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Sept. 20, New Hampshire Motor SpeedwaySentimental favorite Mark Martin, who began the Chase as the point leader, struck a blow for the 50-year-old set by winning his first race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Martin held off Denny Hamlin and Juan Pablo Montoya to win the race and increase his lead over Jimmie Johnson to 35 points. Kasey Kahne became the first Chaser to see his title hopes end with a 38th-place finish.AAA 400Sept. 27, Dover International SpeedwayThe Chase tide started to turn, as Jimmie Johnson’s bid for a fourth consecutive title started with his first Chase victory. Johnson held off Mark Martin for the victory, but Martin still led by 20 points over Johnson in the standings. Chasers dominated the race, taking nine of the top 12 finishing spots, but only four drivers left Delaware within 100 points of the lead.Price Chopper 400Oct. 4, Kansas SpeedwayTony Stewart, who was the story throughout the Sprint Cup regular season, made his Chase presence known by edging Jeff Gordon to win his fourth race of the season. The win by Stewart, coupled with a subpar Chase showing by Jimmie Johnson (ninth place) helped thicken the title plot. Seven drivers were within 103 points of the lead, which was still held by Mark Martin.Pepsi 500Oct. 11, Auto Club SpeedwayThe first Chase race in California started shaking the contenders away from the pretenders. Jimmie Johnson held off Jeff Gordon for his second Chase victory and took over the points lead. This race also dashed title hopes for Denny Hamlin, who was involved in a crash. The top six spots went to Chasers, but only five drivers were within 105 points of Johnson. His lead over second place Mark Martin was 12 points.NASCAR Banking 500Oct. 17, Lowe’s Motor SpeedwayThe only Saturday night race of the Chase had a familiar champion as Jimmie Johnson won for the third time in five Chase races. Johnson was pushed by Jeff Gordon, who led late in the race but finished fourth. Juan Pablo Montoya’s bid for a title ended as he finished 35th. Mark Martin also struggled to a 17th-place finish despite starting second. That finish allowed Johnson to increase his lead to 90 points over Martin. Gordon (135 back) is the only other driver within 155 points of the lead.TUMS Fast Relief 500Oct. 25, Martinsville SpeedwayDenny Hamlin didn’t let the fact that he was out of Chase contention keep him from holding off Jimmie Johnson for a victory in his home state. Johnson wasn’t complaining though. His second-place finish increased his lead over Mark Martin to 118 points with just four races remaining. Jeff Gordon, who started second and led the race three times, settled for a fifth-place finish. A top five is normally good, but he dropped to 150 points behind Johnson in his bid for a fifth career title.AMP Energy 500Nov. 1, Talladega SuperspeedwayFew people are going to remember that Jamie McMurray won for the first time in more than two years. What’s going to stand out about the race is the single-file racing throughout the event and two big crashes at the end that doomed the title hopes for Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon. Jimmie Johnson, whose car ran near the back all day, dodged both accidents and finished sixth. That pushed his lead to 184 points and all but guaranteed his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup title.
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