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Brad Keselowski is in a good place; the first to hold the points lead in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ and headed for Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he collected his first top-five finish at the track in May’s Coca-Cola 600. Keselowski’s seventh-place finish on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway was his 13th top 10 in his most recent 14 starts and 19th overall.

This Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 marks halfway in the 2012 Chase as Keselowski leads Jimmie Johnson by 14 points and Denny Hamlin by 23. The standings leader after four races has gone on to win the championship five times in the Chase era – Kurt Busch (2004), Tony Stewart (2005) and Johnson (2008-10). Reigning champion Stewart stood seventh a year ago after Race No. 4, 19 points behind Carl Edwards.

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Biffle Wins To Become Third Standings Leader In As Many Races
Uneasy is the head that wears the crown. Greg Biffle is the third different driver to lead the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings in as many races. Biffle’s second victory of the season Sunday at Michigan International Speedway is worth three additional bonus points to the standings reset when the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ begins on Sept. 16 at Chicagoland Speedway.

“GREG BIFFLE: Well, I know that a lot of people don’t expect us to win the championship, don’t expect us to compete for the title. I don’t care what they say or who they want to talk about or what they talk about. We will be a factor when it comes down to Homestead, I promise you that.”

Five drivers among the current top 10 have won two or more races. Jimmie Johnson, who lost the victory, three Chase bonus points and the standings lead when his engine failed six laps short of the finish in Michigan, has three wins and nine bonus points. So do Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart. Biffle and 10th-place Denny Hamlin also have won twice with three races remaining in the Race to the Chase.

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A third-place finish at Watkins Glen International has placed Jimmie Johnson in the championship lead for the ninth consecutive season, marking the longest streak since the current position-based points structure went into effect in 1975.

Johnson was 37th in the standings following a 42nd-place finish in February’s Daytona 500. He last led the points nearly one year ago following the Sept. 6 Advocare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Johnson, Tony Stewart and Brad Keselowski remain the top contenders for the No. 1 seed for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™. Each has three victories worth nine bonus points that would be added to a base of 2,000 points when the standings are reset following the Sept. 8 Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway.