Happy Monday everyone! 

Today In Nascar History

September 8, 2007: Bobby Labonte makes his 500th Cup start, finishing 16th in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond. Jimmie Johnson gets the win by 3 seconds over Tony Stewart.

Number of the Day

104: Laps David Reutimann led in Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Richmond. In his previous 52 Cup races, Reutimann led nine laps.

Most Popular Driver…Vote here!

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Nationwide Most Popular Driver Poll

Craftsman Truck Most Popular Driver Poll

Quote of the Year

"NASCAR ain't doing nothing I like right now." "I don't like the rules they are doing...you can bump somebody and they want to fine you for it." Pearson saw the look on Carl Edwards face and made sure to say he knew that Edwards could not speak-up or he would get fined.

--David Pearson

In one weekend, Kyle supplanted Ulysses S. Grant as "the most-hated person in the history of Richmond."

--Mark Aumann In his Power Rankings comments

Comments from the Peanut Gallery

From Lou

What comes next? Articulation steering for road courses? LOL = Chip

Hi Momma,

Just a quick word to Chip. Thanks for the kudos, but you shouldn't use big words like ARTICULATION. LOL Many will not know what you mean. I grew up in Southern Ohio in a railroad family so I know what articulation means. It started on the big steam engines used in the mountains. It is now a type of steering used on Monster Trucks and such. I just had to make a joking comment on this.

Thanks Momma, keep sending the good newsletters and I'll keep reading them.

The Old Man of NASCAR,

Lou Elliott

Bits and Pieces

Logano's Cup debut up in the air UPDATE: a Joe Gibbs Racing spokesman said team officials were discussing options for when Joey Logano's Cup debut would occur and in what vehicle. Hall of Fame Racing, a JGR ally, had previously announced Logano would run that team's #96 Toyota next weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.(NASCAR.com) UPDATE: J.D. Gibbs said Sunday that Joey Logano will race next week in the Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. As-yet undecided is whether the 18-year-old phenom will be driving the #02 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota he was scheduled to drive this weekend at Richmond International Raceway, or whether he’ll stick with the #96 Hall of Fame Racing ride he’s supposed to be in. If he does drive for HoF, the #96 will carry Home Depot sponsorship, Gibbs said, although he acknowledged he has not talked to Hall of Fame officials about what the final plan will be. “We’ve still got to work out some more details,” Gibbs said Sunday morning at Richmond International Raceway. “Right now, we want the first race to be in the Home Depot car and we’ve got a few options to figure out, but next week, he will be in the car racing.”(SPEEDtv)

Red Bull to 3 teams? UPDATE: Jay Frye, who has engineered a solid turnaround at Team Red Bull is back from a post-California trip to the company's Austrian headquarters, and is reported to be seriously considering moving to the Stewart-Ryan Newman Chevy team next season. According to those close to the situation, Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz wants Frye to put former Formula One driver Scott Speed in a full Cup ride next season, though there is still only sponsorship support for two drivers. #83-Brian Vickers and #84-AJ Allmendinger are the team's Cup drivers, and Frye wants to keep both. If Frye stays, that would likely mean a three-car team.(Winston Salem Journal), word is that Speed will test at LMS in a few weeks in a #82 Toyota and could make his Cup debut there in Oct. UPDATE: Jay Frye had a "positive meeting" with Red Bull Racing management in Austria, but would not say Sunday whether he'll remain general manager or leave to run Tony Stewart's new team. Frye also said the team is not certain AJ Allmendinger will be back in the #84 Toyota next season. "AJ has been a Red Bull athlete for a long time. They are very fond of AJ," Frye said before Sunday's race at Richmond International Raceway. "We are going through different scenarios right now and should know something shortly." Asked if it was possible Allmendinger would not be back, Frye said "Yes, that's one of the scenarios." The future of the team has been widely discussed since an ESPN report earlier this week that Stewart had asked Frye to manage Stewart-Haas Racing next season. The report came as Frye was traveling to Austria to discuss the direction of the race team. Among the issues was Allmendinger, who is in the second and final year of his Red Bull contract. He's shown marked improvement this season under Frye, and the entire Red Bull organization has been considerably better since Frye's late January arrival.
Frye would not directly comment on the reported Stewart offer. "I'm very happy where I'm at," Frye said. "Obviously there is a lot going on in the sport right now, there are a lot of flattering things being said and a lot to think about, but I'm very happy where I'm at." Toyota Racing Development president Lee White said he was told by Red Bull executives the meeting was positive and Toyota officials are optimistic Frye will remain with the team. Red Bull struggled in its first NASCAR season last year, when team leadership operated with a Formula One mentality. The addition of Frye, a NASCAR veteran who spent 12 years running the team that merged with Dale Earnhardt Inc. last year, has put Red Bull on the right track in its second season. Brian Vickers is 15th in the standings, Allmendinger is no longer failing to qualify for races and former F1 driver Scott Speed is quickly adapting to stock cars under Frye's developmental plan. "I think (Frye leaving) would be a significant challenge for their evolution and improvement as a team," White said. "We are absolutely thrilled with their progress and that they are fulfilling their possibilities." Frye said it was his first trip to Austria, where the energy drink maker is based. "The NASCAR program is very important to their business," he said. "As a company, I wanted to understand where we're at, what's in store for the future. There is a lot going on with the company that is really good. We've made good progress. It was a very positive meeting. No matter what happens, it is great to have Red Bull part of this sport."(ESPN/AP) AND Jay Frye, whose work this season as general manager for Team Red Bull has helped spark a turnaround, is just back from a trip to Salzburg, Austria, the home of Red Bull. And Frye says he laid out for owner Dietrich Mateschitz all the various team options for 2009 – including possible expansion to a three-car team, or what Frye called “a 2-1/2-car team,” with a new Scott Speed team running a partial Cup schedule as teammate with Brian Vickers and AJ Allmendinger. But Frye also pointed out that Allmendinger’s contract is up at the end of this year, and Frye said the owner has not been particularly enthusiastic about funding a full three-car operation. “We should know more in the next week,” Frye says.(Winston Salem Journal)

Did Not Finish Streak and stats: #29-Harvick has been running at the finish in 70 consecutive races, the longest current streak and a NEW modern era record, next up is #07-Bowyer at 63 consecutive races. The all-time record for the longest streak of NOT having an DNF is 84 races held by Herman Beam from April 30, 1961 thru March 10, 1963. Kevin Harvick held the modern era (1972-present) record at 58 (10/3/2002-8/1/2004) unil he broke it himself in 2008. Next up is Jeff Gordon at 56 and Dale Earnhardt at 53 [Indy in 1996 thru Martinsville in the spring of 1998.

