Top 10 in Points at This Track

First
Matt Kenseth finished fourth in the 2006 Bass Pro Shops 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He has scored six top-15 finishes in the seven Chase races, the only driver to do so. Kenseth has scored 15 top-five finishes in 2006, the most among all drivers. He has scored top-10 finishes in four of the first seven races in the Chase. Kenseth scored four victories in 2006, winning at California, Dover and the second Michigan and Bristol events. Kenseth remained first in the standings following Atlanta, his second straight week as the leader in seven Chase races. He now leads second-place Jimmie Johnson by 26 points. Kenseth led Johnson at the conclusion of the Race to The Chase by 57 points, prior to the point adjustment, and by five after the adjustment. He is one of only three drivers to participate in all three years of the Chase. One year ago he ranked seventh in the standings after race No. 7 of the Chase. Kenseth finished eighth in 2004 and seventh in the 2005 final standings. Kenseth has ranked among the top-five in the standings since his victory in race No. 2 at California, 32 straight races. Kenseth has been running at the finish in the last 27 races (since Texas in April). Kenseth has 27 top-15 finishes in 2006. Kenseth has led in four of the seven Chase races. He has competed in eight races at Texas Motor Speedway, scoring one victory and four top-10 finishes. His only Texas victory came in April 2002. He finished third in this race one year ago and second in April. He has only one top-10 finish in his last four races Texas. Kenseth has led in just three of his 13 races at Texas. He has a 12.125 average finish there, ranking fourth among the 10 Chase drivers. Kenseth has won at least one race each season for five consecutive years (2002-2006).

Second
Jimmie Johnson finished second in the 2006 Bass Pro Shops 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, posting his fifth top-15 finish in the Chase, including finishes of first or second in the last three. He climbed from third to second in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings. Johnson was the point leader after all but four of the first 26 races in 2006 and trailed then-leader Matt Kenseth by 57 points at the conclusion of the Race to The Chase, prior to the point adjustment, and by five after the adjustment. Johnson trails current leader Matt Kenseth by 26 points. He is one of only three drivers to compete in all three years of the Chase. One year ago he ranked second in the standings after the seventh Chase race. Johnson finished second in 2004 and fifth in the 2005 final standings. This will be the fifth straight season that Johnson has finished in the top 10 in the final standings. Johnson joins Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon in the Chase, giving car owner Rick Hendrick the most drivers in this year's Chase. Johnson has scored 21 top-10 finishes in 33 races this season, the most of all drivers. He has scored five victories in 2006 (Daytona, Las Vegas, the May event at Talladega, Indianapolis and second Martinsville). In 2004 Johnson posted four victories in the Chase, the most wins by a driver in the three-year history of the Chase. Like Kenseth, Johnson has scored 27 top-15s in the first 33 races. Johnson has ranked among the top 10 for 102 straight races, since Atlanta in March 2004. Johnson held a 124-point lead over Matt Kenseth after Race No. 22 at Watkins Glen, the biggest lead of the season. He has competed in six races at Texas, scoring six top-15 finishes. Five of those finishes were top 10s. Johnson finished fifth in this race one year ago and 11th there in April, his worst finish at Texas. Johnson has a 7.0 average finish at Texas, ranking second among the top-10 drivers. Johnson has led just once for two laps at Texas. Johnson has won at least one race each season for five consecutive years (2002-2006).

Third
Denny Hamlin finished eighth in the 2006 Bass Pro Shops 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and climbed from fourth to third in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings. Hamlin has scored four top-10 finishes in the first seven races in the Chase, joining Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon. He trailed then-leader Matt Kenseth by 437 points at the conclusion of the Race to The Chase, prior to the point adjustment, and by 20 after the adjustment. He now trails current leader Matt Kenseth by 39 points. He is just 19 point ahead of fifth-place Jeff Burton. Hamlin is the first Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year contender to make the Chase since the program's 2004 inception. Hamlin has two victories in 2006, sweeping both races at Pocono Raceway. He has 17 top-10 finishes in 2006, the most among all rookie contenders. Hamlin has been the highest finishing rookie in 16 of the 33 races this season. Hamlin has been running at the finish in the last 27 races. He has competed in two races at Texas, scoring a seventh-place finish in this race one year ago and a fourth-place there in April. Hamlin led 41 laps at Texas in April. His 5.5 average finish ranks first among the top-10 Chase drivers.

