Once again, Mother Nature affected the start time of the race. This was the Sprint cup driver’s final time to make right turns this season.

Check out the weather delayed winners and losers.

Winners

Tony Stewart

Oh, to be Tony Stewart. This year has gone exactly as no one expected, and now he has all but clinched his spot in the chase. More importantly, he picked up 10 more bonus points for the chase.

With his third win this year, Stewart didn’t dominate the race today. Instead, he quietly worked his way up front from his 14th-place starting position and worked fuel mileage perfectly.

Stewart worked traffic to perfection. He was able to build on his lead when a charging Marcos Ambrose bobbled and gave up ground to Stewart.

Stewart hasn’t hit a rough patch yet, but he hopes his good runs and success continues all the way to the seat on the stage come December.

Points: First

Marcos Ambrose

If Stewart wasn’t your pick, then Marcos Ambrose was the other top choice this weekend. Ambrose has really dominated not only the track the last two years but victory lane.

Ambrose started fourth but quickly moved to the front. Ambrose fell off sequence in pitting but worked his way back up front.

If it wasn’t for a bobble, the battle for the lead late would have been much closer. Ambrose came home second but is proving that he is a contender.

Ambrose has been flexing his own muscles this year, on the ovals and the road courses. His hardcore racing style and respect for his competitors have Ambrose quickly becoming not only a fan-favorite, but also respected throughout the garage.

The Aussie is getting it done in 2009.

Points: 17th

Casey Mears

I am a bit surprised to add him to this list, especially at a road course. But Casey Mears capped off what has been a successful weekend with a solid run on Monday, coming home in 15th.

Mears had a fast call all weekend long, he was sitting near the top in speeds and was able to adjust and really work on getting his car setup for the race. Mears started the day in 11th and quietly worked his way into the top 10.

Through pit cycles and with a strong car, this team earned their finish today.

They were unable to to get a top 10 finish, but this is something they can build on and move forward with.

Mears, who isn’t known for his road racing talent, might just wish we came to Watkins Glen more often.

Points: 21st

 

Losers

David Stremme

All weekend long, David Stremme credited his strong run to the Penske organization working together to help him and his team be prepared for this race. Stremme participated in a test session at Road Atlanta with Ryan Briscoe from the IRL team.

After Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish Jr. dialed in their cars, they focused on helping find Stremme the right setup for Sunday. Meanwhile, Stremme was running laps and learning the track.

Well Stremme got loose in the bump stops, and not only collected Kevin Harvick but also Jeff Gordon.

Stremme went down one lap to the leaders to fix the damage, and got the lucky dog on the Dale Earnhardt Jr. crash, and led the race before the pit cycles.

Stremme finished 26th.

Over the weekend, Stremme said that many teams couldn’t wait to leave the Glen and head to Michigan. However, Stremme was looking forward to the race.

Bet he changed his mind on that one.

Points: 31st

Kevin Harvick

This weekend started off fairly well for Kevin Harvick. He was coming off of a string of solid runs the last couple weeks and was looking to carry that momentum into the Glen.

Harvick started 21st, but soon was moving forward, to the front. After a round of pit stops under caution, he was well within the top 15. That’s when Harvick's promising day took a turn. Stremme spun out and collected Harvick.

The car badly damaged with A-frame, Harvick headed to the garage to make repairs. They returned to the track on lap 44, 21 laps down.

2009 has been a struggle for this team, and the race was a prime example that they have a strong car, only to get collected in someone else’s mess.

Harvick finished 35th

Sometimes it’s your year, and sometimes you’re Harvick.

Points: 22nd

Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon is one driver who is glad to see this weekend over. Gordon, who has dominated Watkins Glen at times, has seen the other side of that recently. His finish of 37th speaks volumes as to how his weekend actually was.

This weekend, the team struggled to find speed and hook up the car on the racetrack. A poor qualifying effort had Gordon sitting deep in the pack, and he was never able to get higher than 14th. He was involved with the incident with Harvick but only had minor damage.

He was moving forward when Kasey Kahne got into Hornish and sent Hornish hard into the wall, where he came across the track slamming hard into Gordon.

Gordon's day was over.

Gordon, who has been suffering from back pain, acknowledged that this hit will hurt for weeks after he left the care center.

Gordon has to wonder where the magic went not only from Watkins Glen, but his early season success.

Points: Third

Lucky dog…

Joey Logano

It has been a rough weekend for Joey Logano. This was his first trip to the Glen, and Logano was looking to learn as much as possible, so he drove in the Nationwide race where he got into a altercation with Robby Gordon.

On Monday, Logano became a ping pong ball and got damage in the big one. The team went to work and repaired the damaged, and Logano finished 16th.

That says a lot not only about this team, but about Logano. For his first time on the track, racing with guys who have much more experience, he was able to take what looked to be a disappointing day and turn it into a strong finish.

That’s why is he is leading the rookie of the year standings, because of finishes like this.

Points: 19th

 

Final lap…

Once again, with weather a factor, there was talk of whether or not NASCAR top series should run rain tires. We only really have this statement when we come to Watkins Glen: For the road race at Sonoma, weather is rarely a factor.

To be honest, you can’t just throw on the tires and tell these drivers to go race. It just won’t happen. NASCAR and Goodyear need to test the tires.

Also, how do you test rain tires? Look at what we have seen the last two days, NASCAR can’t really control the weather.

Then you have to look at the cost to develop a new tire.

We also can’t forget the car. With teams still learning the nuances of this car, you add on a completely different tire and teams are really back to square one.

Finally, the vision of the drivers is critical, particularly since they are running side by side. Think about in your own car, when it rains, sometimes the humidity causes the window to fog up, and you turn on the defroster and that’s that. In these cars, you don’t have that control, and NASCAR would have to adapt the car.

There is much more that will have to be done rather than just throw on rain tires and race. The drivers and crew safety is at risk, and NASCAR can’t afford to not follow the same protocol they would use for anything else.

 

Next up is Michigan!

f you turned the TV on Sunday to watch the race day programs then you noticed it was wet, well let’s be honest downright soaked. Mother Nature had her way and pushed back the start of the race on Sunday to Monday.

Now you can check out this week’s winners and losers in the series final visit in the Pocono Mountains for 2009.

 

Winners

Denny Hamlin

It has been an emotional week for Denny Hamlin, after losing his grandmother late last week he wanted this race.

Hamlin had a great car all day long. They stayed up front and paced the field. They fell behind on an adjustment but battled back.

Hamlin wanted this win, and he wanted it bad. On the final restart Hamlin muscle his car to the front and taking the lead away from Clint Bowyer, and never looking back.

Hamlin has come oh so close many times this year, only to come up short, but this victory is sweeter for this driver.

The emotions were raw and you couldn’t help but you couldn’t help but feeling like the right guy won this race today.

Points: Fifth

 

Juan Pablo Montoya 

Well last week Juan Pablo Montoya was on the other side of this list, but today smart pit strategy and a good race car earned them their first top five finish of the year.

It didn’t start out so good for this team. They struggled with the setup and were really fighting for a top 15 finish.

A great call by this team that brought Montoya in right as the caution came out and allowed him to pit and come out in the top five. Montoya lost momentum on a restart and he never really had a shot at Hamlin in the end.

A second place finish is a good point’s day for this team.

Taking care of business each and every day…I am sorry wrong sponsor, too bad for target no snazzy catch line.

Points: Eighth

Sam Hornish Jr.

Sadly, for Sam Hornish Jr. all the talk will be about Denny Hamlin's emotional win and Montoya, and Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson comebacks.

Hornish though had a comeback of his own today. After starting deep in the pack this team played pit strategy and fuel mileage perfect.

Hornish didn’t have the best car out there today, but they worked on this car made good adjustments and worked their way through the field. They pit just as a caution came out and were able to start up front and battle for the win.

He fell back just a bit on the final restart but was able to earn his best finish in his Sprint Cup career in fourth.

I have said this a lot can he carry this momentum into the next week and for the first time I actually think he can.

Points: 27th

 

Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson was fast. He was fast on Friday and fast on Saturday. On Sunday he was fast until he had a mechanical failure and went three laps down during green flag stops. Johnson had a top five car all day long; in fact he was a threat for the lead.

They diagnosed the issue as a carburetor issue, but it was too late they went down two laps. You got to give credit to that team they managed the caution time perfectly and corrected the issue.

With multiple cautions and Johnson being the only car at least one lap down, Johnson earned all three of his laps back and went onto finish 13th.Champions are able to rebound and Johnson proved that on Monday.

Are we surprised that Johnson finished on the lead lap after being three laps down?

