We've all seen how the race ended on Sunday, but there's something you may want to see before you say Smith should have had the win taken away from him...

First off I'm sorry I haven't been able to write recently, between school where I'm doubling up classes so I can graduate early and work I have almost no time to get to writing these, so please bear with me. Thanks :)

After a crazy finish to the race at Kansas the Sprint Cup Series heads to Talladega for race four of the Chase to the Cup. With tight packs of cars stacked three and four wide the big one is almost inevitable, and getting caught up in it could end a driver's chance at winning the championship.

1. Jimmie Johnson

His average finish so far in the Chase is 2.6, with his lowest finish being a 5th at Dover. He led the most laps before taking the checkered flag at Kansas, giving him a ten point edge on Carl Edwards heading to Talladega. If he keeps running like he has, it's going to be impossible to stop Johnson from earning a third championship.

2. Carl Edwards

If he were playing Nascar 09 on his PS3, Edwards would not only have won the race but have the points lead, too. Alas, the wall is much less forgiving in real life than it is in the game... The key for Edwards this weekend is to avoid the big one and leave Talladega with a solid finish, he can't allow Johnson to extend too big a lead on him before he gets to tracks like Atlanta and Texas, where'll he'll be among the favorites.

3. Greg Biffle

It's hard to believe, but Biffle boasts a better average finish in the Chase so far than Johnson, with his two wins and third place finish at Kansas giving him a 1.6 average finish through the first three Chase races. Biffle is in the same boat as Edwards for this weekend's race, he needs to avoid losing too much ground to Johnson at Talladega, a track where he's never scored a top-10 in eleven career starts.

4. Kevin Harvick

Harvick's sixth place finish at Kansas was his ninth consecutive top-10, which has allowed him to climb to fifth in the standings. Talladega may be the place for Harvick to get his first win of 2008, where he's earned seven top-10's in fifteen career starts.

5. Jeff Gordon

Gordon has slowly started to creep back towards the front, and he ran in the top-5 all day long at Kansas despite being sick, finishing 4th. Gordon is still searching for his first win of 2008, and Talladega is the perfect place for him to get it. Last year Gordon made a great move on the last lap to earn his sixth career victory there, if he could repeat those results this year it would not only get him a win, but also put him back in Chase contention.

6. Jeff Burton

Burton has earned top-10's in all three Chase races so far, including a seventh place finish at Kansas. Burton is fourth in points, but 121 points behind Chase leader Johnson. If he's going to win the championship, he'll need to start winning races or hope the drivers in front of him start running into some trouble.

7. Matt Kenseth

Kenseth used up his mulligan at Loudon with a 40th place finish, but he's been stout since, with a 2nd and 5th place finish. Kenseth is ninth in points, but he needs help from the drivers in front of him in the standings if he's going to earn his second championship.

8. Denny Hamlin

Hamlin's issues at Dover have put him in a large hole in the standings, and the way this team is performing it doesn't look as though they'll be able to rebound enough to beat the nine drivers in front of them. However he may be a threat to win at Talladega and bounce back into contention, where he's finish 4th and 3rd in the last two races.

9. Clint Bowyer

Bowyer hasn't finished worse than 12th so far in the Chase, but his best finish is only 8th, and with drivers like Biffle, Johnson and Edwards finishing in the top-5 every week, you're going to find yourself out of contention quick. Bowyer needs to start running up front if he's going to make a run at the title this year, and it'll have to start at 'Dega, where he's finished 11th and 9th in the last two races.

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt started the Chase well with a fifth place finish at Loudon, but since has struggled with finishes of 24th and 13th, dropping him to 8th in the standings. However, it's hard to not put Earnhardt on a list previewing a race at Talladega, where he has earned five wins, four of which came consecutively in a streak that started in 2001 and lasted through 2003.

Other Notables:

11. Kyle Busch- Three weeks in a row.... who would have thought it would go down the tubes so quick for Busch? He's still a threat to win though, especially at 'Dega where he won in April.

