Instant Analysis from Tom Jensen

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Jeff Burton's motor failure totally scrambled the points, with Matt Kenseth now leading the title hunt despite having only one finish better than 10th in the Chase. The top five in points are separated by only 48 points with four races left.

Jimmie Johnson won an emotional victory and fans will see a Chase that almost certainly will go down to the wire at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Unofficially, here are the points:

1. Kenseth 5848
2. Harvick 5812
3. Johnson 5807
4. Hamlin 5801
5. Burton 5800
6. Earnhardt 5754
7. Martin 5752
8. Kahne 5749
9. Gordon 5707
10. Busch 5677

The gap from the lead to 10th is just 171 points. It's anybody's race now.

Lap 500: Johnson wins. Hamlin is second, Labonte third, Stewart fourth and Gordon fifth. Then it's Mears, Kahne, Green, Harvick and Petty.

Lap 497: Hamlin bumps Johnson, but can't get by.

Lap 495: Green flag.

The top 10: Johnson leads Hamlin, Labonte, Gordon, Mears, Stewart, Kahne, Green, Harvick and Petty. Kenseth is 11th, Kyle Busch 18th, Earnhardt 22nd and Martin 25th.

Lap 491: Caution No. 18 as McMurray spins Wallace coming out of Turn 2.

Lap 490: Hamlin to second, past Labonte.

If he can hold on, this will be an emotional win for Johnson, who won this race two years ago, when 10 people were killed in the crash of a Hendrick Motorsports plane.

Lap 484: Stewart passes Kahne for fourth.

Lap 483: Green flag.

Lap 482: Martin worried is engine will break.

Lap 481: Earnhardt pits and will restart 26th. Martin is 25th, Kyle Busch 20th, Kenseth 11th and Harvick 10th.

The order is Johnson, Labonte, Hamlin, Gordon, Mears, Kahne, Stewart, Green, Petty and Harvick.

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Caution 17

Lap 478: Caution No. 17. Earnhardt spins out in Turn 3 trying to go under Kahne and pass him. Harvick and Kenseth barely avoid Earnhardt's car.

Lap 476: Green flag.

Lap 472: Martin pits out of water. He falls to 24th.

Lap 470: Caution No. 16 as Bowyer spins by himself between Turns 3 & 4. Earnhardt is mad at Kahne, saying Kahne is holding him up. No change in the top seven.

Lap 467: Green flag. The order now is Johnson, Labonte, Hamlin, Gordon, Mears, Kahne and Earnhardt. Kenseth is 13th, Harvick 15th, Martin 16th, Kyle Busch 25th and Jeff Burton, 42nd.

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Caution 16

Lap 470: Caution No. 16 as Bowyer spins by himself between Turns 3 & 4. Earnhardt is mad at Kahne, saying Kahne is holding him up. No change in the top seven.

Lap 467: Green flag. The order now is Johnson, Labonte, Hamlin, Gordon, Mears, Kahne and Earnhardt. Kenseth is 13th, Harvick 15th, Martin 16th, Kyle Busch 25th and Jeff Burton, 42nd.

The top 10: Johnson, Labonte, Mears, Hamlin, Gordon, Kahne, Earnhardt, Bowyer, Stewart and Green.

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Caution 15

Lap 461: Caution No. 15 as the lapped car of Gilliland spins third place Mears at the end of the frontstretch. Gordon just misses Hamlin in the ensuing melee.

Lap 453: Green flag. Kyle Busch restarts 25th, the last car on the lead lap.

Lap 450: Kenseth, Martin and a handful of others pit.

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Caution 14

Lap 448: Caution No. 14. Ragan spins in Turn 4. Kyle Busch hits wall trying to avoid him. Nemechek gets Lucky Dog.

Lap 445: Johnson retakes the lead; Hamlin passes Gordon for fourth.

Lap 442: It's only a matter of time until Johnson runs down Labonte for the lead.

Lap 440: Labonte leads Johnson by 0.880 seconds. Mears is third, then Gordon, Hamlin, Kahne and Earnhardt.

Lap 438: Johnson takes Mears for second place and sets off after Labonte.

Lap 435: Johnson passes teammate Gordon for third.

Lap 430: Labonte has widened his lead to 1.729 seconds over Mears. Gordon is third, ahead of Johnson and Bowyer.

Lap 426: Johnson is up to fourth after passing Bowyer.

Lap 425: The last time Petty Enterprises won was at this track in 1999 with John Andretti. If Labonte wins today, it will be a huge story.

Lap 420: Labonte leads Mears by 1.452 seconds. Then it's Gordon, Bowyer, Johnson, Hamlin, Kahne and Earnhardt.

Lap 417: Johnson up to seventh.

Lap 416: Sadler out with motor failure.

Lap 414: Sadler slow on frontstretch.

Lap 409: Hamlin and Petty beat and bang on each other.

Lap 407: Green flag.

Lap 401: Leaders all pit. But a lot of other guys further back don't. So the order now is: Labonte, Mears, Jeff Gordon, Bowyer, Sadler, Jarrett, Kahne, Petty, Green and Johnson. Hamlin is 11th, Earnhardt 13th, Kyle Busch 16th, Martin 18th, Harvick 19th and Kenseth 20th.