Points: Second

 

Losers

Robby Gordon

You know sometimes keeping your mouth shut on the radio after an incident on track is the best option.

Robby Gordon has yet to learn that apparently. After an on track altercation with David Stremme, Gordon repeatedly on the radio threatened to take Stremme out.

He was taunting NASCAR to penalize this struggling organization as long as he got his revenge. On the restart Stremme and Gordon were racing each other the two made contact and Gordon went spinning and both received damage to their race cars.

NASCAR penalized Stremme five laps for aggressive driving and Gordon five laps for hitting a car under caution.

Now on TV you never saw this caution incident, so it leaves me to speculate that NASCAR really penalized him for his actions on the radio and on the track.

You would think Gordon who is struggling, just barley in the top 35 in owner’s points would be smart and just fix the car and move on, and unfortunately for him he didn’t, costing him a better finish than 33rd.

The difference between Stewart the owner/driver and Gordon also an owner/driver Stewart knows it’s better to salvage a good point’s day rather than tear up a race car, Gordon doesn’t.

Points: 34th

 

Carl Edwards

I am not sure what happened here, at one point Carl Edwards was second on the track late in the race. After a pit stop and a running order reshuffling due to strategy he was outside the top 10 and never recovered.

They were pretty consistent early on and were running well within the top 10. They were making good adjustments but would lose ground on pit road.

Edwards, who was as high as second at one point, looked like he was becoming a factor late in the race.Once again on the restarts, Edwards struggled to make up ground lost both on pit road and off.

On the final restart he dropped all the way back to 21st at one point but wound up 18th.

This team was a favorite coming into this weekend, to break out of the winless track dating back to last year’s season finale. Yet again this team is unable to not only maintain track position but gain track position something they did so easily last year.

Edwards had worked his way into the top five in the standings and away from the danger zone, well now he is back in the danger zone.

Points: Sixth

 

Mother Nature

Well drivers and crews and NASCAR know that when you head up to the northeast rain will be a factor. As it has been throughout this year, weather has played a factor, whether it is with qualifying, or practices or the race, Mother Nature has had it say.

Sunday was no different, heavy rains in the morning pushed back the start and the NASCAR got to work. When they finally got it going drivers had to deal with one more issue at this tricky triangle, weepers. NASCAR made the call and on Monday we raced.

Running line every time it rains; “Need rain, schedule a NASCAR race” sad but true.

Lucky Dog…

Tony Stewart was my reluctant pick for lucky dog this week. I am well aware that he started last and finished in the top 10.

Everyone on Saturday had crowned him the winner due to the uncanny resemblance this weekend had started off to. Rain out of qualifying, and crashes in practices and goes to the rear at the green. Just Like in June.

Unlike June, he struggled all day long. His finish is of a lucky break on a caution and good pit strategy. Sometimes the only way to salvage a good finish is to get lucky and Stewart was just that today.

Points: First

 

Final lap…

I want to give NASCAR credit, we have suffered through some downright ridiculous rain delays (California, Feb. 2008 come to mind?) and we have watched NASCAR call a race too quickly.

They got it right this time. With the heavy rains in the morning as soon as it let up NASCAR got to work and started drying the track, but weepers and more storms forced NASCAR to make a call.

They don’t like making these calls, the last thing they want is to postpone races or call a race, but with daylight going against them they had no choice.

They went right up to the window and made the call, no delays, no dancing around the call, they did the right thing for the fans who sat in the stands the whole time and the drivers. We all know NASCAR does not race in the rain and the weepers would have caused dangerous track conditions.

Think back to Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Casey Mears at California all were good race cars taken out of the race early due to weepers.

So yes, NASCAR made the right call was it what the fans wanted of course not but it was the right call.

One more thing, I think the last 50 laps proved one thing, this race is just way to long. 200 laps at this track take four hours to race and that is too long for a two and half mile track. The racing in the last 50 laps or so was the best we had seen all day long.

Not knocking the racing overall today as it was pretty good, some great three and four wide racing. I like long races, but at two and half mile tracks 400 miles is better.

Next up Watkins Glen and the final road race of the year.

It was hot and humid all weekend long. Heat was playing a factor for the drivers. It was typical Daytona racing, and the action was as hot as the temperature.

So check out this week's winners and losers.

Winners

Tony Stewart

Well, you know, this shouldn't be a surprise at this point. Tony Stewart had the best car all night long. He was up front and never lost the race of pit road.

