This is it, race number 26 at Richmond, the short track that thinks it's a superspeedway. Being the last race for the Chase, this means that fourteen drivers trying to earn one of twelve spots in the Chase have one more race to get into the Chase field, one chance to climb in, and one chance to blow it and lose it all.

1. Carl Edwards

While Carl had a decent car in his bid for a third straight win, but not a car capable of winning the race as he finished 6th, a good finish but not what many expected after his domination at Fontana earlier this year. Edwards has struggled at Richmond in the past, with only one top-10 in the past four races, but that top-10 was a 7th earlier this year.

2. Kyle Busch

Busch fought his car throughout the night as he finished 7th, also falling short of the expectations many had for him. Busch has been stellar at Richmond throughout his career, and he should be a driver to beat there. In seven career starts, he's finished in the top-5 six times, but is still searching for his first win there.

3. Kevin Harvick

Harvick has been on a roll the past five races, with finishes of 8th or better in each race, including Sunday night when he finished 4th. He's also been on a roll at Richmond, where he's earned seven straight top-10 finishes, including a win in 2006.

4. Matt Kenseth

Kenseth has earned three straight top-10 finishes, including two top-5's. Kenseth's consistency is what has put him in position to make the Chase, which he has done every year since it's inception. While he's struggled at Richmond the past couple of races, he should earn a good finish this weekend with the way he's been running lately.

5. Greg Biffle

Biffle had a great car all night at Fontana, unfortuanately for him Jimmie Johnson had a dominant car, but Biffle's 2nd place ensured that he would make the Chase just by starting the race this weekend. Biffle has enjoyed success at Richmond, with five straight top-10's at one point in his career, but the last three races he's failed to finish in the top-10.

6. Jimmie Johnson

What's this? Jimmie Johnson and crew are once again one of the best teams in Nascar, proving so with their dominant win at Fontana, and just in time for the Chase. Well, should have seen this coming, the past two years he's done that very same thing... and gone on to win back-to-back championships. Anyone else sense a three-peat?

7. Tony Stewart

Stewart had a poor-handling car all night long at California, as he finished a disappointing 22nd. Stewart has done well at Richmond, however, especially since the COT was introduced, earning three top-10's in the three races run so far.

8. Denny Hamlin

Hamlin had a good car throughout the night, and he was able to finish a solid third, helping his chances of making the Chase. Hamlin isn't in the Chase yet, though, he needs to have a fairly decent run at Richmond to get in, but that shouldn't be a problem considering how well he ran earlier this year, he just needs to avoid getting a flat tire...

9. David Ragan

Ragan had a solid race at Fontana, running in the top-15 most of the night before finishing 13th. Only 17 points separate Ragan from 12th place Clint Bowyer, and he could be this year's Cinderella if you could get in the Chase. This may be one of the better tracks for him to get that done, too, as he finished 3rd here in this race last year.

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt was able to finish 11th on Sunday night, which was good considering how loose his car was all night long, as he had to struggle with the car to just keep from wrecking off every corner. Expect Earnhardt to be a contender for the win at Richmond, where he was just a few laps from the victory before the contact with Kyle Busch.

 

Other Notables:

11. Kasey Kahne- Kahne had a good run at Fontana, finishing 8th, but 48 points may just be too many to make up in one race.

12. Clint Bowyer- To get in the Chase, Ragan will have to beat Bowyer, who won at Richmond earlier this year. If he has a car as good as the one he had earlier this year, he'll more than likely be in the Chase.

13. Jeff Gordon- Just when you think this team is starting to turn things around they struggle... nothing is certain with this team but if the past means anything they should at least get a top-10, something they've done since the COT was introduced, even after starting last here in May.

14. David Reuttimann- It's seems like Michael Waltrip is getting closer to being a contender to win again, but as an owner. Reuttimann was impressive all night long as he was in the top-10 for most of the evening and finished 9th.

15. The new kid on the block and the veteran- 18 year old Joey Logano is set to make his first career Cup start at Richmond, many will look to see if the young driver can be as impressive as he's been in the other racing series he's been in. On the flip side is Mark Martin, the 49 year old veteran who will look for his 36th career win at a place where he's earned 24 top-10's, including a third earlier this year.

As soon as Jimmie Johnson's car was unloaded from the hauler on Friday it was the class of the field. Johnson easily won the pole on Friday, and on Sunday night he led 227 of 250 laps, but found himself behind Greg Biffle on a restart with 31 laps to go. Johnson wouldn't stay behind for long though, as he passed Biffle in turns three and four as he ran away with the win.

