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What we saw on Sunday is why we continue to watch this sport. There were a record number of leaders, beating and banging, pit road missteps, triumphs, heartbreak, fights and fingers. That was a race I don’t think anyone will soon forget.

Don’t Mess with NASCAR

Kyle Busch learned this lesson Sunday. After getting spun early in the race, Busch was penalized for speeding on pit road. Angry about the penalty Kyle displayed his displeasure to the official assigned to their stall with a middle finger. After exiting pit road NASCAR again called Kyle down to serve a two lap penalty for his trangression.

The moral of the story? You may not like what NASCAR does, but don’t disrespect them. On a side note, I have to say the video from the incident was pretty entertaining. Kyle may not be your favorite driver, but you have to admit, he fills his role very well.

There’s a Fight on The Backstretch!

Of all the guys to get in a fight, those were probably the last two I would have named. Still, that was some emotion like we haven’t seen in a while.

As Jeff Gordon launched toward Jeff Burton all I could think was, “there’s a fight on the backstretch!” And there was.

The impetus for this fight may or may not have been accidental. Clearly some tempers flared prior to the incident, but Jeff Burton isn’t the kind of guy to end someone elses day and his own. Either way, that was entertaining.

The Pit Crew Change Heard Round the World

The #48 pit crew had a bad day… a very bad day. Add to their screw-ups on pit road the embarrassment of getting yanked off the job in the middle of the race in front of millions of people. I’d be willing to bet that was an uncomfortable flight home.

Unfortunately, this is a performance based business and if your driver is in the hunt for a championship, there is zero room for error. They learned that the hard way today. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are changes to that crew before next weekend.

Taking the Lead

Jimmie Johnson may have finally found a team as good as his. While Kevin Harvick continues his very consistent run, Denny Hamlin and his team are just that much better right now. Hamlin’s main obstacle is Gibbs’ spotty reliabilty. Hopefully, for his sake, it doesn’t bite him in his quest to bring Joe Gibbs his fourth championship.

The long and short of it is, we have got a heck of a points race headed into the final two weeks.

A Flying Brakepad?

To top off a very bizarre race, apparently a brake pad from one of the cars was somehow shot into the tempered glass window of Texas’ Speedway Club. Two people were injured, thankfully the injuries weren’t life threatening.

Please feel free to talk amongst yourselves about the weekend’s events.

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Filed under: Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, NASCAR, Charlotte Motor Speedway

CONCORD, N.C. -- It may have been a familiar car up front in Saturday's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but it was hardly just another hum-drum NASCAR championship effort.

Jimmie Johnson finished third behind winner Jamie McMurray and the night's most dominant driver, Kyle Busch, and still extended his NASCAR Sprint Cup championship lead to 41 points over second place Denny Hamlin. Most disconcerting to his competition is the fact the four-time defending series champ scored the finish despite an early race spin, pit road collision and uncharacteristic pit stop bobble.

"Ah, Superman; he woke up,'' Busch said at one point midway through the race while exchanging the lead with Johnson, who had just overcome a series of early race setbacks.

With five races remaining in NASCAR's 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs, Johnson has clearly established himself as the odds-on favorite, man-to-beat for an unprecedented and unthinkable fifth consecutive title.

"We've had a little more drama in this situation than we would have wanted to,'' Johnson's crew chief Chad Knaus offered Saturday night. Yet somehow, even nights like this haven't derailed his title hopes in the least.

 

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Filed under: Kyle Busch, Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR

A retaliatory dust-up between non-Chase driver David Reutimann and Chase contender Kyle Busch during Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway was admittedly a case of payback; of tempers and emotions getting the best of both drivers -- point standings and championship hopes be damned.

But it brings up a valid question: Should the 31 non-Chase drivers race the 12 championship contenders any differently in the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup than they would the rest of the season? Should they capitulate a position when they see a Chase car in their rear view mirror or give extra room when restarting alongside a playoff contender?

The simple answer is no. The more complex answer involves common sense and kharma.

There's a big difference between racing hard and settling a season-long grudge. Do you think Brad Keselowski will even the score with Carl Edwards during The Chase? Does Joey Logano pay back Kevin Harvick at a time Harvick stands to lose the most?

As for Busch, whose competitors have a long list of I-owe-yous, he's simply got to live with the kharma he's accumulated all season.

But let's be really honest here. This is one of the subplots that makes the Chase interesting.