Dodge not to support Truck Series in 2009: The struggles in the U.S. automobile sales market are trickling down to racing, with the latest blow coming to the Truck Series. Dodge will not provide any financial support to any teams in the series in 2009, Dodge Motorsports senior manager Mike Delahanty said. "We'll have no factory-funded teams," Delahanty told ESPN.com. Delahanty said the manufacturer's involvement with the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series is unaffected..

Sorenson to bolt early? Do not be surprised if #41-Reed Sorenson leaves Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates before the year ends. Sources close to the situation say the relationship between the driver and the team owner are, to put it mildly, strained.(Ford Racing)

Carpentier to the #21? Len and Eddie Wood may be looking at signing Canadian Patrick Carpentier as their Cup driver next year. Carpentier is apparently out at Ray Evernham’s, and he’s looking for a new ride. “I haven’t talked to anyone and I don’t plan on talking to anyone until I get my cars working better,” Eddie Wood insisted. “But I do like Patrick.”(Winston Salem Journal)

Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia seeking new manufacturer support for 2009

Bob Pockrass/scenedaily.com

RICHMOND, Va. – Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia is looking for a new manufacturer after being told that Dodge will not support the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team following the 2008 season.
 
The team recently suspended operations of one of its trucks for the rest of the season as it prepares for the switch in manufacturers. The BHR-Virginia team was the only one that Dodge supported in the series in 2008 and the manufacturer is not expected to support any beginning in 2009.
 
“We’re talking to other manufacturers and seeing what’s available,” said team co-owner Clay Campbell. “Obviously it’s a tough time for everybody.”
 
BHR-Virginia driver Dennis Setzer won the pole and finished second at the race this past weekend at Gateway International Raceway. Setzer is ninth in the series standings for the team, founded by the late Bobby Hamilton.
 
“That makes a statement for us,” said Campbell, who also is president of Martinsville Speedway. “We’re checking all options. I think we’ll be OK.
 
“We knew it [was coming] and understand obviously. Dodge and Bobby Hamilton go way back. It’s sad to see that relationship ending, though we certainly understand it. This year, I couldn’t have asked for better support than Dodge gave the team – financial, engineering, parts. It was great.”

Earnhardt Jr. says Busch spin not payback

Scenedaily.com

RICHMOND, Va. - In the end, it may not matter what the drivers think happened when Hendrick Motorsports' Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch while fighting for the lead in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

Because of the past history between the pair, people will draw their own conclusions about the incident in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

Earlier this season, Earnhardt Jr. was running at the front at Richmond, closing in on what appeared to be his first win in two years when he lost the lead after Busch hit him and sent him spinning. While both drivers deemed the incident an accident, Junior’s fans were enraged.

Then came Sunday’s storm-delayed race and the two were at the front again. This time it was Busch in the lead and Earnhardt Jr. chasing him. On lap 212, Earnhardt Jr. tagged the rear quarterpanel of Busch’s No. 18 Toyota and Busch spun.

Did he think there was any intent, any payback in the move?

“Who knows?” Busch said, adding that he thought there simply wasn’t enough room for both of them in that spot.
“I tried to make sure that I was leaving enough room down there,” said Busch, who finished 15th. “So, if there was a chance for a mistake, that he had enough room to gather it back up, but unfortunately there wasn’t enough room there and we got together.”
Earnhardt Jr. denied any intent on his part, though he did quickly point out that this incident happened earlier in the race.

“If I wreck somebody, I ain’t going to leave him in good enough shape to come back and get me in the same race, so that wasn’t really my intentions,” he said. “If I wanted to – I really ain’t never wrecked anybody on purpose – but if I wanted to do it, I would do it really, really good.”
Both he and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. said the car simply got away from the driver.
Earnhardt Jr., who went on to finish fourth, said he was working the outside groove when he went into Turn 1 carrying too much speed.
“[Busch] was running real hard out on the top and trying to keep the lead,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I was going to try and move up and get next to him and free my car up a little bit. We kinda came down in there, and he turned in there a little sharper, and I locked the left-front up and that was that.”
Still, it must have been tempting for NASCAR’s most popular driver to take credit for a little vengeance.
“I could say something real smart aleck, but I won’t,” he said. “It was an accident. Those things seem to happen.
“Not on purpose, as much as I would like to take credit for it.”

Long to attempt to make New Hampshire race: Carl Long will run the Sylvania 300 Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend. Long will take the #46 Dodge to the track for the first time since the Sprint All-Star Showdown in May. EM Motorsports' #08 crew will help Long out during this weekend’s event at New Hampshire.(Carl-Long.com)

Speed to test at LMS in 3rd Red Bull car: Red Bull development driver Scott Speed will turn laps in the Sprint Cup Series open test at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on September 23 – 24. Speed will drive the #82 Red Bull Toyota under the watch of NASCAR officials who will assess his ability to participate in future Cup races. “I’ve really enjoyed testing and working with Red Bull’s Cup team,” said Speed. “They’re a very professional group and they operate at level that’s much closer to what I’m used to, so it’s nice to be a part of that. I like driving the Sprint Cup car too because I can feel the car better and its much more sensitive to my input. I haven’t driven it in traffic yet though, so that will probably be a very different experience!” Speed will test alongside teammates #83-Brian Vickers and #84-AJ Allmendinger. Rumors surfaced that Speed had already been privately testing a Sprint Cup car. We [Red Bull Racing] can confirm - those rumors were true. Speed tested at both Nashville Superspeedway and Kentucky Motor Speedway. During the 2008 season, Speed has been running a full-time ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule under the wing of Eddie Sharp Racing, earning four wins to date. Speed has also been logging seat time in the Craftsman Truck Series with Bill Davis Racing, earning his first Truck win at Dover. Scott Speed on Lowe’s Motor Speedway: “I raced at Lowe’s earlier this year in the Truck Series, so I’m in a good position to test the Sprint Cup car since I’m familiar with the track. The track itself is nice to drive on because the two corners are very different. Lowe’s is a track that has character too. It’s not a cookie cutter track so I enjoy racing on it a bit more than some of the others. It will be good to see where we stack up against everyone else, since there are so many good teams that will also be testing.”(Red Bull Racing PR)

Kyle Busch testing at Milwaukee: In preparation for the first race in the Chase at Loudon, NH this weekend, Sprint Cup Series point leader Kyle Busch is testing his #18 M&M's Toyota today, Monday, September 8 at The Milwaukee Mile. Grandstands are open today, free to public until 5:00 p.m. Enter Grandstand Gate 8, near center grandstand.(Milwaukee Mile PR)

Johnson testing at Nashville: After his win Sunday afternoon at Richmond, #48-Jimmie Johnson rolled into the Nashville Superspeedway this morning [9/8] at 10am for a team test. Johnson will be in Nashville for a one-day test.(Nashville Superspeedway PR), no word if the test is open to the public.

