Jeff Burton has had a very consistent year and managed to win back in the spring at Bristol, but it hasn't been enough for the Championship.  That all changed last night though when he proved that he could outwit, outplay, and outlast Jimmie Johnson by winning the Bank of America 500 with a dominant race car.  His team's call on the final pit stop to take fuel only was a brilliant move that kept him in the lead.  The only little problem was his team rushed so much that they might have come up short a little on the Sunoco.  That's why he was conserving fuel on the last laps.  Burton and Johnson went head to head with about 20 laps left, and I really thought that Jimmie was going to make the pass.  "The Mayor" proved me wrong and held his ground to the two time champion.  Toward the end of the race, the high line was the place to be, and drivers just couldn't pass on the low line.  Before the race, Jeff Burton talked about how important it was to outrun Jimmie Johnson and to win races: he did just that.  The veteran is going to give Jimmie a run for his money and is in a position to win it all at Homestead.  Johnson has had a good car at all five tracks that are left, and Burton will have to have an even better car.  It will be an interesting showdown to watch between these two guys.

Jimmie Johnson had a front running car all night, but he faded to sixth place at the end of the night.  After losing the battle to Burton, Jimmie claimed that he sort of got loose.  Kahne flew by him, Kurt Busch did a bump and run on him, and then, Kyle Busch and McMurray drove past him.  That right there cost him twenty valuable points when it comes to Homestead; and Burton though was rejoicing about Jimmie's troubles.  Lowe's Motor Speedway should not be called "Jimmie's House" anymore since it has been repaved.  J.J. just hasn't been the same there.

Kasey Kahne has always been good in Charlotte and almost caught Burton on the closing laps.  If the race had been 600 miles, we might have seen Kasey celebrating in victory lane instead of Jeff Burton.  He gained confidence from last night and will run well the rest of the season.  Kahne is on his quest to prove he belongs in the Chase.

Kyle Busch finally had a good night after struggling for the first four Chase races.  It is virtually impossible for him to win the Cup, but he has some of his great tracks down the road to look forward to.  I think "Rowdy" is done celebrating in victory lane after his confidence has been lowered drastically in the last couple of weeks.

Kudos to Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray for good finishes after tough seasons.  Busch had a great car at the end after breezing by Johnson.  It was a smart move by him to change his set up after struggling so much during testing.  McMurray is starting to prove that he belongs on a team like Roush-Fenway Racing.  Lately, people have been wondering, "Why in the heck is this guy on a team with guys like Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle?"

Jeff Gordon had another crazy night in North Carolina.  At the beginning of the 500 miler, he kept on hitting the wall and went a lap down as a result of having to make an unscheduled pit stop.   The renowned driver perservered and eventually took over the lead for about 50 laps.  That shows how good of a car Gordon really had.  I have to dog his crew chief, Steve Letarte, though for taking four tires.  How stupid of a move was that?  I was surprised when Jeff practically forfeited the win even though he needed it desperately.  I really don't have any sympathy for him after that pit stop: a crew chief is supposed to think smarter than that.  Track position has proven key many times this season.  As we all saw last night, clean air is magic on a race car.  His one last chance is next week at Martinsville, and I really hope he can finally get it done.

Tony Stewart had a really good car but was too fast entering pit road which ended his great night.  The pits are do or die for a driver.  I can see the confidence "Smoke" gained in Alabama last week and is in the Championship fight.

Carl's Calamity at Charlotte after a Crazy Week

Carl Edwards really shuffled up the points after causing the second "Big One" last week at Talladega.  Kevin Harvick highly critized him on national t.v. after annihilating his Championship hopes.  All Harvick did was tell the flat out truth to America, and the truth can be pretty ugly.  So, Carl decided to write a note in crayon to give to Kevin's pilot for Harvick to read on the way home.  On Thursday during Nationwide practice, Edwards pounded into Harvick's garage and let it all out.  Kevin acting mature by leaving before trouble started, but "Cool Carl" was asking for it.  He turned Harvick back around, and as a result, "Happy Harvick" slammed Edwards into his race car and gave the jerk what he deserved.  All Kevin did was defend his home terf.  Carl proved to me that he isn't ready to win the Cup after the babiesh incident, and he got what he deserved last night: a 34th place finish.  He thought he had a vibration early on lost tons of laps in the pits.  Last week he ended other guys' hopes, and now, his are pretty much gone as well.

