Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup: Race 4, Auto Club Speedway

THE RACE:Pepsi 500

WHEN: Sunday, October 11

TV: ABC (2:30 p.m. ET)

THE CHASE STANDINGS: Mark Martin 5,551, Jimmie Johnson 5,533, Juan Pablo Montoya 5,500, Tony Stewart 5,484, Kurt Busch 5,460, Denny Hamlin 5,452, Jeff Gordon 5,448, Greg Biffle 5,437, Ryan Newman 5,387, Carl Edwards 5,386, Kasey Kahne 5,361, Brian Vickers 5,301.

DEFENDING NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES CHAMPION: Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)

DEFENDING PRICE CHOPPER 400 RACE CHAMPION: Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)

CHASE FACTS:

•The Chase consists of the season’s last 10 races.

•The top 12 drivers in the series standings after the season’s 26th race (Richmond on Sept. 12) qualified for the Chase.

•All Chase drivers had their point totals reset to 5,000. They then received 10 bonus points for each race victory prior to the Chase, creating seedings. The top seed at the outset of the Chase was Mark Martin, who has retained the point lead after the first two Chase races.

THE CHASE SCHEDULE (track sizes in parentheses)
Sept. 20—New Hampshire (1.058 miles); Sept. 27—Dover (1 mile); Oct. 4—Kansas (1.5 miles); Oct. 11—Auto Club Speedway (2 miles); Oct. 17—Lowe’s Motor Speedway (1.5 miles); Oct. 25—Martinsville (.526 mile); Nov. 1—Talladega (2.66 miles); Nov. 8—Texas (1.5 miles); Nov. 15—Phoenix (1 mile); Nov. 22—Homestead (1.5 miles).

SOME STORYLINES:
•In The Thick Of The Chase: That’s where Auto Club Speedway is this season, after a change in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule placed the track’s second 2009 race into the Chase lineup. (Atlanta Motor Speedway took over ACS’ previous date on Labor Day weekend.).

•Stewart Is Back: This is by no means a surprise, but Tony Stewart is up to fourth in the standings after winning at Kansas, only 67 points behind the leader, Mark Martin. Stewart was atop the standings prior to the Chase, after the 26-race “regular season” that precedes the Chase. Stewart is a two-time (2002 and ’05) NASCAR Sprint Cup champion.

•Martin Keeps Slim Lead For Another Week: Mark Martin, who came out of retirement to join Hendrick Motorsports this season, started the Chase as the top seed on the strength of four wins during the “regular season.” He padded his lead over three-time defending champion (and Hendrick teammate) Jimmie Johnson slightly at Kansas. He’s now 18 points ahead, going into the Auto Club Speedway event, which Johnson won last year. Obviously, this is one lead that is not safe.

THE CHASE SCHEDULE (track sizes in parentheses)
Sept. 20—New Hampshire (1.058 miles); Sept. 27—Dover (1 mile); Oct. 4—Kansas (1.5 miles); Oct. 11-Auto Club Speedway (2 miles); Oct. 17—Lowe’s Motor Speedway (1.5 miles); Oct. 25—Martinsville (.526 mile); Nov. 1—Talladega (2.66 miles); Nov. 8—Texas (1.5 miles); Nov. 15—Phoenix (1 mile); Nov. 22—Homestead (1.5 miles).