Front-runner Stewart looks to build on plate success

Preview Show
Bob Fiscella and Mike Bell break down the "World Center of Racing" as the Race to the Chase heats up.
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Fantasy Preview
Mike Bell gives you all the picks to click for your fantasy racing rosters and chooses a winner to flip for.
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Crowning Achievement
Richard Petty reflects on his 200th career victory, a win he captured in front of President Ronald Reagan.
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Garage Expert
Larry McReynolds talks with crew chief Brian Pattie, of the No. 42 Chevrolet, about double-file restart strategies and trying to make the Chase.
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Track Facts
Melanie Collins brings you everything you need to know about Daytona -- from the history to the top performers at the track.
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Snider's Six
Marty Snider brings you the six keys to a successful race under the lights in Daytona.
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Travel Log
Saturday night's Fourth of July extravaganza at Daytona marks the time of year in which the Sprint Cup Series makes ...
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Breaking down the Top 12

The drivers atop the top 12 should be feeling good with nine races to go before the Chase field is set. But from sixth place on down, not so much -- and we have a restrictor-plate race coming up, which could knock out any one of those seven drivers. Here's our weekly breakdown of the top 12:

1. Tony Stewart, 2,524 points -- Stewart's fifth-place finish Sunday gives him nine top-fives (he had 10 all of last season) and improves his average finish to a series-best 8.2. His career best is 9.9 when he won his second Cup championship in 2005.

2. Jeff Gordon, 2,455 -- Gordon finished second for the fourth time this season. It was the 256th top-five of Gordon's Cup career, moving him past Cale Yarborough into sole possession of sixth on the all-time list.

3. Jimmie Johnson, 2,355 -- For the first time since the fourth race of the season, someone other than Kyle Busch has led the most laps. Johnson led a race-high 93 laps Sunday to give him 887 laps led this season to Busch's 808. Together, they have led 33.7 percent of all laps.

4. Kurt Busch, 2,254 -- Busch finished third for his fifth top-five of 2009 (he had five all of last year). His duels with Gordon on seven of the race's 10 restarts provided some of the most exciting moments Sunday.

5. Carl Edwards, 2,157 -- After Edwards' four-win breakout season in 2005, he went winless in 2006 when much was expected of him. He won nine times last year and much was expected this year. Edwards finished 19th Sunday to remain winless. Are we seeing a repeat of 2006?

6. Denny Hamlin, 2,132 -- Hamlin finished 15th and lost 11 points of his lead over the 13th-place driver, Kasey Kahne, who finished 10th. Hamlin begins a logjam of drivers on the Chase bubble. He has an 84-point lead on Kahne, who is one point behind No. 12 Juan Montoya. Clint Bowyer in 16th is 94 points behind Montoya. Wins are great, but from here through Richmond, unless he builds a big enough cushion, Hamlin is racing the guys behind him in the standings.

7. Ryan Newman, 2,127 -- Newman finished 29th and had a terrible points day, going from 132 ahead of Kahne to 79. That's a lot to give up in one race. For Newman's immediate strategy, see Hamlin.

8. Kyle Busch, 2,108 -- Busch broke out of his "slump" with a seventh-place finish, his first top-10 in five races. Just in time, too. It stalls the talk of, "Could Kyle Busch really not make the Chase?" Even when he's off his game, Busch is still one of the most feared drivers on the track. He leads Kahne by 60 points.

9. Greg Biffle, 2,106 -- Here's an eye-opener: Biffle was the top Ford driver Sunday, even though he finished 18th. He lost a bunch of ground and now leads Kahne by 58 points.

10. Matt Kenseth, 2,054 -- From Kenseth through No. 14 David Reutimann, a mere wiggle on a late lap can mean the difference from being inside the top 12 or scrambling to get back in. Kenseth is six points ahead of Kahne and 17 ahead of Reutimann. Kenseth finished 22nd for his fourth consecutive finish outside the top 10. That Kenseth has been in the top 12 all season is a minor miracle. He has been teetering on the brink since the fifth race of the season.

11. Mark Martin, 2,052 -- How important is every point? Martin is in the top 12 only because he led one lap while finishing 14th Sunday. Take away those five bonus points, and he is 13th in the standings. Next up is Daytona, where he is winless in 48 Cup starts. He finished 16th in the 500 but crashed after six laps at Talladega in the season's second restrictor-plate race and finished last. An early DNF Saturday night for Martin -- or any of the bubble drivers -- could be disastrous.

12. Juan Montoya, 2,049 -- Montoya's top-10 streak ended at three with his 12th-place finish. But wasn't it Montoya who said at Charlotte in May he needed to average a 14.5 finish through the end of the regular season to make the Chase? So far, so good, even if he is in the top 12 by a point.

Top five and five to watch

Here's a look at the top five in points and five drivers to watch on Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. All statistical references are for Cup Series races at Daytona unless otherwise indicated. Driver rating is based on the past nine races at the track.

• Top five ...

1. Tony Stewart, 104.4 Driver Rating -- Both of Stewart's wins at Daytona have come in the July race. But even when he's not winning, he's driving among the leaders. He has led laps in all but two of the past 11 races, 539 laps total.

2. Jeff Gordon, 95.6 -- Gordon has six wins at Daytona, but since his win in the 2005 Daytona 500, Gordon has four finishes worse than 25th, including finishes of 40th, 39th and 30th (last July).

3. Jimmie Johnson, 91.8 -- Johnson's mastery at Daytona appears to have come to a complete stop since he won the 2006 Daytona 500. In the six races since, he has one top-10 and an average finish of 27.0. He had seven top-10s, including five top-fives, in his first nine races.

4. Kurt Busch, 90.8 -- Busch has a weird record at Daytona. In 17 starts, he has eight top-fives and seven finishes 30th or worse, including four 36th or worse. Four of those top-fives have come in the past six starts.

5. Carl Edwards, 80.7 -- Don't look for Edwards to get his first win in 2009 on Saturday night. He has a second and a fourth the past two years and that's it in nine starts. His average finish for the nine races is 21.4. For the seven outside the top five, it's 26.7.

• Five to watch ...

10. Matt Kenseth, 95.1 -- Welcome to Bubbleland. The spread from Kenseth to No. 14 David Reutimann is 14 points. The key for all of these drivers: Finish the race. Or, at the very least, don't get caught up in a big wreck early. Kenseth won the 500 for his first win at Daytona in 19 starts. Top finishes for Kenseth have been few at the track, though. It was only his third top-five.

11. Mark Martin, 85.7 -- At least Kenseth has a win. Martin is winless in 48 races. Not surprisingly, restrictor-plate tracks are not among Martin's favorites. He has two top-10s in his past eight starts, including the 2007 Daytona 500 when he barely lost to Kevin Harvick. Overall at Daytona, he has 17 top-10s.

12. Juan Montoya, 54.9 -- Montoya is 0-for-5 at Daytona; his 14th-place finish in February his top effort. He is having his best year since going full time in the series in 2007, so perhaps he'll get off the schneid.

13. Kasey Kahne, 78.1 -- Kahne had a streak of four consecutive top-10s snapped with a 29th-place finish in February. He sits one point behind Montoya. Because of the nature of restrictor-plate racing, it's not as if Kahne can track Montoya and pounce late. But don't expect Kahne to be the first to leave the draft in the final laps.

14. David Reutimann, 54.6 -- Reutimann also is 0-for-5. And, like Montoya, had his best finish in February (12th). And, like Montoya, is having his best season since going full time in 2007. Reutimann is 12 points behind Montoya.