"This race car was unbelievable," said Johnson from victory lane. "We've been working hard to get it right. We've been burning the midnight oil, burning the wick at both ends, and it's paid off. We clinched (a spot in the Chase for the championship) and we got 10 more bonus points, which is important."

Johnson's win was his third at the Auto Club Speedway, where he also earned his first career win in 2002, tying him for the most wins at the track all-time with Jeff Gordon.

While Johnson dominated the race, many eyes were on the drivers on the bubble of making the Chase. Kasey Kahne recovered well from his two 40th place finishes at Michigan and Bristol to finish 7th, pulling back within 44 points of Clint Bowyer with one race left, while David Ragan lost a few points, as he's now 19 points behind Bowyer heading into Richmond.

Denny Hamlin didn't gain any positions in the points standings, but his third place finish put him 93 points ahead of 13th place David Ragan, meaning headed to Richmond an average run will put him in the Chase, along with the drivers ahead of him in points. Regardless of what Ragan does at Richmond, Hamlin will be in the Chase with a 20th place finish.

The top six in points have clinched their spots in the Chase assuming they start the race at Richmond, while Kevin Harvick just needs to finish 42nd. 8th place Tony Stewart needs to finish 35th or better, while 9th place Matt Kenseth needs to finish 25th and Jeff Gordon needs to finish 23rd.

Jimmie Johnson's dominant win has given new life to the talk of his persuit of a third straight championship, as he seems to peaking at the right time to have momentum heading into the Chase.

I'm doing this on Youtube, but I thought maybe some of you from Foxsports would remember some races that had exciting finishes. I've been making video compilations of them, and for my third I'm taking suggestions, so, please, fire away!

After the wild night at Bristol that saw the birth of a new rivalry between Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Fontana, with just two races to go before the Chase starts.

 

1. Carl Edwards

Edwards bumped Kyle Busch out of his way to earn back-to-back victories in the Bristol night race, and his second straight this season. It'll be hard to stop Edwards from earning his third win in a row this weekend at Fontana, where he dominated earlier this year.

2. Kyle Busch

 

Busch led 415 of the 500 laps at Bristol, but couldn't hold on for the win in the final laps. Busch showed his frustration after the race by bumping into Edwards in the cool-down lap. Busch should be a contender at Fontana, where he earned his first win back in 2005.

3. Matt Kenseth

Kenseth finished a solid 9th at Bristol, helping to pad his lead on 13th place in the standings. He's had a good history at Fontana, with two wins and nine top-10's in 13 career starts, including a 5th earlier this year.

4. Kevin Harvick

Harvick is one of the hottest drivers in Nascar right now, with four consecutive top-10's since his wreck at Indianapolis, including a 4th Saturday night at Bristol. Expect more of the same at Fontana, where he finished 8th earlier this season.

5. Tony Stewart

 

Stewart worked his way up from 28th to finish 8th at Bristol on Saturday night, giving him a 170 point cusion on 13th place in points. Stewart should run well at Fontana, where he's earned seven top-10's in 14 career starts.

6. Greg Biffle

Biffle barely missed two wrecks and was able to bring his car to the line in 11th, a solid day for Biffle, who's lead over 13th in points is now 141 points. Biffle has done well in the past at Fontana, with a win in and a 2nd in 2005, but he hasn't finished better than 15th since.

7. David Ragan

When he wrecked his car on Friday during qualifying, it looked as though it would be the start to a long weekend for Ragan, but when they rolled out the backup car on Saturday night, Ragan worked his way up from last to finish 10th, putting him just 12 points outside the Chase. Ragan should be able to improve on his career best finish at Fontana, which is 12th.

8. Jimmie Johnson

Johnson was a victim of a flat tire early again and fell several laps down quick before finishing 33rd. With just a couple races before the Chase the two-time defending champions appear to be sputtering, but they could get some momentum going their way with a good finish at Fontana, where they finished 2nd earlier this year.

9. Denny Hamlin

 

Hamlin and his team needed a good run after their blown engine at Michigan, and they got it a Bristol as they finished a strong 3rd, giving him a 57 point cusion on 13th place in points. Hamlin needs to keep it up at Fontana, though, were his day ended early in February when he hit a weeper, but that shouldn't be an issue this time around.

10. Jeff Gordon

Gordon also needed a strong run after a blown tire ended his day early at Michigan, and he also was able to finished a strong 5th after running in the top-5 all night long. Watch out for Gordon at Fontana, he led several laps in February while it was dark, and Sunday's race won't end until after the sun sets.

