Once smoke clears, Smoke finishes first
Tony Stewart finally wins at Talladega, holding off Regan Smith, who is penalized for dipping below the out-of-bounds line to pass Smoke on the final lap. Jimmie Johnson places ninth to increase his points lead, while most of the Chase field aren't so fortunate, Pete Pistone says.

Expect wild Sunday at Talladega to shake things up in the Chase
Talladega is the only restrictor plate track in the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, and Pete Pistone thinks that pretty much guarantees a major shakeup in the standings by Sunday night.

Notes: Dismal season has Penske Racing looking ahead to 2009
A year that began with so much promise hasn't turned out very well for Penske Racing's Sprint Cup team.

Power Rankings: Little going right for Gibbs trio
Just as the first three races of the Chase have sorted out a clear top three, they've also identified, for now at least, a conspicuous 10-12. In his latest Power Rankings, Brian De Los Santos says unfortunately for Joe Gibbs Racing, all three drive for him.