Remember when Darrell Waltrip won the Daytona 500?

In victory circle he exclaimed, "I won the Daytona 500!!" You couldn't help but laugh at him-or with him-but the pure joy of winning NASCAR's most prized trophy oozed through the television.

It's a memory that is etched into the brains of race fans everywhere. When you think about Daytona 500, often that image of Waltrip dancing in victory lane comes to mind.

Fast forward to 2009 with fans unable to afford to travel to races, and tuning out on TV. The current boxier car style left limitations on teams and the racing hasn't been what the fans want.

NASCAR needed something to get the fans excited again.

Storylines abound coming into Speedweeks 2009. Big name drivers not winning the year before, one driver dominating the sport in 2008 and the possibility for a record breaking title run.

But as a fan, I was still waiting for something more.

Slowly over time the joy and excitement of winning a race became just  plain boring experience, everyone doing the same thing like robots-until this season.

All of sudden victory lane became exciting again.

It started with the Daytona 500. It was rain-shortened and while the fans hoped NASCAR would ride out the rain they called the race with Matt Kenseth leading the pack.

Kenseth sat in his car waiting for the call.When the call was made and he climbed out into the soaking rain his face told the story.

Tears filling his eyes, all he could say was, "It's going to be really wet out here because I'm crying like a baby."

"I've had a lot of great opportunities in my life-from my family getting me in racing and all the sponsors that we have that have stuck by us and made this happen in an up-and-down economy. Winning the Daytona 500 is definitely a dream moment. It's just an unbelievable feeling."

With tears flowing and emotions raw, Kenseth couldn't help but cry in what was the biggest win of his career.

Only a few weeks later Kyle Busch, who dominated in 2008, came to his home track in Las Vegas, a track he had not won at in the Sprint Cup Series. He drove from the back of the field to win the race.

"I tell you what, this is pretty cool," Busch said in the victory circle. "I didn't know exactly what it would mean, but coming to the checkered flag, there were knots in my stomach. It's bigger than winning the Daytona 500. I said it wasn't going to be, but it is."

That's big for a guy who doesn't like to settle for second at any track.

One week later Busch's older brother Kurt, who struggled in 2008, started 2009 off strong when he dominated at Atlanta.

When he got out of the car you could see the smile on his face and the tremendous amount of relief he was feeling. Busch and his team were ecstatic, after all the struggles and digging in and looking for ways to improve on the track after a dismal 2008.

Winning at Atlanta validated all the offseason work and changes.

A few weeks later, another winless streak ended, one that had talks of retirement and a driver losing his edge. Jeff Gordon came into Texas, a track that was a demon for Gordon, never winning at the mile and a half track.

Gordon beat Carl Edwards off of pit road on the final stop and held off teammate Jimmie Johnson to pull off a victory even he didn't expect to happen.

Gordon hadn't won in 47 races but for the first time in a long time Gordon looked like a kid again, the excitement of winning at the track that had taunted him for so long. "It was the coolest. It was like winning for the very first time," Gordon said.

"Things have changed since I won a race ... That's the first time I've ever carried a checkered flag in NASCAR. I used to do that in quarter-midgets when I was eight."

The very next week Mark Martin rebounded from a rough start to the season. His team was just looking for good finishes but instead Martin walked away with the trophy at Phoenix, his first win since 2005.

Martin couldn't wipe the smile off his face and he couldn't have been giddier about winning. He continually praised his car owner, Rick Hendrick, for giving him a chance to run full-time again.

At Talladega, Nationwide driver Brad Keselowski pulled off a win that nobody expected. Starting from the rear, Keselowski worked his way through the field and avoided the "big one".

A late race pass on leader Edwards, had Edwards going airborne in a spectacular finish that sent him running across the finish line, and sent Keselowski into victory circle.

Keselowski was so excited he forgot to thank his sponsors, but that was okay because Keselowski will never forget his first victory and how improbable it was.

Finally at the Coca-Cola 600 in May, rain delayed over 24 hours of racing and brought on multiple red flags for rain showers. The final red flag found David Reutimann in the lead when he chose not to pit and the rest of the leaders did.

He sat in the rain, waiting by his car until the race was called. As Reutimann waited he had cameras on him, his expression never changed as he waited to hear from NASCAR his fate.

As the race was called you could sense joy of finally winning. Years of hard work and disapointment came to a head. It was not only his first win in Sprint Cup, but the first race win for his owner and driver Michael Waltrip.

