Updated At 10 34 AM.. Glance at the 12 drivers in the Chase By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer The Associated Press . A glance at the 12 drivers competing in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship heading into this weekend's race at Martinsville Speedway (in order of points):

DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson

CHASE POINTS: first, 5,843 points

CAR: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 17

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (six times)

LAST WEEK: Let's see, spun out early in the race at Charlotte, then wheeled his way all the way up to third and extended his lead over Denny Hamlin. So much for a chink in the armor.

CHASE CHATTER: "It's amazing what goes through your mind when you're sliding sideways on the back straightaway," Johnson said. I saw my hard work for the year and dreams of being a five-time champion go away.

DRIVER: Denny Hamlin

CHASE POINTS: second, 5,802 points (-41)

CAR: No. 11 FedEx Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 10

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (three times)

LAST WEEK: Posted a career-best fourth at Charlotte to keep Johnson well within sight heading to a track that's been a second home to him.

CHASE CHATTER: "We have three race tracks that we've won at in these last six races or so," Hamlin said. I'm pretty confident that we should be looking good here soon.

DRIVER: Kevin Harvick

CHASE POINTS: third, 5,766 points (-77)

CAR: No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 18

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 7th (three times)

LAST WEEK: Lost a little bit of ground to Johnson and Hamlin in Charlotte, finishing eighth. Still, as the most consistent driver all season, isn't quite out of it yet.

CHASE CHATTER: "For me, this place is just a struggle," Harvick said. I struggle getting the feel that I want. To come out of here with an eighth-place finish feels like a victory.

DRIVER: Jeff Gordon

CHASE POINTS: fourth, 5,687 points (-156)

CAR: No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 35

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (seven times)

LAST WEEK: Started from the pole at Charlotte but an ignition problem had him fighting his car all night. He came in 23rd and will likely need a miracle to seriously threaten his teammate down the stretch.

CHASE CHATTER: "It was not a lot of fun," he said. We had about everything go wrong that could go wrong.

DRIVER: Kyle Busch

CHASE POINTS: fifth, 5,666 points (-177)

CAR: No. 18 M&Ms Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 4.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 11

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 4th (three times)

LAST WEEK: Bounced back from a debacle in California to end up second in Charlotte and vault three spots in the standings. Of course, that wasn't good enough to satisfy him after he led 217 laps before being passed by Jamie McMurray late.

CHASE CHATTER: "It's real, real frustrating to not come out of here with a win at a track that I have yet to win at and have been so fast at," Busch said.

DRIVER: Tony Stewart

CHASE POINTS: sixth, 5,666 points (-177)

CAR: No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart/Haas Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 23

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (twice)

LAST WEEK: Couldn't capitalize on his win in California the week before, limping to a 21st-place in Charlotte.

CHASE CHATTER: "It was just a comedy of errors," said crew chief Darian Grubb. We evidently just missed it on the setup. Not really sure what happened.

DRIVER: Carl Edwards

CHASE POINTS: seventh, 5,643 points (-200)

CAR: No. 99 Aflac Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 12

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 3rd (Fall, 2008)

LAST WEEK: Started up front but quickly slipped toward the middle of the pack in Charlotte, eventually finishing 12th.

CHASE CHATTER: "Fundamentally there's something wrong with the way we set our Fusion up for (Charlotte)," Edwards said. It's frustrating because I know we can run better than that.

DRIVER: Greg Biffle

CHASE POINTS: eighth, 5,618 points (-225)

CAR: No. 16 3M Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 2.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 15

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 7th (Fall, 2007)

LAST WEEK: Grinded out a fifth-place finish in Charlotte, using a midrace adjustment to climb his way from the back of the field.

CHASE CHATTER: "It was a really good night," Biffle said. The Scotch Blue 3M Ford Fusion ran really good. We didn't qualify very well, so we had to work our way to the front.

DRIVER: Kurt Busch

CHASE POINTS: ninth, 5,606 points (-237)

CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

TEAM: Penske Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 3.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 20

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (Fall, 2002)

LAST WEEK: Here's the difference between being Johnson and everybody else. While Johnson avoided disaster while spinning out, Busch didn't. Struggled all night before brushing the wall and finished 30th.

CHASE CHATTER: "It's really tough to explain," Busch said. We started with decent track position (15th), we ran third fastest in final practice in nearly the same conditions and yet our car just reacted completely opposite.

DRIVER: Jeff Burton

CHASE POINTS: 10th, 5,604 points (-239)

CAR: No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 32

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (Fall, 1997)

LAST WEEK: Ended up 20th at Charlotte thanks to a car that had problems when the temperature dropped and an unfortunate spin going into Turn 1 while trying to pass teammate Clint Bowyer.

CHASE CHATTER: "I tried to make something happen when I spun and it, obviously, didn't work out well for us," Burton said.

DRIVER: Matt Kenseth

CHASE POINTS: 11th, 5,587 points (-256)

CAR: No. 17 Crown Royal Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 21

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 2nd (Spring, 2002)

LAST WEEK: Ran sixth in Charlotte to post his 12th top-10 of the season.

CHASE CHATTER: "Lately we've had cars that could run in the top 10, which is encouraging, we just haven't gotten those finishes and that's disappointing, so it was nice to get the finish tonight.

DRIVER: Clint Bowyer

CHASE POINTS: 12th, 5,543 points (-300)

CAR: No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 9

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 5th (Spring, 2009)

LAST WEEK: His horrific Chase continued with a 17th-place in Charlotte that included a couple of on-track run-ins and some shoddy work in the pits.

CHASE CHATTER: "Man, that was rough," Bowyer said. It was pretty much a nightmare. This was just a bad weekend all together.