Kentucky testing Tues-Wed: Three Sprint Cup teams are scheduled to test at the Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday [9/9]: #8-Aric Almirola for DEI and an un-named driver for the R&D Test team of Haas CNC Racing; and on Wednesday [9/10]: the R&D Test team of the #21Wood Brothers Racing team with no driver listed. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway site)

Crew chief change for Robby? hearing crew chief Walter Giles has left Robby Gordon Motorsports and #7-Robby Gordon. No word on who will be the crew chief or Giles future plans.

Earnhardt says contact with Busch 'ironic'

By Dustin Long/The Virginian-Pilot

Dale Earnhardt Jr. says that if he meant to crash Kyle Busch in Sunday's race, it would have ended differently.

"If I wreck somebody, I ain't going to leave him in good enough shape to come back and get me in the same race, so that wasn't really my intentions," Earnhardt said.

Still, their tango was "ironic," as Earnhardt put it.

It was Busch who tapped Earnhardt out of the lead in the final laps of the Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway in May.

Sunday, Earnhardt knocked Busch out of the lead with about 150 laps to go. Did Busch think it was intentional?

"Who knows?" Busch said. "Hard racing... and unfortunately, things happened that way."

Earnhardt dove under Busch to pass, but clipped Busch's left rear as he slammed on the brakes to avoid contact. The hit sent Busch's car backing into the wall. Busch finished 15th. Earnhardt placed fourth.

Since criticizing crew, Hamlin continues surge

While Jimmie Johnson celebrated his second win in a row, Denny Hamlin scored his third consecutive third-place finish. Hamlin made his charge since criticizing his crew by saying the team didn't belong in the Chase with the way it was running.

"I like going into the Chase with the finishes that we have because I feel like it's good momentum," he said.

Strike off Martinsville as Chevy track in 2009

Chevrolet won't renew its contract with Martinsville Speedway after this season, track president Clay Campbell said, making it one of five tracks Chevy will drop after this season when its contract ends.

Bristol Motor Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway already have confirmed Chevrolet will not renew contacts with them. Jeff Chew, marketing manager of Chevrolet, wouldn't name the other two tracks Chevrolet will drop. He said that will leave Chevrolet with seven track sponsorships for next year.

Richmond International Raceway will remain a Chevy track and its contract to sponsor Sunday's race goes through next year.

Also, Campbell, a co-owner in Bobby Hamilton Racing, said that Dodge will not continue to support the Craftsman Truck team after this season. Dodge, which won 64 truck races from 1997-2005, will leave that series after this season. The Hamilton team was the only one that Dodge continued to support.

Which car will Logano drive this weekend?

Joey Logano will attempt to make his Cup debut this weekend at New Hampshire after rain ruined his chance in Richmond. The question is which car will he drive.

Logano was scheduled to drive the No. 02 Home Depot car before rain canceled qualifying Friday. He is scheduled to drive at New Hampshire for Hall of Fame Racing, which is sponsored by DLP. The key issue is Joe Gibbs Racing officials are trying to arrange it so Logano's debut comes in a Home Depot-sponsored car. J.D. Gibbs, team president, said he hoped to have a decision made by today.

Red Bull GM may pass on reported offer

Jay Frye, general manager at Red Bull Racing, says he's happy where he's at in response to a report he's been offered a contract by Stewart Haas Racing for a management position.

Frye would not say what his plans are. He spent last week in Austria, meeting with team owner Dietrich Mateschitz, founder of Red Bull, and other officials, discussing the team's future. Among the topics was AJ Allmendinger, who has not been offered a contract yet for next season. Frye said several scenarios about Allmendinger's status were discussed.

Richmond's sellout streak ends at 33

Sunday's crowd was estimated at 110,000 - about 2,000 short of capacity. It ended Richmond's streak of 33 consecutive sellouts.

PIT PASSES

Jimmie Johnson collected $256,836 for the victory.... Robby Gordon finished 42nd and fell out of the top 35 in car owner points, meaning Gordon is not guaranteed a starting spot next weekend at New Hampshire.

AND SO IT BEGINS
Johnson wins; Bowyer’s in
By Reid Spencer, Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

RICHMOND, Va. -- Sunday’s weather-delayed Chevy Rock & Roll 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race left Jimmie Johnson with an abundance of optimism and Clint Bowyer with a sigh of relief.

In a race postponed from Saturday night by the threat of Tropical Storm Hanna, Johnson held off Tony Stewart in a thrilling side-by-side battle in the closing laps at Richmond International Raceway to win his second straight race, his fourth of the season and the 37th of his career, tying him with Bobby Isaac for 16th on the all-time victory list.

Johnson secured the third seed for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup behind Kyle Busch, who has eight victories, and Carl Edwards, who has won six times this season.

Stewart and third-place finisher Denny Hamlin also clinched spots in the Chase. Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran fourth, followed by Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, David Reutimann and Kurt Busch.

Bowyer clinched his spot in the Chase with a 12th-place finish -- but not without his share of anxious moments along the way. After a slow pit stop left him mired in race traffic -- and behind David Ragan, his closest pursuer for the final Chase berth entering the race -- Bowyer recovered as Ragan faded.

Bowyer, who finished third in last year’s championship standings, claimed the last Chase position by 69 points over Kasey Kahne (19th Sunday) and 77 over Ragan, who survived an early spin in Turn 2 to finish 32nd.