His guys were on top of it all night long, going seven for seven winning the race off of pit road. Stewart ran up front all night long and never needed to adjust on the car.

On the final laps, Kyle Busch had the lead and attempted to block Stewart, but ended up going sideways and slamming hard into the outside wall.

Stewart seemed to beat himself up, but when he looks at the replay, he will realize he did nothing wrong. Busch tried to block but lost control, Stewart didn't really do anything wrong.

Stewart is a lock for the chase, and with two wins he is setting himself up for Loudon.

Points: First

Marcos Ambrose

I am going to be honest-this one is more impressive than Stewart winning.

Why? Because Marcos Ambrose is a single-car organization, he had no teammates to help him, and he's not all that experienced at plate tracks.

Ambrose ran well within the top 15 all day long and patiently made his way through the field. He avoided the multiple wrecks, and the team had great pit stops all night long.

I think the fact that they finished in sixth proves that this team is for real. I, for one, thought for sure that he would have some good finishes on road courses and the short tracks, but he has shown he is able to handle the larger tracks.

Ambrose will not make the chase, but this one car organization is running better than Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr.

Points: 18th

Regan Smith

So, we know Regan Smith is good at restrictor plate races. Smith, who is running a part-time schedule in 2009, is on a streak of now 51 consecutive races of running at the end.

That means in every race he has run since his rookie year, Smith has finished.

Smith ran a good race today. He and his crew were able to avoid major wrecks. They had stellar pit stops, and were able to work the draft to their advantage. In the end, their 12th place finished was a well-earned finish.

Smith knows how to drive, and given the right equipment, he would run in the top 15 most weeks.

The economy hit rock bottom, and there went any oppurtunities he had.

Points: 38th

Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin did, and said, all the right things tonight. He led some laps, and was able to hold his own up front. When it counted, Hamlin lined up behind his teammate and helped push him to the lead. Unfortunately for Hamlin and Busch. neither saw victory lane.

Hamlin had a good car all night long. He was up front, and his team had solid stops. They ran into a bit of trouble on pit road, but were able to rebound.

Hamlin is always just a little bit short. He leads a lot of laps at plate races but can never seal the deal.

He finished third tonight.

One of these days, Hamlin will not be the one giving the final push to the win, he will be the one winning the race.

Points: Sixth

Brian Vickers

We didn't hear much about Brian Vickers tonight, and sometimes that's a good thing. The last time he was at Daytona, he was part of the controversial wreck involving Dale Earnhardt Jr. and some of the leaders.

Vickers was hoping this one would turn out a bit different.

Vickers ran in the top 15 all day long. He worked the draft, and was able to make the right moves, avoiding the numerous wrecks and spinouts.

Vickers seventh-place finish was much-needed. They were falling back in the points, but Vickers has shown that he can run well on plate races. Vickers' chase chances are over, but like we said last year he could build on finishes like these.

The way Vickers season is going, one week he looks like the driver we all expected to see a year ago, and then he has races where you wonder who is behind the wheel. Saturday was the latter.

Points: 17th

Losers

Mark Martin

This was the last thing Mark Martin needed. With three wins, if he makes the chase, he would be sitting in second to Kyle Busch in the standings. Right now, he wouldn't make the chase and he would be like Kasey Kahne in 2008, sitting on the outside looking in with multiple wins.

On Saturday, he was running up front when he started to back out of the throttle and did not realize that Matt Kenseth was on the outside. Kenseth tapped him and Martin went spinning hard into the inside wall.

Martin took full responsibility and said that he made the mistake. They went to the garage and got to work. With points so important, they were able to get back on the track and finished 38th.

Martin can't afford to have another race like this-not when the top 12 won't be changing much in the next eight weeks.

Points: 13th

Casey Mears

Casey Mears had a strong car all weekend long. He was top five in speeds, and with qualifying rained out, he was going to have to work his way up front. He did just that. He was climbing to the top 10 when he got tapped and spun out.

He got damage to the back of the car and was forced to work on it in the garage. They finished a disappointing 34th. They had a lot of hope coming into this weekend.

Crew Chief Todd Berrier had found so much success at this track, that this race was circled on the calendar.

Mears is showing some signs of life and improvement. His finishes don't show that, but the improvement is there.