Lap 400: Caution No. 13. McMurray is spun in Turn 2 by Labonte.

Lap 397: A small tire rub reported on Gordon's car.

Lap 390: Johnson's lead is 1.637 seconds over Hamlin. Then it's Earnhardt, Busch, Kahne, Stewart, Petty, Martin, Edwards and Green.

Lap 385: After being a lap down early, Kahne is up to fifth. If he can stay there, that will be a huge shot in the arm for his chances, as three of the last four races are 1.5-milers and Kahne has ruled those circuits.

Lap 384: Harvick's left-front tire is smoking again.

Lap 380: Hamlin takes second. Martin is up to eighth. Gordon is stuck in 22nd.

Lap 379: Hamlin is all over Earnhardt for second.

Lap 377: Earnhardt said the handle is going away, but the team said he will not stop again.

Lap 371: Green flag. Johnson leads Earnhardt, Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Kahne. Johnson is only five laps away from leading the most laps, worth 5 extra bonus points.

Lap 370: Gordon comes back out in 23rd place, a risky move, to be sure. If everyone else pits, he's golden. If not ...

Lap 366: Gordon pits from fourth place. He's the only leader to pit.

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Caution 12

Lap 364: Caution No. 12. Kurt Busch and Scott Riggs make contact exiting Turn 4. Busch's car has heavy damage.

Lap 362: Green flag. Johnson leads Earnhardt, Hamlin, Kurt Busch and Gordon.

Lap 360: Talk about a jumble: The points gap right now from 1st to 10th in the Chase is just 121 points. Burton's engine failure means the race is wide open right now. As things stand, Burton likely will fall from first to fifth.

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Caution 11

Lap 356: Caution No. 11. Ragan goes three-wide and hits Sadler and Ward Burton in Turn 1. Ragan goes around.

Lap 355: Hamlin passes Busch for third.

Lap 354: Busch gets loose, Johnson retakes lead and pulls Earnhardt to second with him.

Lap 353: Green flag. Busch leads Johnson, Earnhardt, Hamlin and Gordon.

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Caution 10

Lap 347: Caution No. 10. Mike Skinner gets turned by Raines on the frontstretch. McMurray gets Lucky Dog.

Lap 341: Green flag. Busch is running well, especially considering his crew chief has been suspended.

Lap 335: Leaders pit. Order out: Kurt Busch, who leads for the first time. Then Earnhardt, Hamlin, Gordon, Kyle Busch, Kahne, Petty, Sadler and Stewart. Harvick is 11th, Martin 12th and Kenseth 16th.

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Caution 9

Lap 333: Caution No. 9. Lapped car of rookie David Ragan wrecks Schrader in Turn 1 and takes Dale Jarrett with him, too. Schrader was in the top 10 at the time, and he is angry.

Lap 325: Every team will have to make one more stop for fuel and tires (probably) before the race is over.

Lap 321: Martin, in 14th, is complaining of brake troubles.

Lap 320: Johnson leads Kurt Busch by 1.010 seconds. Then it's Earnhardt, Hamlin and Gordon.

Lap 318: Gordon is up to fifth.

Lap 317: Six of the top seven cars are in the Chase.

Lap 300: Johnson's margin is 1.250 seconds, but second place now belongs to Kurt Busch, who blew by Earnhardt. Hamlin is fourth, Sadler fifth. Then it's Gordon, Kyle Busch, Kahne, Stewart and Schrader. Burton is now listed as 42nd and out of the race, which means all nine other Chasers will make up points, some a lot. In fact, Burton could fall to the middle of the pack.

Lap 290: Johnson leads Earnhardt, Kurt Busch, Hamlin, Sadler and Gordon.

Lap 286: Green flag.

The order is now: Johnson, Earnhardt, Sadler, Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Gordon, Kyle Busch, Kahne, Schrader and Stewart. Kenseth is 15th, Martin 19th.

Lap 283: Johnson and Junior stay out, but most of the rest of the leaders pit.

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Caution 8

Lap 280: Caution No. 8 as Kenseth is spun by Bowyer at the exit of Turn 4.

Kenseth keeps it off the wall. Labonte is Lucky Dog. Blaney black-flagged for car smoking.

Lap 278: Earnhardt is angry that he pitted last time. He's now 14th.

Lap 270: Hamlin leads Gordon by 0.524 seconds. Then it's Kurt Busch, Sadler, Kyle Busch, Schrader, Green, Petty, Edwards and Kenseth.

Lap 256: Hamlin takes lead, the first non-Hendrick car to lead.

Lap 254: Hamlin challenges Gordon for the lead.

Lap 250: The race is official.

Lap 249: Green flag. The top 10 is now Gordon, Hamlin, Sadler, Kurt Busch, Nemechek, Kyle Busch, Schrader, Green, Kyle Petty and Car Edwards. Johnson is 16th, Earnhardt 18th, Martin 19th and Harvick 21st. Stewart had a late flat, pitted and came out 25th.

Lap 245: Burton is out with an engine failure. He will finish no higher than 40th and likely will lose the points lead today, but a lot can still happen.

Lap 244: Johnson pits, but Gordon, Stewart and Hamlin stay out.

