fourth," Gordon said.

Gordon's statistics bode well -- and likely awe -- at Martinsville, where he leads all active drivers with seven wins. He also has five poles, 17 top-fives and 23 top-10s there.

More facts in Gordon's favor: He's won two in a row, at Talladega Superspeedway two weeks ago and this past Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He and Jimmie Johnson each have a series-high six victories this season.

"We've had a great start to the Chase, but we can't let up," Gordon said. "Jimmie put together a great string of races last year to win the championship, and other Chase drivers have the ability to do that, as well. (Continued)