Getty Images
The 2009 version of the Chase is down to two -- Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin.Numbers favor Johnson, but anything can happen
Johnson has finished 26th or worse 47 times in his career
type size: + -
Twenty-fifth place.
That's all that stands between Jimmie Johnson and his historic fourth consecutive Cup Series championship. If Johnson finishes 25th or better in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC), the Cup title is his.
The good news for Mark Martin, who is the only driver that can catch Johnson, is that Johnson has finished 26th or worse 47 times in his career. Even better news for Martin is one of those came at Homestead, when the No. 48 crashed in 2005 and came home 40th.
The bad news for Martin is aside from that slip, Johnson has been impressive in Miami. He doesn't have a win, but he does have five top-10s in eight starts, including a second and a third back in '03 and '04.
Even worse news for Martin is how Johnson returns to the track after a victory. In 46 starts following a visit to Victory Lane, Johnson has nine victories, 23 top-fives and 31 top-10s. So after a victory, Johnson averages a finish of 9.47.
Johnson has finished 26th or worse after a victory six times, but the last time that happened was in 2007.
Inside the Data
Chase drivers at Homestead-Miami Speedway
| Driver | Starts | Wins | Top-fives | Top-10s | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Edwards | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 251 | 13.6 | 6.4 |
| Jeff Gordon | 10 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 62 | 16.8 | 9.9 |
| Tony Stewart | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 341 | 13.7 | 11.9 |
| Mark Martin | 9 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 30 | 17.6 | 12.0 |
| Denny Hamlin | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 33.0 | 13.0 |
| Greg Biffle | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 173 | 17.3 | 13.4 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 8 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 43 | 21.6 | 13.6 |
| Kasey Kahne | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 90 | 5.8 | 17.6 |
| Ryan Newman | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 140 | 10.1 | 20.3 |
| Kurt Busch | 8 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 49 | 16.2 | 21.5 |
| Juan Montoya | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 24.3 | 22.0 |
| Brian Vickers | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 13.0 | 31.7 |
DID YOU KNOW?
7.0Average finish of Jimmie Johnson in this year's Chase. Believe it or not, this is only his third best Chase. In 2007, he averaged a finish of 5.0 en route to his second Cup title. Last year his average finish was 5.7 for title number three. His first championship was won with an average finish in the Chase of 10.8.
NECESSITOUS NUMBERS
1Homestead is the only Cup track Jeff Gordon has competed on and has yet to score a victory. He has a win at 21 of the 22 tracks currently on the Cup schedule along with wins at Rockingham and North Wilkesboro.
2Mark Martin is just the second driver in Cup Series history to win five or more races in a season over the age of 50. Harry Gant won five races in 1991 at the age of 51.
3Three drivers average a top-10 finish at Homestead: Carl Edwards (6.4), Kevin Harvick (9.1) and Jeff Gordon (9.9).
3Three drivers have led 20 or more races this season. Jimmie Johnson has led the most races with 28 of 35, Mark Martin held the lead in 23 races and Kurt Busch led 21 races.
3Three drivers have been running at the finish in all 35 races this season: Casey Mears, Juan Montoya and David Reutimann.
5Kevin Harvick has top-10 finishes at Homestead in five of the past six races. He's finished second twice and finished on the lead lap in all six events.
6Roush Fenway Racing has won six of the 10 Cup races held at Homestead, including the past five. Kurt Busch took the checkered in 2002, Greg Biffle rolled off three consecutive from '04-'06, Matt Kenseth earned his first win at the track in '07 and Carl Edwards is the defending race winner.
7.8Average starting position of the winners at Homestead in the Chase era. Four of the five races were won from a starting position inside the top seven. Greg Biffle's win from the 22nd starting position in 2006 is the deepest a race winner has started at Homestead.
12Rick Hendrick will win his 12th national series owners title Sunday at Homestead, putting him alone in first place with 12. Richard Childress is second with 11.
492Number of points Carl Edwards has scored in the past three races at Homestead, tops among all drivers. In those races, Edwards finished first, fifth and eighth. Martin Truex Jr. is second with 464 points and Denny Hamlin is third with 459.
| POPULAR ALERTS | ||||
|
Sprint Cup Series
Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Jimmie Johnson | 6,492 | -- |
| 2. | -- | Mark Martin | 6,384 | -108 |
| 3. | -- | Jeff Gordon | 6,323 | -169 |
| 4. | -- | Kurt Busch | 6,281 | -211 |
| 5. | -- | Tony Stewart | 6,207 | -285 |
| 6. | -- | Juan Montoya | 6,203 | -289 |
| 7. | -- | Greg Biffle | 6,171 | -321 |
| 8. | -- | Denny Hamlin | 6,140 | -352 |
| 9. | -- | Ryan Newman | 6,081 | -411 |
| 10. | -- | Kasey Kahne | 6,016 | -476 |
| 11. | -- | Carl Edwards | 5,972 | -520 |
| 12. | -- | Brian Vickers | 5,826 | -666 |
Most Popular
Headlines
Videos
Searches
News
- Front-row sweep boosts hopes of revival at RPM - May 26, 2012 - NASCAR.COM
- Section of I-85 dedicated in honor of Gordon - May 25, 2012 - NASCAR.COM
- Late-race excitement on tap in Charlotte - May 25, 2012 - NASCAR.COM
Features
- NASCAR's marketing boss goes under cover
- NASCAR Race car
- From Bowie to Lester -- a history of black Cup drivers
Opinions
- The ongoing evolution of the ladies in Victory Lane
- Winning Charlotte, Indy proving an impossible feat
- Ballerinas to bruisers: Long trades tutu for Trucks
Cup Series News
- Johnson-Earnhardt Jr. collaboration paying off
- Front-row sweep boosts hopes of revival at RPM
- Keselowski proud to carry on No. 2 tradition
- Section of I-85 dedicated in honor of Gordon
- Numbers: Late-race excitement on tap in Charlotte
- Patrick leaves Indianapolis 500 behind -- for now
Remember To Check Out
All External sites will open in a new browser window. NASCAR.COM does not endorse external sites.
© 2001-2012 NASCAR | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
NASCAR.COM is part of Turner Sports Digital, part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network.
© 2001-2012 NASCAR | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. NASCAR.COM is part of Turner Sports Digital, part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network.