You couldn't help but root for the guy, wanting him to pull out a victory that nobody thought could be.

Fans have been complaining about poor racing in recent years and often freight train-style runs. But if you are tuning out before the checkered flag you are missing some great moments in victory lane.

So far in 2009, winning is fun again. Grown men are jumping up and down with excitement. Winning in this series is not easy so when you win one it means a lot.

To see drivers who have won 82 times or one time act as if they have not won before, it's exciting. It makes watching those long green runs all worth it when the winner looks like he is having fun.

I love to see true emotion, whether it be on the track or in victory lane. For so long we saw the bows and the back flips and the burnouts but that's where it ended.

In victory lane it been about thanking sponsors and teams which is great and there's nothing wrong with it.

But for some reason victory lane had lost it magic up until this year

Now don't get me wrong. It hasn't been plain vanilla all the time but you get tired of watching every driver say and do the same thing.

Remember when Jeff Gordon won his first Daytona 500? He took a lot of slack for his outpouring of emotion. But it was honest and genuine, and true. It was a moment of pure joy.

It's moments like these that stand out, moments that we don't forget.

So often we get clouded with talk of points and the championship that it seems like the crossing the finish line is all about the number in the record book and not about the achievement of beating the best in your business.

Quotes: espn.com; sportsillustrated.com

So, for all you who don't like fuel strategy, the last couple weeks haven't been fun, and this week was no different. With only 110 laps to race for the checkers and many teams banking on only stopping twice, strategy and conserve were the words of the day. But, I am going to guess you watched anyway because of these three words: Double-file restarts. Check out which driver was king of the road course on Sunday. Winners Kasey Kahne Well, I think the majority of people's fantasy picks were a little bit thrown off with this victory. Kasey Kahne survived multiple late race cautions and held off one of the best road course racers in the series in Tony Stewart. Kahne and crew stayed on their own strategy and methodically worked their way around the 1.99 mile track all day long. Kahne didn't make a mistake late in the race that we have seen (even the best do at this track late in the race). This victory was Richard Petty's first win in 11 years. After watching others celebrate in victory lane all this time, finally "The King" got to drink some of those sweet Sonoma grapes. Kahne hopes this win will propel this team into the chase. Points: 13th Tony Stewart At this point, we shouldn't be surprised to see where he finished. Clearly, Tony Stewart had one of the best cars out there all day long. They ran their own race and worked traffic perfectly. Stewart might have been in victory lane, had he not struggled on the late restarts. Stewart is proving that his hot start this season was no fluke and, as the summer heats up, so will he. That's bad news for the field. Stewart needs wins if he wants to separate himself from the rest of the top five in the standings. Points: First Marcos Ambrose Marcos Ambrose had an eventful weekend. After nearly winning the pole, he loses an engine in the first practice. Then, in a scramble to get at least one lap in before the end of final practice, he runs into the back of Jimmie Johnson, causing damage to the nose of his car. Starting at the rear of the field, this team went off sequence in pitting and used everyone else's strategy to work their way to the front. With less than 20 to go, he found himself in the top five and battling for the win. Ambrose was unable to ever reach the front, but the team that saw an eventful Saturday turn into a productive Sunday. Ambrose doesn't mind the road courses; he just might be the first to ask NASCAR to add a few more. Points: 18th Half of Hendrick Motorsports Jeff Gordon Infineon is Jeff Gordon's home game. He leads the series with nine road course wins. On Sunday, Gordon never made it to the front. The strategy they attempted didn't work. A rare pit road speeding penalty cost them and forced them back in traffic. They finished ninth on Sunday. Gordon timed the restarts perfectly and even got a bit aggressive late in the race. He might not have won the race, but his top 10 finish today was key in keeping pace with Stewart. This wasn't Gordon's best Infineon run, but, in 2009, it's another top 10 that might be key when it comes down to the chase. Points: Second Jimmie Johnson Like his teammate Gordon, Jimmie Johnson was forced to battle back from a pit road speeding penalty. Unlike Gordon, he worked his way to the top five and was a contender for the win. Johnson, though, was the center of some controversy. Johnson was battling Kurt Busch for position, when Johnson tagged Busch and spun him out, costing Busch a chance for a top 10 finish. Johnson went on to finish fourth. Johnson (who is one of the cleanest racers on the circuit) did apologize for the move and showed remorse for it. Johnson is showing something he hasn't in the past, early season consistency that