Michigan the next stop during Race to the Chase

The Race to the Chase rolls into the Irish Hills this weekend, continuing the countdown -- four races remain -- until the Chase field is set Sept. 12 at Richmond.

Tony Stewart remains the front-runner in the wake of his third victory. Five drivers shuffled positions in the top 12 but no one fell out of Chase contention. However, only 195 points separate seventh-place Juan Montoya and Clint Bowyer in 15th place.

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There have been eight different winners in the past nine races at Michigan -- Carl Edwards won the spring race in 2007 and the fall event in '08 -- and among full-time drivers Mark Martin has a series-best five W's, including a win on June 14.

Both Stewart and Jimmie Johnson can clinch a spot in the Chase at Michigan. Any driver leaving MIS with a 586-point lead over 13th-place will clinch a spot. Stewart basically is a lock; all he to do is start the race.

Johnson's task is much tougher. He is 496 points ahead of 13th-place Kyle Busch -- meaning he would need to add at least 90 points to his lead over 13th place to clinch.

The Top 12 and their career stats at Michigan:

Tony Stewart Pos.: 1 | Points: 3,383 Races Wins Top-5 Top-10 Avg. St. Avg. Fin. 21 1 9 14 21.8 12.2

Jimmie Johnson Pos.: 2 | Points: 3,123 | Behind: -260 Races Wins Top-5 Top-10 Avg. St. Avg. Fin. 15 0 2 6 9.4 14.9

Jeff Gordon Pos.: 3 | Points: 3,041 | Behind: -342 Races Wins Top-5 Top-10 Avg. St. Avg. Fin. 33 2 16 21 9.2 11.5

Kurt Busch Pos.: 4 | Points: 2,902 | Behind: -481 Races Wins Top-5 Top-10 Avg St. Avg Fin. 17 2 2 7 13.0 19.4

Denny Hamlin Pos.: 5 | Points: 2,847 | Behind: -536 Races Wins Top-5 Top-10 Avg. St. Avg. Fin. 7 0 2 3 14.4 13.7

Carl Edwards Pos.: 6 | Points: 2,830 | Behind: -553 Races Wins Top-5 Top-10 Avg. St. Avg. Fin. 10 2 6 9 19.4 6.3

Juan Montoya Pos.: 7 | Points: 2,781 | Behind: -602 Races Wins Top-5 Top-10 Avg. St. Avg. Fin. 5 0 0 1 21.2 27.6

Kasey Kahne Pos.: 8 | Points: 2,754 | Behind: -629 Races Wins Top-5 Top-10 Avg. St. Avg. Fin. 11 1 5 5 14.2 16.8

Ryan Newman Pos.: 9 | Points: 2,727 | Behind: -656 Races Wins Top-5 Top-10 Avg. St. Avg. Fin. 16 2 4 4 12.2 18.9

Greg Biffle Pos.: 10 | Points: 2,718 | Behind: -665 Races Wins Top-5 Top-10 Avg. St. Avg. Fin. 13 2 6 8 15.5 12.5

Mark Martin Pos.: 11 | Points: 2,716 | Behind: -667 Races Wins Top-5 Top-10 Avg. St. Avg. Fin. 47 5 17 29 11.8 12.9

Matt Kenseth Pos.: 12 | Points: 2,685 | Behind: -698 Races Wins Top-5 Top-10 Avg. St. Avg. Fin. 20 2 9 13 20.4 9.6

Inside the Numbers

• 31 -- Series-high wins for Ford in 80 races at Michigan. Twelve drivers have wheeled a Blue Oval to Victory Lane at MIS, led by Bill Elliott's seven wins. The others:
4 wins -- Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin
3 wins -- Davey Allison and Rusty Wallace
2 wins -- Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth
1 win -- Geoffrey Bodine, Kurt Busch, Ernie Irvan and David Pearson