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.

I'm going to be gone for the weekend at an amusement park, so I won't be able to write my review tomorrow night.

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.