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RICHMOND -
Few would argue that through the Nextel Cup season, Jeff Gordon has been NASCAR's premier driver. Even all those guys with Calvin peeing on a 24 decal on the back of their pick-ups would (reluctantly) acknowledge that.
Gordon went into Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 in first place with a 317-point lead over his nearest competitor (Tony Stewart). He had finished in the top 10 in 20 of his 25 starts, 14 of which were top-fives. But as the Chase for the Nextel Cup heats up, he won't be in the No. 1 spot. Jimmie Johnson, who arrived in Richmond 430 points behind Gordon, will be.
Blame — or credit, depending on your outlook — some tweaks to the system.
Not only has the Chase's field expanded from 10 to 12, bonus points are being given for checkered flags. And since Johnson has five wins to Gordon's four, he will go from sixth to first.
"I think after we're done this year we'll see what these bonus points really do in order to form an opinion on them," Johnson said. "I've been critical of the Chase getting started and the gap from where Gordon is to where I am in points.
"The tweaking and everything that goes on, at times I'm skeptical of it. But it keeps working out, for whatever reason. Now, it's coming around for me. All of us drivers like it if it benefits us — (that's) what it boils down to."
BUSCH MASTER
Carl Edwards renewed his quest to win the Busch Series by a record margin with his second-place finish to Kyle Busch in the 250-lapper on Friday at RIR. Seven races remain this season and Edwards leads the standings by 733 points over Kevin Harvick. Harvick's 824-point championship margin last season is a series record.
Edwards led the standings by 852 points in late July before going into a five-race tailspin: a best of 11th and four finishes of 26th or worse. Edwards added 79 points onto his lead with the runner-up at RIR.
"We've been running pretty mediocre and having bad luck," Edwards said. "Those two things combined make for a lot of really bad finishes, so it's great to finish second and have a good run with a car that was competitive."
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