Johnson, Burton, Gordon have stats for second half

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The 2008 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup has reached its midpoint -- five races down, five more to go.

Below are some of the highlights from the first five, and some things to watch in the second half:

Jimmie Johnson
Johnson continues to excel under playoff pressure. He has series-best statistics over the first five Chase races in Average Finish (4.6), Driver Rating (115.7), Average Running Position (8.0) and Laps in the Top 15 percentage (89.2 percent) -- all of which contributed to his 69-point series lead over Jeff Burton.

The 838 points Johnson scored over the first five Chase races ranks second in the five-year history of the Chase. Last season, Jeff Gordon scored 840 points over the first five. He finished the season second in the standings.

There is little reason to believe Johnson won't keep up this pace -- or exceed it. Johnson has scored the most points in the final five races in three of the past four seasons.

This weekend could prove key in Johnson's quest for a "three-peat." At Martinsville Speedway, the site of Sunday's TUMS QuikPak 500, Johnson has four wins and 12 consecutive top-10 finishes. A win at Martinsville in last year's Chase began a stretch of four consecutive victories for Johnson.

Jeff Burton
Burton began the Chase 70 points off the series lead. One win and five top-10s later, he has cut the deficit by only one point. That's how good Johnson has been.

There's a good chance Burton can continue putting pressure on Johnson. Of the five remaining Chase tracks, four have held races already this season. Burton scored top-10s in all four:

Jeff Gordon
At Talladega, Tony Stewart finally nabbed his first 2008 win. Is Gordon next? Gordon has won at least two races in each of the last 14 seasons. This year, he has yet to win one.

Still, over the first half of the Chase, Gordon has a Driver Rating of 96.0, which is fifth-best. Plus, he is phenomenal at Martinsville. That combination of momentum and past success could equal victory this weekend.

Gordon is the active wins leader at Martinsville with seven. He also has finished in the top five in seven consecutive Martinsville races. Below are his stats from that stretch:

Over the past seven races at Martinsville, Gordon leads the series in Average Finish, Driver Rating and Fastest Laps Run.