Points: 22nd

Kyle Busch

Say what you want about Kyle Busch, but he is willing to risk everything for a win.

In the final laps, Busch took the lead from Stewart and was in blocking mode. In an effort to block the hard-charging Stewart, Busch put a block on him and ended up sideways and went hard into the wall.

With nowhere to go, many drivers clipped or hit Busch in the process. Busch, clearly upset, got out of his car and started to storm off. Safety officials scrambled to get Busch in the car, and to get checked by the medical service.

It took four officials to get him in the car but he did end up there.

If Busch wants to blame anyone he needs to look in the mirror. Busch didn't want to comment after the race, which plays into the hands of his haters.

For everyone else, we all want to know what he was thinking?

Points: Eighth

David Reutimann

This wasn't what David Reutimann was hoping for on Saturday. Reutimann considers this track his home track and was hoping for a great finish, but they got caught up in someone else's mess and were forced to the garage to work on the car.

They did make it back onto the track and limped around the rest of the night. A 36th place finish was not what he wanted.

Already trying to rebound from a poor finish at Sonoma, they needed just to finish the race in a decent position.

Reutimann has used up his mulligans, now he needs top 10 finishes or his chase chances will not happen.

Points: 14th

Lucky Dog...

Jeff Gordon

I know what you are thinking-the favorite coming in, he led one lap, and finished 28th. How is he lucky?

He was involved in the first big wreck. Quickly, though, crew chief Steve LeTarte got to work using the caution laps to work on the car.

They were never good enough to contend up front, but when it mattered, they showed how tough they were when they battled back-no matter how disappointing the finish.

Points: Second

Ryan Newman

At one point, Newman was one lap down and barely keeping up. This team never gave up, and battled back for a 20th place finish.

He was another driver in the first big wreck, and they, too, worked on the car.

It wasn't flashy, but with points being so important, drivers in the hunt can't afford to not finish races.

Points: Seventh

Joey Logano

After finishing dead last here in February, anything higher than that would be an accomplishment. They ran very well today, and their 19th place finish doesn't tell the whole story.

They ran well within the top 10, and actually were in contention for most of the day.

During the last lap melee, Logano crashed hard into his teammate Busch, all but ending his chances at a better finish.

Points: 20th

Final laps...

What a race!

We know the critics will be out in full force in the coming days, pleading with NASCAR to do something about cars going airborne. But there is nothing they can do. Nothing NASCAR can really do, because these types of accidents will continue to happen.

I'm not saying I like seeing wrecks like we had tonight and at Talladega, but this is what we get with plate racing.

To be honest, I was more concerned about whether or not everyone walked away, but this is what we get with these cars, and these engines.

I do want to say these drivers are well aware of the procedures after a wreck-that includes Busch. No matter how upset you are, its policy to go see the medical staff at the track. You never know what type of injury you could have suffered.

Busch's antics on pit road just fuel his critics even more. There is no excuse for not following the rules.

Surprisingly, the points didn't change all that much. The only thing that changed was the points spread out more, and that's not good news for the guys on the outside looking in. For the guys who held a position in the top 12, they did exactly what they needed to do.

Next up my home track of Chicagoland, and the final race on TNT.

I know were heading into the next race but this is a late post due to the site being down..enjoy!

From the sunny skies of California to the cloudy, gloomy skies of New Hampshire, the drivers headed east to the miracle mile.

Check out the list of winners and losers.

Winners

Joey Logano

Well it took only 16 races for Joey Logano to find victory circle.

A great call and mother nature all were factors. With weather all around them Logano stayed out as long as they could. When NASCAR called a caution crew chief Greg Zipadelli, told Logano to save fuel.

Logano had a tough day before the final call, having a cut tire forcing them to pit. In the end that cut tire might have been his best friend. Logano will have many, many more wins in this series and this is a major confidence boost for a team that is still learning, still gelling.

The call was gutsy and that’s what it is going to take to win races in this series. Congrats to Logano and his whole team on his first career Sprint Cup win.

Points: 21st

Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon was in the catbird seat, wishing that the rain would come and hoping Logano would run out of fuel. The rain did come but Logano earned the victory. Gordon ran up front all day long.

Swapping the lead multiple times on restarts but always staying near or at the front. A stellar pit stop under green earned them what turned out to be a second place finish. It is runs like this that a team can build on.

This strong run could jump start the 24 crew and that’s bad news for the rest of the field; seeing that all the tracks coming up are Gordon’s bread and butter.

