Jimmie Johnson Looks To Maintain His Chase Lead At Martinsville

NFL News - October 22nd, 2009 - Written by Scott

After five races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Jimmie Johnson has emerged as the front runner to win the coveted prize. He has won three of the five Chase races this year and has jumped out ahead of Mark Martin who led in the points standings through the first three races. Johnson's win last weekend put him 90 points in front of Martin, who is second in the standings. This Sunday, Johnson will have another opportunity to continue his dominance in the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Half of the Chase is still yet take place, and Johnson realizes there is plenty of time for some of the other contenders to make a run.

"I think it's a nice points lead, but there's no need for anybody to get too excited yet," Johnson said. "We're excited and optimistic, but at the same time, there's a lot of danger out there. One flat tire, one mechanical [problem], Talladega ... I'm not trying to downplay where we're at, but there's five races left. There's a lot of races left."

Martin was the leader after winning the first race of the Chase at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and is a four time series runner-up. He is still one of the top contenders, despite falling from the top spot. Jeff Gordon has three top five finishes in the last three races and has jumped into third in the standings. Gordon now trails Johnson by 135 points and he should be a factor in this race as he has thirteen straight top five finishes at Martinsville. Tony Stewart is holding down the fourth spot and is 155 points behind. He is a two-time winner at Martinsville and realizes he still has a shot, but there are no guarantees.
"All we can do is just do our job," Stewart said. "Even if we win the race for the last five weeks in a row, there is still no guarantee that we could close the gap (on Johnson). All we can do is worry about ourselves right now."

Kurt Busch rounds out the top five and is 177 points behind Johnson. He has not had the best of luck at Martinsville and has not finished in the top ten in his last seven races at this track.

Johnson is the clear favorite in the race on Sunday. He has been on a tear and is looking for his fourth straight Cup title, a NASCAR record. Johnson has won five out of the last six races at Martinsville and has eleven top five finishes. He looks forward to the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Motor Speedway, a track where he races really well.

"I think it's going to be a great race." Johnson said. "It's been a good track to us over the years and it's been an opportunity for us to gain points on some of the other Chase contenders that maybe don't prefer or like that track."

Jimmie Johnson is the favorite to win the race with a moneyline set at +250 according to Betus sportsbook.  Gordon and Denny Hamlin have their lines set at +500. Nascar Betting Lines on all the other drivers can be found at Betus.

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