may be bad for the rest of the field. Points: Third Juan Pablo Montoya If Juan Pablo Montoya wants to make the chase, today was his best chance to show why he deserved to be in it. Montoya worked his way up from his 17th starting spot, and in less than 15 laps he was in the top 10. He quickly moved forward and ran with the leaders for the rest of the day. They worked strategy perfectly and had a great point's day. Montoya didn't win the race, but he was the biggest winner in terms of points. Montoya needs more runs like this to secure his spot in the chase. He can't afford to have anything less than top 15 finishes for the next 10 races. Montoya's crew chief said they were not racing for a win, but you have to wonder what that radio was like when Montoya was sitting fourth with 11 to go. Points: 12th Losers David Ragan You know David Ragan had a good run going, to be honest. He was well within the top 10 and had a solid finish going until lap 101. When battling Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his teammate Carl Edwards, Ragan spun and all but ended his day. It's hard to believe that this team is flirting with having to qualify on time if they continue to have finishes like this. Road courses were never his best tracks, but they needed a good points day to stay afloat. Ragan has to be wondering what happened that they are barely hanging on. Points: 30th Half of Richard Childress Racing Were just over halfway through the season (with 10 races to the chase). For RCR, it doesn't look good. Sunday didn't help this struggling organization in any way. Jeff Burton Jeff Burton wasn't very good today. Burton spun out early and struggled to keep up. He has never won at this track and wasn't a favorite this weekend, but he has been RCR best driver all year. On Sunday, he looked mediocre at best. For Burton, that can't be good enough. He needs to have strong runs the next 10 races, and, for him to make the chase, he has got to hope that the guys in front of him falter during that same stretch. Points: 15th Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick had a good qualifying lap, something he hasn't had very often this season. He was well within the top 10 all day long, but, just like the first half of the season, Harvick can't seem to buy any luck this season. Late in the race, he watched what would have been a top 10 finish get ruined by a cut tire. He finished 29th. They couldn't afford anymore bad finishes, and now his chase chances are all but over. To me, they have been one of the biggest disappointments in 2009. It's time to look to the future. Could that still be with RCR? Points: 25th Kyle Busch 2009 has not been easy for Kyle Busch. Unlike last year, in which he seemed unbeatable, Busch has been inconsistent and we are seeing it with his finishes. Kyle won the outside pole, led some laps, but at road course nothing is a given. Busch got into Sam Hornish Jr. and then tagged by Hornish on the spin, effectively ending his day. He was a clear favorite coming into this race, and unfortunately finished 22nd. Another poor finish with 10 to go until the chase, he is points racing-something he didn't have to do last year at this time. Points: Ninth Lucky Dog... Joey Logano It wasn't flashy and it wasn't expected to. He qualified very well and ran his own race. On lap 87, Logano, who was running seventh, made contact with Scott Speed and from there on battled the rest of the day. He finished 19th. Points: 24th Jamie McMurray had another strong run today. He ran a smart race and did not get himself into trouble. He finished a strong 14th. With so much speculation about his future, solid runs like this might make Jack Roush rethink about who he ends up cutting RFR fold at the end of 2009. Points: 19th Carl Edwards is coming off a few good weeks with strong top 10 finishes; he was coming to a track where he struggled in the past. They worked strategy and found themselves within the top 10. They fell back late in the race, but a solid 13th place finish at a track he has struggled at in the past keeps momentum on his side. Points: Fifth Final Lap... I like road courses. I think if you are driving in this series, road courses are a test of not only skill but patience. I don't think that two road courses are enough in the series. I have said (for a long time) a road course should be in the chase. If you're going to put Talladega in the chase and say the driver at Homestead, who is leading the points at the checkers, is considered this sport's best in the playoffs, then a road course should be in the chase. It was great to see the Richard Petty back in victory lane. It's been a while. Let's hope this is not the last time we see the King and his company in victory lane in 2009. Double file restarts didn't cause the havoc that many predicted. There were some uh-oh moments, but the havoc that many predicted didn't happen. For the drivers that finished the race without incident, they were the ones breathing a sigh of relief. See you in New Hampshire-talk about a cross country road trip.

Last week at Michigan NASCAR announced the NASCAR Green Clean Air program. The basics of this program is starting at Michigan in June NASCAR will be planting 10 new trees at 10 tracks this year and then expanding to all tracks in 2010 planting 20 acres of trees annually.

