With his win last week, Mark Martin joined Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson as the only active drivers with at least 40 victories. DOVER, Del. The oldest driver in Sprint Cup happens to be the best one in the sport this season. He’s won more races than Tony Stewart. Has more poles than Jimmie Johnson. He has earned more respect than any other driver in the garage and is the sentimental favorite to win his first Cup title.

DOVER, Del.—Jimmie Johnson will go for the Dover sweep from the pole. Johnson turned a lap of 157.356 mph yesterday at Dover International Speedway and will start first for only the second time this season. He led a career-high 298 laps in May to win at the Monster Mile. “A pole today will make the start of the weekend much better and give us a lot of direction and momentum moving into (Sunday),“ Johnson said. “It does carry you, and there is an aspect of momentum. But at the same time, you’ve got to go out and perform.“

All four of Jeff Gordon’s Cup championships came before the Chase playoff was instituted in 2004. “Do I wish that we had the old points system? Sort of,“ Gordon said. DOVER, Del. His career championship count has been stuck on four since 2001. Jeff Gordon might as well have reset that number to zero since the inception of Cup’s playoff system.

LOUDON, N.H. It’s been seven years since Mark Martin legitimately challenged for the championship. Now he’s got his best shot at the title that’s so painfully eluded him over 27 years in NASCAR. He’ll only have to deal with Jimmie Johnson. And Jeff Gordon. And Tony Stewart. Oh, don’t forget Denny Hamlin. Or Juan Pablo Montoya.

NEW YORK—Three-time defending NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson’s whirlwind day came to a close when four Knicks City Dancers presented him with a cake to celebrate his 34th birthday. In between, there was a pie-throwing contest at “Live! with Regis and Kelly,“ fashion advice from Brian Vickers to Kurt Busch, and Ryan Newman’s attempt to toss popcorn across a room and into someone’s open mouth.

Denny Hamlin jumped out of his car, removed his helmet, pumped his fists a few times and made a beeline across the track to pick up the checkered flag. After jogging back to his car, which he left parked at the bottom of the track, Hamlin climbed back in and did a burnout in front of adoring fans. Finally, after so many hometown heartaches at Richmond International Raceway, Hamlin could crow.

Denny Hamlin continued to run up his laps-led meter at Richmond International Raceway in the early going last night. Hamlin, a former Chesterfield resident, started third. He passed Martin Truex Jr. on the first lap, then took the lead from pole-sitter Mark Martin on Lap 3. Hamlin was so dominant that he lapped Max Papis on Lap 31. Shortly after passing Papis, Hamlin opened a 1.31-second lead.

The focus was on the cars from Joe Gibbs Racing from the beginning at Richmond International Raceway last night. Former Chesterfield resident Denny Hamlin led almost from the beginning and won, his second victory of the season and his first home-track Sprint Cup triumph. Hamlin started in the third position. He passed Martin Truex Jr. on the first lap, then took the lead from pole-sitter Mark Martin on Lap 3.

Conversations between drivers and pit crews during NASCAR races usually are interesting, sometimes are colorful and frequently are insightful. Tonight will be a good time to be on the headset listening to those conversations because they might be especially revealing. The Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway is the final event before the Chase for Sprint Cup, the 10 races that determine the season championship.

It might not have quite the “cool factor” on the official race logo, but mathematicians everywhere would surely appreciate it. Tonight’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway could easily be called the “Fun With Numbers 400”. To wit: 400: laps remaining in the NASCAR’s regular season before only the top 12 are eligible for the Sprint Cup Championship;

As drivers and crews scramble for top spots going into the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the Richmond region is scrambling to cash in on race weekend when its economic boost is more important than ever. International Speedway Corp. officials announced in July that the Indy Racing League event won’t return to Richmond International Raceway next year, putting more pressure on this weekend’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 to bring in big bucks in the face of a still-slumping economy.

The talk around NASCAR garages this week is all about the final spots in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Eleven drivers are competing for eight spots, with the “bubble boys,“ Brian Vickers in 13th and Kyle Busch at 14th, needing big performances from their teams and some bad luck from other teams to sneak into the top 12. This week is not much different from a final exam in school.

Doing the difficult—driving a race car in bumper-to-bumper traffic at speeds exceeding 120 mph—is not enough for Tony Stewart. He opted to do the seemingly impossible—not only drive the race car but also own the team. It seemed a recipe for trouble. The last driver/owner to win a race in the top division was Ricky Rudd in 1998. The last owner/driver to win the NASCAR points title was Alan Kulwicki in 1992.

Above: Mark Martin has made 39 trips to victory lane—including this one at Chicagoland Speedway in July—since beginning his Cup career in 1981. Below: Fans at Bristol Motor Speedway commemorate Martin’s 1,000th NASCAR start. The life of a NASCAR driver involves racetrack after racetrack week after week, an exhilarating finish one time, a disappointing finish the next.

The 11 drivers vying for the final eight spots, and how the 8-Ball handicaps the field right now (a maximum of 161 points can be made up in a given race). Cup driverPoints off
13thWins this
yearWins at
RichmondAvg. finish
at RIRForecast for making Chase
5. Carl Edwards+1050019.0You may rely on it. 6. Kasey Kahne+962118.5Yes.