“We knew it was going to be a roller coaster all day,” Bowyer said. “We lost track position when we had a couple of bad pit stops, but it worked out pretty good. We’ve got a lot of work to do here. We’ve got to prove we’re in this thing for a reason.”

Johnson held the lead for a restart on Lap 375 of 400, after an accident in Turn 2 involving Paul Menard and Patrick Carpentier bought out the 14th and final caution of the race. Johnson pulled away at the beginning of the run, but Stewart closed the gap, and by Lap 388 he was hounding Johnson through every corner.

Running the bottom of the track while Johnson was committed to the outside line, Stewart nosed his No. 20 Toyota ahead of Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet at the start/finish line on Laps 390 and 391, but Stewart couldn’t clear Johnson’s car, and Johnson won the race to the line on Lap 392.

From that point, Johnson edged ahead, led the final nine laps and took the checkered flag .365 seconds ahead of Stewart.

Going into the Chase last year, Johnson also won back-to-back races at Fontana and Richmond. He then won four of the last five races to claim his second title in a row.

“We’re coming to good tracks for us,” Johnson said. “I think this 48 car is going to be ready for this championship.”

Always aware that Stewart drives The Home Depot Toyota -- the marketing rival of his Lowe’s Chevrolet -- Johnson wondered during the closing laps if Stewart would try to move him aside for the win.

“He’s the orange car, and I’m the Lowe’s car,” Johnson said. “I was waiting for the bump, but fortunately, I got away from him the last few laps, and he couldn’t get to me.”

Stewart said he had no intention of rubbing his adversary.

“We got down there, and we couldn’t get by,” said Stewart, clearly disappointed with his fourth second-place finish of the season. “We did everything we could. We raced him clean. We raced him the way he would have raced us. I wanted to race him with respect, the way he would me, and we just came up short.”

Stewart was miffed that Johnson had beaten him out of the pits for a restart on Lap 365, an exchange of stops that proved critical. “Good job, guys,” Stewart radioed to his crew after the race. “Great job. We gave up another one today.” “We win and lose as a team,” retorted crew chief Greg Zipadelli. “That’s enough of that crap.” Call it revenge -- or just a racing accident -- but contact with Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevrolet sent Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Toyota spinning in Turn 1 on Lap 212. The thousands of fans who rose in unison with fists pumping clearly construed the incident as payback for the late-race wreck that prevented Earnhardt from winning at Richmond in May. Note: Seeding for the Chase is based on bonus points -- 10 each for victories -- and tiebreakers (most seconds, followed by most thirds, fourths, fifths and so forth). Accordingly, Kyle Busch starts the Chase with 5,080 points to 5,050 for Edwards, who lost 10 bonus points for an oil tank cover infraction at Las Vegas. Johnson is third at 5,040, followed by Earnhardt, Bowyer, Hamlin and Burton (5,010 each); and Stewart, Greg Biffle, Gordon, Harvick and Matt Kenseth (5,000 each).

Junior invokes the Intimidator at Richmond

by Lee Spencer/foxsports.com

RICHMOND, Va. - The battle between home improvement stores sealed the final chapter of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway Sunday as Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart swapped positions in the closing laps.

Holding the high line, Johnson pulled ahead of Smoke with eight laps remaining in the race to score his fourth victory of the season and second in as many weeks.

But the move of the race came well before the finish and didn't include either of the top finishers.

With point leader Kyle Busch in the lead and Dale Earnhardt Jr. trailing by half a car length on Lap 212, the No. 18 slid down into the No. 88 and went spinning through Turn 2. The crowd erupted, displaying its pleasure as NASCAR's Most Popular Driver exacted revenge from the May race when the positions were reversed.

"We was racing hard," said Earnhardt, who led the second-most laps (90) Sunday. "He was up front leading and I felt like I was a little bit quicker. I was gaining on him a little bit in each corner.

"I was on the bottom real tight and I wasn't going to get by him so I moved up to get next to him and raced him hard. I went down there too hard, got into his quarter-panel and spun him out. It was an accident. It happened, but it was midway through the race."

Earnhardt led 66 laps before colliding with Busch, but swears he didn't mean to take out the No. 18. Regardless of intent, Earnhardt said the fans' reaction was "impressive."

"If I wreck somebody, I ain't going to leave them in good enough shape to come back and get me in the same race. That wasn't really my intentions. I ain't never really wrecked someone on purpose. If I wanted to do it I would have done it really, really good."

It's a move Earnhardt most certainly would have mirrored from the master — his father. Imagine Dale Earnhardt leaving any sort of a window where a competitor could return to seek vengeance on the Intimidator? Then again, knowing Senior, it's unlikely he would have handled the situation any differently.

Busch appeared half-frantic, half pissed-off during the next 50 laps as crew chief Steve Addington did his best to calm his driver and return the No. 18 Toyota into competitive shape. Busch returned to the field one lap down and outside of the top 35 as Earnhardt continued to lead fueled by the cheers of the crowd.

To add salt to Busch's wounds, Elliott Sadler punted the No. 18 in Turn 4 on Lap 243. Busch's voice gained octaves by the lap which prompted Addington to radio the crew, "Settle down here, settle down here," on Lap 246.

While the ire in some racers might have festered, Busch summoned his inner Terminator and came back from 35th to finish 15th. No, it wasn't where Busch expected to finish, but the fact that he didn't lay down speaks volumes about his determination.

After wrecking Earnhardt in May, Busch justified his actions by saying, "It would not make me a race car driver, that's for sure, if I went out there on that final restart and just gave way to the 88 car. Then that would not be a true race car driver.

"I had to do what I had to do to win for my team. . . . Unfortunately, circumstances happened."

The tables turned this weekend. After the race Busch said he knew Earnhardt was on the inside of his quarter-panel and he "tried to make sure (he) was leaving enough room down there so if there was a chance for a mistake, that (Earnhardt) had enough room to gather it back up."

"Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room there and we got together," Busch added. "And no, there was no discussion of (the possibility of revenge) before the race."

Although other teams have caught up to the No. 18 Toyota performance-wise, particularly Carl Edwards and Johnson of late, Busch enters the Chase with 5,080 points — 30 more than Edwards — because of the eight wins he posted in the regular season.

"For me, I've been in the Chase these past two seasons and had to come from behind a little bit," Busch said. "Fortunately, this year we start in a better position and hopefully come out of the box strong on the first few tracks and after that regroup and look and see what we have to improve on in the final seven or eight races to see what we have to work on in order to get a little bit better.

