Top 12 Bubble Tightens With Martin’s Rebound

Coming into Pocono, Mark Martin had slumped to the tune of seven consecutive finishes outside the top 10. The swoon dropped him from 10th to 13th in the points.

Those struggles might be over. He finished seventh in Pocono, and cut his deficit to 12th-place Clint Bowyer from 62 points to 34.

Now he head to Watkins Glen, where he has three wins – but none since 1995. Martin won three consecutive races, all from the pole, from 1993-95.

A little further back in the standings sits Dale Earnhardt Jr., in 14th. Earnhardt, certainly still in Chase contention, is 129 points behind Bowyer.