It is amazing how calm and cool (some would wrongly say Robotic) the guy to the right of these words is right now.

Just 10 races ago, this man had built up an insurmountable 300 + point cushion on the rest of the field and could very easily have coasted to this season's championship had the often dreaded "Chase for the Nextel Cup" never been created.

However, as anybody who followed along with our coverage this season knows, his lead was erased because of the Chase championship deciding formula (as a matter of fact, not only did he lose his advantage, he lost the overall top spot in the standings to teammate Jimmie Johnson because he had won more races in the 'regular season' in just a matter of minutes)

All throughout these 10 weeks, from the time the Chase started to when he regained the lead to the time he lost it for good as Johnson recorded his third and then fourth consecutive victories, Gordon has been given ample opportunities to voice his displeasure and trash NASCAR for costing him a title (make that two, as he would have won another one a few years back had the point system remained the same).

He never did.

Oh sure, he made a suggestion here or there - but this gentleman of the sport never once challenged NASCAR for "cheating him out of a crown" as many fans on our message boards and across the internet have said.

Was he upset that he didn't win the 2007 Nextel Cup Series championship? You bet, but guess what - this guy isn't giving up on his "Drive for Five" just yet.

So if he doesn't feel cheated.....could he really be the biggest loser of this year's Chase?

These are just my thoughts, what are yours?

Sound off below

While the main focus of everybody this weekend will rightfully be on the championship battle (or coronation, since everybody appears to be conceding the title to Jimmie Johnson), there are multiple storylines to follow during NASCAR's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

One I find intriguing is the one concerning Denny Hamlin.

Just one year removed from a magical freshman campaign, one that saw Hamlin finish an unexpected third in the standings, the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet has come back down to earth.

Sure, it was incredible that he qualified for the championship deciding Chase for the Nextel Cup for the second consecutive season, but he has yet to produce (or to name drop the sponsor, deliver....) in the postseason. Since the Chase began at Loudon, Hamlin has scored a mere two Top-10 finishes while scoring three finishes of 25th or worse.

He has one last chance at redemption this weekend at Homestead though, where (ironically) he finished third last season as well. Not only does he have the motivation of ending the season on a high, but he also turns 27 on race day. And oh yea, it is also his last race in a Chevrolet before the Gibbs organization goes to Toyota in 2008.

Do you think Hamlin can turn it around, or will he continue his postseason slump?

Let us know your thoughts,

 It's tough to be the king.

Just ask recently crowned Busch Series champion Carl Edwards.

Not 24 hours after getting his hands on his first major NASCAR season title, Edwards found himself struggling at Texas as a sway bar problem kept his team from making his No. 99 Office Depot Ford driveable.  As a result, he finished 26th, 3 laps down.

Can he turn his luck around this weekend? Looking at past performances, it looks likely. In six starts at "The Desert Jewel," Cousin Carl has recorded two top-fives, four top 10s and an average finish of 11.7.

No, Carl won't be able to establish history by winning both the Nextel Cup and Busch Series titles in one season, but a triumph this weekend would go a long way to establishing momentum for next year....and making him feel like a king once again.

But what do you think?

Let us know your thoughts,

Sound off below

With three races left in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season, the focus is on the drivers remaining in title contention - Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer (by a thread).

So what are the remaining 40 drivers to do at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead? Go out and win!

While winning one race doesn't compare to claiming the championship, it does help ease the pain and build momentum going into next season.

That said, there is one driver who could take the attention away from the title battle at the end of Sunday's Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Aside from having loads of momentum following his run last weekend at Atlanta, where he started in the rear of the field and finished fourth, he also has finished third or better in three of his last four starts at the 1.5-mile venue.

Can he steal the spotlight by driving into Victory Lane?

Let us know your thoughts,

Sound off below

Rarely do I tackle the same driver in consecutive blogs, but a two-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion, some exceptions can be made.

As I wrote last time, Smoke was on the verge of falling out of title contention with a bad result at Martinsville, and he almost pulled that off as he qualified a horrific 34th at the paperclip circuit.

However, he fought back to finish 13th Sunday to maintain a glimer of hope.

How can Stewart keep that glimmer going? A repeat of his past two Atlanta performances would do the trick. Not only is he the defending winner of this weekend's event, but he also has a runner-up finish at the track in spring. If he can do the same, the glimmer remains, anything less and it may be over for Smoke and Co.

If the driver of the Home Depot Chevrolet does turn in a race-winning performance, and by chance Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson falter at a track notorious for blown engines (hey, if it could happen to DEI/RCR, it could happen to Hendrick too), then we may be in for a fun three weeks to end the season.

Let us know your thoughts,

Sound off below