"But overall, I think it's going to come down to the wins if you can get some and the top fives."

However, as Sunday's race proved, those results might be hard to muster. The target is on Busch's tail not only because he is the leader, but because of the rivalries he's established with his fellow Chasers. Whether it's an Earnhardt using the chrome horn to rattle his cage, his former Hendrick teammates looking to quiet their critic, or a little cat and mouse with Carl Edwards, Busch will have his work cut out for him beyond the normal realm of competition.

What can make the chase great?  A change of scenery

Imagine a 12-race playoff with an equal mix of racetracks

By Joe Menzer, NASCAR.COM

Let the 2008 Chase to the Sprint Cup championship commence.

Yet as interesting as it appears it will be, it could be better. Much better.

So let us play NASCAR god with the schedule for a moment, if you will. This is fantasy stuff -- likely never to happen in any similar form, let alone the complete format about to be proposed. But if it could occur, it would take what has been for the most part a good thing and make it even more appealing.

The first fantasy improvement would be expanding the Chase from 10 races to 12. Twelve for the 12 who qualify for it. That would enable two more racetracks deserving of a Chase date their rightful spot in the sport, without messing up the rest of the schedule too much for anyone else.

Racetrack operators love being locked in on a date that works for them, so we don't want to mess with too many date and venue switches. Going to 12 races would enable Bristol and Richmond to be added to the mix without a dramatic date change for either track.

The Chase, after all, determines each season's champion. Wouldn't it be better if the best tracks on the circuit -- and every track configuration -- were all represented? Having established that, here is the fantasy Chase schedule one man, or One Menz, proposes:

1. Bristol -- Instead of having the Bristol night race in late August three races before the Chase, as it currently is, why not have it kick off the Chase? Imagine the sparks that would fly as drivers jostled for position, knowing that even those on the back end of the 12 who qualify now have an extra two races to try to make up points deficits.

2. Darlington (Labor Day) -- Why was this race moved in the first place? And since the Saturday night race has been so popular with fans since the event was moved from Labor Day weekend to Mother's Day weekend, keep it a night event. But the fact is, Darlington arguably is the most challenging (and also one of the most historic) racetracks on the circuit and deserves a date in the Chase.

3. Richmond -- As the schedule currently is constructed, the .75-mile track has a niche as the last race before the Chase. Under this scenario, it could be in the Chase itself without necessitating a drastic change in the race date. And again, it could be another night event -- which are proving wildly popular. Leave the last race before the Chase to Homestead, which quite frankly is not the best choice for the place to end the season but might be able to develop a better niche for itself in the new role.

4. New Hampshire -- Presently the first race in the Chase, it deserves to stay in but could be moved to No. 4 and still be held in mid-September to prevent weather from being an issue.

5. Kansas -- Currently the third race in the Chase, it would move to No. 5 without even requiring a date switch. Why leave such a new track in the sport's spotlight? Because this is one new venue that got it right from the start. With a seating capacity of 81,687, it wasn't overbuilt and has yet to see an empty seat; there should be some reward for that.

6. Sonoma -- If road-course races are going to be part of a Sprint Cup season, then one of the road courses ought to be included in the Chase that determines the series champion. And early October in California is less a weather risk than early October in Watkins Glen, N.Y., although one thought might be to rotate which road course gets the Chase spot each year.

7. Talladega -- Right now it's the only restrictor-plate race in the Chase. Love 'em or hate 'em, they are part of the sport and they sure are fun for the fans to watch. So leave this one alone pretty much right where it is on the calendar.

8. Charlotte -- Lowe's Motor Speedway is perhaps the most storied 1.5-mile track on the circuit and has been home to some fantastic racing through the years. As with Talladega, leave it alone.

9. Martinsville -- What it may lack in infield amenities for teams, media and fans, it more than makes up for in the short-track racing it produces. Along with Bristol and Richmond, this would be the third short track in the Chase -- which needs more short-track racing and less of the generic mile-and-a-halves.

10. Texas -- How can you go wrong with putting a facility run by the creative Eddie Gossage in the Chase? Of course NASCAR officials already know this and that's why it's on the current schedule, located exactly two spots from the finish.

11. Phoenix/California/Las Vegas -- Rotate it until one proves that it truly deserves a second date -- and one in the Chase -- the most. The bet here is that if this was done, it would be a two-race rotation between Phoenix and Las Vegas before long, and that doesn't sound like too bad an idea.

12. Daytona -- Here is the kicker. While holding two major events in a three-month span at Daytona International Speedway might be a tough sell in the Florida market, this would be a way for NASCAR to have its Super Bowl twice a year, in the first race and the last. Sure, the race over Fourth of July weekend has been a tradition, but this could begin a new one and let someone else celebrate over the Fourth (if not take that weekend off).

Would you really want a wild, restrictor-plate shootout to determine the season's champion? Well, it is NASCAR's crown jewel racetrack -- and the drivers would have the rest of the 11 races in the Chase to put themselves in the most favorable positions possible. So the answer is yes. It would be exciting and unpredictable, something new mixed with something old.

The only track conspicuously missing from the list -- which under the aforementioned structure would include three short tracks, six intermediates, one road course and two superspeedway restrictor-plate affairs -- would be Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But frankly, while the pageantry and atmosphere surrounding the race there is fantastic, the racing isn't. Plus it could serve as a mid-season anchor as one of the biggest "regular-season" events.

Listen, it's all fantasy. Don't think for a minute that this, or anything even remotely close to it, is expected to happen. But it would be neat if it did.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.

Ten Points to Ponder

After Richmond

Tommy Thompson · Frontstretch.com

1. How Low? – When times are tough, there are certain things that are lower on the priority list than others,” said Dodge Motorsports senior manager Mike Delahanty, announcing that Dodge would not support any Craftsman Truck Series teams next year. Actually, the only team that the manufacturer still funded was Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia. The manufacturer had enjoyed success in the series with the late Bobby Hamilton winning a CTS championship in Dodges in 2004 and Ted Musgrave in 2005.

Low Priority? Is that an insult to the Craftsman Truck Series…or what?

