Martin, Johnson among best at Indy recently

Mark Martin's Hendrick Motorsports sophomore slump needs to end soon, lest he might find himself outside the Chase come New Hampshire.

It would be a weird scenario, indeed, especially considering his first year with Hendrick. To finish the year last season, Martin joined Jimmie Johnson as the only drivers with a mathematical chance at winning the championship. But this season has been mostly a disappointment, especially in the last six races -- all of which have been finishes outside the top 10.

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During that span, Martin has had an average finish of 20.5, a Driver Rating of 70.8, an Average Running Position of 18.5, a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 31.0, five Laps Led and a Pass Differential (passes minus times passed) of minus 34. Worse yet, the slump has dropped Martin from a comfy 10th in points to a perilous 14th.

But Indianapolis should provide the Rx that Martin needs to rebound with six races remaining before the Chase starts. He has finished in the top 10 in four of his past five Indianapolis races. In that span, he has averaged a Driver Rating of 104.8, an Average Running Position of 9.2, a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 82.0 and 34 Fastest Laps Run.

Johnson hopes for the same slump-buster. Though, to be fair, his recent woes are more a result of bad luck than bad runs.

In finishes of 31st at Daytona and 25th at Chicagoland, Johnson averaged a Driver Rating of 99.0 -- proof that he ran better than his results would suggest. After a bumpy start to his Indy career (Johnson had finishes of 18th, 36th and 38th in three of his first four IMS races), the four-time series champion has rebounded -- big time.

Winning three of the past four Indy races, Johnson has scored a Driver Rating of 116.4, an Average Running Position of 11.1, 80 Fastest Laps Run and 128 Laps Led. And that includes a finish of 39th in 2007.