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Let's be completely honest here. There was a very loud cheer thundering through most of NASCAR Nation about 3:40 p.m. ET on Sunday.

When Jimmie Johnson crashed on the second lap of the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, the remainder of the Sprint Cup Series season went from auto-pilot to a roller coaster in the blink of an eye.

Now Johnson still has the championship lead and with Phoenix and Homestead ahead, two tracks where like most places on the Cup calendar the 48 team is no slouch, he is very much in control. But things are sure a lot more interesting than they were before the green flag flew on Sunday.

Like it or not Johnson's dominance isn't helping NASCAR generate the interest it so desperately needs in what has been a season of unrest. While some can appreciate the historic aspect of what Johnson is trying to accomplish with a fourth straight championship and bask in the perfection that comes along very rarely in any sport, most have voiced a sense of boredom.

Only Tiger Woods can turn dominance into an art form and attract more interest when he is completely in control of his sport.

In other sports dynasties usually spell ambivalence from a majority of fans who tire of seeing the same athlete or team winning on a regular basis.

Johnson's personality doesn't help. One of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet, Johnson simply does not move the needle one way or another with most fans outside of his huge following. You can't hate Johnson for being well spoken and generally pleasant.

A more polarizing figure, like a Kyle Busch or Tony Stewart, seems to stir the emotions better. Even if the ultra-popular Dale Earnhardt Jr. somehow managed to get into title contention, there'd be enough Junior haters to make the storyline pretty interesting.

Johnson's misfortunes Sunday have opened the door - albeit not completely wide open - for Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and maybe Stewart to make a race of this. NASCAR and ABC have to be secretly celebrating.

I'm not so sure we won't see Johnson doing the same thing in Homestead with title number four but I wouldn't tune out the next two weeks to be sure.


o  Mark Martin still won't talk championship but he obviously has a much better chance at winning that elusive title now than he did before things got going on Sunday. Next week's stop at Phoenix should be very interesting indeed as Martin went to victory lane at PIR back in April. It's a track he always excels at and although Johnson has also experienced success at PIR, any slight bobble could make things even more intriguing.

o  It's hard to believe Carl Edwards is only two races away from going winless this year after leading the series with nine victories a year ago. Although Edwards didn't look to have a car capable of more than maybe a top ten finish Sunday, he got caught up in a scuffle with Juan Pablo Montoya and ended his day in the second turn wall. He was my pre-season pick to win the championship and unfortunately may go down as the biggest surprise - of the wrong kind - this season.

o  Got to give a shout out to A.J. Allmedinger who gave Richard Petty Motorsports a top ten finish in his debut driving a Ford. Considering the incredible amount of turmoil surrounding that team, not to mention running two manufacturers as the season winds down, RPM deserves a lot of praise.

o  The turnaround of Richard Childress Racing is also an impressive feat to watch as the season winds down. Kevin Harvick has been very impressive the last few weeks and Childress had to be smiling to see three of his cars in the top ten at Texas. There are still some questions about sponsorship on the No. 07 team and whether Casey Mears will be back in the fold in 2010, but even if RCR has to scale back to three cars next year I have a feeling one or more will be in Chase contention.

o  Brad Keselowski's debut with Penske Racing was pretty forgettable. But the good news is he and Kurt Busch seem to have patched things up after their last lap fireworks in Talladega a week ago. But still the two drivers are known for their somewhat fiery personalities which might give team owner Roger Penske reason to keep the antacids nearby next season.

Great news that the IRL finally landed a title sponsor with the signing of IZOD to back IndyCar racing in a multi-year deal. I'm looking forward to covering a few races next year just so I can dust off those old IZOD golf shirts I have hanging in my closet.

But the Danica Patrick news of her impending move to NASCAR has to be a bitter pill to swallow for the league and even though she'll be around open wheel racing for the next couple of years as she figures out her stock car career, there's no one close to taking her place as the IRL's lightning rod.