2. Not Car Guys! – Dodge, bought by the private-equity firm Cerberus in 2007 from German based Daimler, has been on a downhill-skid for sometime, this year trailing Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota in all three of NASCAR’s top series; Sprint, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck. To top off Dodge’s ineptness, with Kasey Kahne’s disappointing finish in Sunday’s at Richmond – the beat-up automaker will have no Dodge team representing their brand in the 12-team NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.

Go figure – you would think a bunch of equity investors would be top-notch racers…wouldn’t you?

3. Devaluation – Driver and one-car team owner Robby Gordon was slapped with court papers this past week. It seems that the maverick Sprint Cup driver/owner had entered into an agreement to not only drive for Gillett Evernham Motorsports, but to sell his Robby Gordon Motorsports operation at a reported price of $23.5 million to GEM before the 2009 Sprint Cup season begins. However, GEM accuses Gordon of breach of contract that had been agreed upon at the end of January by shopping his racing enterprise around to others and publicly criticizing the GEM Dodge engines that he has received from GEM beginning at Daytona in February. “They want to fight this and get relief from the agreement, and we’ll let a judge decide if they can get out of it,” Gordon said. “This caught me by surprise, and I don’t feel I have breached anything.”

By virtue of Gordon’s 42nd place finish (eight laps down) at Richmond International Raceway Sunday, his No. 7 RGM Dodge has now slipped to 36th in owners points, thus losing the advantage of the Top 35 rule that has had Gordon guaranteed a start in Sprint Cup races. Better believe that Gordon will be saying his prayers that the final decision is in his favor – as his organizations value just took on heck of a hit.

4. A Little Compassion – With last Friday’s qualifying for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race scheduled for Saturday night under the lights rained out, NASCAR officials postponed, and in a timely manner, all weekend race events, including the Nationwide Series’ Emerson Radio 250 scheduled for Friday evening until Sunday. The schedule change resulted in what was supposed to be a prime time event on ABC being pushed over to the less lucrative time slot Sunday on ABC’s sister-network ESPN. Weather forecasts were correct in their predictions that the Richmond, VA. area would feel the effects of Tropical Storm Hanna.

Good for NASCAR! Don’t you know that at least some of the decision makers were tempted to wait and hope for the best before postponing – resulting in soaked fans standing in shin-high water and mud in the parking lots.

5. Plenty Of Time – Joey Logano’s much-heralded Sprint Cup debut was put on hold by the rainout of qualifying at Richmond on Friday. As per NASCAR rules, car owner’s points set the starting field, leaving Logano and Joe Gibbs Racing No. 02 Chevrolet entry out of the race. Logano, who will take over the driving duties of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet presently piloted by Tony Stewart next season said of the disappointing turn of events, “I can’t change the weather, so I just go with it.”

And at 18-years old…what does another week matter anyways?

6. Headin’ In The Right Direction – With Michael McDowell’s 20th place run at Richmond in the No. 00 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing now finds all three of its entries inside the Top 35 in owner’s points. The No. 44 MWR entry of David Reutimann, with back-to-back ninth place finishes, has the UPS sponsored Toyota sitting 27th in owner’s points, while owner / driver Michael Waltrip’s No. 55 is 32nd and McDowell moved up to 35th in the all-important owner’s points after the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

Not earth-shattering results, however considering a year ago Michael Waltrip Racing was the laughing stock of NASCAR…certainly an accomplishment.

7. Root Of The Problem? – None of the four Dale Earnhardt, Inc. teams consisting of Mark Martin / Aric Almirola, Martin Truex, Jr., Regan Smith or Paul Menard will participate in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship 10-race shootout. Yet Mark Martin, who in another strong effort finished fifth at Richmond, now has three Top 5 and nine Top 10 finishes in just 18 races this season. In fact, based largely on Martin’s results, the No. 8 Army Chevrolet is 15th in owner’s points even with the rookie Almirola’s ride-sharing arrangement with Martin. Truex, Jr.’s No.1 Chevrolet is 18th in owner’s points, with the No. 15 driven by Menard and the No.01 with Smith behind the wheel 28th and 29th, respectfully.

Even the most ardent critics of the DEI organization and its controversial owner must wonder how much of the problem is equipment, and how much of it is driver.

8. Busch Whacking…Junior Style – Stockcar racing’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. spun out the sports most booed driver, Kyle Busch on lap 211 while battling for the lead Sunday afternoon at Richmond. Earnhardt, Jr., who led the race five times before settling for a fourth place finish, accepted blame for the incident and explained that he drove in too deep and made contact with the 23-year old Sprint Cup point leader. “Not on purpose, as much as I would like to take credit for it,” said Junior.

When a usually amiable and mild-mannered fellow like Earnhardt, Jr. starts taking jabs at you…don’t you think you might have a problem?

9. Just Rewards – Despite Kasey Kahne finishing 19th Sunday at Richmond, he was not able to gain enough ground to make the 12 team Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship field. The driver fell 69 points short, though overtaking Roush Fenway driver David Ragan for 13th spot in the point standings. Kahne has won twice in 2008, making him one of only four drivers with multiple wins on the season. Five Chase-eligible drivers have no wins for the season to date.

Are 10 bonus points for a Sprint Cup win enough?

10. Ahhh, Oh… – Two-time back-to-back NASCAR Sprint Cup defending Champion Jimmie Johnson, driving the familiar No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, won the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway. It is Johnson’s fourth win of the season and second in a row. Johnson bested the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet driven by Tony Stewart by a mere 0.365 seconds.

Is 2008 starting to look like Déjà Vu…all over again?

Rain or shine, Richmond is simply the best
By- Sharon Bundy/insidethepitbox.com

Sunday was exactly what race fans needed to see, an actual race. More times than not this season there hasn't been much racing. Blame the track or the new car or a combination of both, but this season just has not been good for NASCAR. The Chevy Rock-n-Roll 400 was a race that had so many storylines, fans were not reduced to napping through much of the race. Multiple lead changes between several drivers, actual racing throughout the field, the Chase storyline, made for a great race. Plus, a little karma for dramatic effect.
For much of the season it has been the Kyle Busch show and for good reason. But it's a long season and for as much as it seems the Chase dilutes how a champion is crowned, it really doesn't. Ten races only play a part in that. Some think Kyle has cooled off, but it is more of the other drivers have gotten hotter. Jimmie Johnson is a Chase veteran, he has won and lost the title which has made he and his entire team much wiser. While the early part of the season was all Kyle, the No. 48 team quietly built the momentum needed to chase that third championship.