 

Other Notables:

11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.- Earnhardt passed cars on the outside before getting the green flag on the initial start of the race, a rookie mistake that cost him any chance at a good finish. He needs to get things going at Fontana, where he wrecked earlier this year.

12. Jeff Burton- Burton has somewhat struggled the past couple of months, with five finishes outside the top-15. Burton needs to get back to his consistent form when the Chase starts.

13. Jamie McMurray- McMurray has been pretty stout the last few races, with four finishes of 12th or better in the past five races, including a 12th at Bristol after starting back in 41st.

14. Ryan Newman- After the announcement that he'll drive the number 39 for Tony Stewart next year, Newman earned a solid 6th place finish at Bristol.

15. The DEI Rookies, Aric Almirola and Regan Smith- Both young drivers did a great job at Bristol, finishing 13th and 14th, respectively. Both will be starting Sunday's race at Fontana.

WIth just three more races before the Chase begins, time is running out for drivers to make their way into the field of 12, and the key to making it may be this weekend at Bristol, where anyone is a possible victim to an accident that could take them out of Chase contention.


1. Kyle Busch

Busch almost shockingly didn't win at Michigan, but he did finish a strong second, improving greatly on his performance there earlier this year. Busch should be a threat to win this weekend at Bristol, where he's earned a top-10 in four of the past five races, with a 17th earlier this year. However that 17th came after a wreck on the backstretch while leading when he experienced power steering failure.

2. Carl Edwards

Edwards earned a dominating win at Michigan, holding off Busch on the final two restarts to earn his fifth win of the season. Edwards is also the defending winner of this weekend's race, as he won last year after leading 182 laps. Edwards is gaining momentum at the right time, and will be a threat to win this weekend.

3. Matt Kenseth

Kenseth helped his Chase chances with a strong top-5 finish at Michigan, and he could do the same at Bristol, where he has won two of the past three night races, and ten top-10's in 17 career starts.

4. Tony Stewart

Stewart ran in the just outside the top-10 for most of the day at Michigan and finished 12th, but that was enough to bump him up to 6th in points, 162 above 13th in points. Stewart has also been strong at Brisol since the track reconfiguration, finishing 4th last year and running 2nd in the final laps this spring before being spun. Expect him to be a threat to win.

5. Kevin Harvick

Harvick has been on a roll the past five races, with the exception of his early wreck at Indianapolis, with four finishes of 8th or better. He should also finish up front at Bristol, where he's earned ten top-10's in 15 career starts.

6. Jimmie Johnson

Johnson spent the last half of the race trying to recover from a cut tire on lap 87, and was only able to muster a 17th place finish. Since the COT has been used Johnson has struggled at Bristol, with a best finish of 16th in three races.

7. Greg Biffle

Biffle had a strong car all day long at Michigan, and he capped the day with a 4th place finish, gaining him three spots in the points standings. He should also perform well at Bristol, where he has earned seven top-10's in eleven career starts.

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt Jr. was going for a top-10 finish when he hit the wall coming off turn 2, leaving him with a 23rd place finish. Earnhardt has been strong in the past eight races at Bristol, with seven top-10's, with the other race resulting in an 11th place finish.

9. Jeff Burton

Burton had another solid day at Michigan, as he finished 11th. Burton should be a threat to earn his second win of the season at Bristol, where he won earlier this spring. Should he win and lead the most laps, he'll be locked into the Chase.

10. David Ragan

Ragan has been impressive all season long, and he rebounded from his poor finish at Watkins Glen to earn his best career finish at Michigan, as he finished 3rd. Bristol is crutial to Ragan's chances of making the Chase, he'll have to do better than his career best finish of 21st there if he wants to be among the top-12 after Richmond.



Other Notables:

11. Denny Hamlin- Hamlin needs to get things turned around after his blown engine at Michigan. He should be a threat to win at Bristol, where he was leading on the final restart this spring before a fuel pick-up issue left him with a sixth place finish.

12. Brian Vickers- Vickers earned a good finish at Michigan after earned Red Bull Racing's first pole, as he finished 7th. Vickers has never finished in the top-10 at Bristol, however, but with the way this team has turned things around don't be surprised if he does.

13. Jeff Gordon- He need to get things turned around as well after his 42nd place finish at Michigan. He's struggled at Bristol since it's reconfiguration, with a best finish of 11th.

14. Aric Almirola- He earned a top-10 finish at Bristol earlier this year, he'll be starting in the 8 car again this weekend, maybe he can do it again.

15. Kurt Busch- Busch has had a rough season, but he's long due for a victory at Bristol, where he's won five times in fifteen career starts.