Fourth
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished third in the 2006 Bass Pro Shops 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and climbed from sixth to fourth in the standings. He and Matt Kenseth are the only drivers to score top-25 finishes in all seven Chase races. He trailed then-leader Matt Kenseth by 447 points at the conclusion of the Race to The Chase, prior to the point adjustment, and by 25 after the adjustment. Earnhardt Jr. trails leader Kenseth by 84 points. This marks his second year in the Chase. One year ago he ranked 19th in the standings. He missed the 2005 Chase by 216 points. He finished fifth in 2004, the inaugural year of the Chase. Earnhardt finished 19th in the final standings in 2005. He has scored 22 top-15 finishes this season. Earnhardt Jr. has one victory in 2006, winning at Richmond in May. He has competed in eight races at Texas, scoring one victory and six top-10 finishes. He won at Texas in his first race there in April 2000, which also marked his career-first victory. He finished eighth in this race one year ago and 12th there in April. Earnhardt has a 10.750 average finish at Texas, ranking third among the 10 Chase drivers. He has led in five of his eight races there, but has not led in the last three.

Fifth
Jeff Burton finished 13th in the 2006 Bass Pro Shops 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and remained fifth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings. Burton has scored four top-10 finishes in the seven races in the Chase, one of four drivers to do so. He now trails leader Matt Kenseth by 84. He trailed then-leader Matt Kenseth by 463 points at the conclusion of the Race to The Chase, prior to the point adjustment, and by 35 after the adjustment. This marks Burton's first year in the Chase (along with Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick) and the first time team owner Richard Childress has had a driver in the Chase since the program's 2004 inception. Burton's teammate, Harvick, began the Chase in third place. RCR has won two of the seven races in the Chase. Burton led in the first four Chase races, but not in the last three. He has posted 25 top-15 finishes in 2006. He has scored 19 top-10 finishes in 33 races this season. One year ago he ranked 18th in the standings after 33 races. Burton has competed in all 11 races at Texas, scoring one victory and four top-10 finishes. His victory occurred in the first Texas race in 1997 and marked his career-first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series victory. He finished 30th in this race one year ago and sixth there in April, the latter his only top-10 finish in his last seven races at Texas. He has led in three races at Texas, but not in his last seven races there. Burton has a 17.454 average finish at Texas, ranking seventh among the 10 Chase drivers.

Sixth
Kevin Harvick finished 31st in the 2006 Bass Pro Shops 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and dropped from second to sixth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings. Harvick has scored top-20 finishes in five of the seven races in the Chase. Harvick trailed then-leader Matt Kenseth by 304 points at the conclusion of the Race to The Chase, prior to the point adjustment, and by 10 after the adjustment. Harvick trails current leader Matt Kenseth by 121 points and has a 25-point lead on sixth-place Jeff Gordon. Harvick has led in two of the seven Chase races, earning 10 lap leader bonus points at New Hampshire for leading the most laps and five more at Atlanta. This marks Harvick's first year in the Chase along with Burton, the first time team owner Richard Childress has had a driver in the Chase since the program's 2004 inception. Harvick is one of five “first-timers” to compete in the Chase. Harvick has ranked among the top 10 in the last 27 races, since Texas in April. One year ago he ranked 14th in the standings after 33 races. Harvick has scored 17 top-10 finishes in 2006 and top-15 finishes in 14 of his last 17 races. He has competed in seven races at Texas, scoring just two top-10 finishes. Those top 10s came in his first and last races there. He finished seventh in his first Texas start. He finished 13th or worse in the following five races there. He finished 16th in this race one year ago and fifth in April. He has led in three of his seven races at Texas, but has led just four laps. Harvick has a 13.428 average finish at Texas, ranking fifth among the 10 Chase drivers.