 While most of the top twelve was just trying to maintain their place in the Chase, some were fighting to stay in. Heading into Richmond, Clint Bowyer had a mere 17 point lead over 13th place David Ragan. Over the last month or so, Bowyer struggled to stay in the top twelve, while Ragan was consistently in position to overtake Clint's place. The day saw ups and downs for both drivers. Problems on pit road and on track kept the Chase spot open to both drivers for much of the day. But in the end, Clint Bowyer was able to rebound and solidify his place. But David Ragan has impressed not only me, but so many people with not only his improvement from last season, but how well he and his team are able to overcome adversity and adapt at the track. If anything, this proves that David Ragan is going to be a threat for years to come. 

The one moment of the race that will no doubt get the most attention was the incident between Dale Jr. and Kyle Busch. Thoughts of the Spring race came to mind. Many wondered if and when would Junior "payback" Kyle for the late race incident that seemingly took the win from Junior. But why would Junior wait until the series returned to the very track the incident took place? As much as people would love to believe it was payback, it was truly a racing deal. But karma can certainly play a role. Junior was able to finish fourth, Kyle rebounded to a finish fifteenth on the day.   

While wrecks and interesting stories unfolded throughout the afternoon, actual racing made it worth watching. In the final 20 laps of the race, we saw a great battle between two champions of the sport. Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart provided the best racing I have seen so far this year. Side-by-side lap after lap, made the race to the checkered flag a can't miss event. Both drivers wanted to win, both drivers held their line, but raced each other cleanly. What more can a fan ask for? Jimmie Johnson was able to hold off Stewart for his fourth win of the season and add the important bonus points to start the Chase. But most importantly we saw a great race at a time when fans and drivers are questioning the new car. While the new car still has a lot of work to make it more competitive on track, the race at Richmond provided hope that there is still good racing out there. Rain, wind, and tropical storms cannot keep a good track down. 

Matt McLaughlin Mouths Off

Chevy Rock n Roll 400

Matt McLaughlin · Frontstretch.com

The Key Moment: Tony Stewart ran down Jimmie Johnson with 10 laps to go, but Johnson found enough speed in the upper groove to prevail over the 20 car in a battle of the home improvement centers.

In a Nutshell: Against all odds, on a nearly perfect day at a nearly perfect race track, the Cup series put on a nearly perfect race.

Dramatic Moment: There were nearly 400 laps worth of them with two and even occasional three wide racing for the lead and side by side racing throughout the pack.

There’s no doubt that the most popular moment of the race for the fans on hand was watching Junior send Kyle Busch spinning. Junior clearly slammed on the brakes to stay off the 18 car but from the cheap(er) seats it must have looked like a little payback for the Richmond Spring race.

What They’ll Be Talking About Around the Water Cooler This Week

OK, so Johnson made his point Sunday. It’s no longer a two man race for this year’s title. Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch are going to have to contend with Johnson as well.

Oh, I know someone will say it was contractual, but it’s hard to understand why ABC covered the IRL season finale, bumping the delayed NASCAR race over to the ESPN outlet. Yeah, there was a good title fight in the IRL, but ratings numbers suggest the Mother Ship should have gone with the bigger event. But combined with an exciting F1 race Sunday morning and a thriller at Chicago with the IRL, this was a stellar, if long, day to be a race fan.

I can’t wait to watch the message boards light up in response to ESPN choosing to cut away to commercial twice just as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made passes for the lead. On a more positive note, the pictures all race long and coverage of the racing back in the pack were a sunny reminder of ESPN’s Glory Days back in the 80s. But if he ever decides to lose this TV gig of his, Dr. Jerry Punch clearly has a future in the new cabinet as Minister of Disinformation. Saying stuff like a driver is running ninth when the graphics clearly show he is 19th is just sloppy.

Talk about unintended irony; after the race, the producer showed a clearly frustrated Tony Stewart tossing his steering wheel in anger after finishing second. Cut to that Samsung commercial with Stewart’s voice saying, “Let’s get out there and have some fun guys.” Yeah, I’d say the marriage is over between Stewart and his soon to be ex-team. Stewart threw them under the bus, blaming them for losing the race in the pits, and was quickly told to lose his attitude and stop that crap. I’m not liking their chances in the Chase. Give some points to Stewart for a relatively calm interview after the race. It was as if he’d undergone an exorcism during a commercial break.

I’m not digging the chemistry between Earnhardt, Jr. and his team right now either.

Wasn’t it rather interesting to have Jimmie Johnson refer to Tony Stewart as a “teammate” for 2009? So much for capping the number of teams any owner can run.

Did NASCAR make the right call postponing the races until Sunday on Friday even as there was a slight chance of a weather window opening Saturday evening, allowing the race to be run as scheduled? I’ll rip into NASCAR when I feel they’ve screwed the pooch, but I’ll give them this one. With a weather forecast grimmer than the latest unemployment numbers, they spared fans the likelihood of sitting for hours in the miserable rain and potentially dangerous wind conditions on Saturday waiting for an event that almost certainly wasn’t going to happen anyway based on the information they had at the time. In addition, Virginia State Troopers and other law enforcement personnel were going to be needed to protect lives and property in the coastal areas that took a harder hit than the Richmond metro area when Hanna came calling and wouldn’t have been available to handle traffic and security details at the race. With the potential danger, NASCAR made the right call. I remember fighting my way through clogged traffic caused by power outages after a hurricane had shut down the traffic lights around the track (and gas stations shut down without power as my rental car ran on fumes) to attend a Richmond race a decade ago, and it wasn’t any fun. The safety and well being of fans paying big bucks to attend a race must always be put before the needs of NASCAR’s network partners.

The now infamous Rolling Stone interview of Tony Stewart is a dead issue in my mind. The fact Tony Stewart is a talented race car driver almost without equal has never been in doubt given his two championships in NASCAR and multiple other forms of racing. The fact he’s a lecherous, unkempt, out of shape, egotistical, self-centered legend-in-his-own-mind individual with Neanderthal views towards women is no surprise to anyone whose had even a peek behind the curtain. It was in fact refreshing to see Stewart’s frank attempt at self-immolation in print before he actually does the same with his career next season. Stewart fans can take comfort in the fact he’s already earned enough money to keep himself in whores, booze and fast cars for the rest of his lifetime, dragging his knuckles across the face of this fair earth.

