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Jimmie Johnson celebrates in victory lane after winning the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 on Saturday night.

Although the drama was gone, the new format put a premium on wins and drivers went hard for them every week. Although Jeff Gordon dominated the standings all season long, his points lead is gone because Johnson, his teammate, won two more races than he did.

Gordon, the four-time series champion, will be seeded second — just 20 points behind Johnson.

Tony Stewart, the two-time series champion, will be 30 points back in third. He missed the Chase last season.

“After missing it last year, we are obviously excited to be back in,” Stewart said. “We never in our wildest dreams thought we would miss it last year, so we’re happy to be back in the Chase.

Carl Edwards is seeded fourth, followed by Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, Harvick and Clint Bowyer.

“Jimmie Johnson’s just on a tear right now and he’s going to be tough to catch,” said Busch, winner of the inaugural 2004 Chase. “Johnson is unbelievable right now, Gordon, you can just see that those two have a distinct advantage right now.”

Truex and Bowyer are first-time Chase participants, and Bowyer is the only driver in the showcase without a win. He’ll be 60 points behind Johnson when the series starts next Sunday in New Hampshire.

Edwards’ hot streak came to an end midway through the race when a part in his motor broke. He wound up 42nd, ending his streak of four consecutive top-10 finishes, but said he’s in good shape for the Chase.

“Hopefully, we can use this as a little collateral for some good luck for later in the Chase,” he said. “Hopefully, this is the bad luck now that we don’t have in the next 10 races. This team is going to be very strong.”