I've addressed ideas in the past that I believe would help the Indy Car Series attract more fans and generate the interest I truly believe the series warrants. There are some very talented drivers in the IRL that at times put on exciting racing which deserves to be seen by more than the current cult following the sport has on its side.

But rather than cultivating new American drivers - like Patrick for example - the Indy Racing League has reverted back to the formula of what really amounts to a mini-Formula One circuit. More road course and street circuits, additional foreign drivers and international venues is not the way to win the hearts of the true American-based open wheel fan, who was raised on sprint car and midget racing.

Wasn't that what the IRL was supposed to be when it was formed out of the open wheel Civil War of the mid-1990s? The original plan was to allow American drivers who were working their way up the open wheel ladder to follow their dream of running in big time Indy Car racing while also competing in the Indianapolis 500.

Today's IRL is a far cry from that and is really just a carbon copy of what the old CART circuit was before things blew up. And rather than try to tap into the huge NASCAR fan base, which truth be told is feeling a bit of unrest these days and might be looking for an alternative racing experience, the IRL continues to push further away from the opportunity.

The high speed oval races that are without a doubt some of the most exciting events of any series are slowly going away in favor of you guessed it more road racing. The opportunity of bringing NASCAR drivers to Indianapolis for a chance to compete in the 500 was squashed with the ill-fated decision to move back the starting time of Indy, making it impossible for anyone to complete the double and arrive in time for the NASCAR Charlotte nightcap.

The now disastrous television deal with the Versus Network - which dramatically reduced the number of households available to watch IRL events from the former contract with ESPN - has now crashed and burned with DirecTV's decision to drop the network, further eroding the potential audience numbers.

And now the possible defection of Patrick, who will no doubt generate tons of media exposure and interest with her foray to NASCAR.

Perhaps Patrick will bring some of the NASCAR world over to watch the IRL as she hops back and forth the next couple of years. That could be an unforeseen benefit to the league.

But it will take more than one driver to keep things afloat and the IRL is again at what I consider a serious crossroads for the future of American open wheel racing.

At least everyone will be well-dressed with the new series sponsor.

The last thing NASCAR needed this week was another controversy.

Unfortunately that's exactly what they got Sunday in Talladega.

The decision to stop drivers from bump drafting through the corners, which was announced at Sunday's pre-race driver's meeting, was no doubt intended as a means of trying to make things safer racing at the mammoth 2.66-mile track.

In the wake of April's scary Carl Edwards spectacular crash which nearly saw his car fly into the grandstands on the final lap no doubt struck a chord with NASCAR officials.

Despite slowing the cars down with a smaller restrictor plate and the track reinforcing the main straight fence and making it taller, NASCAR was still worried that drivers being too aggressive could result in more carnage.

Some precedent for Sunday's race decision came in Friday's practice session, when NASCAR warned several drivers of being overly aggressive and brought Michael Waltrip to the garage area.

But the after effect, as well-intentioned as it may have been, resulted in one of the more passive Talladega affairs in recent memory.

Put into a box by NASCAR, drivers simply decided to drive around in a single file parade and "make laps" for the majority of Sunday's race.

Things heated up as the race wound down and NASCAR issued several warnings over radios but overall the race will be remembered for yet another issue that has taken much of the recent focus off of the championship race - as well as most of the actual racing.

Last week's critical comments from announcers Kyle Petty, Jimmy Spencer and Larry McReynolds - and NASCAR's subsequent public response to those observations - set off a firestorm within the NASCAR community that by week's end had fans up in arms and the sport's media sniping with each other.

Throw in Bob Griese's off-color remarks about Juan Pablo Montoya "out eating a taco" on last weekend's ABC college fotball coverage (which was thankfully laughed off by Montoya) and A.J. Allmendinger's DUI earlier this week, and it hasn't been the best of times for NASCAR in the image department.

There are three weeks left in the season and the hope of a tight title battle as well as a trio of competitive races has to be on the minds' of everyone at NASCAR's offices in Daytona Beach.