 

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I know Jimmie is leading the points. And I’m not going to say he doesn’t have a chance of winning a fifth championship – he absolutely does. The points race though is the closest we’ve seen after three races in the history of the Chase, and I think Jimmie has the toughest competition (in terms of number of participants) he’s ever had.

Over the last three races we’ve seen drivers make missteps, make amazing recoveries, and show the kind of consistency and success that wins championships. Still, no one looks that much better than anyone else. The common thread that binds the eleven Chasers capable of winning the Chase is that they all have a pretty good chance to win this thing.

On Sunday we saw the strength of a lot of teams. The Roush Chasers showed, despite struggles the last two seasons, they shouldn’t be counted out. At one point in the race the top four cars came from the Roush stables. And how about Hendrick? Despite struggling off and on through the season, Jimmie Johnson is making his charge to the front (so much for us naysayers!) and teammate Jeff Gordon continues to be a consistent competitor (though pushing to a win is still a struggle).

Though one of the RCR cars is (at the moment at least) probably out of contention, Jeff Burton and most especially Kevin Harvick are displaying the strength of their organization. Harvick moved himself into third this weekend and continued to show just how important consistency is. He has more top-fives and more top-tens than any other driver in the sport right now. Obviously wins would help Harvick bring Richard Childress his first Cup championship in 16 years, but one misstep from one his competitors might be all ‘Mr. Consistency’ Kevin Harvick needs.

And lest I forget the Gibbs cars and the two guys without any teammates in the Chase. While Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin continue to make big headlines off the track, their performances on track is what everyone should be keeping their eyes on. Hamlin is second in the points and Busch is seventh, but both could very easily make their way to the top of the heap. And the final two guys, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart, are the only other drivers to have won a championship in the Chase format. If anyone other than Jimmie Johnson knows how to win in this format, it’s these two.

I know from our discussion the other day, many of you are burnt out on the Championship talk, but how could you not be interested in this? It’s not quite the post-season in the NFL, MLB or NBA, but it’s shaping up to be an interesting fight. With the first 11 cars separated by only 149 points every little mistake is going to be amplified, and the wild card race at Talladega could seriously shake things up.

After years of looking for a close battle among a lot of cars, this year is delivering so far. We’ve still got seven races left, but this year may finally be the year we get that race in the Chase.

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Filed under: Tony Stewart, Chase for the Sprint Cup, FanHouse Exclusive, NASCAR

Editor's Note: FanHouse is teaming up with two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart for weekly, in-depth spotlight stories as he competes in the 10-week Chase for the Sprint Cup. Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet, is contending to become the first owner-driver to win NASCAR's most coveted title since the late Alan Kulwicki in 1992.

As the sympathetic text messages, emails and cell phone calls rolled in Sunday evening, Tony Stewart showered, grabbed a Coca-Cola and the TV remote and simply lay on the bed in his motor coach inside New Hampshire International Raceway, flipping through the channels and contemplating one of the most heartbreaking days of his racing career.

As his mind raced, the two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champ kept going back to one image -- and it wasn't the moment he realized his race-leading No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet was out of gas with a little more than a lap to go in the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff opener earlier that afternoon.

Instead, Stewart's thoughts kept returning to the pleasantly surprising reception he received from the fans that day as his car silently and solemnly coasted around the track before getting a push into the garage.

"Maybe I was reading it wrong, but I felt like the crowd was applauding that we ran good and were appreciative of what we had done that day,'' said Stewart, who led three times for 100 laps and had a 1.3-second lead on the field when his car ran out of gas just before taking the white flag.

"There are times when you're the unpopular guy and they're cheering because you had bad luck. But I honestly didn't feel like that was the case Sunday and it was the one good feeling I had coming home this week. ''

 

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Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR

Sounding relaxed and recommitted in equal parts, Jimmie Johnson said Tuesday that he may have taken a huge hit in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship standings following a 25th place finish Sunday, but that just means the pressure has shifted to his rivals.

Johnson finished a lap down in 25th place in Sunday's opening round of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship playoffs and fell from second in the standings, 10 points behind leader Denny Hamlin, to seventh place, 92 points behind Hamlin.

It was the sixth time in the last nine races Johnson's No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet has finished 20th or worse. But the four-time defending Cup champ isn't panicking yet. The way he sees it, it's his competition in the pressure cooker now, not him.

