by Gerrit Ritt

This thing was pretty much wrapped up a week or two ago. He didn't need to extend his lead at Talladega on Sunday in order to put this title in the bag. It was pretty much over the second he took the lead over from Mark Martin in the first few legs of the Chase.

Oh well, at least the race for second is still a close one, right?!! Here's how I see the drivers filing in for Sunday's tilt in Texas.

Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin will go toe-to-toe yet again this week in Texas. (John Harrelson / Getty Images)

Texas Rankings

1. Jimmie Johnson

There's no way I can rank him any lower than first. I won't do that until this thing's mathematically in the can. Only then will I drop him, since he isn't finishing anywhere outside the top two or three unless someone specifically makes it their job to wreck him one week. This sport is way too P.C. for that to happen, which is too bad in a way.

2. Carl Edwards

The No. 99 car has more wins at this track than any other driver in Texas history (three). That includes this same race last season, when it was a two-man race between him and Johnson for the 2008 championship. Johnson was right on his heels then, meaning Edwards couldn't make up enough ground, despite the win here and in the finale in Miami. It doesn't matter this year, since he's been out of the running forever. However, he's yet to win a race this season and he'd love to give the Texas fans another backflip treat. I'm hoping he'll be there in the end to at least tease them a bit into thinking it may happen.

3. Jeff Gordon

Hey, go figure, Gordon actually has a solid career record in Texas. Yeah, can you believe it?! With seven top fives in 16 starts at the track, you know he's never out of the running when the Rainbow Warrior comes to town. He's still in the hunt for this season's brass ring too, so you know he'll be giving it everything he has to take down a checkered flag. Look for a great finish between these top three drivers.

4. Tony Stewart

You either love this guy or you hate him. But even his biggest detractors have to respect the No. 14 team for what they've done this season. Stewart took over ownership duties and has done more with it than anyone could've possibly imagined. He's probably out of it at this point, but there's no way Smoke gives up over these last three races. If he was a driver only, he wouldn't give up. But now that he owns the team too, you'd better believe he'll be challenging for wins right up until they wrap this season up in three weeks.

5. Mark Martin

Sure, he's in second place right now, but hoping for anything better than that is a pipe dream at best. At this point, he'd be better off keeping Gordon and the rest of them at bay in order to hold on to the second spot. He has a good shot at that, which would still be the best season he's ever had in his long and storied career. I can't imagine he believes he has much of a chance to win the whole thing, so he'll play it safe and do whatever he can to avoid accidents and falling below where he already is.

6. Juan Pablo Montoya

His first five Chase races were unbelievable, finishing in the top five in all of them. The last two? Well, not so much. It doesn't faze me, though. He may be a little discouraged, but he's still a dominant driver and should be able to rebound with a big ride this weekend, which is exactly what I'll be looking for out of him.

7. Denny Hamlin

He had a really good thing going before the last three races, in which accidents and blown engines ended his days prematurely. However, this is a track he enjoys racing at, as he owns the third-best average finish amongst all active drivers, only twice running worse than 12th.

8. Kasey Kahne

This is by no means Kahne's best track, but he has won here in the past, has a second top five as well, and he has a pole to his credit in nine starts in Texas. He comes into this week having just placed second at Talladega last Sunday and third two weeks before that. He's seeing the track well and should be able to record yet another big run this weekend.

9. Kurt Busch

Busch had six straight top 11s before being hit by a 17th and a 30th the last two weeks. The most recent was due to the unfortunately accident late at Talladega, so that can almost be thrown out the window, as several drivers were taken out in that one. Other than that, he's been solid the last 2-3 months. He'll wanna finish out a solid overall season with a few more good runs.

10. Brian Vickers

He's never had a top 10 at Texas, but I don't care about that too much. What he does have is back-to-back top 15s the last two weeks (13th and 11th) and the motivation to get himself out of the 12th spot in the Chase standings. I see him putting the pedal to the metal Sunday and showing the fans what got him to the Chase in the first place.

11. Kyle Busch

Busch had three straight top sixes at Texas before this April's run to 18th. He's also had three straight top 15s overall this season coming into this week's race. I like the way he's looking right now, and he continues to add Nationwide titles to his resume as well, so you know he's out there trying his hardest. Look for him to be in this thing 'til the very end this weekend.

12. Matt Kenseth

He actually owns the second-best driver rating at TMS, with a win and nine top-10 finishes in 13 career starts here. That's better than anyone not named Jimmie Johnson, which is always a nice stat to own. He also had three consecutive top 14s before falling off last weekend. I like that he's trying to finish the season well after such a disappointing ride for most of '09. He could've written it off after not making the Chase, but he's in there fighting, which makes me believe he'll continue to do so these next three weeks.

13. Joey Logano

How about this kid, huh?! As if winning in New Hampshire earlier this season wasn't enough, he's now run to four straight top 14s as we come down to the end of his first full NASCAR campaign. Last week, he put up a third-place run at one of the sport's most storied tracks (Talladega), and he had a top five in Charlotte three weeks ago as well. His future is so bright, I can't even begin to imagine what he'll do when he actually knows what he's doing. For the rest of this year, though, I'm officially onboard the bandwagon.

14. Jamie McMurray

Last week's winner hasn't had a great season, that's for sure. However, anyone who can fight through the carnage that is Talladega and come out on top certainly has my vote to be able to back it up with yet another strong run the week after. Surprisingly enough, he has a terrific history at Texas, with eight top 14s in 10 appearances, to go along with the back-to-back top sixes the last two weeks. I'm gonna roll with him as long as he keeps running well.

15. Ryan Newman

He ended u on his back last week, a victim of the ugly wreck at the end of Talladega. But he'll never be kept down long enough not to come back the next week. This guy has grit, so predicting anything less than a 15th-place finish would be foolish.

Notable Absences

Clint Bowyer: Has actually been driving really well lately, but I'm just not seeing it this weekend.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Has a nice record at Texas, but then again, his best track on the circuit is Talladega, where he could only finish in 11th last week. Next season can't come soon enough for the No. 88 team.
Kevin Harvick: He's had as bad a year as Junior has. Hasn't been better than 10th in race in his last seven.
Casey Mears: He had a string of six straight top-18 finishes before last week's 25th.