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Caution 7

Lap 243: Caution No. 7. Raines cuts a tire and Travis Kvapil hits the wall.

Lap 238: Green flag. Johnson leads Gordonm Earnhardt, Stewart, Hamlin, Raines, Sadler, Nemechek, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch. Martin is 11th, Kenseth is 16th, Harvick 22nd.

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Caution 6

Lap 233: Caution No. 6. Big pileup in Turn 3 as Scott Riggs spins Sorenson out and starts a chain reaction. Harvick's car has a fair amount of left-front fender damage. Newman gets Lucky Dog.

Lap 228: Green flag. Johnson, leads Gordon, Earnhardt, Stewart and Hamlin.

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Caution 5

Lap 223: Caution No. 5 as David Gilliland hits Ward Burton and spins him out in Turn 2.

Lap 220: Burton headed to the garage with suspected engine failure.

Lap 218: Earnhardt and Stewart nearly wreck.

Lap 215: Burton has engine problems and has fallen to 30th. This will really shuffle the Chase.

Lap 209: Green flag.

Lap 205: Leaders all pit. The order out is Johnson, Gordon, Earnhardt, Stewart, Hamlin, Elliott Sadler, Blaney, Raines, Nemechek and Kyle Busch. Jeff Burton is 24th, one spot behind teammate Bowyer, who almost certainly let him by on the restart.

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Caution 4

Lap 204: Caution No. 4. Waltrip spins by himself. Blaney gets Lucky Dog.

Lap 200: Just 50 laps short of halfway and the race continues to be a Hendrick runaway. Johnson leads Gordon by 1.847 seconds. Earnhardt is third, followed by Hamlin, Stewart, Raines, Nemechek, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and Schrader.

Lap 195: No worries about rain, as the skies have cleared at Martinsville. Martin is hanging in at 11th, while Harvick is 13th and Kenseth 16th.

Lap 190: Johnson's lead is a whopping 2.164 seconds. No other changes up front.

Lap 180: Johnson has pulled out smartly and leads his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Gordon by 1.801 seconds. The two Hendrick drivers have led every laps so far. Earnhardt is third, Hamlin fourth and Raines fifth, as Stewart has slipped to sixth.

Lap 170: Johnson leads Gordon by 0.552 seconds. Then it's Earnhardt, Hamlin and Stewart.

Lap 165: Earnhardt muscles by Stewart for third. Casey Mears is the first car a lap down and Burton is right behind him, hoping to pass Mears to get in Lucky Dog position should a caution come out.

Lap 161: Green flag. You've got to impressed with Hamlin, who's fifth. Martinsville is a very tough track to race on for the inexperienced and he's doing a great job.

Lap 158: Order out is Johnson, Gordon, Stewart, Earnhardt, Hamlin, Raines, Schrader, Nemechek, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch. Martin is 11th, Harvick, 13th, Kenseth 15th, Kahne 23rd and Burton 25th.

Lap 157: Lead-lap cars pit. And with only 23 cars on lead lap, it makes pit road a lot less crowded.

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Caution 3

Lap 156: Caution No. 3. David Stremme spins in Turn 3, with an assist from Jamie McMurray. Kahne gets the Lucky Dog.

Lap 153: Johnson moves into the lead again.

Lap 150: Gordon leads Johnson by 0.256 seconds. Then it's Stewart, Earnhardt, Raines, Hamlin, Schrader, Kurt Busch, Nemechek and Kyle Busch.

Lap 147: Gordon retakes lead. Burton is laboring in 26th place.

Lap 146: Gordon surrenders the lead for the first time all day, as his teammate Johnson gets by him.

Lap 140: Gordon leads Johnson by 0.243 seconds. Stewart is now third, Earnhardt fourth and Raines fifth.

Lap 138: Kahne now a lap down. Kenseth is only about 1.5 seconds from getting lapped himself.

Lap 130: Johnson up to second behind his teammate Gordon. Stewart and Raines round out top five. We're now more than halfway to official race distance. Let's hope the rains hold off!

Lap 127: Showing impressive performance is Mark Martin, who's up to 13th despite having to race in a backup. Harvick still reporting a vibration.

Lap 121: No changes up front as Gordon leads by 0.447 seconds over Earnhardt, Johnson, Stewart and Raines.

Lap 117: Whatever momentum Kasey Kahne had from Charlotte didn't translate here. He's 24th, in danger of getting lapped.

Lap 110: Gordon leads Earnhardt by 0.372 seconds. Johnson, Stewart and Raines follow.

Lap 109: Bobby Labonte gets lapped, so Burton is not in position for Lucky Dog.

Lap 106: Burton gets lapped as Earnhardt closes on Gordon's bumper. Waltrip black-flagged for leaking fluid.

Lap 100: Gordon's lead has shrunk to 0.399 seconds. The top five is unchanged: Gordon, Earnhardt. Johnson, Stewart and Raines. Greg Biffle, who never runs well here, is in the garage with brake problems.

Lap 99: Points-leader Burton's car is overheating and he's about to be lapped.

Lap 90: Gordon leads Earnhardt by 1.573 seconds. Third is Johnson, followed by Stewart, Raines, Kurt Busch, Schrader, Hamlin, Green and Kyle Busch.