Including; Michigan, Phoenix, Chicagoland, Pocono, Lowe's, Infineon, Homestead-Miami, Iowa, Kansas, Daytona and Indianapolis.

Because every market that NASCAR runs the Sprint Cup series in is different, NASCAR has to work with vendors and tracks in setting up the program. 

NASCAR Director of Business Communication Andrew Giangola said "NASCAR Green Clean Air is part of an ambitious five year plan to significantly reduce NASCAR's environmental footprint while raising awareness of conservation among fans."

NASCAR has always been looking for cleaner, greener ways at all their tracks but this new program puts them at the forefront in motorsports.

Giangola went on to say, "Our goal is to be a leader  not only in sports but all industry...we're getting a better understanding  of areas of improvement, and are well into planning a comprehensive green initiative designed to generate measurable results in reducing the sports environmental impact."

The only way to be a leader in industry is to act and NASCAR has been leading the way at many of NASCAR sanctioned tracks for a long time now.

Many of NASCAR's sanctioned tracks have programs that are not only teaching race fans about the environment but also protecting the environment.

Infineon Raceway in Sonoma has one of the most extensive environmentally friendly programs on the circuit. Infineon began a recycling program since 2004; recycling 73 tons of materials.

If you have attended a race at Sonoma you probably noticed or have heard that instead of using gas or electric mowers Infineon uses sheep.

Yes, sheep a partnership with Rocky Mountain Wooly Weeders in 2008 has the animals living at the track and are attended by two shepherds.  Sheep aren't the only wildlife helping keep grounds at Infineon, the track has 15 owl boxes around the track; these birds hunt gophers and rodents.

"One family of Barn Owls can eat 30 to 40 rodents a night, which helps the raceway eliminate the need for pesticides and other poisons in controlling pests" Giangola added.

Many other tracks have recycling programs like at Auto Club Speedway which not only are they recycling plastics and paper they are recycling household items that are filling up landfills across California.

Auto Club offers an annual mower recycling day, residents can return gas powered mowers for electric mowers.  Also Envriocycle uses Auto Club Speedway as a drop off for disposal of TV's and computer monitors that most people just throw in the garbage.

According to Daytona International Speedway's Manager of Media Relations, Andrew Booth, DIS not only has a recycling program they are promoting living and being green by having NexEra Energy sponsor the Camping World Truck series next February.

"Through this unique entitlement program, our parent company, International Speedway Corporation, will purchase renewable energy credits to offset the carbon emissions from the major events held at both Daytona International Speedway and our sister track, Homestead-Miami Speedway, throughout the year, including fan and team travel associated with each event."

Booth went on to say "This amount was determined in collaboration with NextEra Energy, the leaders in renewable energy based on historical information provided by ISC and utilizing a formula developed by the Center for Resource Solutions."

Some racetracks are not only recycling, some are protecting the land around the track and preserving the wetlands that surround tracks like Michigan International Speedway and Darlington Raceway.

"MIS has approximately 200 acres of protected wetlands in and around the facility" Giangola added.

According to DIS during Speedweeks 2009 the track collected 15,980 pounds of aluminum and cans. 9582 of that was aluminum and 6398 pounds of plastic. In comparison to Speedweeks 2008 that was 700 pounds more than last year.

Lowe's Motorspeedway's teamed up with Anheuser-Busch in 2008 to start a recycling program.

"Almost 5,000 pounds of aluminum and plastic beverage containers were collected on speedway property during the 10-day span of events that month."  Lowe's Communication Manager Annette  Randall said.

"For the fall NASCAR races...more than 4,000 pounds of recyclables in a four-day period." Randall added.

This year Coca-Cola and Anheuser Busch provided 400 recycling barrels that are placed around the track.

Being environmentally friendly doesn't just include recycling programs and using green cleaning products as many tracks do, but it includes using electric cars.

No, your favorite driver is not driving the newest electric car on the race track but the pace cars that lead them to the green flag and restarts at selected tracks are electric power.

If you remember back to the rain plagued Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway was paced by the brand new Toyota Camry Hybrid. We will see the Camry at Infineon Raceway, Chicagoland Speedway, Watkins Glen, Martinsville and the fall Lowe's race.

NASCAR is looking toward the future and hopes to continue to not only improve but find new ways to help lessen their impact on the environment.

