Biffle, Martin, Montoya gain momentum, ground at TMS (cont'd)

Kenseth was thrilled to reverse a four-race skid in which he had only one finish, a 12th, better than 23rd.

"The result was good [because] I didn't think were very good at all [Saturday] in practice," Kenseth said. "Drew [Blickensderfer, crew chief] and Chip [Bolin, engineer] and these guys did a good job of not giving up and trying to salvage something out of nothing.

Matt Kenseth led three times for 55 laps, third-most.

“

We've just been pathetic since California. So to come here and get a top-five and get a little momentum going, that's what we needed to do.

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MATT KENSETH

"This is a great day. We've just been pathetic since California. I think our average finish was 27th, so to come here and get a top-five and get a little momentum going, that's what we needed to do."

Kenseth moved up three spots in the standings, to ninth.

Martin's progress forward in the standings is even more dramatic after horrendous circumstances in the season's first three races knocked him almost out of the critical top 35 in the owners' standings.

Martin, who was in 34th in the drivers' standings after three races and remained there after four; moved up three spots with a sixth-place finish at Bristol; four more spots after finishing seventh at Martinsville; and with his third consecutive top-10 , jumped nine spots to sit 17th heading into the Easter break.

Martin didn't talk about points, but he had plenty to say about crew chief Alan Gustafson and the performance of his Hendrick Motorsports crew.

"The [car] was really good [Sunday] -- I was worried after [Saturday's] practice that we may have a 20th-place car," Martin said. "But the guys, like every other Sunday, gave me a great race car. They worked really hard and Alan made all the right changes to get us in the top 10 [on Sunday].

"That last run, we were the loosest we'd been all day. I'm not sure if it was the tires or what. I really wanted that top five, but just couldn't get there. I'm looking forward to spending my off weekend with my fans in Batesville [Arkansas] and then heading to Phoenix with these guys."

If his team decides to take a chassis that shares characteristics with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr.'s, Montoya may be equally enthused after he scored his third consecutive top-12 finish, which moved him up a spot in the standings and only 16 points out of the Chase.

It's a remarkable turnaround for Montoya, who won as a rookie in 2007 but struggled to find his way in 2008 before finishing 25th in the standings. Finishing ninth at Bristol, 12th at Martinsville and seventh at Texas marks a career-best three-race string for him.

His veteran crew chief, Brian Pattie, is impressed, as well, and looking forward to even better things as EGR tries to get its car fleet on the same page, so to speak.

"It just shows how much hard work these guys did back at the shop all winter trying to get all these cars identical," Pattie said. "We're seven races in and we're close to being 12th in points, so that's a good start. We have to take advantage of the tracks we run well at, so that when we go to the places where statistically we haven't been so good the last two years, we'll still have a shot at the Chase.

"I think the two things that have made a difference for us are the [Earnhardt Childress Racing Technologies] motors are great, unbelievable and reliable and the dedication of our people in the [fabrication] shop.

"This crew at the track is the best group of guys I've ever had, but the guys at the shop [are incredible]. Literally, when I say we've had new race cars, this is the first time we've had a double-up race car this year and to go to Phoenix next week we'll have another brand-new car."