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Is Carl Edwards fading from the championship picture? He hopes not.By the Numbers: Texas
Edwards faces tall task to overcome Johnson's lead
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Coming off last week's victory at Atlanta and heading into this week's race at Texas, Carl Edwards has to feel pretty good.
Edwards rose to second in the standings, and based on the last three years the odds are good he'll have a strong performance at Texas, too. He won there in the spring for his second victory at the track.
The problem? As good as Edwards' numbers are at Texas and the remaining three tracks, Jimmie Johnson's statistics are even better. Add to that the tall mountain Edwards statistically faces and the task is indeed a daunting one.
Chase Drivers at Texas
1. Jimmie JohnsonThree of the last four Texas races have ended with Johnson either first (fall 2007) or second. The other race (spring 2007) he crashed and finished 38th.
2. Carl EdwardsTwo-time Texas winner Edwards has been feast or famine at Texas. He's either won (fall 2005, spring 2008) or finished 12th or worse.
3. Greg BiffleA former winner at Texas (spring 2005), Biffle has just two finishes of better than 20th. His last two races there have resulted in 33rd and 39th, and he has four DNFs in nine starts.
4. Jeff BurtonBurton won the inaugural race at Texas in 1997, and won again a decade later in 2007 with a last-lap pass of Matt Kenseth. His last two finishes have both been sixth-place showings.
5. Kevin HarvickHarvick has just four top-10s in 11 starts, but most of the time he's been just outside of that range. Five of his races there have ended in finishes between 11th and 20th.
6. Jeff GordonGordon has led 326 laps at Texas, including 173 last spring, and has finished inside the top 10 in three of the last four races there. Problem is, he's never won at Texas.
7. Clint BowyerIn five starts, Bowyer has not finished worse than 19th. He has two top-10 finishes, one of which came earlier this year (10th).
8. Tony StewartStewart won at Texas in the fall 2006 race, and since then has been so-so. In that race, he led 278 of 339 laps. In the three events since then, he has failed to lead a lap. He was seventh in the spring.
9. Matt KensethThe 2002 winner has had massive success at Texas recently, despite no victories since. He has finished second or third in four of the last six races there, and he's led laps in all but three of his 12 starts.
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.The 2000 winner has fallen into mediocrity at Texas recently. Four of his last five races have resulted in finishes of 12th or worse. At the same time, he's led laps in four of those five races, including 96 last spring.
11. Denny HamlinAside from a 29th-place finish last fall, Hamlin has been rock solid at Texas with top-10 finishes in the rest of his six career starts there. He was fifth in the spring.
12. Kyle BuschAll three of Busch's top-five finishes at Texas have come in the last four races. In this race a year ago he led 153 laps. He was third there in the spring.
Five Chase Facts
2Times Jeff Gordon has finished 43rd in his career, both coming at Texas Motor Speedway. The most recent was in the spring race.
3Consecutive years that the fall Atlanta race winner also won the following week at Texas.
8.9Average finish for Jimmie Johnson in the remaining three races.
13.5Average finish for Carl Edwards in the remaining three races.
61Points that Carl Edwards needs to outscore Jimmie Johnson by per race in order to catch him in the championship hunt, the difference between first and 13th.
Non-Chase Nugget
13.0Average finish for Kurt Busch at Texas, the best among drivers who are not in the Chase but tied for fifth with Tony Stewart on the list of active drivers behind Jimmie Johnson (8.5), Matt Kenseth (10.2), Denny Hamlin (10.7) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (12.8).
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Texas Motor Speedway
Chase Driver Statistics
| Pos. | Driver | Starts | Wins | Avg. Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jimmie Johnson | 10 | 1 | 8.5 |
| 2. | Carl Edwards | 7 | 2 | 15.7 |
| 3. | Greg Biffle | 9 | 1 | 26.1 |
| 4. | Jeff Burton | 15 | 2 | 16.2 |
| 5. | Kevin Harvick | 11 | 0 | 13.4 |
| 6. | Jeff Gordon | 15 | 0 | 17.1 |
| 7. | Clint Bowyer | 5 | 0 | 13.8 |
| 8. | Tony Stewart | 13 | 1 | 13.0 |
| 9. | Matt Kenseth | 12 | 1 | 10.7 |
| 10. | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 12 | 1 | 12.8 |
| 11. | Denny Hamlin | 6 | 0 | 10.7 |
| 12. | Kyle Busch | 7 | 0 | 17.7 |
Sprint Cup Series
Official Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Jimmie Johnson | 6248 | Leader |
| 2. | +2 | Carl Edwards | 6065 | -183 |
| 3. | -1 | Greg Biffle | 6063 | -185 |
| 4. | -1 | Jeff Burton | 6030 | -218 |
| 5. | +1 | Kevin Harvick | 5941 | -307 |
| 6. | +1 | Jeff Gordon | 5936 | -312 |
| 7. | -2 | Clint Bowyer | 5934 | -314 |
| 8. | -- | Tony Stewart | 5847 | -401 |
| 9. | +1 | Matt Kenseth | 5835 | -413 |
| 10. | -1 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 5829 | -419 |
| 11. | -- | Denny Hamlin | 5823 | -425 |
| 12. | -- | Kyle Busch | 5783 | -465 |
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