"As we develop and roll out new programs we'll work with the media, including NASCAR licensed media and our partners like Fox, TNT, ABC/ESPN and Sirius XM radio, go spread the good word." Giangola remarked.

Also as fans we can do our part. As our favorite tracks continue to lead the way in "being green" we can too by limiting our global impact with simple, easy steps.

As we attend races we will see all of the tracks promoting not only their programs at the track but things we can do at home, to help save our planet.

NASCAR is a leader of the pack in going green; this is one race where coming in second is just not good enough.

 

Special thanks to NASCAR, Daytona International Speedway and Lowe's Motor Speedway for your help with this piece.

NASCAR rolled into the hardest-hit state economically-and the manufacturers' backyard.

Toyota claimed the front row for the race lineup, but it was Chevrolet that took the checkered flag.

Check out which athlete are the winners and which are the losers at Michigan.

Winners

Mark Martin

Mark Martin did what Mark Martin has always done.That is hold back just how good they really are. In this case it was all about conserving fuel. Martin ran a smart race all day long. He methodically picked off car after car after starting deep in the field in 32nd.

Martin had to deal with a failing battery, lack of driver amenities in the car.

Martin, who knows how to conserve, stayed back and watched as everyone in front of him raced hard against each other. Martin just waited until one or both of the leaders made a mistake.

Martin waited just to the final lap, when both Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson ran out of fuel, to take the lead. Martin has always been the type of driver who doesn't show you what he has until it counts and Sunday was no different.

With three wins in 2009 already for Martin, retirement is not in his vocabulary.

Points: Eighth

Jeff Gordon

A week ago, Jeff Gordon finished in the top five at Pocono based on fuel mileage. They weren't very good and they lucked their way into that finish.

Fast forward to Sunday.

Having to start at the rear because of an engine change, Gordon worked his way up to the top 15 by the second round of green-flag stops.

The DuPont Chevrolet was moving forward, but they were loose all day long. Gordon and company continued to battle, saving fuel on the final run. A great finish to a weekend that didn't start out so well.

They lost the point lead two weeks ago at Dover, but today they cut into the points lead with another strong run.

Points: Second

Carl Edwards

I think the giant has awoken.

Carl Edwards is winless in 2009 after early struggles, but he is showing signs of life. In the last three weeks, Edwards has finished no worse than seventh, and that includes a fourth place finish Sunday.

Edwards, who started way back in 29th, didn't look good early as his team battled the changing track conditions. Throughout the afternoon, this team worked on the car and found themselves within the top 10 before half way.

Edwards battled lap after lap, picking off cars, and did lead one lap during pit stops, but Edwards was unable to get any higher than fourth on the final run. Still, it's a welcome finish for a team and driver facing many questions about why they haven't won.

Edwards is heading in the right direction, and that's to the front.

Points: Sixth

Jamie McMurray

Jamie McMurray is presumably the odd man out at the end of 2009, when NASCAR forces Jack Roush to cut his five-racer team down to four. Sunday, McMurray was one of the best Roush cars out there all day long.

McMurray started 31st and he moved forward quickly. With solid pit stops and working traffic perfectly, he worked his way to an 11th place finish. It was a great run for a guy who is always answering questions about his future.

McMurray needs to have some strong runs and good finishes in the next few months. He is not only riding for a chance to make the Chase, he is riding for a spot in Roush's organization.

McMurrary just needs to put up and at some point everyone else will shut up.

Points: 19th

Bill Elliott

Bill Elliott-what a run. He started 15th and finished 16th and on the lead lap. Elliott's team runs a part time schedule and they come to the track with their best equipment every time. They qualify and run a smart race.

They never made it to the front today, but they ran on the lead lap and were competitive all day long. Elliott, who is a fan favorite at the track, ran a smart and veteran race. He Never overdrove the car today and was able to stay on top of the car all day long.

Part time racing for Elliott is paying off, bringing better cars to the track every time they come.

Points: 42nd

Losers

Jimmie Johnson

I can't really say he is a loser, he led the most laps and was up front all day long, but it's how you finish that matters the most.

Johnson finished 22nd.

Johnson had the best car all day long, taking the lead from Kyle Busch on lap nine and never looking back. At one point, his lead was over seven seconds and he was on cruise control. The race was his to lose and it once again came down to fuel mileage.

He ran out of fuel on the white flag and scrambled to the pits to get a splash of fuel to cross the finish line while still on the lead lap.

