DRIVERS | Chase for championship
TONY STEWART
Car: No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet
Chase points: First, 5,957
Position change: None
What happened: Stewart finished second at Martinsville to break a tie with Jimmie Johnson for the points lead. He is now up by 15 points heading into Atlanta, where he has seven top-10 finishes and one victory.
JIMMIE JOHNSON
Car: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet
Chase points: Second, 5,942
Position change: Minus 1
What happened: Johnson was third at Martinsville, not good enough to hold onto a share of the Chase lead. But he has been consistent, with five top-10 finishes in six Chase races. In eight races in Atlanta, he has five top-10 finishes and is the defending race winner.
RYAN NEWMAN
Car: No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge
Chase points: Third, 5,894
Position change: Plus 1
What happened: Newman finished 10th at Martinsville to notch his fifth top-10 effort in six Chase races. He heads to Atlanta as the favorite to win the pole -- he has started first the past five races -- but will have to fight to win the race. He finished 17th at Atlanta last season and was 14th earlier this year.
GREG BIFFLE
Car: No. 16 National Guard/Subway Ford
Chase points: Fourth, 5,874
Position change: Minus 1
What happened: Biffle was in a late-race accident in Martinsville and ended up finishing 20th to drop one spot in the standings. He heads back to Atlanta trying to match or improve upon his career-best third-place finish there earlier this season.
CARL EDWARDS
Car: No. 99 Office Depot Ford
Chase points: Fifth, 5,808
Position change: Plus 1
What happened: Although Edwards finished a mediocre 26th in Martinsville, it was good enough to climb one spot in the standings. He'll look to make up more ground in Atlanta, where he scored his first career victory in March. He was third in this race a year ago, and his 2.0 finishing average at Atlanta ranks first among the Chase drivers.
RUSTY WALLACE
Car: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
Chase points: Sixth, 5,791
Position change: Plus 1
What happened: Wallace was headed toward a top-five finish in Martinsville until a late accident relegated him to 19th. Still, he gained a spot in the standings. Wallace has two wins at Atlanta, but none since 1993. He has also failed to lead a lap there in his last 18 races.
MARK MARTIN
Car: No. 6 Viagra Ford
Chase points: Seventh, 5,787
Position change: Minus 2
What happened: Martin had a terrible weekend in Martinsville and finished 34th to drop two spots in the Chase. He has two career wins at Atlanta, was second in this race last year and fourth in March.
KURT BUSCH
Car: No. 97 Irwin Industrial Tools/Sharpie Ford
Chase points: Eighth (tied), 5,785
Position change: Plus 2
What happened: Busch finally made up some ground in the Chase, jumping two spots in the standings by finishing sixth in Martinsville. He's struggled at Atlanta lately, blowing an engine last season to finish 42nd and he was 32nd there earlier this year.
MATT KENSETH
Car: No. 17 DeWalt Tools Ford
Chase points: Eighth (tied), 5,785
Position change: Plus 1
What happened: Kenseth is tied with teammate Busch in the standings after finishing 12th at Martinsville. In 11 races at Atlanta, Kenseth has five top-10 finishes. He was a career-worst 41st in this race last year.
JEREMY MAYFIELD
Car: No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge
Chase points: Tenth, 5,741
Position change: Minus 2
What happened: Mayfield seems to be sputtering in the Chase, dropping to last place after finishing 28th in Martinsville. He has only finished in the top 10 in one of six Chase events. His 21.0 average finish at Atlanta is ninth among Chase contenders.
Associated Press
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