"Actually this makes things easier for us, the only way to go is up,'' Johnson said Tuesday. "It really simplifies things for us because we have to perform, there is nothing to protect anymore. We have to be spot on.''

 

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Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Richard Childress Racing, NASCAR

Close is apparently close enough when it comes to NASCAR's technical inspection team. So the sanctioning body, in what is part "courtesy call" and part "wake-up call," is warning the Richard Childress Racing team that its No. 33 Chevrolet driven by Clint Bowyer was dangerously close to failing inspection following the Sept. 11 regular-season finale at Richmond, Va.

NASCAR officials are scheduled to meet with team representatives Tuesday to inform RCR of their concern and they've held the car at their Concord, N.C., Research and Development facility since it was impounded following the race at Richmond International Raceway two weeks ago.

Although the car did pass inspection, NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Tuesday, "The body was very close to the tolerances permitted and we want to point out to them how close it is. This is standard procedure.''

Poston said the only reason the car has remained at NASCAR's R&D center is because travel schedules didn't allow for an expedited meeting. Bowyer won Sunday in New Hampshire, the opening round of the 10-race Chase playoff, to vault from 12th in the standings to second.

 

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Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR

Anyone looking for a chink in four-time defending NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson's armor will seize upon his 25th-place showing in Sunday's opening race in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

His finish at the one-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway equaled his starting position -- which was a career worst at the track. But it hardly tells the whole story of an eventful afternoon of more spills than thrills.

Johnson spun out, traded paint and misdiagnosed a wheel problem in the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet before ultimately posting the worst performance of the 12 Chase drivers. It dropped him from second in the standings to seventh, 92 points behind leader Denny Hamlin, who finished runner-up to winner Clint Bowyer.

"We just don't know until the end what type of bonus points you need,'' said Johnson, who started the Chase with 50 bonus points earned for his five regular season wins this year. "The bonus points coming in ... how helpful were those 50 that I had coming in ...

"Only time will tell. But you don't want to get off to this start. If you can hope for something, you want a top 10, and 25th is not what you hope for.''

 

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Filed under: Tony Stewart, Chase for the Sprint Cup, FanHouse Exclusive, Stewart-Haas Racing, NASCAR

Editor's Note: FanHouse is teaming up with two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart for weekly, in-depth spotlight stories as he competes in the 10-week Chase for the Sprint Cup. Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet, is contending to become the first owner-driver to win NASCAR's most coveted title since the late Alan Kulwicki in 1992. He enters Sunday's opening race of the playoffs at New Hampshire Motor Speedway ranked sixth in the standings, 50 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.

Given the chance to go to a Broadway show followed by late-night partying at a New York City hot spot, NASCAR champ Tony Stewart prefers hotel room service and a good movie.

"I'm not really a big-city guy,'' Stewart told FanHouse.com by telephone Wednesday shortly after arriving in New York to promote this week's start of NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup 10-race playoff run.

"I know a lot of the drivers look forward to it and their wives and girlfriends enjoy the shopping and shows, but it's just not ever really been my thing. It's neat for a different atmosphere. Manhattan is fascinating.

"But I'm a small-town kid from Indiana and I don't fit in well here.''

Stewart may not prefer the fast-paced New York frenzy, but the two-time Cup Series champion fits in very well, thank you, with the 2010 group of 12 championship contenders who stopped off in the Big Apple this week on the way to New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

 

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Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR

Late Saturday night, after wrapping up the 12th and final seed in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup, an animated, caught-up-in-the-moment Clint Bowyer declared that four-time defending series champ Jimmie Johnson's Superman cape was getting a little shorter.

And, Bowyer suggested, the champ may need some more Kryptonite with the stiff competition facing him for an unprecedented fifth straight title.

Then Bowyer looked over nervously at the driver sitting next to him in that press conference: Jimmie Johnson, who had simply stared straight ahead and smiled politely -- perhaps defiantly -- as Bowyer made his observation.

The cape may be shorter, but with five wins this year and a second seed in the championship standings, Johnson still has a giant "S" on his chest as NASCAR starts its 10-race playoff in Loudon, N.H., this weekend.

"People can draw conclusions however they want and I've never been one to play into any of that stuff,'' said Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet.

"If guys think we are vulnerable, it's my job to show up at Loudon (N.H.) this week, qualify on the pole and win the race.

"I'm not concerned about what people think of my race team and where I'm at and what kind of threat we are to the championship. I'm just more concerned about going out and getting the damn job done.''

 

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