Crappafoni Pictures presents to you, in super ultra high definition, this week's version of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, served California style, with tri-tip, fresh vegetables, and the best California wine money can buy. Enjoy!

THE GOOD

Jimmie Johnson: as the race winner, he gets automatic first billing. Home cooking was especially good to JJ this week. (He's from El Cajon, CA) He had such a dominant car, it didn't matter what position he was running, he automatically charged to the front. Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch, beware. He's BAAAAAAAACK.

Roush Fenway Racing: once again, this track was kind to them (aside from Jamie McMurray). Greg Biffle finished 2nd, Matt Kenseth finished 5th, Carl Edwards finished 6th, and David Ragan finished 13th. All Biffle has to do is start at Richmond and he's in the Chase.

Denny Hamlin: for the second consecutive week, he finished third. Another strong run for the #11 team. This gives them some breathing room as the circuit goes to Hamlin's home track. He is 93 points ahead of 13th place David Ragan. He should be able to make the Chase.  

Kevin Harvick: the #29 team had yet another strong top 5 finish. He started 33rd and didn't take long to charge to the front. This is easily the best this team has run at Fontana. Another case of home cooking being especially good to him (He's from Bakersfield, CA) This team is peaking at the right time. He WILL get a win at some point this season. At 160 points ahead of 13th, all he has to do is keep his car clean and have a solid finish and he's in the Chase.

David Reutimann: I've gotta give him some props. He had a strong car all weekend, starting 12th and finishing 8th. This was HUGE as his car hovered around 35th in owner points. Now he can breathe easier. He even led some laps in the race and got the five bonus points. Good job David!!

Kasey Kahne: he SORELY needed a good finish to keep his Chase hopes alive. He got it in the form of an eighth-place finish. He's in 14th place, 44 points behind Clint Bowyer for 12th place.

Honorable Mention: Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Brian Vickers, AJ Allmendinger. 

THE BAD

Robby Gordon: he was nothing more than a field filler. About the only time he was mentioned was when he was in an accident or running slow. Zero laps in the top 10. Yeah, he was bad.

Ken Schrader: at this point in his career, another field filler. While I admire him for his desire to race, his days as a competitive driver are LONG GONE.

Kyle Petty: it's getting brutally painful to watch him race. His best bet would be to hire Terry Labonte full time in that car; at least Labonte has put that car in the top 20 this year.

Paul Menard: nary a single mention of him during the telecast. Should be nicknamed "The Phantom" because it's like he's not there, but his car is.

THE UGLY

None: this race was well-run; only two drivers were shown as out of the race: Joe Nemechek and Johnny Sauter.

Those are my nominees for the race. Feel free to come in with yours!  

I dedicate this edition of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly to our brave men and women in uniform, and especially to those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice. To our veterans, thank you.

THE GOOD

Kasey Kahne: as the winner of the Coca-Cola 600, he gets first billing. He also accomplished a rare feat, winning the All-Star Race and the 600 in the same year.

Roush Fenway Racing: all five of their drivers finished on the lead lap in the longest race of the season. They have turned the corner and I won't be surprised to see at least three of their drivers in the Chase (Edwards, Biffle, and Ragan).

Elliott Sadler: ran strong throughout the race, even led a few laps. Hopefully his bad luck has run out and he can run the way he's capable of running.

David Reutimann: a superb run by him to finish in the Top 10. Although he never led, he was in the Top 10 for almost half the race, 174 laps to be exact.

Jeff Gordon: fought an ill-handling car all race long to finish in the Top 5. His car was a piece of #### to start, then as the race went on it slowly started getting better. He turned a marginal Top 25 car into a Top 5 finish; it's a tribute to the patience and belief in his crew he has, and to his abilities as a driver. Showed why he's one of the all-time greats.

Honorable Mention: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton.

THE BAD

Robby Gordon: continues to show why a one-car team has gone the way of the dinosaur. He would best be served if he sold his team to another team looking to add another driver.

