Johnson moves one step closer to Cup Series history

Good bye, Martinsville. Hello, Atlanta. ... For the No. 48 team, only the city names change. The result, it's as constant as Craig Sager's wardrobe: You might not like it, but beneath the surface there is substance.

Jimmie Johnson rolled out of Martinsville on Sunday with his fourth victory in five Chase races at the Virginia short track. He rolls into Atlanta looking for his third win in five playoff starts at the 1.54-mile track; his average finish is 5.0 during stretch-run races at AMS.

So, you're a Chaser chasing the two-time defending Cup Series champion? Good luck. The nearest competitor, Greg Biffle, is 149 points behind. Jeff Burton (-152) is the only other driver within a race's worth of points of Johnson. This -- the 2008 Chase -- is a rout. Even under the previous point system, Johnson would be schooling the competition.

And yet, the system works. There's no need for change. At least not until Johnson gets within shouting distance of seven series championships. (Hey, it's happened before ...)

• It's really a stat that speaks to a driver's / team's ability to keep the car on the track, and I've always kept an eye on the "Running at the Finish" column. It's one of those "never-say-die" stats. Did you know, that if Dale Earnhardt Jr. can git 'r done for three of the next four races he'll set a personal mark of 34 RAFs? (He had 33 in 2002 and '06.)

Dale Earnhardt was good at it; he was running at the finish in 86 percent of his races (581 of 676). Junior's pace is a tick better: 87 percent (281 of 323).

• It's déjà vu all over again for Jeff Gordon: Another top-five finish, another race where he lost points to the leader. He -- and every other Chase driver -- has experienced this, but it's bittersweet for the four-time Cup Series champion. Did anyone expect his fifth, sixth and seventh trophies to come as a "car owner"?

Entering Atlanta, Gordon is 33 points behind fifth-place Clint Bowyer, and a ninth top-five points finish is the best Gordon can shoot for.

• Casey Mears' sixth-place run at Martinsville was his first top-10 since Loudon (seventh) in June. All four Hendrick Motorsports cars finished in the top 10; no real surprise, considering the team has won nine of the past 12 races at the track.

Mears has racked up 648 points in the past six races -- more than Chase drivers Denny Hamlin (643) and Kyle Busch (548).

Bump-and-run thoughts after Martinsville ...

Date	Track	Time	TV
Sept. 14	Loudon	1 p.m.	ABC
Sept. 21	Dover	1 p.m.	ABC
Sept. 28	Kansas	1 p.m.	ABC
Oct. 5	Talladega	1 p.m.	ABC
Oct. 11	Charlotte	7 p.m.	ABC
Oct. 19	Martinsville	1 p.m.	ABC
Oct. 26	Atlanta	1 p.m.	ABC
Nov. 2	Texas	3 p.m.	ABC
Nov. 9	Phoenix	3 p.m.	ABC
Nov. 16	Homestead	3 p.m.	ABC

All times ET

Winner

• Denny Hamlin's fifth-place finish was his second top-10 of the Chase (ninth at Loudon). Who'd-a-thunk-it: Jimmie Johnson has more top-10 finishes (6) in the playoffs than Joe Gibbs Racing's three drivers combined -- Tony Stewart (2), Denny Hamlin (2) and Kyle Busch (1).

Loser

• Who could blame Jeff Burton if he lobbied to have Martinsville bumped from the Chase? Two years ago he lost the points lead in this race, and Sunday he dropped to third in points after a 17th-place finish. In three playoff races at Martinsville, his average finish is 23.6.

Lucky Dog

• Greg Biffle worked his way back to the lead lap after a caution on Lap 485 en route to a 12th-place finish. About 150 laps before, he was a lap down in 24th. Biffle led the race early, then fell off the lead lap after pitting under green at the halfway point. In the end, he moved to second in points.

Autostock

Why does this man not have a ride lined up for 2009?

Who's hot

• A.J. Allmendinger -- no, seriously. The victim of crashes in two of his past five starts (spread among three teams), 'dinger has top-16 finishes in the other three races. He finished a career-best 15th at Martinsville. ... It's a crock that he a) lost his ride with Red Bull (if anything it should be a three-car team in 2009 to try to keep pace), and b) still hasn't signed with anyone for next year.

Who's not

• Can it get any worse for Kyle Busch? He has finished 28th or worse in four of the six Chase races, including his 29th-place run on Sunday. He's led 38 only laps in the Chase -- less than he did in 12 races this season. Busch, who still leads the Cup Series with eight victories, is 37 points out of 10th place, the final spot on stage at the year-end awards banquet.

In case you missed it ...

• Casey Mears wasn't the only non-Chaser to crack the top 10 on Sunday. Martin Truex Jr. finished 10th, his second top-10 in the past six races and 11th top-20 in the past 15 races.

• Brian Vickers' solid season continued with an 11th-place run at Martinsville. He's finished 11th or 12th five times this year. He's finished 13th-15th three other times. The team is thisclose to having at least 15 top-10 runs. Instead, it has six.

• David Ragan continues to chug along, picking off top-15 finishes and making hay among the non-Chase drivers. He has three top-10 finishes in the six playoff races and has 763 points -- more than five title contenders.

Moving on to Atlanta

Fast facts

What	Pep Boys Auto 500
When	2:20 p.m. ET Sunday
TV	ABC, 1 p.m. ET
Radio	PRN (Sirius Ch. 28), 1:15 ET

• Track Page | Tickets | Travel

• Yep, Jimmie Johnson is the favorite again this week: three wins, eight top-five finishes and nine top-10s in 14 starts with a series-best 9.6 average finish among active drivers.

• But if there's a dark horse candidate for Victory Lane, it's gotta be Bobby Labonte, who leads the field with six victories in 31 starts with 12 top-fives and 13 top-10s.

• On the other end of the spectrum, don't get caught off guard at first glance for Kasey Kahne: one win, four top-five finishes and five top-10s. His stats in the fall race are uglier than a bowling shoe: one top-five, two top-10s and an average finish of 21.7.

• AMS is the epitome of what has plagued Matt Kenseth during his career. Kenseth is one of the top drivers at Atlanta, but you'd never know it because he doesn't run out front (which means he never gets on TV).

Inside the Numbers

Top average finishes at Atlanta (past 10 races)

Rank	Driver	Races	W	T5	T10	Avg. Finish	Laps Led
1	Jimmie Johnson	10	3	7	8	4.9	344
2	Tony Stewart	10	1	5	8	8.4	554
3	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	10	1	5	6	11.6	387
4	Jeff Gordon	10	1	4	7	12.0	169
5	Matt Kenseth	10	0	4	6	12.6	12

Lasting Image

John Harrelson/Getty Images

Martinsville may have cost Jeff Burton a shot at the title just like in 2006.