Tulsa World: The Chase is now for second place

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The Chase is now for second place
Both Martin and Gordon understand reality facing them.

By STEPHEN HAWKINS Associated Press
Published: 11/7/2009 2:27 AM
Last Modified: 11/7/2009 6:35 AM

FORT WORTH, Texas — Mathematically, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon still have a chance to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup title.

The reality with three races left?

"We've still got a great battle going for second in points," Gordon said Friday. "If for some crazy reason those guys had trouble, we've got to make sure we capitalize on them. Our focus right now is winning races and trying to get to second in points."

In his run for an unprecedented fourth consecutive title, Jimmie Johnson's closest chasers are his Hendrick teammates. But Johnson takes a comfortable 184-point lead over Martin into Sunday's race at Texas Motor Speedway, with Gordon eight points further back.

Martin, already a season runner-up four times, is facing the realistic possibility of being in that spot again. His deficit increased by 66 points after an airborne crash with two laps to go at Talladega last week.

"Definitely no heartbreak whatsoever. But Talladega did rub ... I would rather go down fighting than flipping," Martin said. "I didn't take this job to go try and get a championship trophy. I took this job, you know why, and doggone, it has worked out pretty good. We have been in a position; it still could happen. The race is still on for the top six positions."

Except Johnson needs only to average a 10th-place finish over the last three races, or 11th if he leads at least one lap in every race, to clinch the championship. Johnson has an average finish of 3.4 in the seven Chase races so far, finishing top 10 in all of them.

Both his close-chasing teammates will start ahead of Johnson, who qualified 12th. Gordon is the polesitter for the first time this season and 68th time in his career. Martin will roll off seventh on Sunday.

Johnson finished second at the Texas track in April behind Gordon. By STEPHEN HAWKINS Associated Press

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