Carl Edwards started the 3M Performance 400 back in 27th, but it only took him 74 laps to get to the front of the pack, where he would stay for 84 laps before earning his 5th win of the season at Michigan.

"The key was my crew today. My guys did an unbelievable job getting me off pit road. This is unbelievable. We're winning races. We're gearing up for the Chase," Edwards said in victory lane. "I'm feeling stronger than ever. We're here to win championships. That's what we're shooting for."

Edwards had to survive two late restarts to hold off Kyle Busch, who led 34 laps, to earn the win as he pulled away on the last restart. Behind Edwards and Busch was David Ragan, who accidentally stayed on the track during the last round of pit stops but was able to hold on for a solid 3rd place finish, which allowed him to pull within 26 points of the top-12.

While Ragan was able to make up ground towards the Chase, several bubble drivers lost significant ground at Michigan.

Jeff Gordon made contact with teammate Jimmie Johnson on lap 91, and that contact led to a flat tire that sent Gordon into the wall six laps later. Gordon finished 42nd, falling from 6th to 9th in points, now just 79 points ahead of 13th place Clint Bowyer.

On lap 136 Kasey Kahne's engine problems put him in the garage, leaving him with a 40th place finish. Kahne fell from 8th to 11th in points, now just in the Chase field by 44 points.

After running well all day long Denny Hamlin's engine expired with just six laps to go, robbing him of a top-10 as he finished 39th, as he fell to the final Chase spot, 12th, just 23 points ahead of Bowyer.

The Roush/Fenway cars were the overwhelming favorites heading into the race, and they didn't disappoint. While Edwards earned the win and Ragan came in third, Greg Biffle finished 4th, Matt Kenseth finished 5th as Roush/Fenway Racing claimed four out of the top-5 spots.

"It doesn't get any better than this. I can't believe the fast company I keep," said Roush/Fenway Racing co-owner Jack Roush.

Earlier in the weekend Tony Stewart named the driver who would be his teammate in 2009, and that driver was Ryan Newman, who will leave Penske Racing at the end of the year. David Stremme is a driver believed to be in line to replace Newman in the 12 car.

After the Nationwide Series race at Michigan on Saturday, which Edwards also won, Nascar inspectors found magnets 1/4" thick in the number 18 and 20 cars of Gibbs Racing that prevented the accelerator from going 100 percent wide open, according to Nascar's vice president of competition Robin Pemberton. Pemberton went on to say the intention was to manipulate the numbers and data from the dyno.

After the incident J.D Gibbs, son of owner Joe Gibbs and president of the team, said, "Let me just say that, first and foremost, that that was a really poor, foolish decision on the part of our key guys there at JGR," Gibbs said. "I want to apologize to NASCAR, to our partners, to Toyota guys. A couple guys chose to make a decision there that really impacts all of us."

After the tricky road course at Watkins Glen the Sprint Cup Series heads to Michigan for the second time this season. This track has lots of room to race, capable of accommodating five-wide racing in it's corners. Like earlier this year, fuel strategy will likely play a pivotal role in deciding the winner.


1. Kyle Busch

After a two week "slump" Busch silenced critics as he dominated and won at Watkins Glen for the eighth time this year. Earlier this year at Michigan Busch was only mediocre, as he finished 13th. His career hasn't seen much success here, either, as he's only earned two top-10's in seven races, but don't by any means count him out.

2. Tony Stewart

Stewart is getting things going his way at the right time, with just a few more races until the Chase begins Stewart has helped secure his spot with back-to-back 2nd place finishes. Stewart is very consistent at Michigan as well, with 13 top-10's in 19 races, including a 5th earlier this year.

3. Matt Kenseth

Kenseth has earned two solid finishes just outside the top-10 after his blown tire at Indianapolis, working his way back into the top-12. This weekend at Michigan may be his chance to really get things on track before the Chase starts, earlier this year he finished 3rd at Michigan behind the fuel gamblers.

4. Carl Edwards

Edwards backed up his Pocono win with a solid 9th place finish at the Glen. Edwards will be one of the drivers to contend for the win this weekend at Michigan, where in eight career starts he finished outside the top-10 only once.

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt had a car capable of winning at the Glen, but when he fell behind because of an untimely caution, he spent the rest of the day playing catch up, and was able to muster a 21st place finish. Of course Earnhardt will be a favorite this weekend, Michigan is where he earned his only win so far this season.

6. Jimmie Johnson

Johnson has been on a role as of late, and looking like a championship contender again. He's had four straight finishes of 7th or better, including his dominating win at the Brickyard. He should have another solid run at Michigan, where he finished 6th earlier this year.