Those are the only headlines the sport needs right now after an unfortunate spate of bad news the last few days.

o  Unfortunately Sunday's race will ultimately keep the heat on NASCAR. The violent crashes and scary-looking incidents that punctuated the day, even though drivers settled down and ran single file in the middle portions of the race, will no doubt set off more harsh talk about what the answer is to racing at the mammoth track. Short of bulldozing the banking, something that myself and others suggested earlier this year but is obviously not a viable option, I'm not sure what the answer is. But with each passing visit to Talladega, the excitement part of the equation is becoming replaced by more and more fear.

o  Ryan Newman pointed out after his crawled from the mess that started the day as the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 39 Chevrolet that NASCAR has put drivers into such a box at Talladega - with plates, yellow out of bounds lines, no bump drafting - that it is nearly impossible to put on a race. Safety has top be paramount and all of those initiatives were certainly implemented with that in mind. But the bottom line is if the drivers feel they cannot do their jobs, the racing will suffer even more - as will the fans.

o  The aftermath of the wild afternoon turned out to be Jimmie Johnson increasing his point lead. In what looked like the wild card points shake up everyone chasing Johnson had hoped for, when Mark Martin got caught up in the race-ending melee, Johnson went from losing ground to sailing even further ahead in the standings. The last three races of the year won't have much of a championship impact now.

o  It's obviously impossible to pick a winner at Talladega but the pre-race buzz that Dale Earnhardt Jr. could return to prominence wasn't far off. Junior can still drive on restrictor plate tracks and although he only was able to score a top ten, there was a moment or two when the 88 was a legitimate contender for victory lane. The decision to retain Lance McGew was a good one and will add stability to the 88 team's effort for next year.

o  Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Michael Waltrip aren't complaining about the last lap nuttiness. All notched top ten finishes Sunday and in the case of Keselowski and Lpgano, that gave them a pair of finishes in the first ten at Talladega this season.

The last thing NASCAR needed this week was another controversy.

Unfortunately that's exactly what they got Sunday in Talladega.

The decision to stop drivers from bump drafting through the corners, which was announced at Sunday's pre-race driver's meeting, was no doubt intended as a means of trying to make things safer racing at the mammoth 2.66-mile track.

In the wake of April's scary Carl Edwards spectacular crash which nearly saw his car fly into the grandstands on the final lap no doubt struck a chord with NASCAR officials.

Despite slowing the cars down with a smaller restrictor plate and the track reinforcing the main straight fence and making it taller, NASCAR was still worried that drivers being too aggressive could result in more carnage.

Some precedent for Sunday's race decision came in Friday's practice session, when NASCAR warned several drivers of being overly aggressive and brought Michael Waltrip to the garage area.

But the after effect, as well-intentioned as it may have been, resulted in one of the more passive Talladega affairs in recent memory.

Put into a box by NASCAR, drivers simply decided to drive around in a single file parade and "make laps" for the majority of Sunday's race.

Things heated up as the race wound down and NASCAR issued several warnings over radios but overall the race will be remembered for yet another issue that has taken much of the recent focus off of the championship race - as well as most of the actual racing.

Last week's critical comments from announcers Kyle Petty, Jimmy Spencer and Larry McReynolds - and NASCAR's subsequent public response to those observations - set off a firestorm within the NASCAR community that by week's end had fans up in arms and the sport's media sniping with each other.

Throw in Bob Griese's off-color remarks about Juan Pablo Montoya "out eating a taco" on last weekend's ABC college fotball coverage (which was thankfully laughed off by Montoya) and A.J. Allmendinger's DUI earlier this week, and it hasn't been the best of times for NASCAR in the image department.

There are three weeks left in the season and the hope of a tight title battle as well as a trio of competitive races has to be on the minds' of everyone at NASCAR's offices in Daytona Beach.

Those are the only headlines the sport needs right now after an unfortunate spate of bad news the last few days.

Once again the smallest track on the NASCAR schedule provided some of the best racing this season.

Sunday's TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway has everything fans who whine that NASCAR has become boring and predictable could want.

Tight racing, beating and banging, late race drama, high emotions and of course some controversy were all part of the 501 laps that made up Sunday's second trip of the year to the .526-mile track.