More Chasers' Hopes Have Been Blown Away

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. blew a right-side tire early on and took a hard impact into the wall.  This ended his great season and has brought him way down the pecking order.  Many people thought that he would live up to his name with Hendrick equipment, but I don't think he will ever get that expected Championship.  There were more tire troubles this week as we saw with Dale Jr. and other drivers.

Matt Kenseth got caught up in other drivers' messes and walked away with a 41st place finish.  When a driver isn't at the front of the pack, he is vulnerable to all of the place fillers.  I thought that he would be like Biffle and come alive in the Chase, but he has just stayed at the bottom.

That's all for now.

                                            

Lowe's Motor Speedway- Concord, North Carolina.  The Chase has had lots of action and excitement so far and hopefully will have more for the next six races.  When the Bank of America 500 is complete, the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup will be halfway home.  In my opinion, this race will be a critical turning point for the second half.  Will Jimmie Johnson run away with this Championship, or will other drivers step up and give him a good challenge?  Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle are two guys who could be the one to make the big move.  Jimmie will get to race in "his house" this weekend, and he will be all fired up for the only night race in the Chase.

Jimmie Johnson has had an amazing record at this track including three consecutive Coca Cola 600 victories.  Part of the reason is probably because the track is named for his sponsor.   It seems though since the speedway got repaved, JJ has not been quite the same.  Back in May, he wound up 39th and last October, the man only finished 14th.  I don't expect a huge run from him on Saturday night.  Johnson may wind up with a top ten but won't contend for the win.

Jeff Gordon has had a pitiful year.  Every week, we have all thought it may be the one for him to win.  This race will mark the one year anniversary of his last win.  I am sure that has been going through his mind all week, and he wants to end the long drought.  Extra pressure is upon him since Tony Stewart got his first win of the season at Talladega.  He got a fourth in the 600 and will be motivated to show America this weekend.  It is always a toss up though about how he will fare: he either gets a solid top five or blows up and burns.

Tony Stewart has gotten the pressure off his back last week with his first victory of '08, ending an incredibly long drought.  He almost won at Charlotte back in May until he got a flat tire with a couple of laps to go. Stewart is in the zone now and will move up in the standings for the rest of the Chase.  Look for "Smoke" to maybe get two-in-a-row with a win on Saturday.

Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle are the two guys lurking behind the points leader.  Both of them had good finishes in the Coca Cola 600 and are looking to overtake Jimmie Johnson.   Also, they both had a rough week in Alabama and need to get back on track.  Watch out though for "The Bif" to get back at "Cool Carl" for the incident that occurred at 'Dega.

The wild card in this race will be Kasey Kahne.  He has always faired well in Concord with sweeping the All-Star Race and the 600 on Memorial Day weekend.  Also, he has won this race back in 2006.  You can imagine how he is feeling after barely missing the Chase as a result of one bad race.  The guy will be on the prowl to eat away at the Chaser and to show that he should be one of them.

My pick to win the Bank of America 500: Tony Stewart

    

It was 43 races since Tony Stewart had won a Sprint Cup race.  Yesterday, that all changed as he won his first ever Cup race at Talladega.  "Smoke" has had a long, hard year, but now, he is all rejuvenated and ready to battle it out for the last six races.  Tony has come close to winning so many races this season with disappointing second place finishes.  Think back to the last race at Richmond: he had that race in his hands until that final pit stop.  Regan Smith got himself in position and made a final lap pass along the apron of the frontstretch.  The rookie beat the veteran to the line at Talladega.  The only problem was that he went below the yellow line.  NASCAR has a rule that a driver cannot go below the yellow line and advance a position.  Smith had other chances on the final lap to make a pass on the outside, but he just didn't have the experience and confidence to do it.  I saw him almost do it on the final lap before he made the move he did.  Regan made the move he did because he thought he could argue himself to a win, but things just don't work that way.  NASCAR is NASCAR and sticks firmly to its decisions.  I really believe that they made the right call by giving Stewart the win.  I know that a lot of people will disagree with me, but NASCAR stuck to its rulebook and made the best decision at the time.  It was totally uncalled for though when NASCAR gave Smith an 18th place finish after the move.  The mystery question is: Would NASCAR have reversed the call if it were Dale Jr. beating "Smoke" to the line instead of Regan Smith?