Points: Second

Sam Hornish Jr.

You know I thought earlier in the year when Sam Hornish Jr. had such great runs it would have been a something to build on. Instead the team started sliding backwards and seemed to go back to their old ways.

On Sunday Hornish ran well within the top 10 and was able to keep track position with strong pit stops. They were as high as fourth at one point. They had to settle for an eighth place finish.

A great run for team that could use it.

We keep thinking that the light has turned on for this team but they are as up and down as a rollercoaster, this week they were up.

Points: 25th

Casey Mears

I said it a few weeks back, for Casey Mears the crew chief switch has benefited him the most.Mears played the rain all day long. But they didn’t need luck; they ran well all day long.With a strong 11th place finish on Sunday this team.

This team had a good car in practice and they were able to build on that throughout the race. Mears was involved in the big one and came back to rebound.

A great sign for this team Mears seems to get so close to breaking through let’s see if he can continue this next week at Daytona.

Points: 20th

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

With the field being set by points for Sunday’s race it didn’t look god for this team. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his team were not very good all weekend. When the green flag waved Earnhardt and his team went to work.

They adjusted the car and worked on it and played track position, they got as high as third at one point but a poor restart that they lost positions on forced them to battle back from there.

A 13th place finish isn’t really representative of how well they actually ran. Earnhardt is giving good feedback and they are building off each finish the good and the bad. This is something we have not seen very often with this team.

Earnhardt should be looking toward 2010; the chase is out of reach so it’s time to start logging notes for next year.

Points: 19th

Losers

Ryan Newman

Ryan Newman was just three laps short of pulling out a victory. They tried to gamble and run as long as they could. They were forced to pit when Newman ran out of fuel, then to make matters worse they stalled on pit road.

A 29th place finish is all they would be able to get. Newman struggled all day long on the track. They never could get the handling right and were never a factor.

They received the lucky dog at one point and never could get the car to Newman’s liking. While Newman point position is somewhat safe, he was sixth coming in he has dropped two positions in two weeks.

With the battle only tightening up in the weeks to come they still need to be careful and can’t afford to have many finishes like this. The rocket man is cooling off a bit from his climb in the standings; don’t expect this to last too long.

Points: Seventh

Tony Stewart

I don’t think I have put Tony Stewart on this list all year. But while their result of a fifth place finish is not bad. It’s the poor pit stop that put him there. While it wasn’t his fault that the pit stop was to slow, you win as a team and you lose as a team.

Stewart had a comfortable lead and should have come out of the pits with the lead. But instead Gordon won that battle off of pit road and Stewart had to battle his way back for the top five finish.

Now he probably wouldn’t have won because Logano would have ended up staying out, and the rain came but it’s mistakes like these that he might not be so lucky every time.

Points: First

Martin Truex Jr.

Martin Truex Jr. had every right to be ticked off. He had a fast car; and was moving forward. On a restart where Earnhardt struggled and Truex tried to check up, Kyle Busch tagged him and sent Truex hard into the wall.

Truex was obviously upset and with good right, he had what could have been a top five car end up in the garage and he finished 37th.

This was the first time we have seen lead lap cars taken out like this with the restart. That being said it doesn’t make Truex any happier.

Truex chase hopes all but ended today, and with a major announcement coming about his future Truex should be focusing on next year; no matter what team that is with. Points: 24th

Carl Edwards

Carl Edwards was probably glad to leave New Hampshire. He was running well within the top 10 early on but on their first pit stop they struggled and were buried in traffic. After numerous cautions this team was forced to pit under green because of what was believed to be a loose wheel.

The strategy didn’t work and actually hurt them as they waited to see if a caution would come out to force the leaders to pit or if they would get bit by a loose wheel. For them they weren’t able to finish better than 19th when it all played out.

I still think while they have been good recently there is something still missing. Points:Fifth

Jimmie Johnson

It’s not very often I put Jimmie Johnson on this list. He led a race high 92 laps but on one of the numerous restarts, Johnson and Kurt Busch got into it. Johnson fell back to seventh as Kurt was able to maintain position.

In the moment it looked like Busch was getting a little payback after they played nice with the media after a Sonoma incident last week. Johnson was unable to recover and had to settle for a ninth place finish.

Johnson wasn’t completely happy with the car all day long but he was able to drive it to the front, the skirmish with Busch hurt them the most.