NASCAR has decided that Toyota has an unfair advantage in both the Nationwide and truck series with their engines and throttled the Toyota teams back about 15 horsepower in the interest of parity. So how long will it be before they do the same in the Cup Series? I fully understand the mindset that Toyota teams have worked within the rules to gain an advantage, just as Junior Johnson and Smoky Yunick once did, and as such penalizing them for their hard work and millions spent on research and development seems unfair and counterintuitive. But us gray-hairs recall that NASCAR did the same thing to Ford back when Bill Elliott’s team was dominating the superspeedways. NASCAR opened this Pandora’s box back when they raised the roof height on the Thunderbirds and allowed GM to run models that were front wheel drive on the street as rear wheel drive race cars that bore little resemblance to the crap that sat unsold on Chevy, Pontiac, Buick and Oldsmobile lots in the era. The simple fact is there’s no “stock” left in stock car racing these days and Toyota hasn’t built an OHV powered model in over two decades. Parity or parody? You decide.

There are apparently folks in the garage area who want Jeff Gordon to take a defiant stand against NASCAR, using his high profile and fan allegiance to demand NASCAR modify the fatally flawed Car of Sorrow rules. Sorry, you might as well wait for Britney Spears to write a Nobel Prize winning essay on macroeconomics. Undoubtedly one of the greatest drivers of his generation, my guess is Jeff Gordon has never suffered a spinal injury in any hard wreck because he lacks a backbone. Others say if Dale Earnhardt, Jr. would try to take his father’s place as a garage area soapbox firebrand that can’t be denied, NASCAR would do the right thing. Nope, even if all 43 drivers were to band together and condemn the new car in profane terms to every media outlet available to them 24 hours a day for a week, current NASCAR officialdom would tell them to “Shut up and race.” The problems with the Car of Horror are clearly evident to even casual NASCAR fans but nobody at NASCAR has figured out the First Rule of Holes; When you find you’re caught in one, that first step is to stop digging.

It was announced this week that Dodge (or Cerrebrus Capital if you prefer) will stop backing teams in the Whoever Is Going to Sponsor It Next Year Truck Series, basically throwing in the towel to the dominant Toyotas. Some of you may have seen a recent YouTube video of spectators watching as small chunks of a glacier began calving away when suddenly the whole thing began to collapse, swamping them on the rocks. Get thee to higher ground because Dodge’s announcement this week is just the first few ice cubes hitting the water.

“Thanks, NASCAR, for broadcasting the National Anthem…..” Well, yeah, um about that. But seriously, they managed to conduct a stock car race without an hour plus pre-show. Who knew such a thing was not only possible, but better? It’s simple; say the prayer, sing the song, fire the engines and drop the green….preferably exactly at 1 PM ET.

I really dislike the disrespect some of these younger drivers show the legends. Here’s a note to David Ragan. The fact you can become a millionaire running a Ford in the Cup series is by and large a product of the Wood Brothers and Bill Elliott. They were in the game back when Jack Roush was still in the NHRA.

Well there is little controversy after Richmond, but big things are afoot over in Belgium after the soggy conclusion of the Grand Prix of Belgium. Apparent winner Lewis Hamilton was stripped of his victory after being penalized 25 points for improper passing. Hamilton missed a chicane and passed race leader Kimi Raikkonen. As required, Hamilton allowed that guy with the last name I don’t want to try spelling again to repass him, but then immediately repassed him. I guess he was supposed to count to “five one thousand” before repassing that other guy whose name looks like an industrial accident at an alphabet soup canning plant. The Ferrari driver wrecked out anyway making the point moot, but this penalty has far reaching title-implications that are headed to court. The big teams in F1 spend the sort of bread that would make even Rick Hendrick’s head explode battling for those titles and once again it appears a title could potentially be decided in a courtroom rather than on a race track.

The Hindenburg Award For Foul Fortune

Joey Logano is supposed to be the greatest thing since the advent of pop-top beer cans in his debut in the Cup Series, but he never had a chance to show his stuff with foul weather knocking off his chance to qualify for the field.

Dodge is locked out of this year’s title Chase.

David Ragan worked his way into the Annointed 12 briefly but bad pit stops and a spin that collected his teammate Matt Kenseth (another award recipient) knocked him out. I’d like to think it’s a little karmic payback for his disrespect of Bill Elliott and the Wood Brothers.

OK, he came away with a Top 10, but based on the way Jeff Gordon and the 24 team have been running lately, they’re a horse so dark in this Chase you’d need a flashlight at high noon to find them.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. started the race in a car clearly fast enough to lead laps and contend for a win but once again his crew chief managed to adjust it out of contention late in the race. My guess is if all races were half their length, Earnhardt would have won five races by now but it’s not looking good for the 88 bunch going into the Chase.

Robby Gordon fell out of the Top 35 in owner’s points and will now have to race his way into the event at NHIS next week. Sucks to be him, I guess.

The “Seven Come Fore Eleven” Award For Fine Fortune

He clearly wasn’t happy with his “First Loser” finish, but Tony Stewart was lucky to finish the race at all after just missing the spinning car of Kyle Busch.

Yes, he got turned into the wall while battling for the lead but it was interesting to watch Kyle Busch and his team react to their misfortune. I half expected to see Busch run wide open under the caution to catch and run into the 88 car, but Kyle kept calm. His team thrashed on the car and Busch drove his heart out to a 15th place finish. Every team is going to have a few setbacks during the Chase, but the ability to divert disaster on your worst days and rally back will likely decide who gets the big check at the banquet.

David Reutimann had a career defining day, leading a lot of laps and posting a Top 10 finish.

Worth Noting

·         Johnson’s win was his fourth of the season and the 37th of his NASCAR career. If Johnson is able to win this year’s Chase, he will join Cale Yarborough as the only two drivers to score three consecutive titles.

·         Tony Stewart has finished second in three of the last six Cup races. I don’t think he likes finishing second.

·         Denny Hamlin has finished third in the last three Cup races. Three is a good number in NASCAR.

·         Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s fourth place finish was his first Top 5 finish since he won at Michigan.

·         Mark Martin (fifth) has Top 10 finishes in his last three Cup starts.

·         Jeff Burton (sixth) enjoyed his best finish since the first Pocono race.