Dale Earnhardt, Inc. had a great day in Alabama.  They had three cars in contention at the end and almost got their first win of the season.  Aric Almirola qualified in third and finished in 13th.  He had a close call though during the first "Big One".   Paul Menard did even better by qualifying in fifth and ending the day in second.  Regan Smith was the star of them all by making the controversial move in an attempt to come home with the win.  I think it was wrong that NASCAR placed him in 18th instead of second.  Something is wrong there; if they didn't place him in first, they could have at least placed him in second.  What is up with that, NASCAR?  Martin Truex, Jr. had a pretty good day until he got taken out in the first "Big One".  I could just see the disappointment on his face when he climbed out of that car quiet early in the race.  The "Big One" is the "Big One", and there are many innocent victims.

Tire Trouble All Day at Talladega

As we could see all throughout yesterday's Amp Energy 500, Goodyear did something different or made some huge mistake before this past weekend.  What is interesting about it is that they didn't have this problem back in the spring.  If you get it right, you just need to stick to it.  This day was sort of like the Brickyard back in July; except, the tires didn't cause the race to be totally messed up with having to pit every ten laps.  The first "Big One" was clearly caused when Brian Vickers' right, front tire exploded.  So many drivers were taken out because of a blown tire; that is the type of thing that you would only see on a restrictor plate track.  The surprising thing was that none of the Chasers were harmed in "Big One" Number One.  They were all taken out in "Big One" Number Two...

What should really be a wakeup call to Goodyear was the Denny Hamlin incident.  When a driver's safety gets in the way, then, it becomes the paramount issue.  Just imagine how hard that hit in the Turn 1 wall must have felt.  If it weren't for all of the safey imrovements since the death of Dale Earnhardt, Senior, Denny may not be with us today.  We all knew the seriousness of the crash when he was rolled on a stretcher and transported to a helicopter.

The other noticable tire issue was with David Reutimann.  He just cut a tire and spun out.  Poor ole Jeff Gordon had no place to go and got severe damage from the wreck.  That finished his day; he eventually made it back out onto the track but had more engine problems toward the end of the race.  I really thought he might win the event like he did last year.  Jeff was up front toward the beginning of the race but got taken out in another guy's mess.  His bad day in 'Bama have almost finished him off in the Chase.  Gordon is just mentally worn out and has been frustrated all year.

Just think how money all this damage will add up to and how many drivers will be down and hurt from Goodyear's tire disaster during the Chase.

Chasers' Calamity Comes in "Big One" Number Two

There is always the real "Big One" at the end of a long, 500-miler at Talladega.  This one resulted from just one young man: Carl Edwards.  He was racing too aggressively and gave Greg Biffle a little too hard of a nudge that ruined many Chasers' chances.  At least he apologized after the knockout.  Last week, Carl thought he could win the race by driving into the wall.  This week, Edwards was just plain stupid.  He took out not only Dale Jr.,  Kevin Harvick, and Kyle Busch, but also his Roush teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth.  "Cool Carl" will be having a talk with team owner Jack Roush after that uncool move as well as his two buddies (Well, I don't think I should call them buddies anymore).  This kind of resembled the wreck back in the fall of 2006 when Brian Vickers took out his teammate Jeff Gordon in addition to leader Dale Jr.  It sounds like Mr. Edwards needs to go to Restrictor Plate Racing 101.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was having a great day in his race until he got caught up Edwards' mess.  I really thought that he also may win the race and rebound to be a Chase contender again.  Talladega is his track, but he has not been doing as well there recently.  Dale talked in his interview after the crash about how some racers just don't know what they are doing at restrictor plate tracks.  Are you hearing me, Carl?

Kyle Busch was having a pretty good day until the calamity.  I though that he may start a comeback after all of his troubles to get back on track.  Kyle was leading for a while and was another innocent victim claimed by "Cool Carl".

