MARTINSVILLE, Va. - Halfway through NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup, there's no denying that the winner of the past three championships, Jimmie Johnson, is in runaway mode.
Johnson, winner of the past two races and three of the five in the Chase so far, is unlikely to sidetracked at Martinsville Speedway, the quaint Virginia short track. He has won five out of the past six Martinsville races.
A considerable margin separates Johnson from Hendrick Motorsports teammates Mark Martin (-90 points) and Jeff Gordon (-135).
By NASCAR's official measure, a complicated formula known as Driver Rating, Johnson and Gordon are tied at 124.3 from past performances at Martinsville.
Statistically, it is both drivers' best track. Martinsville is rated the third-best track for both Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin. It's near the bottom for Kurt Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne.
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STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES--Hamlin, mired 11th in points, may be Johnson's chief nemesis at Martinsville. Hamlin, winner the track's first race of 2008, is the only driver other than Johnson to win in the past six races.
"Martinsville is just a race track where the driver can make a little bit of difference if his car's not 100 percent there," said Hamlin, from Chesterfield, Va, "I've got a lot of laps at this race track, so the extra experience always helps."
What sets Johnson apart?
"He obviously does a good job of not making mistakes," said Hamlin. "That's where I'd put him above everyone: not making mistakes.
"When he has to push it at the end, he's got the car there for it. He's got the mindset to win those races, and that's what makes him the best."
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PERSPECTIVE--The only driver to come from more than 90 points behind at the Chase's midpoint and win the championship was ...
... Johnson. He won the 2006 championship after being 146 points out after the first five races.
Before the Chase was implemented, the late Alan Kulwicki overcame a deficit of 191 points with five races to go in the 1992 season.
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THREE ARE WILD-- Mike Skinner is set to make career start No. 200 in the Camping World Truck Series in Saturday's Kroger 200 here.
Beyond that, it's all about "threes" for Skinner.
The 1995 series champion has won three times at Martinsville. He's won three times this season. He's third in points.
The point leader, Ron Hornaday Jr., has never won here.