Lap 89: Johnson passes Stewart for third.

Lap 85: Harvick reporting a bad vibration. So far, not a good day for the Richard Childress Racing teammates.

Lap 83: Stewart up to third as he passes Raines, who took just two tires on the last stop.

Lap 80: Gordon's lead over Earnhardt is 1.745 seconds. Then it's Raines, Stewart, Johnson and Hamlin.

Lap 79: Earnhardt passes Raines for second.

Lap 77: If Jeff Burton can't improve his 29th place, he'll be in for a long, long afternoon and a huge points hit, as the Chase might well tighten up.

Lap 72: Green flag. Gordon bolts to a big lead as Raines is held up by the lapped car of Clint Bowyer.

Lap 71: Newman sent to end of the longest line for aggressive driving.

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Kevin from Germantown, Md.: Benny Parsons pointed out that the rule book says all 4 hood pins must be in the hood. Jeff Burton is missing 1 or possibly 2, why is NASCAR stalling on black-flagging Jeff? Doesn't NASCAR need to follow the rules for every driver?

Tom Jensen: Kevin: My understanding is that Burton should have been black flagged. I'm as curious as you are why it didn't happen.

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Lap 67: Lead-lap cars pit. Burton's crew tapes hood down. The order out is Gordon, Raines, Earnhardt, Stewart, Hamlin, Johnson, Busch, Schrader, Harvick and Green. Other Chasers: Kyle Busch, 11th; Mark Martin, 14th; Kenseth, 19th, Kasey Kahne, 20th; Jeff Burton, 29th. In his first race back, Ward Burton is 38th.

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Caution 2

Lap 64: Caution No. 2. Casey Mears gets spun out in Turn 2 by Newman. Michael Waltrip gets Lucky Dog.

Lap 60: Gordon leads Earnhardt by 2.475 seconds, followed by Hamlin, Johnson, Stewart, Busch, Schrader, Green, Newman and Raines.

Lap 50: Gordon leads Hamlin by 1.803 seconds. Then it's Stewart, Earnhardt, Johnson, Busch, Schrader, Newman, Green and Tony Raines.

Lap 46: Hamlin's engine is starting to misfire; Burton, Kenseth and Martin are 18th, 19th and 20th.

Lap 44: Earnhardt muscles past Busch for fourth place.

Lap 41: Gordon already lapping backmarkers as he's led every lap.

Lap 40: Gordon leads Hamlin, Stewart, Busch, Earnhardt and Johnson.

Lap 38: Burton is missing a hood pin and likely will be blackflagged soon.

Lap 35: Chase contneders: Harvick is 12th, Kenseth is 17th, Burton 20th and Martin 21st.

Lap 30: Gordon has led every lap so far, as he's trying to add the 5 bonus points for most laps led. Hamlin is still second, ahead of Busch, Stewart and Earnhardt.

Lap 25: The race is 500 laps long; after Lap 251, it will be an official race, and teams are hoping to get the race in today.

Lap 20: Gordon leads Hamlin, Busch, Stewart, Newman, Earnhardt, Johnson, Blaney, Green & Schrader.

Lap 18: Hamlin takes second from Busch.

Lap 15: Matt Kenseth needs a good race, but he's back in 17th place.

Lap 11: Green flag.

Lap 10: Jeff Burton reporting slight front-end damage.

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Caution 1

Lap 3: Caution No. 1. Kyle Petty spins out in Turn 4. Also involved were Martin Truex Jr., Joe Nemechek and Reed Sorenson.

The top 10: Gordon, Kurt Busch, Hamlin, Newman, Stewart, Blaney, Earnhardt, Green, Johnson and Schrader.

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Lap 1: Green flag. Gordon leads Lap 1 over Busch and Hamlin.

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Ready to roll

If he can manage another top-5 finish here, Jeff Burton can put a real stranglehold on the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup championship.

Conversely, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick haven't had a lot of success here and they really need to step it up today.

The top 10 starters: Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman. Tony Stewart, Dave Blaney. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Green, Jimmie Johnson and Ken Schrader.

12:50 p.m.: Engines fired

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Marni from Vernon B.C. Canada: I feel really sorry for Joe Nemecheck. It's a shame just because Mark Martin is driving for Ginn Racing now that Joe loses his car and sponsor. Just seems like there is no loyalty left anywhere. Why couldn't Martin drive the 13 car?

Tom Jensen: Marni: Thanks for being here at FOX. New team owner Bobby Ginn said a couple of weeks ago at Talladega that plan was to move Nemechek to the No. 13 even before Martin was signed.

And the reason, Ginn said, was this: The No. 13 will have to qualify for the first five races of 2007 on speed. Starting with the six race of the season, the top 35 in 2007 owner's points will be locked into the field.

Ginn said that since Nemechek is such a strong qualifier, he was the best of the three team drivers to put into a car that isn't guaranteed a spot in the field during the first five races. If Nemechek can get the No. 13 into the top 35 after five races next year, it will be a moot point.

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Brian from Fort Wayne, Ind.: What is your take on Bill Elliott being set aside at Red Bull Racing for the Atlanta race? It was supposed to have his paint scheme. Who will be the sponsor on the No. 37 car?

