The Top 5 in NASCAR Sprint Cup: Where The Elite Meet

A classic battle has shaped up, at the top of the standings in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It’s a “battle royal” if there ever was one: Four of the top five drivers in the current standings are former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions.
This is just about as good as it gets for this early in the season.

• You have four-time champion (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001) Jeff Gordon leading the pack and coming off his first win since November 2007, at Texas Motor Speedway.

• Three-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson is second in points, after finishing second to Gordon in Texas.

• 2004 champion Kurt Busch is third in the standings.

• And two-time (2002 and 2005) champion Tony Stewart is fifth in points – in his first year as a driver-owner.

The total number of points separating Gordon from Stewart: 216.