12. Tony Stewart- His 40th place finish at Kansas has put him in a hole just slightly smaller than that of his teammate, Busch, but he may be able to earn his first win of 2008 at 'Dega, where he's finished 2nd six times.

13. David Ragan- Ragan got things headed back in the right direction at Kansas with an 8th place finish, and may be able to do even better than that at 'Dega, where he finished 4th earlier this year.

14. Juan Pablo Montoya- Montoya had to start in the back after his pole run was disallowed, and only managed to finish 20th. However, if his team unloads a legal car, he may be able to repeat or even better his performance at 'Dega earlier this year, as he finished 2nd.

15. AJ Allmendinger- Allmendinger earned his best career finish at Kansas, finishing 9th. However, that performance wasn't enough for Allmendinger to keep his ride for the rest of the season, and isn't on the entry list for Talladega. Somebody give him a ride!

In the final laps it was three Roush/Fenway Fords racing for the win, with Carl Edwards leading Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle. The three drivers dueled for the win as the laps wound down, and Biffle made a move on Kenseth for the lead. The two made contact but Biffle maintained his position and took the lead on the high side with seven laps to go. From there Biffle ran away from the pack for his second consecutive win.

"I got up beside him and he tried to pinch me off and we got together a little bit," Biffle said. "But I got my nose out there and I couldn't give up."

Behind Biffle was Kenseth and Edwards, who gave Jack Roush his first 1-2-3 finish since 2005. Edwards and Biffle are now two of the top three drivers in the standings, too, with Edwards holding a ten point lead over Biffle, who is tied for second with Jimmie Johnson.

While some Chase drivers such as the Roush trio were excelling, others were left with a large hole to climb out of to contend for the championship after issues at Dover. Kyle Busch found himself in that position yet again as engine troubles put him out of the race. He finished last in the race and is now last in the Chase standings, 210 points behind Edwards.

His teammate Denny Hamlin also suffered at Dover, with rear-gear issues putting him in the garage for several laps, leaving him with a disappointing 38th place finish. Hamlin fell five positions in the standings as a result, now 11th and 193 points behind Edwards.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s day went sour when his right-rear tire blew on the frontstretch, causing him to spin and suffer substancial damage. Earnhardt limped around the rest of the race to a 24th place finish, four laps off the pace. Like Hamlin, Earnhardt also fell five spots in the standings to 9th, 129 behind Edwards.

The other nine Chasers all finished in the top-11, though, including Kevin Harvick, whose 9th top-10 in the last ten races vaulted him five positions in the standings to 5th, 101 points behind Edwards.

With eight races left in the Chase the Sprint Cup Series heads to Kansas for the Camping World RV 400, where Greg Biffle will try to earn his third straight win at the track he won at last year.

One down, nine to go. New Hampshire brought an unexpected twist last week with Kyle Busch faltering and Greg Biffle leaving victorious, but the Monster Mile in Dover, Deleware, will threaten every driver in the field with a DNF. A falter here could dig a hole too deep to climb out of, and as always every point counts.

1. Carl Edwards

Edwards earned just his second finish higher than 12th at New Hampshire, and that 3rd place finish vaulted him into a tie for the Chase lead. Another win at Dover would give him a nice cusion on the rest of the field.

2. Jimmie Johnson

Though Johnson lost the lead and the win with just a dozen laps to go, his 2nd place finish was enough to put him in a tie for the Chase lead with Edwards. In the last four races at Dover, Johnson has failed to finish on the lead lap.

3. Kevin Harvick

Harvick continued his streak of great finishes at New Hampshire with a 10th place finish, his seventh straight top-10. Harvick will need to keep these runs going if he wants to keep in contention for the championship, but he hasn't finished higher than 20th since 2006.

4. Kyle Busch

After being nearly perfect in the first 26 races of the season, Busch faltered in the first race of the Chase and now find himself in a hole. Fortunately for Busch, the next race in the Chase is at Dover, a track where he won earlier this year.

5. Tony Stewart

Stewart recovered from a pit road speeding penalty during green flag pit stops to finish a solid 8th. Stewart has struggled lately at Dover, with only one top-10 finish in his last seven starts there, including a 41st place finish earlier this year. 