Leading the most laps and being the best car doesn't always mean you win; Johnson can ask Kyle Busch about that.

Points: Third

Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch is struggling, and in the series he cannot afford to struggle in. Busch claimed the outside pole but quickly moved backward. He struggled with his car's handling all day long and failed to lead a lap. He went on to finish 13th.

When Busch wins, he dominates, but when he doesn't win, he is runs poorly. You have to wonder if running all three series is affecting him on Sundays, if not then there is something wrong.

Busch is flat out dominating the other two series, but in the Cup series in 2009 Busch's inconsistency may not be good enough.

Points: Ninth

Ryan Newman

After a hot two months of climbing the standings, Newman cooled off this weekend. They never did have the car right for Newman, struggling with handling all day long. Newman went on to finish 23rd; the first car one lap down.

It was a disappointing run for this team, which had recently been one of the hottest teams. Now they are heading to a track that is one of Newman's best tracks.

Newman should be able to get right back on track this weekend.

Newman was running the Army birthday scheme, this may be one birthday he wants to forget.

Points: Fifth

Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth was an early favorite coming into Sunday, with his owner Jack Roush owning this track in wins. Kenseth was hesitant to claim victory before the race. He had been complaining about lack of speed all weekend long.

That showed up on the track during the race. Kenseth started 16th but finished 20th , barely on the lead lap. An unscheduled pit stop ended the team's day and they were forced to battle back, finishing 20th. This wasn't the finish they wanted or need right now, just hanging on in the top 12.

Kenseth knows how to make a team feel good, just complain about the car in tv interviews; that should do it.

Points: 11th

Lucky Dog...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. showed some signs of improvement. They never made it to the front, but they had a decent car and were competitive all day long. A good finish of 14th is exactly what this team needed and gives them some momentum.

Points: 18th

Elliot Sadler had one of his best runs all year long. They stayed on top of the racetrack and were able to adjust the car as needed. A 12th place finish is a good run for this team.

Points: 27th

David Ragan has been 2009's biggest disappointment. After just missing the Chase in 2008, Ragan's expectations were high in 2009 and he hasn't lived up to any of it. On Sunday, he needed a good run just to get them out of the danger zone in the top 35 in owner's points. They finished 15th, a good strong run that was needed.

Points: 28th

Final Lap...

Michigan came down to what it usually comes down to-fuel mileage. Drivers expected it, fans waited for it. Still, there was a lot of green flag racing and once again the leader pulled away.

But with these cars, and until teams can pick apart the cars, this is what you will get when you have clean air.

Chevrolets flexed their muscles this weekend, beating out Ford, Toyota, and Dodge to victory lane. With manufacturer support uncertain; NASCAR has always been viewed as a running car commercial.

With Sunday's race coming down to fuel mileage, all four manufacturers got to show just how fuel efficient they are.

An interesting fact-in the last 10 point paying races, eight of them have been won by a Hendrick Motorsports driver or equipment. Now that's dominating.

If you are going to win the championship or be a factor in 2009, you are going to have to beat HMS.

See you in Sonoma, our first road course race of the year.

Another wet weekend which cancelled qualifying, eliminating a needed practice on Friday. NASCAR spent most of the weekend explaining, describing the new double-file restart. See how it all shook out at the tricky triangle in the Pocono Mountains.

Winners

Tony Stewart

We knew this was going to happen at some point, but Pocono historically has not been Stewart's best track. But nothing for Stewart in 2009 has been the norm. It took a major fuel gamble to win this race, but you win them the way you can.

Stewart, who has been up or at the front in nearly every race this season, had to start from the back after a crash in practice forced them to a backup car, they quickly moved forward taking the lead and running away from the field.

Stewart conserved in every way he could from coasting, to turning the engine on and off to save fuel.

This is such a huge win for this bunch, with many of the crewman holdovers from the former Haas Automation has never been to victory circle.

Congrats to Stewart and crew as they win their first race as SHR.

Points: First

Carl Edwards

Everyone has been wondering why Edwards hasn't won a race this year. After dominating last season, Edwards has been searching for whatever they have been missing in 2009. Pocono came at perfect time for this team.

They ran up front all day long. Edwards had what was numerous times described as a perfect race car. They short pitted all day long working the race backwards.

Edwards needed this finish even if it wasn't a win after struggling early on this season, as strong finish could be the exactly what this team needs to go to Victory Lane soon.

They finished a well earned second.