7. Kevin Harvick

Harvick has rebounded nicely from his wreck at Inianapolis, with a 4th at Pocono and a 6th at Watkins Glen, putting him back in the top-12. He'll need more consistent runs in the upcoming weeks to stay there, starting at Michigan where he finished 12th earlier this year.

8. Greg Biffle

Biffle is fighting for his Chase life after his 21st place finish at the Glen, bumping him down from 8th to 10th in points. If he wants to get things turned around at Michigan he'll have to do better than he did earlier this year, when he finished 20th.

9. Jeff Burton

Burton has somewhat struggled in the past few races, with only one top-10 in eight races. Burton may not be a contender for a top-10 this weekend at Michigan, but he should earn a solid top-15 like he did earlier this year.

10. Jeff Gordon

When a driver known for road course prowess like Gordon runs in the back of the pack all day at Watkins Glen, you know a team is struggling. Gordon will need to start getting things turned around if he wants to keep his spot in the Chase, but Michigan likely isn't the place where it will happen. Earlier this year Gordon ran mid-pack all day before finishing 18th.



Other Notables:

11. Kasey Kahne- Kahne has been fairly consistent lately, and should contend for the win at Michigan, where he finished 2nd earlier this year. He also won there in 2006.

12. Brian Vickers- Poor runs have dropped Vickers from Chase contention, but he is still a threat to win, especially at Michigan, where he finished 4th and led 44 laps earlier this year.

13. Denny Hamlin- Hamlin has an average finish just outside the top-10 at Michigan, and has earned top-10's in two of the past three races this season.

14. Kurt Busch- Busch earned his first top-10 in three races at the Glen, and may carry that over to Michigan, where he won easily last year.

15. Clint Bowyer- He fell out of the top-12 last week, but is just 22 points out. He'll need to step it up at Michigan, where he's never finished better than 16th.

For the first time in his career Kyle Busch finished better than 6th at Watkins Glen, and for the eighth time this year he was standing in victory lane. Busch led 52 of 90 laps from the pole as he ran away from the field for another dominating win.

"I knew (Tony Stewart) was going to be hard to beat racing against the same stuff with Tony Stewart and Joe Gibbs Racing," Busch said from victory lane. "I'm really going to hate to see him leave at the end of the year. I've got to thank him. The more we ran the better our car got with grip."

Busch's win made it mathematically impossible for any other driver to earn more bonus points towards the Chase, as he has four more wins than anyone else with just four races remaining before the Chase begins. He also became the first driver to win both Cup road course races since Robby Gordon in 2003.

Behind Busch was his teammate Stewart, whose second place finish allowed him to gain 60 points on 13th in points, giving him a comforatable 138 point cusion. Following in third was Marcos Ambrose, who followed up his first career Nationwide Series win on Saturday with a strong run from 41st to 3rd on Sunday, giving the Wood Brothers their best finish since 2005.

The first 80 laps of the race were relatively incident-free, but after a late restart David Gilliland and Michael McDowell made contact off turn 11, sending Gilliland spinning in front of several cars. When the smoke settled nine cars had been involved, leaving the exit of turn 11 filled with debris.

That wreck set up the final restart, in which Busch pulled away instantly from Stewart, who was left to battle with Ambrose and Juan Pablo Montoya for the final laps as Busch pulled away by two seconds.

Although Clint Bowyer was able to sneak through that large crash, he wasn't able to keep his spot in the top-12 in the points standings, as Matt Kenseth's 12th place finish put him back in front of Bowyer, who finished 23rd. Bowyer now trails by Kenseth by 22 points, while David Ragan is 92 points outside the Chase.

Every other driver is 209 points or more behind, starting with 15th place Martin Truex Jr., who finished 5th. Truex made headlines earlier in the weekend when he announced his contract extension with DEI through 2009.

"I'm exited to put an end to all of the rumors," Truex said during a press conference. "I'm looking forward to doing great things with the company and moving forward."

Carl Edwards looked to be the driver to beat this season after earning three wins in seven races. However as he went winless through the next thirteen races and other drivers' names started to fill the headlines, Edwards' early dominance was somewhat forgotten.

Until the Sprint Cup Series returned to the Pocono Raceway, a track where victory slipped through Edwards' fingers after a speeding penalty late earlier this year. However no such penalty held back Edwards this time, as he found himself out front after the final round of pit stops. The only thing Edwards had to do was stretch his fuel to make it to the finish, which he did as he earned his fourth win of the season.

However, Edwards thought he had lost the race about 70 laps earlier, when he pitted from the lead while it started raining.