Kyle Petty: I hate having to put him in this category consistently, as he is one of sports' great humanitarians. But he consistently finishes in the mid to upper 30's. That's why I have to put him here. If I had GBU last year at this time, he'd have definitely been in the Good category. (He finished 3rd in last year's race)

J.J. Yeley: can someone PLEASE tell me why this guy still has a ride? He can't seem to get out of his own way. He has done worse than the driver he replaced, Tony Raines. At least Raines finished in the Top 10 a couple of times last season and he wasn't tearing up Hall of Fame Racing cars. And Yeley subsequently rear-ended Dale Earnhardt, Jr. after Jr cut a tire and crashed into the wall.

Fox's Broadcast: DW, your man-crush on Kyle Busch is quite obvious. There ARE 41 other drivers out there besides Busch and Kasey Kahne. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm looking forward to the end of the Fox broadcasts. On second thought, maybe not. ESPN awaits, and they're FAR WORSE.

THE UGLY

Brian Vickers: his left rear wheel came completely off and caused him to crash out of the race after he had one of the cars to beat. David Gilliland subsequently played car soccer, launching the errant tire skyward, with the tire landing in the infield camping area.

Tony Stewart: had the race in hand until he made contact with the wall with two laps to go and subsequently had to pit.

Jimmie Johnson: looked like he was well on his way to a possible win when his engine expired with 49 laps to go. His up and down year continues.

Those are my nominations. Feel free to come in with yours! 

Another Saturday night race is in the books. Crappafoni Pictures presents to you the spaghetti western version of Darlington, served with a Palmetto State twist. Welcome to the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Darlington style.

THE GOOD

Kyle Busch: as the winner of the race, he gets first billing. Also had to overcome numerous issues in the pits, mainly involving lug nuts. Also had to overcome a pit penalty. At 23, he becomes the youngest driver to ever win at Darlington. He tamed the "Track Too Tough To Tame." 

Roush Fenway Racing: aside from Greg Biffle, the other four drivers finished in the top 20. Great run by them. Even Biffle led numerous laps before his transmission blew.

Jeff Gordon: very strong run by the four-time champion. Showed why he's a four-time champion by fighting an ill-handling car much of the race to finish third.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: a very strong run all race long. Had a top-five car and finished about where he should have. A win is coming very soon.

Travis Kvapil: he went old-school by displaying Fred Lorenzen's original paint scheme and did him proud, finishing in the top ten. Maybe Kvapil hit on a great idea..

Honorable Mention: Dave Blaney (his best run of the year), Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart/Juan Pablo Montoya (both made up a lap the hard way--by being faster than the leader and passing him near the end of the race).

THE BAD

Kyle Petty: as good a guy as Petty is (and he is one of sports' great humanitarians), it's time for him to step out of the car and run Petty Enterprises' racing operations. It pains me to say that because he is such a good guy.

Robby Gordon: had a bad car all evening and finished six laps down. Was hardly mentioned and seldom got "face time", meaning that his car was hardly shown on TV.

Reed Sorenson: a season of maddening inconsistency continues. He'll run well one week and horrid the next. He's got the talent to compete on a consistent basis, but he's got to learn to put together consecutive good races.

THE UGLY

Kevin Harvick: was running sixth when his car suddenly and inexplicably snapped loose and crashed, rearranging the car's rear end in the process. After major repairs, he finished 39th, 102 laps down. He also took a hit in the points standings as far as number of points. He only lost two positions in the standings. A silver lining: he keeps his streak of consecutive races without a DNF alive at 55 races. (He holds the record at 58, and if memory serves me correctly has finished 113 of his last 114 starts) 

Greg Biffle: was leading the race when he reported a vibration and came on to pit road. A few laps later, he was done, the victim of a transmission failure. He finished dead last.

Patrick Carpentier: was having a very strong run until he blew an engine; in fact, he led at one point in the race after starting 43rd. Give this guy time; he has shown flashes of talent.

Those are my nominations. Feel free to chime in with yours!