Chase for the Nextel Cup heads to Charlotte

Standings for the 2007 Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup remain tight at the top as the series heads for Saturday's Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Eight of the 12 eligible Chase participants – the top 12 in the Nextel Cup Series standings as of Sept. 8 – switched positions following last Sunday's event at Talladega Superspeedway.

Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) reclaimed the lead with his Talladega victory, passing reigning champion and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet).

Johnson trails Jeff Gordon by only nine points heading to LMS.

First-time Chase participant Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet), remains third for the second consecutive week.

Bowyer trails Johnson by 54 points; Jeff Gordon by 63.

Round 5
Saturday's Bank of America 500 under the LMS lights marks the fifth event in the 10-race Chase. It began Sept. 16 at New Hampshire and culminates Sunday, Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Chase field – the top 12 drivers in the series standings following race No. 26 at Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 8 – compete for the series title during the season's final 10 events.

Jeff Gordon, the current standings leader, has four wins, seven poles, 13 top fives and 15 top 10s at LMS.

Second-place Johnson leads all active drivers with five LMS wins; also two poles, eight top fives and 11 top 10s.

Three other Chase participants have LMS victories – Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot), Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford) and Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT & T Mobility Chevrolet).

Stewart and Matt Kenseth have one LMS victory. Jeff Burton has two.

Johnson heads to LMS with the best pre-race driving rating there according to NASCAR's Loop Data statistics – 121.0.

Three Chase participants tumbled two spots due to finishes in last Sunday's Talladega event – Kyle Busch (No. 5 Kellogg's/Carquest Chevrolet) to eighth, Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops) to 10th and Jeff Burton to 12th.

Chesterfield's Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet) was the biggest Chase gainer, jumping three spots to ninth place. Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) climbed two spots seventh.

Johnson's House
Johnson is the current master at LMS, a fact boosted by statistics. His five victories there – the best of all active drivers – means he tops most lists of favorites. But he's a threat to win even when he doesn't get to Victory Lane.

Johnson finished second when Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) swept both 2006 events at LMS.

He finished 10th behind winner – and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Casey Mears (No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet) – in the Coca-Cola 600 at May.

NASCAR's pre-race Loop Date statistics validate Johnson's LMS prowess. He leads Driver's Rating (121.0), Average Running Position (7.549), Closers (average of 7.2 positions gained in last 10 percent of laps in race), Laps in Top 15 (1,676), Fastest Laps Run (174), Fastest on Frontstretch and Backstretch, and in Turns 2, 3 and 4.

Teammates view to be No. 1
As the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup approaches the halfway point, a pair of Hendrick Motorsports teammates – Jeff Gordon and Johnson – have established themselves as the drivers to beat for the 2007 crown.

Jeff Gordon is a four-time series champion, winning in 1995, '97-98, and 2001. Should he lay claim to his fifth title this year, he would inch closer to the record of seven championships held by Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty.

Johnson is the defending Nextel Cup Series champion and will attempt to become the first driver since Jeff Gordon to win back-to-back titles. Since he began racing fulltime for Hendrick in 2002, Johnson has never finished lower than fifth in the point standings.

What a difference a year makes: Last year heading to the Chase event at LMS, Johnson was in eight place and 156 points out of first. Jeff Gordon was seventh, 147 points out.

Loop doesn't lie
Heading into Saturday's Bank of America 500, season-to-date NASCAR Loop Data statistics reveal the dominance – and excellence – of this season's Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup participants. Five of those 12 drivers lead telltale categories.

Standings leader Jeff Gordon has a series-high Average Running Position of 9.3.

Reigning champion Johnson has run a series-high 747 Fastest Laps.

Kurt Busch has a series-high 1,630 Quality Passes (of cars in the top 15 under green-flag conditions).

Truex has a series-high 2,682 Green Flag Passes.

Matt Kenseth has a series-high 8,009 Laps Run on the Lead Lap.

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