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Tony Stewart took his second victory in the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup - yet the reigning title holder is not even a contender in this year's 10-race shoot-out.
Stewart shot past Dale Earnhardt Jr. into the lead less than ten laps from the flag at Atlanta Motor Speedway, to record his fourth season win, with Jimmie Johnson finishing a close second.
For Johnson, second place was a blessing, as the early season favourite is now merely 26 points behind standings leader Matt Kenseth, who finished the race fourth - behind Earnhardt Jr.
The race was also kind to Denny Hamlin, the first rookie to make it into the Chase for the Cup, as he moved to third in the standings, just 65 points behind Kenseth.
Earnhardt Jr and Jeff Burton, an early points leader in the Chase, both stand on 84 points behind Kenseth, with just three rounds remaining.
Kevin Harvick, on the other hand, fell four places in the standings to sixth place - 121 points behind the leader.
Harvick, who yesterday took his eighth Busch series win in Memphis, suffered from handling problems with his cars throughout the race and finished 31st.
Another mover up the points standing was Jeff Gordon, who made up two spots and is now seventh. However, he lost ground on the points gap, dropping to 146 points behind Kenseth.
Pos Driver Make Laps 1. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 325 2. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 325 Chase 3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 325 Chase 4. Matt Kenseth Ford 325 Chase 5. Greg Biffle Ford 325 6. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 325 Chase 7. Carl Edwards Ford 325 8. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 325 Chase 9. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 325 10. Robby Gordon Chevrolet 325 11. Dale Jarrett Ford 325 12. Bobby Labonte Dodge 324 13. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 323 Chase 14. Kurt Busch Dodge 323 Chase 15. David Gilliland Ford 323 16. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 323 17. Kyle Petty Dodge 323 18. Dave Blaney Dodge 323 19. Brian Vickers Chevrolet 323 20. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 322 21. Elliott Sadler Dodge 322 22. Scott Riggs Dodge 322 23. Jeff Green Chevrolet 322 24. Ken Schrader Ford 322 25. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 322 26. Mike Bliss Dodge 321 27. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 321 28. Casey Mears Dodge 321 29. Reed Sorenson Dodge 321 30. Ryan Newman Dodge 321 31. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 321 Chase 32. Travis Kvapil Chevrolet 320 33. Michael Waltrip Dodge 319 34. Tony Raines Chevrolet 319 35. Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 319 36. Mark Martin Ford 309 Chase 37. Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 305 38. Kasey Kahne Dodge 255 Chase 39. David Stremme Dodge 246 40. Jamie McMurray Ford 244 41. Bill Elliott Dodge 146 42. Todd Bodine Chevrolet 144 43. Kevin Lepage Chevrolet 29 . The Chase for the Cup: Pos Driver Change Points 1. Matt Kenseth 6008 2. Jimmie Johnson +1 5982 - 26 3. Denny Hamlin +1 5943 - 65 4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. +2 5924 - 84 5. Jeff Burton 5924 - 84 6. Kevin Harvick -4 5887 -121 7. Jeff Gordon +2 5862 -146 8. Mark Martin -1 5807 -201 9. Kasey Kahne -1 5798 -210 10. Kyle Busch 5759 -249
Autosport has produced a standalone special magazine to celebrate our 70th birthday. All current print subscribers will receive a copy for free. To order your copy of the 196-page Autosport 70th Anniversary issue, please go to: autosport.com/autosport70th
