Richmond recap: Martin, Gordon improve in standings

RICHMOND, Va. (May 2, 2009) – Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon improved their positions in the driver standings after scoring top-10 finishes in Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway. Martin drove his No. 5 Cheez-It/CARQUEST Chevrolet to a fifth-place finish -- his second of the season -- and improved three spots to 15th in the standings. "This race team fought hard. We want to thank Cheez-It and CARQUEST and everybody at the No. 5 team and Hendrick Motorsports,” said Martin who now has three straight top-five finishes at the short track. “A pretty spectacular race car I had all night. I had some bad luck but it wasn't something that we couldn't rebound from. This team just dug in and got it done. I'm proud of them." Gordon, who led four times for 96 laps, regained his spot atop the driver standings with an eighth-place finish. “It's important to be up there in the points so that we don't get ourselves in jeopardy getting out of the Chase (for the Sprint Cup),” said Gordon, who started from the outside pole position for Saturday’s race. “That helps us stay solidly in the Chase, but we've got to be racing for the wins. I thought we were going to be better than that. We started so good and I really thought we were going to have something for them, but it wasn't the case." Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard -- Drive the Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet, now ranks 18th in the driver standings after finishing 27th. Jimmie Johnson slips to sixth in the driver standings after a brake issue affected his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet. Johnson, who started 15th in Saturday’s event, held on to take 36th.