It was a reminder of how much the Chase schedule could benefit from a makeover. The addition of one of Martinsville's short track cousins like Richmond or Bristol could help add some much-needed spice to the final ten races that comprise the championship portion of the season.

The idea to shake up the calendar is by no means a reaction to Jimmie Johnson's dominance. It would be a slippery slope for NASCAR - which always seems to be on a high wire act these days - to try and derail the dominance of a team or driver. True, there is no doubt a tune-out factor when Johnson wins or runs upfront on a week in and week out basis, but manipulating things in order to try and make things harder for the 48 team would be criminal and quite frankly a dumb thing for NASCR to do.

I'd contend that no matter what tracks make up the playoff schedule, Johnson and company would no doubt still be a force.

But in terms of presenting the best showcase for the sport, the Chase should highlight the absolute premier competition the sport has to offer. 

And short track racing is at the top of that list.

A better mix of short tracks, mid-sized ovals and superspeedways is needed in these last ten. The slam bang racing between Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson along with the high emotions of Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch are the memories from Sunday that generate exposure and awareness for NASCAR.

We need more of that and although it's too late to fix anything for 2010, the year after will hopefully reflect a better cross section of tracks to make the Chase a more dramatic conclusion to the NASCAR season.

o  Brad Keselowski drew the ire of many drivers in Sunday's Nationwide Series race at Memphis Motorsports Park when his aggressive racing saw the JR Motorsports driver involved in at least three incidents before taking the checkered flag. Juan Pablo Montoya turned in a similar performance on Sunday at Martinsville and angered Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson among others. Montoya has certainly been up on the wheel much more since the Chase started than he was in the regular season and his short track style had much of the garage area buzzing on Sunday.

o  Kyle Busch turned in a decent run Sunday but has still missed playing the spoiler many thought he would during the Chase when he didn't have to worry about points and could only concentrate on wins. There was speculation Steve Addington might be moved away from Busch as crew chief next season as Joe Gibbs tries to get the 18 team up a level and into the Chase in 2010.

o  Bobby Labonte made his last start with the Hall of Fame Racing team Sunday and turned in an impressive 13th place finish with the underfunded team. It appears Labonte is headed to the TRG Motorsports group next season and if sponsorship can be found, that would be a good pairing with the veteran showing recently there's still more left in his tank.

o  Richard Petty Motorsports is moving toward conclusion of the planned merger with Yates Racing and sources report a deal will be finalized in the next few weeks. Elliott Sadler will run a Ford for the team before the season is over as RPM tries to make the transition from Dodge to Ford livery before the 2010 campaign begins.

o  Jimmy Spencer, Kyle Petty and Larry McReynolds - all television analysts - stirred up controversy last week with some critical comments each made about the sport in a blog for a Virginia newspaper. The trio has been the target of other media members and NASCAR itself voicing dissatisfaction with what many believe were unfounded and somewhat misinformed comments. Stay tuned.

The Hendrick brigade rolls into Martinsville this weekend and it has been nearly unstoppable at the .526-mile track.

If a Hendrick car rolls into victory lane in Sunday's TUMS Fast Relief 500 it will be for the 19th time in team history, tying the mark set by the legendary Petty Enterprises.

Jimmie Johnson has won six times in his Martinsville career, including five of the last six races. His teammate Jeff Gordon has seven Martinsville triumphs while Mark Martin has visited victory lane at the track a couple times as well. The winner on Sunday will certainly have to go through the Hendrick stable to do so.

Denny Hamlin is the strongest bet to do just that. The Virginia native is a flat track specialist, has a Martinsville win to his credit and always seems to be near the front most of the afternoon whenever the series visits the track.

Tony Stewart, who has a Hendrick connection of his own, is also on the favorite list. Stewart has slowed down of late but has run well at the track during his career and a win Sunday would keep his hopes of somehow upsetting Johnson's run for a fourth straight title alive.