Updated At 9 44 AM.. Glance at the 12 drivers in the Chase By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer The Associated Press . A glance at the 12 drivers competing in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship heading into this weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway (in order of points):

DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson

CHASE POINTS: first, 5,998 points

CAR: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 17

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (Spring, 2006)

LAST WEEK: A very rare misstep in Martinsville, a place he's dominated lately. Struggled to find the right setup early and settled for fifth, allowing Hamlin to pull within six points with four races remaining.

CHASE CHATTER: "It was a solid performance, something we can't be disappointed in," Johnson said. I wish we were a little better but there is a lot of racing left.

DRIVER: Denny Hamlin

CHASE POINTS: second, 5,992 points (-6)

CAR: No. 11 FedEx Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 9

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 3rd (Spring, 2008)

LAST WEEK: Pulled off a perfect weekend at Martinsville, taking the pole then pulling away from Johnson over the final 30 laps to sweep both stops at NASCAR's shortest track and turning the Chase into a two-driver race.

CHASE CHATTER: "I don't think I've ever closed that well, ever," Hamlin said.

DRIVER: Kevin Harvick

CHASE POINTS: third, 5,936 points (-62)

CAR: No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 19

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (Spring, 2010)

LAST WEEK: Posted his best-ever finish at Martinsville by coming in third, perhaps thanks to a pit crew switch with Clint Bowyer's folks. Drew within 62 points of Johnson, but will likely need to win at least one of the last four races to make a run at the title.

CHASE CHATTER: "Right now, we have four more weeks," Harvick said. I'm really looking forward to Talladega and just racing hard.

DRIVER: Kyle Busch

CHASE POINTS: fourth, 5,826 points (-172)

CAR: No. 18 M&Ms Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 11

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (Spring, 2008)

LAST WEEK: Continued his strong mid-Chase run with a fourth-place at Martinsville including a terrific move past Johnson in the final laps.

CHASE CHATTER: "Jimmie and I, we know how to do it and I didn't do it rough enough to where I turned him or anything," Busch said. I just tried to give him a little bit, a little bit to try to get by him.

DRIVER: Jeff Gordon

CHASE POINTS: fifth, 5,795 points (-203)

CAR: No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 35

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (six times)

LAST WEEK: Slipped further out of serious contention with a 20th-place effort at Martinsville, helped in part by a midrace run-in with Kurt Busch that send Gordon into the wall in Turn 4.

CHASE CHATTER: "At this point we're just racing to try to get the best finishes, and we'll continue to do that as we move forward," Gordon said.

DRIVER: Carl Edwards

CHASE POINTS: sixth, 5,785 points (-213)

CAR: No. 99 Aflac Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 12

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 5th (Fall, 2005)

LAST WEEK: Continued to grind it out at Martinsville, finishing eighth as he closes in on a second straight season without a victory.

CHASE CHATTER: "I know for me personally I was worn out toward the end, but to come home eighth, I don't know how we did in points, but it's probably better than we started and that's good," Edwards said.

DRIVER: Tony Stewart

CHASE POINTS: seventh, 5,762 points (-236)

CAR: No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart/Haas Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 23

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 1st (Fall, 2008)

LAST WEEK: A pair of pit road miscues and a late tire problem sent Stewart tumbling through the field at Martinsville, finishing 24th.

CHASE CHATTER: "It went green for a really long time at the end, and our car got really tight and we're not sure really why," crew chief Darian Grubb said.

DRIVER: Jeff Burton

CHASE POINTS: eighth, 5,752 points (-246)

CAR: No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 2.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 33

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 3rd (Fall, 2001)

LAST WEEK: Jumped a couple of spots in the standings with a strong run in Martinsville, running as high as second before coming in ninth to post his 15th top-10 of the season.

CHASE CHATTER: "We weren't as good as we needed to be at the end," Burton said. We put a great effort out there and it's hard to believe you can finish ninth in a car that was that good.

DRIVER: Kurt Busch

CHASE POINTS: ninth, 5,721 points (-277)

CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

TEAM: Penske Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 19

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 3rd (four times)

LAST WEEK: Finished 16th at Martinsville, but settled a score, knocking Gordon out of serious contention by sending the four-time champion into the wall.

CHASE CHATTER: "I didn't mean to get into him that hard, but I guess that shows the game we're gonna play," Busch said. One bump versus another bump, it still seems like the scorecard isn't even.

DRIVER: Matt Kenseth

CHASE POINTS: 10th, 5,705 points (-293)

CAR: No. 17 Crown Royal Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 21

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 3rd (Fall, 2005)

LAST WEEK: A penalty for speeding while exiting pit road late in the race at Martinsville cost him as he ended up 15th.

CHASE CHATTER: "We sped on pit road somehow, which was weird because I wasn't racing anybody," Kenseth said. I guess I wasn't paying enough attention on the last segment down there.

DRIVER: Greg Biffle

CHASE POINTS: 11th, 5,682 points (-316)

CAR: No. 16 3M Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 3.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 15

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 4th (Fall, 2009)

LAST WEEK: A pair of pit-road penalties and a cut tire sent Biffle sinking to a 33rd-place finish at Martinsville.

CHASE CHATTER: "It was kind of unfortunate today," Biffle said.

DRIVER: Clint Bowyer

CHASE POINTS: 12th, 5,592 points (-406)

CAR: No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER TALLADEGA STARTS: 9

BEST TALLADEGA FINISH: 5th (Fall, 2005)

LAST WEEK: His miserable Chase continued at Martinsville, where a midrace collision with the wall sent him to the garage for a lengthy stretch and he wound up 38th.

CHASE CHATTER: "We were working on the handling and thought we were getting it figured out," Bowyer said.