Tom Jensen: Brian: Great topic you raise. Team Red Bull wants to get some seat time for A.J. Allmendinger in anticipation that he will move to the second TBR Nextel Cup car next year, so I don't really blame them for putting him in the No. 83 next week. I don't know yet who Elliott's sponsor will be with the No. 37.

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Mike from Cleveland, Ohio: Why is it that lead lap cars restart on the outside row while lap-down cars restart on the inside? Seems to me that it creates a bit of a disadvantage for drivers that are running well instead of rewarding them, especially at Martinsville.

Tom Jensen: Mike: Thanks for the question. Whether restarting on the outside row is an advantage or a disadvantage depends on the specific track. At Martinsville, it might be a slight disadvantage, but at most tracks it's the preferred line, which is why NASCAR does it that way. It would be too confusing to change from track to track.

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One more prerace note

Team owner Jack Roush said Sunday that all of his crew chiefs at the Nextel Cup level could be switched around next year.

Roush said he wasn't looking to get rid of anyone or bring in anyone new, but he does want to shift some people around to try and improve the competitiveness of his teams.

Look for Robbie Reiser to possibly move from Matt Kenseth's car to a team management position within the Roush organization. At the No. 6, which next year will be driven by rookie David Ragan, Roush said, "We're going to reassess that from kind of a maintenance program with the guys that we had with Mark (Martin) to something that's building to what he can do with David Ragan in years to come."

Roush also said he's looking at crew chief changes for Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards and, possibly, Greg Biffle. "Any of the teams that didn't make the Chase, we're looking to say, was it all technology or was some of it team chemistry?"

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A few quick pre-race notes

There is a strong threat of rain today in Martinsville, so NASCAR has moved the green flag start of today's Subway 500 to 12:55 p.m. ET

Jeff Gordon will be going for his eighth career win at the this track, and if he gets it, he'll tie the late Dale Earnhardt for fifth in all-time Cup victories with 76.

Mark Martin, Scott Riggs and Kenny Wallace will be moving to the back of the field at the start of the race. Martin wrecked in practice and will be driving a backup car, while Riggs and Wallace had engine failures.

Kenny Wallace has signed a two-year deal to drive full-time in the Nextel Cup Series with the Furniture Row Chevrolet.

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B. Sollars from Chillicothe, Ohio: It looks strange to me that Jeff Gordon is tied for the most DNFs this season (7), and unlike Derrike Cope, they usually come right at the end of the races when he's running well. Do you think his car is being messed with or is it just me? It happens so often.

Tom Jensen: B.: Thanks for the question. While some accuse me of being a conspiracy nut, I don't believe there's even the slimmest chance that his car is being messed with. No way, no how.

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Greg from Commerce, Okla.: Hello Tom, I was just wondering if Ward Burton would be riding with a cougar in his car at this weekend's race in Martinsville to help control his heart rate? I realize he has been out of being behind the wheel for a while, so I figured the cougar might help.

Tom Jensen: Greg: Ah, a Ricky Bobby fan. No, I can promise you Ward won't have a cougar in his car. But he will be hoping that he and his brother can do a little shake and bake at Martinsville.

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Lindsay from Findlay, Ohio: I heard through the grapevine where I live that Tony Stewart may be buying Millstream Speedway in Findlay, Ohio. I've watched him race here before he started his Nextel Cup career. He also owns Eldora Speedway. Was just wondering if you had heard there was any truth to that?

Tom Jensen: Hello, Lindsay, glad you could join us: I have not heard the rumor about Tony Stewart buying Millstream Speedway in Findlay, Ohio. That said, it wouldn't surprise me. Tony loves being the owner of Eldora Speedway, and I'm sure he has the bucks to do it if he wants.

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Teresa from Burlington, IA: I am like a lot of fans more than glad that Ward Burton has a ride this weekend. Question, will he help his younger brother Jeff to stay ahead in points or just try to prove he can keep up with the other drivers?

Tom Jensen: Teresa: Welcome to Sunday on FOX. There's really not a whole lot that Ward Burton can — or for that matter, should — be able to do to help his brother Jeff at Martinsville. It's not like the two of them will be able to hook up in the draft, for example. About the only thing Ward can do is not hold Jeff up if he wants to pass.

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Michael from Lewisburg, WV: Hello Tom, First of all, welcome back Ward from a fellow Virginian who used watch you and Jeff at SB Speedway. With all the discussion and testing by NASCAR on The Car Of Tomorrow, how would that play out for the current big thre manufacturers in the money profit column? True, with the current templates they all look similar, but you can tell them apart. If NASCAR designs it, what becomes of the advertisements and promotions by drivers such as Earnhardt, Stewart and Gordon regarding the Chevrolet Monte Carlo? Will we see Bill France and NASCAR personally doing COT commercials? Advertising brings in profits, and how will COT benefit the major manufacturers?

Tom Jensen: Michael: Hello and thanks for the question. Each of the four manufacturers - Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota - running the Car of Tomorrow will have unique head and taillights, grilles, side windows, etc., that will give the cars a little bit of brand identity. But there is no question that one of the issues surrounding the COT is that when you make it ever more generic and ever less brand-specific, it has less benefits for the manufacturers. You'll still see plenty of ads on TV, though.