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt has started running well at just the right time, with a 5th place finish at New Hampshire. He's also struggled lately at Dover, though, with only two finishes in the top-20 in the last seven races.

7. Greg Biffle

Biffle seemingly came out of nowhere to win at New Hampshire, but that win has shown his team's championship chances. Biffle will likely close the gap on the leaders at Dover, where he's earned six top-10's in the last seven races.

8. Denny Hamlin

Like his teammate, Hamlin also had to rebound to earn a good finish at New Hampshire when he found himself in the back of the pack late. He got the job done though, managing to finish 9th. In his last two starts at Dover, Hamlin has been involved in wrecks, with 38th and 43rd place finishes.

9. Jeff Burton

Burton ran among the leaders all race long at New Hampshire, earning a 4th place finish that jumped him up to 5th in points. Burton has been consistent all season long, and in the last seven races at Dover, where he's finished 12th or better.

10. Jeff Gordon

Gordon ran in the top-15 all race long, and narrowly avoided being caught up in a wreck late. Gordon is still searching for his first win of 2008, and Dover may be the place for him to get it, where he has been solid in the last couple of years, with five straight finishes of 12th or better.

Other Notables:

11. Clint Bowyer- Bowyer was surprisingly a non-factor in the race on Sunday, only mustering a 12th place finish. Bowyer needs to have good runs in the remaining Chase races, starting at Dover where he's finished 12th or better in three of the last four races.

12. Matt Kenseth- Kenseth was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got caught up in a wreck, finishing 40th. Kenseth has wrecked in the last two races, he needs to right the ship at Dover.

13. Kurt Busch- Busch defended his win at Loudon earlier this year with a solid 6th place finish. Maybe this is the beginning of a turnaround for this team, we'll find out at Dover.

14. Martin Truex Jr.- Truex earned a solid 7th place finish at Loudon, and this weekend's race is held at the site of his only career Cup win.

15. David Reutimann- Reutimann has been impressive the last five races, with four top-15's in that span. He also has an average finish of 15th at Dover.

In the early stages of the 2008 NFL season Aaron Rodgers, in my eyes, has done a great job taking the place of the legend Brett Favre at Green Bay, leading his team to a 2-0 record with victories over Minnesota and Detroit. With four touchdown passes and no picks, along with a 70% completion percentage he's been able to silence the critics.

However Sunday night, in just his third career start, he'll have to face one of the best teams in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys. He'll go head-to-head against Tony Romo, who led the Cowboys to the playoffs last year.

When I first looked at this when the schedules were released, I didn't have much hope of the Packers being able to win against the best team in the NFC, but after these first two games I could see the Pack going to 3-0.

First of all the Packers will have the advantage of playing at Lambeau Field, which is good considering the Pack haven't won at Texas Stadium in the regular season since 1989. Of course more important than what field you're playing on is how you play on the field, and if the Packers play like they have these first two games they should be victorious after 60 minutes of play.

Now I know I'm basing this off a team that has no offense (Vikings) and a team that has no defense (Lions) but regardless the Packers have done what they need to do to win. Against the Vikings, who have one of the best defenses in the NFL, Aaron Rodgers was able to get a passing and rushing touchdown, while Ryan Grant rushed for 92 yards despite not playing at 100% because of his hamstring injury.

The one thing that concerned me after that game was our defense, which played well after the first two quarters, only giving up a field goal, but gave up 16 points in the 3rd and 4th quarters, including two touchdowns.

However when we played the Lions I became optomistic, because they had performed well in the first half again, only giving up a field goal, but once again they fell apart in the final 30 minutes, giving up 20 points to Detroit's offense, granted three of those points came because of a fumble by Rodgers.

That leads me to my next point, Rodgers hasn't made any mistakes passing, but he's given up three fumbles already, one of which resulted in a turnover. Against a team like the Cowboys, the Packers can't afford to be giving up the ball. If they avoid giving up the ball and play defense for all 60 minutes, not just the first 30, they'll be able to top the Cowboys and go to 3-0.