More from Alabama

Jimmie Johnson had a day with many ups and downs.  He started out the day in the back of the pack and eventually fell behind the pack.  I think it was stupid of him to choose to drift behind the pack.  Now, I know that it was the car trouble that got him so, incredibly far back, but a driver needs to stay with the main group.  Somehow, Jimmie managed to make it through both "Big Ones" and end up with a ninth place finish.  This is another example of how a great driver can make the best out of a bad, race car.

I really thought Talladega would shuffle up the points more than it did.  I thought that possibly Jimmie Johnson would fall out of the lead, but Johnson is just too good.  Once the Chase starts, he is on fire and settles for nothing but the Championship.  All Talladega did was put Earnhardt, Jr. further behind the leader and made it even harder for him to win the Cup.  He just has not been running well during the Chase.  After the "Bif's" crash, he still managed to keep third place in points.  The points race is getting less and less exciting as the Chase goes on.  That is why the Chase needs to be shorter.

Talladega was by far the most exciting and eventful race of the season.  It doesn't get more intense than that.  I can see why Jimmie Johnson hates going to 'Bama during the Chase, but it ####es up the action.  There is no question that Talladega lived up to its name this weekend.

A PROPOSED RULE CHANGE:  After what happened to Regan Smith at the finish, I think NASCAR should lift the yellow line rule on the final lap.  It should be like any other track where drivers can make the winning pass on the apron.

That's all for now.

                                  

Talladega Superspeedway- Talladega, Alabama.  Fall has come, and the leaves are turning.  The coldfront is moving in.  What's also turning is the NASCAR points standings.  After leading the standings for almost the whole regular season, Kyle Busch had his downfall once the Chase started and the pressure arose.  He didn't have his nice, little cushion any longer, and it became fair game.  "Wild Thing" had a terrible day at Loudon and had engine problems at Dover.  Most people claimed that the "Shrub" had two mulligans since he had an 80 point lead, and Busch already used them up in the first two events.  "Rowdy" had to be perfect for the rest of the Chase races and possibly win every one.  But last week at Kansas, he got a piece of paper stuck in his engine and had another lousy day.  When are things going to turn around for this kid?  Could it possibly be in Alabama where he won back in the spring?  He has run well on restrictor plate tracks all year.  If he wins, expect the beer cans to be flying like crazy.  This one of many stories going into Sunday's Amp Energy 500.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is also looking for a turnaround, and Talladega could be the perfect track.  He has always run well there, and the race is even named for his sponsor.  Dale will have about 70,000 fans' names on his machine for Sunday's race.  The question is: How many names will be left when it is all said and done?

Jeff Gordon is the defending champ of this race last year.  After getting a solid third place place finish at Kansas, Jeff is on the hunt  Remember, he is NOT out of this thing by any means.  He knows how to race the Chase and how to finish strong.

What I love about Talladega especially during the Chase is that it is so unpredictable.  Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, and Greg Biffle won't be your 1-2-3 finishers.  It just gives change and variety to the sport.  This is definitely the wild card race of the Chase.  Talladega is drivers' chances to get back in this battle.  The top guys could get taken out in the "Big One", and a guy like Kevin Harvick or Tony Stewart could end up winning it.  Also, there are the long shots like David Reutimann or maybe Michael Waltrip.  Guys who don't perform as well on the typical tracks usually have good finishes on the restrictor plate ones.  1.5 mile tracks just get so monotonous and long.  I really think that the Chase needs to have a road course as another wild card race.  The Amp Energy 500 will keep you on the edge of your seat all afternoon.

Enjoy the race, and watch out for the "Big One".

      

Jimmie Johnson is on a roll.  He qualified on the poll for the Camping World RV 400 at Kansas, led the most laps, and closed out the deal by winning the race and getting his fifth win of the season.  Jimmie had a strong car all day long and was able to hold off Carl Edwards when it counted.  Toward the end of the race, Jimmie and Carl were just traded positions between first and second at each pit stop.  But when it counted, Johnson's pit crew got him out front, and he never looked back.  Both Jimmie and Carl have gotten top fives in all three events so far in the Chase and will battle it out all the way to Homestead.  They have shown that they have been the guys to beat all season and still have a shot at the Cup.  Talladega next week, though, could really shuffle up the points standings and could possibly break these guys' streaks.