Seventh
Jeff Gordon finished sixth in the 2006 Bass Pro Shops 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and climbed from ninth to seventh in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings. He joins Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Burton as one of just three drivers that have scored three top-five finishes in the first seven races in the Chase. He also is the only driver with three DNFs in the first seven races in the Chase. Gordon trailed then-leader Matt Kenseth by 464 points at the conclusion of the Race to The Chase, prior to the point adjustment, and by 40 after the adjustment. He trails current leader Matt Kenseth by 146 points. This marks Gordon's second year in The Chase. One year ago he ranked 12th in the standings. He finished third in 2004, the inaugural year of The Chase. Gordon finished 11th in the standings in 2005. Gordon has two victories in 2006, winning at Infineon and Chicago. He has scored 21 top- 15 finishes in 33 races in 2006. Gordon has scored four top-10 finishes in 11 races at Texas, all top-fives. Gordon finished 14th in this race one year ago and 22nd there in April. Gordon has a 17.545 finishing average at Texas, ranking eighth among all Chase drivers.

Eighth
Mark Martin finished 36th in the 2006 Bass Pro Shops 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and dropped from seventh to eighth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings. Martin scored four top-15 finishes in the first four races in the Chase, then followed with 30th, 24th and 36th-place finishes in the last three races. He trailed thenleader Matt Kenseth at the conclusion of the Race to The Chase by 449 points, prior to the point adjustment, and by 30 after the adjustment. He now trails current leader Matt Kenseth by 201 points. Martin is one of only three drivers to compete in all three years of the Chase. A year ago he ranked sixth after race No. 33. Martin finished fourth in 2004 and fourth again in the 2005 final standings. During 2004 and 2005 he scored just one Chase victory (Kansas in 2005), but five second-place finishes. Martin has not won in 2006 and his best Chase finish in the first seven races is third at Kansas. He has one victory (April 1998) and six top-10 finishes in 11 races at Texas. Martin finished second in this race one year ago and ninth there in April. Martin has a 13.545 average finish at Texas, ranking sixth among the 10 Chase drivers. Martin is the only Chase driver who has not won in 2006. Martin has not won a race since his victory at Kansas in October 2005, 39 races ago.

Ninth
Kasey Kahne finished 38th in the 2006 Bass Pro Shops 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and dropped from eighth to ninth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings. It marked his second DNF in the Chase. Kahne has scored three top-10 finishes in the Chase. Kahne made the Chase by beating 11th-place Tony Stewart by just 16 points. He trailed then-leader Matt Kenseth by 466 points at the conclusion of the Race to The Chase, prior to the adjustment, and by 45 after the adjustment. This marks Kahne's first year in the Chase and the third by an Evernham Motorsports driver (Jeremy Mayfield finished 10th in 2004 and ninth in 2005). Kahne has scored six victories in 2006, more than any other driver. Kahne has posted 19 top-15 finishes in 2006. He has 17 top-10 finishes in 33 races this season. One year ago he ranked 22nd in the standings after 33 races. Kahne has competed in four races at Texas, scoring one victory and two top-10 finishes, both top-fives. He finished 42nd in this race one year ago, posting his second Texas DNF and first at Texas in April. Kahne has led in two of his four races at Texas. He has a 20.0 average finish at Texas, ranking ninth among the 10 Chase drivers.

10th
Kyle Busch finished 27th in the 2006 Bass Pro Shops 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and remained 10th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings. He has ranked 10th after five of the seven Chase races. Busch has scored 17 top-10 finishes in 2006. He has scored two top-10 finishes in the first seven races of The Chase. One year ago Busch ranked 20th after 33 races. He trailed then-leader Matt Kenseth by 361 points at the conclusion of the Race to The Chase, prior to the point adjustment, and by 15 after the adjustment. He now trails current leader Matt Kenseth by 249 points. This marks Busch's first year in The Chase, one of five drivers new to The Chase. He has scored 23 top-15 finishes in 2006. Busch has competed in three races at Texas, finishing outside the top-10 in all three. He finished 40th in this race one year ago and 15th there in April, his only top-15 finish at Texas. Busch finished 21st in his first race at Texas. He has never led at Texas. Busch has a 25.333 average finish at Texas, ranking last among the 10 Chase drivers.