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Jerry from Damascus: Before the Chase starts, they added a lot of points to all the Chase qualifiers. How many points was it? I want to see where the standings would have been had the points not been adjusted.

Tom Jensen: Jerry: Here you go, buddy. These are the points as they would be today under the old system.

1. Matt Kenseth (4,453 points)
2. Jimmie Johnson (4,300 points, -153)
3. Kevin Harvick (4,115 points, -338)
4. Jeff Burton (4,070 points, -383)
5. Mark Martin (3,977 points, -476)
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (3,970 points, -483) +2
7. Kyle Busch (3,957 points, -496) +2
8. Tony Stewart (3,948 points, -505) -1
9. Denny Hamlin (3,944 points, -509) -3
10. Kasey Kahne (3,917 points, -536) +1
11. Jeff Gordon (3,858 points, -595) -1

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Michael from Austin: I have been searching for a chase scenario that would break down where the drivers would need to finish in order for Jeff Gordon to be back in contention. Maybe you could provide that info.

Tom Jensen: Michael: Thanks for the question. There isn't a single scenario that could possibly cover every contingency. But I can tell you how many points per race Gordon needs to make up on each driver over the remaining five races: To pass Jeff Burton, Gordon needs to average 44 points per race more than Jeff Burton. Gordon needs to average 35 more per race to pass Matt Kenseth, 26 more per race to pass Kevin Harvick and 23 to pass Mark Martin. Then it's Dale Earnhardt, Jr., also 23 per race; Denny Hamlin, 16; Jimmie Johnson, 15; Kasey Kahne, 12; and Kyle Busch, 6.

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Andrea from Lonoke: Did Junior and Bud take Miller Lite and Kurt Busch's challenge at the beginning of the year?

Tom Jensen: Andrea: Welcome. No, Budweiser did not take Miller's challenge, to the best of my knowledge.

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Kathy from Mesa, Ariz.: Why do they have "500" in the name of both of the Phoenix races when they are neither 500 laps or 500 miles?

Tom Jensen: Kathy: I'm looking forward to visiting Phoenix in three weeks, one of my favorite places in the whole world. While it's true the two Cup races are neither 500 laps nor 500 miles, they are each 500 kilometers in length, hence the name.

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Rob from Calmar: Robert Yates Racing stated that their choice for the driver of the 88 car would be a shocker to the NASCAR world, making it sound like a veteran driver would get hired to that car. All we hear about now is two young rookies. That's only a shocker because it's a let down. Hire Ward Burton and turn your program around Yates. Two rookies won't do it.

Tom Jensen: Rob: Thanks for the question. We're all waiting to see where Robert Yates Racing and the No. 88 end up next year. It's an open question with no answer yet.

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Justin from Louisville, Ky.: Hello Tom, How big is the NASCAR rule book? By that I mean number of pages, measurements, weight, etc. I have heard that the book is enormous.

Tom Jensen: Justin: Welcome to FOX. The NASCAR rulebook is something made available only to NASCAR members. The last ones I've see were 9 inches tall by 4 inches wide. I don't remember the exact page count, but it wasn't huge.

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Dave from Elizabeth, Colo.: Why is the driver not suspended like the crew chief? Whether or not the driver is aware is a moot point in my opinion. If you start suspending the drivers also, it might eliminate questionable interpretations of the rules.

Tom Jensen: Dave: That's a great question. I think the reason the driver is not suspended is that the crew chief, not the driver, is responsible for preparing the car. It would be awfully hard to conclusively prove that a driver knew his car was cheated up. In fact, crew chiefs don't want their drivers to know when a car has illegal parts so they rarely tell them.

That keeps the driver from getting in trouble with NASCAR or the sponsor. And the teams are more concerned with keep the driver clean than they are the crew chief.

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More prerace notes

Virginia native Ward Burton qualified for Sunday's Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Burton will start 35th in the Morgan-McClure No. 4 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. Burton said Friday that there's a "good possibility" that he'll run more races in 2006.

Many of you have raised questions with NASCAR's "Car of Tomorrow," which debuts next year. It has met with a lot of resistance from teams and drivers. Check out these comments from Scott Riggs Friday at Martinsville: "Going to the car of tomorrow, I think were going back to yesterday. Now we've got a bigger car, and it's harder to race side by side on these faster, aerodynamic tracks and it's going to be some boring races the first couple of races. Everybody will be in one train, and it'll be boring. ... I'm not a fan of the COT car just because the little bit of testing I've done in Evernham's car, I mean, I call it the car of yesterday. It's taken a lot away from the ability to pass and race side by side." Yikes.

After wrecking in morning practice yesterday in a car he referred to as a "science project" because of its radical setup, Mark Martin came back and qualified 25th, third best among the Fords at Martinsville.

Top 10 qualifiers at Martinsville:

1. Kurt Busch
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Ryan Newman
5. Tony Stewart
6. Dave Blaney
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
8. Jeff Green
9. Jimmie Johnson
10. Ken Schrader

Points leader Jeff Burton qualified all the way back in 28th. Second-place Matt Kenseth qualified 20th. Could we see a big jumble in points this week?

So far in the Chase, four drivers have declared themselves out of the running for a title: Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon. All four have had significant problems at some point in the Chase.