I'd throw Dale Earnhardt Jr. into the mix if things weren't so nuts with the 88 team these days. He's obviously part of the Hendrick group and has had success at Martinsville in the past. But there's too much going on there to expect everything to suddenly get better this weekend.

Rain washed out Saturday's practice sessions so expect a lot of adjustments come race time Sunday morning and as the day wears on. And oh yeh, those double file restarts should spice things up to say the least.

TEAM ONE

Jeff Gordon - If he's going to gain ground on Johnson in the Chase, this weekend may be his best shot.

TEAM TWO

Ryan Newman - Loves short track racing and also has the dotted line to Hendrick as part of the Stewart-Haas Racing organization.

TEAM THREE

Kevin Harvick - Things keep changing at RCR with crew chiefs being shuffled this week. Harvick has been better of late and needs another good run to try and build for 2010.

TEAM FOUR

Elliott Sadler - Will move to a Ford in the coming weeks, a good day Sunday would be a fitting farewell for Dodge and RPM.

TEAM FIVE

Robby Gordon - Haven't picked him all year at least at an oval track so why not?

CONCORD, N.C. - Despite the fact the Chase reached its midway point this weekend, there were two other topics that dominated many conversations at Lowe's Motor Speedway - the NASCAR Hall of Fame inaugural class and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The dismal year Earnhardt has experienced, which continued with transmission problems Saturday night in Charlotte, reached a critical point this weekend with Junior's remarks. The frustration level has gone off the charts and Earnhardt sounded like a man who is fed up, confused, angry and even a bit scared about his future.

Crew chief Lance McGrew, who came in to replace Earnhardt's cousin Tony Eury Jr. as crew chief back in May, doesn't appear to be the answer. While only a few weeks ago when Earnhardt knocked down a couple of top tens it seemed McGrew was locked in to work with the 88 team in 2010, it now is very much up in the air who will be on the pit box next season.

Team owner Rick Hendrick, who has his hands full watching three other drivers in Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin, trying to win a championship this season, is going to have to make one of the most important decisions in his storied career as a NASCAR team owner. Even if one of his trio of drivers brings home another trophy this season, his priority has to be to somehow get Earnhardt pointed in the right direction.

Next season is the third and final year of Earnhardt's contract with Hendrick, which until now can only be considered a bust. Should things not improve in 2010, the belief is Earnhardt will move on to find the right fit for the final phase of his Cup career. That could be a move to his JR Motorsports Nationwide team and a move up to the Sprint Cup level. But he'll never have the resources or support at his disposal like he has at Hendrick and the reality is, why Earnhardt can't succeed with this powerhouse team is one of the sport's biggest mysteries in many years.

Earnhardt's woes shared the spotlight with the fallout from Wednesday's HOF voting, which put Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Junior Johnson into the new Hall, which will open its gates next May.

There is growing concern the pioneers of the sport, drivers or crew chiefs or track operators, will be passed over time and again as the years go by and bigger names are voted into the Hall. The plan is to stay with the five inductees per year plan and as more marquee names become eligible with each passing year, lesser known personalities important to the sport will be forgotten.

Perhaps the creation of a Veteran's Committee, similar to Major League Baseball's policy, is the answer and there is already discussion on that concept.

But those associated with the Hall and within NASCAR are pleased with the way the historic first class generated awareness - and much debate - for the sport.

o  It will be interesting to see how television ratings respond to Jimmie Johnson extending the point lead and once again dominating the Chase. Johnson's record run for a fourth straight title is without a doubt impressive but whether the historic performance captures the attention of fans - inside and outside the NASCAR fan base - still remains to be seen.

o Juan Pablo Montoya's well documented aggressiveness seemed to get the better of him Saturday night when he first made contact on a restart and then compounded matters by losing his composure in the aftermath. Montoya dropped to sixth in the standings and will have a difficult task playing catch up the next two weeks as wild card tracks in Martinsville and Talladega.