"Bob and I were really arguing," Edwards said. "I was really nervous that we made the wrong call there. But Bob Osborne is just real smart. I'm really proud of him for the strategy. Bob did a really good job, but I wasn't so sure when we were yelling at each other about halfway through."

Behind Edwards was Tony Stewart, who's second place run allowed him earn some breathing room in the race to the Chase, with 68 points separating himself and 13th place Matt Kenseth, who fell out of the Chase field despite finishing a solid 11th.

Kenseth now sits where Kevin Harvick was in points entering the Pocono race, as Harvick had fallen to 13th after an early wreck at Indianapolis. It seemed as though that luck had followed him to Pocono as he spun after contact with Joe Nemechek on lap 1, but Harvick fought back all day to finish a strong fourth, climbing back to 11th in points.

With just five more races remaining until the Chase starts, it appears as though there are now just fourteen drivers fighting for the twelve spots, as Brian Vickers fell 203 points behind 12th place Clint Bowyer to 16th after finishing a disappointing 28th. Ryan Newman was able to take advantage and climb to 15th in points, but he's 173 points behind Bowyer. 14th place David Ragan is still within striking distance though, as he's just 46 points outside of the Chase.

Meanwhile after last weeks' race that was filled with tire issues, Goodyear made plans for a new tire, one that would perform better for Nascar's new, larger car.

"We had some discussion about a larger tire... several years ago with NASCAR when we started this whole discussion about the [new car],'' said Stu Grant, general manager of worldwide racing for Goodyear. "We are working on a larger contain-air volume, a bigger section width, taller tire, larger bead diameter. Right now, it's all modeling. We're trying to figure out what the right size would be."

While Goodyear believes this new tire will help prevent issues like the ones that arose at Indianapolis from occuring, the new tire won't be ready for at least two years.

If you're trying to find Jon's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," you probably won't see it in the Nascar section on the blog page because apparently Foxsports doesn't want it there... he's even tried posting it twice, but still not there some 40 minutes later.

So if you wanna see it here's a link, Jon's work deserves to be seen.

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/jon_464/2008
/07/27/The_Good_The_Bad_and_The_UglyIndianapolisa>

There were two things that stayed consistent the entire weekend at Indianapolis: tire wear was an issue, and Jimmie Johnson had the dominant car. Johnson led three out of four practice sessions and earned the pole on Saturday, and was the favorite heading into the Allstate 400 on Sunday.

Throughout the race tire wear continued to be an issue, as competition yellows were thrown about every ten laps so teams could put fresh rubber on their cars. Nearly every restart Johnson ran away from the field, as he lead 71 of 160 laps, and this was no exception on the final restart when he left Carl Edwards behind before earning the win.

On the final restart Johnson, along with almost everyone else, took two tires, the first time he had all race. That final stop saw Johnson get in front of Denny Hamlin and Edwards, giving him vital track position for the final restart.

"I knew what we were setting up for," Johnson said of the final stop. "I just can't say enough about this race car all weekend long."

It was Johnson's second win in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in three years, and he became just the second Nascar driver to win the race from the pole, a feat first accomplished by Kevin Harvick in 2003.

Several drivers trying to make the Chase had poor finishes at Indianapolis. Kevin Harvick was the first of that group to take a hit, as his car slammed into the wall after contact with Kurt Busch on lap 14, as he finished 37th.

Then Matt Kenseth had tire issues on the backstretch on lap 47, as his right-rear tire blew, ripping his quarter-panel to shreds. Kenseth would limp around the track and finish 38th. Brian Vickers suffered a blown engine just past the halfway point, leaving him with a 42nd place finish, while Tony Stewart fell from 4th to 23rd late.

This left Kevin Harvick outside the top-12 in points to 13th., two points behind twelth, and Matt Kenseth falling to 11th in points, in the Chase field by just six points. Tony Stewart still has a slight cusion with 39 points between him and Harvick, while Brian Vickers' hopes of being this years Cinderella may have blown up with his motor, as he's now 15th in points, 132 behind 12th place with just six races remaining.

At the end of the day Goodyear's quickly wearing tires were as much of a story as Johnson's big win. This isn't the first time this season Goodyear's tires haven't been optimal for racing, at Atlanta earlier this year when the tire compound was so hard there was almost no grip.

"We came with the best tire we had for the conditions and we fell short. We'll try to get it right," said Greg Stucker, director of race tire sales for Goodyear. "I don't think anybody likes to race like this, us included. We'll do what we can to make it better."

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the most hallowed ground in auto-racing. The Brickyard is a place where a win means your own place in history, and anything else is just a failed try. This Sunday the elite drivers of Nascar storm through Indy's corners for a 15th time, with 160 laps before claiming a win at the Brickyard.


