...and Then There Were 10

[This article contains a table -- Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

9/18 SYLVANIA 300
NEW HAMPSHIRE INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY, LOUDON, N.H.
WINNER: Ryan Newman POLE SITTER: Tony Stewart
WHAT HAPPENED: Newman, who barely squeezed into the Chase and hadn't won a race in nearly a year, passed Tony Stewart with two laps to go for the victory and surged seven spots in the standings. Stewart retained his top position with his 13th-straight finish of eighth or higher. Kurt Busch fell five positions after a collision with Scott Riggs sent him into the wall on Lap 3.
THIS RACE IN 2006: Sept. 17, NBC/TNT

THE 10 SPOT
Before the chase for the Nextel Cup began, point totals were adjusted to give each qualifier a five-point lead on the man behind him. (Scoring was otherwise unchanged in this series.)

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9/25 MBNA RACEPOINTS 400
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY, DOVER, DEL.
WINNER: Jimmie Johnson POLE SITTER: Ryan Newman
WHAT HAPPENED: Johnson held off teammate Kyle Busch for his third win of the season. The victory moved him from fifth to first in the standings. Also moving up was Rusty Wallace, whose third-place finish left him second in points. "I'm driving better than I ever have in my life," said Wallace, who would retire at the end of the season. "It makes you think twice about stopping."
THIS RACE IN 2006: Sept. 24, NBC/TNT

YOU NEED to keep your drivers under control. -- MIKE HELTON, NASCAR president, to the crew chiefs of all the Cup teams before the MBNA RacePoints 400, as a warning after several on-track incidents in previous races.

10/2 UAW-FORD 500
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY, TALLADEGA, ALA.
WINNER: Dale Jarrett POLE SITTER: Elliott Sadler
WHAT HAPPENED: Jarrett stole the spotlight from the Chase contenders as he won for the first time in 99 races. He used a three-wide pass to beat Tony Stewart to the checkered flag on the final lap of a three-lap shootout. Stewart regained the top spot after wrecks took out five of the top 10 drivers.
THIS RACE IN 2006: Oct. 8, NBC/TNT

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IT'S HARD to fight God's will. It hurts, but what are you gonna do? -- MARK MARTIN, after getting caught up in a six-car crash on Lap 20 of the UAW-Ford 500, while running in the top 10; he would finish in 41st position.

10/9 BANQUET 400
KANSAS SPEEDWAY, KANSAS CITY, KANS.
WINNER: Mark Martin POLE SITTER: Matt Kenseth
WHAT HAPPENED: Martin won a points race for the first time since June '04 as Roush Racing swept the top three spots. Tony Stewart padded his points lead over Ryan Newman by finishing fourth, his third top five finish of the Chase, despite a broken alternator belt in his number 20 Chevy.
THIS RACE IN 2006: Oct. 1, NBC/TNT

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