Johnson will of course rebound but I would be a bit concerned that unlike in the past this team is struggling a bit on setups and when they miss they don’t seem to be able to rebound as well as in the past.

That being said he is still the favorite.

Points: Third

Lucky Dog…

Brad Keselowski while this time it was not a win and weather played a factor this team did run fairly well.They took advantage of the wave around and were able to make adjustments on the car and finish seventh. Points: 40th

Juan Pablo Montoya it wasn’t flashy and while he had a great car he never could get to the front. Montoya did exactly what he needed to maintain his position in the points which is exactly what he needs to do. Points: 12th

John Andretti a surprising 16th place finish was a boost for this team. They used the double file restarts and pit strategy to gain positions. It was a great run for the team something they can use going into Daytona. Points: 36th

Final lap…

This was the first real chance to see how double file restarts would work on a short track. For some guys it worked out well, for others not so much. It was great to see guys battling for the lead which is what the fans want.

With all the expectation on this kid, Logano has shown a lot of maturity and growth. It won’t always be pretty but a win is a win.

Drivers in the chase and those looking in are going to use what they gained today for the start of the chase when they come back in September. So running well today was key for down the road.

The points race is tight throughout the standings and with no driver pulling away from the field in terms of wins this could be one of the best championship runs we have seen in a long time.

One down nine to go until the points are set; on to Daytona where anything can happen

So I was listening to the NASCAR race this weekend at Pocono. First off, I am a huge racing fan, not only do I follow the sport everyday, I write about it all the time. I follow stats and I write notes throughout the race, things to look for in future events and listen to the drivers and the crew what they are doing to stay one lap ahead of the car.

I like long races.

Many people will say, "well you're not in the drivers' seat for four hours," but I like them anyway. I know the argument that shorter races mean more chances for teams to use strategy to win a race. But I still feel like longer races give drivers who have issues early on a chance to be a contender.

Racing is about endurance and 95% of these drivers are pretty good shape and are able to deal with the physical aspect of sitting in the car.

But longer races allow these drivers to try different setups in a car going in that maybe they couldn't do if the race was 100 laps instead of 267 like Chicagoland. It also allows drivers to look more at conditions and not length of the race.

So many times we are racing against the track condtions and how they will change throughout the day that makes the race interesting. If you only had 150 laps to learn about how the tracks change from night to day, or when the sun comes out versus the clouds, or the temperature whether the track is cooling down or heating up, what could you possibly pull from that?

Look at Kevin Harvick Sunday-early on he was involved with Joe Nemechek and was forced way back in the field. The cautions fell when he needed them to and he finished with a top-five. Had the race only been 150 laps or shorter, he might not have had a real shot at winning.

Look at Jeff Gordon at Richmond. He qualified poorly, had to start at the rear of the field due to a ignition problem, and he worked his way up through the field even after he fell a lap down-he was as high third at one point, and he finished ninth, but still-in a shorter race he might never had a shot.

I know at short track 500 laps is long race, but it allows strategy to come into play. Track position is key, especially with these new boxier cars that punch a big hole, passing is tough. I love seeing drivers gamble early on in a race trying two tires, or no tires-it gives them a shot to see if that plan will work at the end of the race.

Now granted, the track could have lost grip or gained grip or your strategy cost you track position. Your setup could be way off early on and you get right. 500 laps gives you a shot to make a tough day better than it would it been had the race only been 250 laps or 300 laps.

Now there are few tracks that carry multiple races that NASCAR could go without and a couple tracks that could be put in their place that consistenly sell out, but that's a whole new article. If I had the chance to sit through everyone of these races in a season, I would. I envy the guy who travels to all the tracks and tailgates with the fans, or the writer who gets a chance to experience something new every week.

I get the argument that shorter races are less taxing on the driver, the fans aren't sitting in the stands to watch the final 50 laps be the most exciting. I also understand the new car has wreaked havoc on how drivers approach the races. Especially   because the car is heavier, and cause more wear on right side tires.  But we have seen drivers take two tires and  not loose massive track position  after a pit stop or a restart.

But I love the strategy that starts from the green flag. I love watching crew chiefs pace back and forth when a caution comes out while they are on pit road or just after they pit. Racing to me is racing whether it be in 12-lap heats or 500 laps around Bristol. I am gonna watch or listen either way