But the gap from leader Jeff Burton to 10th-place Gordon is 216 points. It's worth noting that in 2004, Jimmie Johnson made up 219 points on Kurt Busch over the final five races of the season. Johnson ultimately came up eight points short, but a lot still can happen for this year's Chasers.

In today's Kroger 200 at Martinsville, Mark Martin will be going for his sixth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory in just his 11th start this season. How good has Martin been in the trucks this year? Consider these numbers: So far, the trucks have had 20 races and Martin has competed in just half the races. But he leads the series in victories and has more top-five finishes than seven of the top-10 drivers in the standings. He also has amassed more points than a handful of series regulars who've been in all or most of the races.

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Cathy from Landstuhl, Germany: I am a bit confused. Kurt Busch, who I am NOT a fan of, was docked 50 points for an infraction at Lowe's. Why wasn't Jimmie Johnson docked points at the beginning of the year at Daytona for what happened with his team? Maybe I am getting things wrong, but this seems a bit biased to me!

Tom Jensen: Cathy: Greetings to you in Germany! In February at Daytona, two cars failed inspection in qualifying. One was the No. 96 Hall of Fame Racing car driven then by Terry Labonte, which had a carburetor that was not approved for restrictor-plate tracks and the other the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports entry driven by Jimmie Johnson.

Following is verbatim explanation from NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Director John Darby from Feb. 14 at Daytona.

"The 48 car, the difference is, there isn't necessarily an illegal part that we can hold in our hand from the 48 car. It was a procedure that the team had worked on and developed to circumvent the template fit from the time the car was inspected prior to qualifying and having the ability to change that fit before the car actually went onto the racetrack.

"There's adjustable components in the rear of all of the race cars. There's a right wedge bolt, left wedge bolt and what they call a track bar. The track bar is responsible for holding the rear-end centered in the car and doesn't move. As the teams adjust that up and down, it affects the car being looser or tighter, okay? All said, all done with the track bar being like it is, it's a very valuable tool to the teams. It's used every race. It's completely above board, in the parameters of the rule back.

"With the addition of a locking collar on that adjustor bolt, however, that was positioned to be in contact with the guide tube that is to the back glass, as you adjust the panner bar in a normal fashion, you are additionally pushing the rear window up into the air. That's what was detected on the car. The rear window in the right side lower area of the windshield was raised significantly. That's a very aerodynamic, sensitive area of the race cars.

"Anything that you can do to raise the rear window in there essentially diverts air away from the spoiler. As everybody here well knows, Daytona and Talladega is all about aluminum parts. It's the little aluminum plate that sits under the carburetor. It's the big aluminum spoiler that sets on the back of the trunk. We use those in an effort to control the speeds of the cars to keep the race cars and the racing as safe as we can."

That was Darby's explanation. There was a lot of criticism at the time that it was at best inconsistent and at worst unfair to not give the No. 48 a points penalty.

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Jeff from Morristown, Tenn.: How did NASCAR determine that the issue with the right rear shock was not the result of some failure of the part internally? The No. 2 team's response was that they wanted to open the shock with NASCAR present to determine the cause of the problem that they were penalized for. Did NASCAR make a blind assumption in assessing the penalty or was the No. 2 team simply making a "CYA" statement?

Tom Jensen: Jeff: Thanks for the question. NASCAR has issued a penalty, but I've not yet heard how they made their determination. I'll try to find out for you.

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Scott from Anamosa, Iowa: What is Jeremy Mayfield up to, and will he race in Cup again before the end of the season?

Tom Jensen:Scott: Welcome to FOX. Jeremy Mayfield has signed to drive a Bill Davis Racing No. 36 Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in 2007. I've not heard anything about him driving in the Cup Series in any of the remaining five races this season.

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Chris from Latham, N.Y.: Brian Vickers is going to drive the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry. The Red Bull Team will field the No. 80 Red Bull Toyota Camry in 2007 also. Who do you think will drive the No. 80 Red Bull Toyota Camry In 2007?

Tom Jensen: Chris: Welcome to the weekend and FOX! Champ Car rising star A.J. Allmendinger has had two solid runs in his first two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races and will be in the No. 83 Red Bull Dodge next week at Atlanta, when he makes his Nextel Cup debut. I think he's a slam-dunk for the second Red Bull car next year and he'll be really, really good.

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Scott from West Valley City, Utah: Hi Tom, With a shorter track (Martinsville Speedway) coming up, I was hoping you could answer the following question. Has a caution flag ever been waved for the field due to a serious accident on pit road? I don't recall ever seeing one but I'm sure there has been in the past. How do the rules apply if so? Thanks for your insight.

Tom Jensen: Scott: Thanks for the question. Yes, there have been instances when drivers stalled their cars at the entrance to pit road, for example. There have also been occasions when crewman have been injured during green-flag pits stops. As with any caution, the field would be frozen when the yellow light comes on.

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Pete from Ontario, Canada: You stated that as soon as Roush loses a sponsor and driver, he will be cut to four teams. The No. 6 lost its sponsor (Viagra) after this ruling. Now the No. 6 has lost its driver. New sponsor AAA for 2006 and new driver for 2007? What is the exact ruling?