1. Kyle Busch

He led the most laps and passed Jimmie Johnson on the final restart to earn his seventh win of the season at Chicagoland, and he's earned a top-10 in every start at Indianapolis, including a 4th last year. It's nearly impossible to find a reason Kyle Busch WON'T win on Sunday.

2. Matt Kenseth

Kenseth recovered from a flat tire that put him a lap down to finish 7th at Chicagoland, his ninth top-10 in the last ten races. A win is just around the corner for Matt, maybe at Indy where he's earned four top-5's.

3. Tony Stewart

Stewart ran a good race all night long and finished a much needed 5th, going from 12th to 10th in points. Stewart has won two of the last three races at Indianapolis, and would love to be the first driver to earn back-to-back wins there.

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt had a terrible car at Chicagoland, but managed to stay on the lead lap and finish 16th. In eight career starts at Indianapolis, Earnhardt has earned two top-10's paired with two DNF's.

5. Carl Edwards

Edwards had one of the cars to beat at Chicagoland, but when one of the brackets supporting his splitter snapped he fell from contention, finishing a disappointing 32nd. Edwards has an average finish of 13th at the Brickyard in three starts.

6. Jeff Gordon

Gordon had an average car at Chicagoland, and mustered an 11th place finish. Gordon is still searching for his first win of 2008, and if he could earn it at the Brickyard it would be his 5th win there.

7. Jeff Burton

After finishing in the top-15 in all of the first 17 races, Burton has now finished 37th and 19th in the most recent two. Indianapolis isn't the best place for him to turn things around, with just three top-10's in 14 career starts.

8. Greg Biffle

With his fourth place finish Biffle climbed four spots to 7th in the points standings. The 4th place finish was his first top-5 in five races. In five career starts at Indy Biffle has only earned one top-10.

9. Jimmie Johnson

Johnson came so close to earning his second win of the season, as he was running away from Kyle Busch before the final caution. This shows, however, that Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus have greatly improved their COT program, which may lead to a 2nd win in the Brickyard 400.

10. Brian Vickers

Vickers had yet another strong run at Chicagoland, finishing 6th, his seventh straight finish of 16th or better. Vickers is now within 95 points of 12th, and as he continues to run strong he may just contend at Indy.



Other Notables:

11. Kevin Harvick- Harvick finished 3rd at Chicagoland, and would like to continue that success at the Brickyard, where he won in 2003.

12. Denny Hamlin- Hamlin has fallen to 12th in points, and desperately needs to perform at Indy, where he has a top-10 in two starts.

13. Juan Pablo Montoya- Montoya finished 2nd in his first start in a stock car at Indy last year.

14. Kasey Kahne- Finished a solid 15th at Chicagoland, and would like to get a strong finish at Indy, where he has two top-5's.

15. Sam Hornish Jr.- He'll make his first start at Indy in a stock car. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 2006.

On Wednesday Nascar made an attempt to even the competition of the Nationwide Series by ordering all teams using Toyota engines to use a small restrictor, which will knock off about 15 horsepower.

If you ask me, this is wrong and unfair to the teams using Toyota motors. The only reason this has come to be is because of the success of Joe Gibbs Racing cars in the Nationwide Series, in particular the #20 car which has found victory lane 9 times. This frequent success has led to the assumption that Toyota has some sort of advantage, though Joe Gibbs Racing has provided all but one of Toyota's victories, the other coming from Braun Racing with Kyle Busch behind the wheel.

It would be understandable to think there was an overwhelming advantage if Morgan Shepherd switched to Toyota and suddenly started leading 50 laps a race and running lap times two-tenths quicker than anyone else in the field, but that's not the case. Talented drivers such as Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and the young Joey Logano are getting behind well-setup cars and using them to their full potential.

Of course, even if there is a horsepower advantage for Joe Gibbs Racing over the entire field, critics will claim the success only comes because of that. Well according to the engine tests Nascar performed on the Nationwide engines a couple of weeks ago, Toyota had a 21 horsepower advantage over Ford, 20 over Chevrolet and only 5 over Dodge. However, the individual motor results showed Roush/Fenway Racing's #16 and #17 car's Ford motors both in front of the #20's, which has had the overwhelming success.

If those two Ford motors generated more horsepower than the #20, obviously horsepower isn't the reason it's won all of those races this year. And even if it was, this is Nascar, and in Nascar you are supposed to prepare your equipment to perform at the best level possible, and if you're in front of the competition it's up to your competitors to step-up their performance, rather than Nascar's responsibility to lower your performance.

