Martin remains on point as Chase turns to Fontana

Preview Show
Beau Estes and Mike Bell break down the race at Auto Club Speedway with the help of Denny Hamlin.
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Fantasy Report
Mike Bell brings you the picks to click for your fantasy race team this weekend in California.
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Garage Expert
Larry McReynolds talks with Pat Tryson, Kurt Busch's crew chief, about his decision to leave the team after the season and their chances of winning it all this year.
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Track Facts
Nikki Alexander brings you everything you need to know about the track in Southern California, including past winners and drivers to watch this weekend.
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Inside the Chase
Marty Snider says to look for more risk-taking as we go through the next few weeks. The exciting part? We're narrowing in on the real contenders for the championship.
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Breaking down the top 12

A record was set at Kansas for most Chase drivers finishing in the top 10 -- nine -- which means the standings weren't shuffled all that much. Leader Mark Martin finished seventh, so he did give up some points to six drivers. But he gained ground on second-place Jimmie Johnson, who finished ninth.

1. Mark Martin, 5,551 points -- Martin's top-five streak might have ended at five, but his seventh-place finish prevented half the Chase field from gaining too much on him.

2. Jimmie Johnson, 5,533 -- A four-tire call during an early pit stop cost Johnson the lead and track position he never regained. Crew chief Chad Knaus apologized for the rare mistake. Fortunately for the No. 48 team it wasn't too costly. Johnson's deficit went from 10 points to 18.

By the Numbers

Juan Montoya finished 11th at Fontana in February, setting a trend of career-best results at tracks that would ultimately lead him to the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

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3. Juan Montoya, 5,500 -- Montoya finished fourth Sunday and is the only Chase driver with top-fives in the first three races. Amazingly, though, Montoya has lost ground -- 11 points -- to Martin since the Chase began. You have to figure, though, if Montoya maintains his 3.7 average finish, that will change.

4. Tony Stewart, 5,484 -- Smoke broke out of his slumber in a big way with his fourth win of the season. He picked up 39 points on Martin and trails by 67. If Stewart goes on another tear, we could be looking at a four-driver shootout.

5. Kurt Busch, 5,460 -- After leading 33 laps in the first Chase race and 99 at Dover, Busch led two and finished 11th. His 7.3 average finish in the first three races is impressive, but that's not getting the job done. If a guy with a 3.7 average finish is losing ground, you can imagine how much ground Busch has lost. It gives you an idea of how competitive this Chase is.

6. Denny Hamlin, 5,452 -- Hamlin bounced back from his poor showing at Dover to finish fifth. If he can get back on his top-five roll -- he has three in his past four races -- he can begin chipping away at his 99-point deficit.

7. Jeff Gordon, 5,448 -- Gordon didn't get the win he needed, but he got the next-best thing -- a second-place finish. He now has finished second seven times this season. Gordon is tied with Stewart for most top-10s (20) and is second to Smoke in top-fives (14-13). If any driver can come back from a 103-point deficit, it's Gordon.

8. Greg Biffle, 5,437 -- Crew chief Greg Erwin wanted to go two tires on the last pit stop, but Biffle wanted four. Biffle got what he wanted and lost the race because of it, finishing third. If Biffle can put that mistake behind him, he'll be OK. If he carries it forward, the No. 16 team is toast, regardless of the difficulty of overcoming a 114-point deficit.

9. Ryan Newman, 5,387 -- Newman finished 22nd and is 164 points out. Turn out the lights, the party's over.

10. Carl Edwards, 5,386 -- Edwards finished in the top 10 (10th) for the first time since August and is 165 points back, which is the largest deficit a driver has overcome to win the Chase. Johnson did it in 2006. Edwards won't be doing it in 2009.

11. Kasey Kahne, 5,361 -- Kahne has bounced back from his 38th at Loudon with finishes of sixth and fifth. Even if he keeps up this pace, it won't be enough to overcome the blown engine two weeks ago. What a horrible time for Kahne's only DNF of the season.

12. Brian Vickers, 5,301 -- Since making a brilliant nine-race run just to make the Chase, Vickers has seen his Chase hopes fizzle. He finished 37th Sunday with a blown engine as is 250 points back. Vickers is now racing for wins, not the championship.

Top five and five to watch

A look at the top five drivers and five to watch in Sunday's Pepsi 500 at Fontana, Calif. All statistical references are for Sprint Cup races at Fontana unless otherwise indicated. Driver rating is based on the past nine races at the track.

Top five ...

Martin

1. Mark Martin, 94.9 Driver Rating -- Martin has a win and seven top-10s in 16 starts, but he finished 40th in February when his engine failed. It would be a shock if that happened Sunday. Martin hasn't finished worse than seventh since August. That streak should continue.

2. Jimmie Johnson, 119.4 -- Johnson was elated when Fontana swapped dates with Atlanta and moved into the Chase. His record at Auto Club Speedway is terrific: three wins and eight top-fives in 13 starts. His average finish is 6.2, and he has never finished worse than 16th. He has won this race the past two years. He trails Martin by 18 points.

3. Juan Montoya, 68.4 -- Montoya has no top-10s in five starts. Doesn't matter. He'd never done anything at Kansas, either, until he finished fourth there last week. Montoya, the only driver with top-fives in the first three Chase races, trails Martin by 51 points.

4. Tony Stewart, 98.2 -- Stewart is coming off a big win and needs to start another streak of top fives. Based on history, getting a top-five at Auto Club will be a challenge. He has three (no wins) in 16 starts. But there's no reason to think Stewart's car -- complete with Hendrick engine and chassis -- isn't capable. Smoke finished eighth in February for his eighth top-10.

5. Kurt Busch, 93.1 -- Busch finished fifth in February for his fourth top-five in 14 starts. He has one win at Fontana -- 2003, in his third start at the track. He finished 11th last week to drop 91 points behind Martin. He needs to do much better this week and begin cutting into Martin's lead.

Five to watch

Gordon

7. Jeff Gordon, 98.4 -- One of Gordon's seven runner-up finishes this year came at Auto Club in February. Overall, he has three wins and nine top-10s -- all top-five finishes -- in 18 starts. He needs more of the same Sunday.

8. Greg Biffle, 100.8 -- Biffle finished fourth in February and second in this race last year. He finished third last week and led a race-high 113 laps. He has the speed, know-how and pit crew to win Sunday. Biffle and Montoya are two drivers who should have a win by now. Auto Club is a good track for Biffle to make it happen.

10. Carl Edwards, 105.0 -- Edwards is winless in 2009 but hasn't had the kind of dominating efforts we've seen from Biffle and Montoya. Edwards is 165 points behind Martin, so he's racing for wins, not the championship. Auto Club is a good track for Edwards, but so have others and he has come up empty. He finished seventh in February for his ninth top-10 in 10 starts. Six have been top-fives, including a win in 2008.

13. Kyle Busch, 107.9 -- Busch has been strangely quiet during the Chase. The driver who wants to win every race -- checkers or wreckers -- hasn't led one lap in the past four races. There is nothing holding him back. Perhaps he'll break through at Auto Club, where he has eight top-10s in 10 starts, including a win and four top-fives. He finished third in February.

14. Matt Kenseth, 113.1 -- Even though Kenseth failed to make the Chase, he will be in the spotlight Sunday. His last win came in February at Auto Club. He was on top of the NASCAR world that day: a winner in the first two races of the season. Who knew his season had peaked on Feb. 22. If he weren't in such a tailspin, he would be a favorite to win Sunday. In his past eight starts at the track, he has three wins, two fifth-place finishes and three sevenths. Overall he has 11 top-10s in 15 starts.