Tiers from three on down: the championship is over (cont'd)

TIER 3

Martin

Gordon

Montoya

Stewart

Mark Martin (-2)
Mark Martin went into Talladega with about as positive of an attitude as I have ever seen. It looked like a good move until he flipped during the green-white-checkered finish, producing his first DNF since ... Talladega in the spring, of course.

For Martin's prospects at Texas, the intermediate tracks have been very hit and miss this season. At Charlotte a few weeks ago Martin was a step behind Johnson all weekend. But in the grand scheme of things, Martin really is no longer racing Johnson. If you are Martin and crew chief Alan Gustafson the focus now turns to beating the 42, 24 and 14. If Martin can finish second in points it will not only be a big payday but it will be the fifth time in his career he has been able to do so. That's an admirable accomplishment, albeit not the reason Martin came back to full-time competition.

Jeff Gordon (-1)
Much is the same for Jeff Gordon, who now finds himself trying to catch a different teammate -- Mark Martin for second place. Oddly enough for Gordon, if he can finish second it would be just the third time in his career he's done so. Of the three remaining tracks, Texas and Homestead are Gordon's best chances to gain on Martin. Martin will no doubt have the edge at Phoenix but when it comes to intermediate tracks the 24 team has been stellar this season. In the 12 intermediate track races this season, Gordon has 11 top-10 finishes and seven second-place finishes. Gordon is my overall favorite to win the race this weekend; he has a very good chance to gain some points on Martin.

Juan Montoya (-1)
When I talked with Juan Montoya a few weeks ago about the Charlotte race he was quick to remind me he and Denny Hamlin were the only guys who were able to keep up with Jimmie Johnson. Just too bad that Montoya was involved in a wreck and Hamlin lost an engine, otherwise we might have had a race. Watch out for Montoya this weekend, he might just get his first oval track win. The strength of the 42 team this season has been at this type of track. No matter what happens at Texas for Montoya, this Chase has gone much better than anyone thought, so the "win" if you will already has happened.

Tony Stewart (-1)
For Tony Stewart the Chase has been filled with highs and lows, flips and spins. Stewart certainly could use the extra cash he will make from his Chase earnings to build a few more race cars after last weekend. Obviously, Stewart would like to build some momentum in these final three races and finish in the final top five of the championship standings, something he has not done, believe it or not, since his championship year of 2005. Texas, though, does not provide Stewart's best opportunity to gain points on Martin and Gordon; that will come next week at Phoenix. For this week, a solid top-10 to keep the 14 team in the top five will suffice. (Continued)