Regardless Joe Gibbs Racing will still be a threat to win the remaining races this season despite the lost horsepower. Something similar to this happened back in 1997 when Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports were winning all of those races in the Cup Series. They decreased how big the rear spoiler could be for all Chevrolets, but in the end Gordon still went on to win ten races, even after the adjustment had been made.

Success in this sport doesn't come just because of an advantage in one area like horsepower or downforce, it comes from high performance in all areas, and until the other teams improve on all areas of their team, Joe Gibbs Racing will continue to win, despite the lost horsepower.

There are some bloggers on here who's favorite driver(s) we know without a doubt, and others who we are completely clueless, and the same goes with a person's least favorite driver(s).

Which is why I posted this blog, I'd like everyone who sees this to reply with their favorite driver(s) and least favorite driver(s), maybe we'll find out something we didn't know about our fellow bloggers.


I'll start with my favorites...

1. Jeff Gordon
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Casey Mears

... and the ones I love to hate:

1. Matt Kenseth
2. Tony Stewart

(Don't think any of you expected Kenseth, lol)

What about you guys?

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the most hallowed grounds in auto racing. On July 27th, Nascar's elite will visit the speedway for the 15th time, as one driver will etch his name into history books, and get the chance to kiss the bricks. Here are the likely contenders:


Toyota:


Tony Stewart-

A native of Indiana, Tony Stewart has contended for the win at Indianapolis almost every time he's raced there, especially since he finally claimed his first victory there in 2005. Last year he made a late pass on Kevin Harvick to claim his third win in three races there. He also has four straight finishes of 8th or better at the Brickyard, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he earned his first victory of 2008 here.


Kyle Busch-

With the simply amazing season he's had so far this season, it's hard to doubt that Kyle Busch will be one of the drivers to beat, but his statistics make just as strong of an arguement. In three races at Indianapolis, Busch has finished 10th, 7th and 4th. If that trend continues, he'll be first when the cars come across the bricks for the final time.


Brian Vickers-

Vickers is a darkhorse pick out of the Toyota camp, but a likely contender nonetheless. In four career starts Vickers has managed a third place finish, but that's not why he's one of my picks, this team has improved so much over last year and the past couple of months have been one of the most consistent teams on the circuit, with a worst finish of 16th in the past seven races.

Honorable Mention- Denny Hamlin



Chevrolet:


Jeff Gordon-

When you think of drivers who have success at Indianapolis in any form of racing, Gordon is one of the drivers that comes to mind. Gordon won the inaugural event here in 1994 and has gone on to win three more times, most recently in 2004. Gordon is still searching for his first win of 2008, and it could come here for the fifth time in his career.


Kevin Harvick-

Harvick has been consistent at Indianapolis, with only one finish worse than 11th in seven career starts. Harvick has kissed the bricks here before as well, winning at the Brickyard in 2003. He was a few laps from winning last year before being passed late in the race. Harvick will be one of the drivers to watch when the cars take the green on Sunday.


Jimmie Johnson-

Johnson is either really good at Indianapolis, or way off. In six career starts he has two top-10's, but also three finishes of 36th or worse. Johnson has been able to find victory lane at Indianapolis in 2006. The fact that Johnson's team has greatly improved their COT program since the beginning of this year makes them a threat to contend for the win.


Honorable Mention- Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer



Ford:


Matt Kenseth-

After struggling in his first two starts, Kenseth has been a front runner the past six races, with five top-10's. Kenseth has finished second twice, and would like to finally win this year. If he could accomplish that, he would be the first Ford driver to win at Indianapolis since Dale Jarrett did in 1999.


Carl Edwards-

In three starts at Indianapolis, Edwards has finished in the top-10 once, with a worst finish of 18th. However Edwards' team has been strong all year long with a COT program that has improved greatly over last year. If Edwards is given another strong car at Indy, he'll likely be doing backflips after the race.


Honorable Mention- Greg Biffle, David Ragan, Travis Kvapil



Dodge:


Kasey Kahne-

Kahne was stellar in his first two starts at Indianapolis, with a 4th and 2nd place finish. In his last two starts he's been caught up in wrecks, but he's had good cars. This year he's been strong since his win in the All-Star Race, with cars that can contend almost every week, and that may be the case once again at the Brickyard.


Kurt Busch-

Busch has struggled most of the season, but has earned top-5's in two of the past three races. He's also been consistent at Indianapolis, with five finishes of 12th or better in seven career starts. If Busch can avoid the bad luck that has plagued him for most of the season he may have a good run at the Brickyard.


Honorable Mention- Ryan Newman, Sam Hornish Jr.