Carl Edwards sure did give Jimmie Johnson a run for his money.  He qualified in the back and worked his way to the front during the course of the event.  The hometown hero gave it all he had and wouldn't give up until the fat lady sang.  The main key to his loss was the final pit stop.  His pit crew wasn't top notch during the race and made some mistakes.  People say that a race can be won or lost in the pits, and I truly believe it.  That is why those guys train day in and day out; there job is to get the driver in the best position possible.  Carl made an incredulous move on the final lap by slamming his car into the wall, trying to use the force to propel himself by Jimmie Johnson.  I have never in my life seen a guy do something like that.  It certainly made the end interesting, but I feel sorry for the guys in the shop.  They are the ones who will suffer from that.  It sounds like Mr. Edwards has been playing the NASCAR game too much to think something like that would actually pay off.  He almost lost control of his race car.

The Non-Chasers

Martin Truex, Jr. had a strong car most of the day.  He qualified 5th and led for awhile, but he ended up finishing 43rd with transmission.  Truex was capable of winning the race if it weren't for the problems and could have really used a win to boost his spirits.  He got a top 10 two weeks ago at Loudon but has had trouble all through the season that demolished his Chase chances.

Kudos to A.J. Allmendinger for his ninth place finish.  The guy is getting better each and every week.  He knows that he is racing for a ride and needs to impress the scouts.  Sometimes he doesn't make the race, sometimes he does terrible, and sometimes he has a great day.  I can see a lot of potential talent in this kid.

The Chasers

Matt Kenseth probably had the wildest day of anybody.  He qualified well and led in the early part of the race.  Midway through, Matt got tapped in the back by Casey Mears and went for the spin.  Kenseth did a great job controling his job and not getting any damage.  The most impressive part was that he managed to rebound from the wreck and get a fifth place finish.  That shows how well his car was and how motivated he was.  No one thought Matt would be a contender before the Chase started, and now, he is a top competitor every single week.  Kenseth is another driver that has suddenly come alive in the late part of the season.

Jeff Gordon was feeling terrible before the race started and even had Brad Keslowski ready as a back-up.  When the green flag waved, he put his illness aside and just ran a great race ending with a fourth place finish.  Jeff needed that after not winning at last week at Dover when he had the odds.  Gordon is still well in this Chase and shouldn't be counted out.  The veteran could still walk out of Homestead with the Title.

Greg Biffle went into Kansas hoping to pull off a trifecta.  He felt like he had a good car and worked his way up front throughout the afternoon.  Even though he was not a contender for the win, "The Bif" still managed to get a third place finish after just beating Jeff Gordon back to the line.

Clint Bowyer had a long day after getting black flagged on the opening lap for passing cars before the green flag lap.  Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had this problem at Bristol, and it ruined his victory chances as well.  All of these Chasers are just so anxious to get the party started, and they can't hold their horses until it starts.  Black flags have proved to be costly in addition to bad pit stops.  Bowyer did do a good job salvaging a 12th place finish after the trouble, and that shows that he can make the best out of the worst scenario.

Kyle Busch had another disappointing run for the third week in a row.  His car was out of control at the beginning of the day because of a little piece of paper stuck in a car part.  After his issue was fixed, he hobbled around Kansas to a 28th place finish.  I have to give him credit for being able to hang on to that machine.  That showed his talent right there.  All year, Kyle has always been able to make the best out of a bad, race car.

Tony Stewart went into Kansas as a driver who was favored to win the event.  He won there on fuel mileage in 2006 and has a terrible drought to end.  DW picked him to win the event in his post.  "Smoke" has had a disappointing year and is pretty much out of Title contention.  All three of the Gibbs drivers are 10-11-12 in standings.  It just amazes me how they can be so dominant for most of the year and so horrendous when it counts.  The organization has done something different with their equipment in order to be this bad.  Joe Gibbs Racing can kiss their Championship hopes good-bye.

That's all for now.