 Before the final race of the season , Jimmie Johnson led the Drivers ' Championship with 6 @,@ 492 points ; Mark Martin was second with 6 @,@ 384 points , 92 points behind Johnson . A maximum of 195 points were available for the final race . Behind Johnson and Martin in the Drivers ' Championship , Jeff Gordon was third with 6 @,@ 323 , and Kurt Busch was fourth with 6 @,@ 281 points . Chevrolet had already secured the Manufacturer 's Championship , and entered the race on 256 points , 58 points ahead of Toyota on 198 points , with a maximum of nine points available at the Ford 400 . Carl Edwards was the race 's defending champion . 