Edwards has been struggling but they coasted to a good finish.

Points: Sixth

Marcos Ambrose

As I was watching the race I kept double checking to see if Ambrose was on the lead lap, but that he was. Surprisingly he ran there throughout the day.

They stayed on top of the car all day long conserved fuel and earned their second best finish of 2009 in sixth.

This team continues to surprise me. They weren't really talked about as a true contender, but they have quietly put together a great first 14 races.

Ambrose likes panning for gold, he might just find himself in Victory Lane this year.

Points: 18th

Casey Mears

Last week Mears was in my lucky dog position. This week, Mears is on my winners list. Mears had a strong car all weekend long. Something we have not seen from this team all year long. Mears and his team worked on their car and stayed on top of the adjustments.

They were able to finish a strong 14th, a strong and well needed run. Mears seemed to have benefited from Richard Childress switching crew chiefs with Kevin Harvick. He recently has seen improvement of equipment and their finishes are showing that.

While Harvick has continued to free fall, Mears has been moving up the standings within the last month.

Points: 21st

Jeff Gordon

Well it started off good, and then it got worse, and then it got better. Gordon didn't have the best car out there all day, but this team is showing resiliency. Gordon complained all day long that he was too tight.

They couldn't get all three corners hooked up but not many did. They gambled on staying out during a caution hoping a rain shower would put them up front for good. Unfortunately for Gordon he was forced to pit with one to go to the green.

The move proved to pay off as some were forced to pit they had just enough fuel to secure another top five finish with a fourth.

This was a good finish for a team that in the last couple weeks have been struggling they showed they are able to rebound after a tough finish last week.

They may be struggling but this team is still very consistent each week at the track.

Points: Second

Losers

Joe Gibbs Racing

Denny Hamlin didn't even hit the start finish line when the green flag waved and electrical problems ended their day. They finished 38th.

They can't seem to bite the bad luck. They haven't won since last March, and if they want to be a championship contender they have to find a way to persevere through the rough patches.

Hamlin and crew chief need to get on the same page and fast or their chase chances will disappear.

Points: 12th

Kyle Busch, who won last night in Nashville never saw the front of the field. He struggled all day long with handling issues and fought to battle back. They didn't win the fuel mileage battle and finished a disappointing 22nd place.

The difference between last year and this year is last year they dominated, this year they are streaky and that may not win them a championship.

Points: Ninth

Joey Logano had never seen Pocono coming into this weekend. One less practice on Friday, Logano won the ARCA race on Saturday, and getting two practices in on Saturday. His inexperience at this track hurt him on Sunday.

They struggled all day long and saw their strings of top 15 finishes come to end on Sunday with a 23rd.

They were never a factor, but a good sign is Logano can apply what he learned here today for when they come back in early August.

Points: 25th

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Well the honeymoon is over, and that was fast. They looked good early in the weekend during practice. But unlike last week, weren't unable to translate that on Sunday. I was a bit disappointed that they didn't run much better than they did.

Unlike his teammates, who are able to rebound most of the time when they struggle, Earnhardt is unable to do that and that and that usually ends their day. They really need to turn this around even though the Chase is out of question; they still need to compete better.

Who you going to blame for today's poor finish of 27th?

Points 20th

Lucky Dog...

Michael Waltrip had a great finish of 17th today. He ran well within the top 20 all day long and was able to work on the car to make it better; something this team hasn't done well this year.

Points: 32nd

Regan Smith is perfect! In every race he has entered and qualified for, Smith has finished. To bring their car back to the shop in one piece every time they run is key to building a program and not having to replace cars.

Points: 38th

Sam Hornish Jr. looks like the light is on for this guy. He has some great runs in recent weeks and is showing some great improvement let's hope his 10th-place finish is a sign of bigger things to come.

Points: 23rd

Final Lap...

We immediately saw how double-file restarts would work. For some guys it helped them, for others it hurt them.

It will take more than one race to get the hang of it and figure out all the quirks. But the race was fun and enjoyable to watch.

The leader wasn't pulling away before the field hit the start-finish line and there were some great battles throughout the pack and that was refreshing to see.

I was so excited to see Stewart pull off the victory; in a short amount of time they took a organization that struggled to make races and contend just a year ago to victory circle.

It's fun when a team wins for the first time whether it is a driver or crew members. They are like kids again, jumping and screaming and enjoying the moment. That's what racing is all about!

See you in Michigan!!