The fifth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Saturday’s event marks the halfway point, and with seven of the 12 Chase participants switching positions after Talladega, those out front likely have eyes on rear-view mirrors.

Only 99 points separate the top four Chase drivers, who all retained their spots; only 27 points separate second from fourth.

Reigning and two-time series champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) extended his lead over second-place Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford) to 72 points.

Edwards leads third-place and Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford) by five points, while Biffle leads fourth-place Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet) by 22 points.

Johnson will be formidable at LMS, where he has five career wins and a series-high Driver Rating of 116.5. He’s attempting to become only the second driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup titles. Cale Yarborough (1976-78) is the other driver to do so.

Saturday also marks Johnson’s 250th career start.

Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) is the defending winner of Saturday’s Bank of America 500. It’s also the last time he won. Gordon, currently eighth in the Chase standings, hasn’t had a winless season since his rookie year of 1992.

Edwards, Biffle and teammate Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Carhartt Ford) all hope to right themselves at LMS, after getting caught in a Lap 175 accident at Talladega. All three excel at LMS — Kenseth notched his first career win there, Biffle finished second in the May event and Edwards has an average LMS finish of 7.6.

Times Three: Kahne Going For The Three-Peat At LMS

Lowe’s Motor Speedway may be known as Jimmie Johnson’s house, but Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge) can stake a claim, too.

The reigning series champion usually rules at what’s considered the industry’s home track in Concord, N.C., just outside Charlotte, but Kahne maybe the driver to beat in Saturday night’s Bank of America 500.

He’s attempting something not even Johnson has accomplished — to become the first driver to sweep all three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at LMS.

Earlier this season, Kahne’s back-to-back wins at LMS kick-started a run to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup,

He first won the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race there on May 17, following with a victory on May 25 in the Coca-Cola 600.

Kahne didn’t make the Chase — he’s currently 14th in the series standings — but making history would be a high note.

“Lowe’s is definitely one of my favorite tracks and we have a unique opportunity to win all three races here this year,” Kahne said. “We’ve won all the races here — we are just trying to get it done in one year. It would be a huge accomplishment for me personally and everyone at Gillett Evernham Motorsports to be able to complete the sweep.”

Kahne has three wins, three top fives, four top 10s and one DNF (did not finish) in nine career starts at LMS (this doesn’t include non-points All-Star events).

He also ranks well in pre-race NASCAR Loop Data statistics for LMS — third in Driver Rating (98.4) behind Johnson and Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s/Susan G. Komen For The Cure Toyota), respectively. He also ranks third in Average Running Position (12.7) and Quality Passes (296).

Kahne ranks second in Fastest Laps Run (227) and Green Flag Passes (516).

“It's a track where I seem to know what the car needs to go fast,” he said of LMS. “The line that you need to run here is so crucial. Lowe’s Motor Speedway is such a sensitive track, you can really mess up here by missing your line by just a little bit or not slowing down quite enough getting to the white line throughout the race.

“It’s a great track and hopefully we can continue to keep up the success here and get a win in the Bank of America 500.”

In The Loop: Johnson Solidly Out Front At LMS

How can you explain Jimmie Johnson’s success at Lowe’s Motor Speedway?

Is it just coincidence? Is it that LMS suits Johnson’s style perfectly? Or maybe there’s added pressure to succeed considering the number of sponsor eyeballs on the No. 48, and Johnson is certainly a driver who thrives on added pressure.

Whatever the reason, Johnson is always the man to beat at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

In just 14 starts, Johnson has five wins (tying Jeff Gordon – who has 31 LMS starts – for the active lead in LMS victories), eight top fives and 11 top 10s.

Since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, Johnson is far and away the class of the field at LMS – despite having two of his three non-top-10 finishes fall during that span.

Over the last seven LMS races, Johnson owns series-high statistics in Driver Rating (116.5), Average Running Position (7.7), Fastest Laps Run (260), average Green Flag Speed (176.860 mph), Laps in the Top 15 percentage (88.5) and Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15), with 388.

What makes his stats even more impressive are the numbers of those who rank second in each of the above categories. They’re not really close:

Kyle Busch is second in Driver Rating with a 98.7, 17.8 points behind Johnson.

Mark Martin (No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet) is second in Average Running Position with a 12.2, 4.5 positions lower than Johnson.

Kasey Kahne ranks second in Fastest Laps Run with 227, 33 fewer than Johnson.

Busch ranks second in average Green Flag Speed with 176.378 mph, .483 mph slower than Johnson.

Martin ranks second in Laps in the Top 15 percentage at 74.5%, 14 percent worse than Johnson.

Busch ranks second in Quality Passes with 335, 53 fewer than Johnson.

In other words, if Johnson wins, it won’t be a surprise. But who could be a surprise winner this weekend?

Martin has won four times at LMS and has posted solid stats recently there. He has a Driver Rating of 91.5 (fourth-best), an Average Running Position of 12.2 (second) and Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 74.5% (second).

Also watch for a strong run from Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet), who had a strong run at Talladega before getting caught up in a late-race accident.

He’ll look to rebound at LMS, his home track. He has yet to win at LMS, but has three top-10 finishes in the last four races there.

Over the last seven, he has a Driver Rating of 89.7 (fifth), an Average Running Position of 16.2 (seventh) and 106 Fastest Laps Run (fifth).

Milestone Watch

Jimmie Johnson will make his 250th career start. Kasey Kahne will make his 175 career start. If he qualifies the No. 70 Hunt Broithers Pizza Chevrolet on Thursday night, Tony Raines will make his 125th career start.

This weekend also means a milestone for LMS, which will host its 100th NASCAR Sprint Cup and 54th NASCAR Nationwide events. A total of 499 drivers have competed there.

Four will attempt to make their first LMS starts this week — Brad Keselowski, Bryan Clauson, Scott Speed and Chad McCumbee (No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge).

Copyright: All information obtained from nascarmedia.com