Tom Jensen: Pete: That's an excellent question. NASCAR has been fairly vague about what specific conditions will trigger enforcement of the four-car limit. Roush Racing President Geoff Smith said last week that the team intends to have five cars through 2009.

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Chase update

Sunday's Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway is race No. 32 of 36 on the NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule and race No. 6 of 10 in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

The top 10 in points are:

1. Jeff Burton
2. Matt Kenseth (-45)
3. Kevin Harvick (-89)
4. Mark Martin (-102)
5. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (-106)
6. Denny Hamlin (-137)
7. Jimmie Johnson (-146)
8. Kasey Kahne (-160)
9. Kyle Busch (-195)
10. Jeff Gordon (-216)

News updates

Kurt Busch will be without crew chief Roy McCauley at Martinsville and Atlanta after McCauley earned a two-race suspension because of a right-rear shock absorber issue found on Buschs Penske Racing South Dodge after qualifying last week at Lowes Motor Speedway. Matt Gimbel will fill in.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported today that A.J. Allmendinger will drive the No. 83 Team Red Bull Dodge next week in Atlanta. Bill Elliott, who was scheduled to drive that car, instead will drive the No. 37 Dodge.

Juan Pablo Montoya will make his NASCAR debut this week in the Busch Series race at Memphis.

Dale Jarrett's Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota Camry will carry No. 44 next year, with sponsorship from UPS.

Ward Burton will attempt to qualify the No. 4 Morgan McClure Motorsports Chevrolet for Sunday's Subway 500.

This weeks race

Martinsville Speedway, built in 1949, is the oldest and smallest track on the Nextel Cup schedule.

Red Byron won the first NASCAR Grand National 200-lap race at Martinsville Speedway on September 25, 1949 in an Oldsmobile.

A Dodge driven by Buck Baker won The Virginia 500 in 1956, the first 500-lap race at Martinsville. Prior to that, the races at Martinsville were all 200 laps or less and run on dirt.

A Chevrolet has won six of the last seven races at Martinsville. All but one were won by Hendrick Motorsports drivers: Jeff Gordon (four) and Jimmie Johnson (one). The other Chevrolet victory was by Tony Stewart in spring 2006. The non-Chevrolet victory was scored by Rusty Wallace in a Penske Racing South Dodge in April 2004. That was the first Dodge Martinsville victory since Dave Marcis in the fall of 1975. Ford?s last victory at Martinsville was by Kurt Busch in the fall of 2002.

Richard Petty is the all-time leader at Martinsville with 15 victories. Darrell Waltrip won 11 races here and Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace each won seven. Gordon is the leader in victories among active drivers, and the only driver entered in Sundays race who has more than two wins here.

Jeff Gordon has never had a DNF in 27 races at Martinsville Speedway and has failed to complete only six of the 11,000 laps raced in the past 22 races there.

Fifty-six of 115 NASCAR Cup 500-lap races at Martinsville have been won from the first four starting positions. However, nine of the last 15 have been won from a starting position of 13th or worse (56 percent).

Ken Schrader is expected to make his 700th Nextel Cup start at Martinsville Speedway, which is 12th all-time. Richard Petty leads all drivers with 1,185 starts.

Petty Enterprises leads all car owners, scoring 19 victories at Martinsville Speedway. Those victories have come from just three different drivers: Richard Petty (15), Lee Petty (three) and John Andretti (one). Petty Enterprises has not won at Martinsville since April 1999.

Four Chase drivers posted top-10 finishes in the spring race at Martinsville: Jeff Gordon (second), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fourth), Kyle Busch, (fifth) and Kevin Harvick (seventh).

Four Chase drivers posted finishes of 24th or worse at Martinsville in April: Matt Kenseth (24th), Jeff Burton (33rd), Kasey Kahne (35th) and Denny Hamlin (37th).

Mark Martin (13th) posted his sixth finish outside the top-10 in the last seven races at Martinsville.

After winning only three races in all of 2005, Dodge has won seven of the 31 races in 2006. Chevrolet has 19 victories while Ford has just five. This is the lowest win total for Ford since they finished the 1986 season with five victories. One year ago Ford had 13 victories at this point of the season.

Chevrolet clinched the 2006 Manufacturers Championship at New Hampshire - the 30th Championship for Chevrolet, including each of the last four years.

Eleventh-place Tony Stewart has a 213-point lead over 12th-place Carl Edwards.

Eighty-nine drivers have attempted to make the field for at least one race in 2006 (including Ricky Rudd who qualified for Tony Stewart at Dover). Seventy-five drivers have competed in at least one race in 2006; 32 have competed in every race.

There has not been a new qualifying record set at any track this season. At this point in 2005, five new qualifying standards had been set and there were a total of eight for the 2005 season.

There have been 13 different race winners in 2006; seven have won more than once. Kasey Kahne (six), Jimmie Johnson (four), Matt Kenseth (four), Kevin Harvick (four), Tony Stewart (three), Jeff Gordon (two) and Denny Hamlin (two) are the multiple race winners in 2006.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (6.19) has the best improvement of his average finish over his average start of all drivers who have competed in every race this season.

Kurt Busch (-7.97) has the worst ratio of his average start to his average finish of all drivers who have competed in every race this season.