o  Clint Bowyer and Casey Mears' top ten finishes continued Richard Childress Racing's recent surge but may not be enough to stop what team owner Childress said would be "sweeping" changes at the team next year. In addition to crew chief moves and other personnel shifts, unless sponsorship is found to replace Jack Daniels on the team's No. 07 entry, could find Mears on the unemployment line.

o  An impressive run for Joey Logano Saturday night, who came back from early troubles and posted a top five finish. The return to tracks where he gained valuable experience in the first half of the season has been beneficial to the rookie as has his Nationwide Series success.

o  Kyle Busch had a good weekend with a Nationwide Series win on Friday and a top ten Sprint Cup run. Still Busch hasn't been the Chase spoiler many predicted and there's talk the Joe Gibbs Racing team will try some radical set-ups over the course of the remaining five races to prepare for next season.

I've heard many fans complain that during the final ten races of the season the Chase drivers steal all the attention and those outside the top twelve receive little or no exposure.

My reply is - so what?

The people battling for the championship deserve to be in the spotlight during the course of the races that determine the title. After all, this is the group that have the most to gain - or lose - and the title fight is the story of the final two months of the year.

But there's a simple way to steal some of that limelight for the also runs in the championship battle - run upfront.

Why should television or radio coverage concentrate on the struggle for 30th place when there's a race - and a title - to be won at the front of the field?

Battles in the middle of the pack don't receive any attention in the first 26 races of the schedule, why would that change during the Chase?

NASCAR's playoff system is unique in that teams trying to win the ultimate prize are on track with those who have to wait until next year for a title challenge. The focus belongs on the Chase group, that is unless a spoiler can crash the party and play the role of spoiler.

Last week at Kansas nine of the top ten finishers were Chase contenders. Sunday at Fontana the bulk of the top ten was again dominated by those in the playoff race.

It's not television, radio or any other media outlet's responsibility to ensure drivers, teams and maybe more importantly sponsors get a significant amount of exposure. Competing for wins and championships lets that take care of itself.

So if you are one of those who feel your favorite driver is among the missing as the season winds down there's a simple fix. Get him to run better and I guarantee you'll see more of your guy.
o  Sunday's race was probably the best in Auto Club Speedway's recent Sprint Cup Series history. A combination of a higher intensity because of the Chase, a slick race track and the double file restart rule making its debut at the track added up to a wild day in Fontana and one that had a few dry spells but overall was a pretty entertaining afternoon.

o  Many people will hand the championship trophy to Jimmie Johnson now that he has won a Chase race and has the lead in the standings. Bit I still maintain it's too early to have his name engraved on the Sprint Cup just yet. Make no mistake, he's now the favorite and will have to be toppled if anyone wants to derail his path for a record fourth straight title. But this Chase has proven to be a wild one until now and I think it will stay that way over the last six races.

o  Juan Pablo Montoya keeps amazing with his string start to the Chase. His fourth straight top five finish of the playoffs is the latest example of the No. 42 team's prowess this year and Montoya seems more motivated every week to prove to the world he can be a stock car racing champion.

o  The Richard Petty Motorsports team was basically wiped out in the day's big accident late in the day on Sunday with Kasey Kahne, A.J. Allmendinger, Elliott Sadler and Reed Sorenson all getting knocked out in the eight car melee.  You just knew four and what looked like five wide was just not going to work and sure enough it didn't. Kahne blamed a debris caution for bunching up the field and called NASCAR out for throwing what he believed to be an unnecessary yellow flag. I'd be blaming everyone too after ending the day the way Kahne did, which basically put a fork in his already slim title hopes.

o  Roush Fenway Racing finally showed a little something with sixth and seventh place finishes by Carl Edwards and David Ragan. The top ten runs might seem like little consolation for the struggling team but at least in Ragan's case, who was a pre-season pick by many to have a breakout year, Sunday had to provide some much-needed confidence.

o  Ditto for the Richard Childress Racing duo of Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick, who notched ninth and tenth place finishes. It's been a lost year for the whole RCR team and Harvick made some pointed comments over the weekend that certainly points to his departure from the team by 2011.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The loudest cheer Sunday afternoon came when Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead in the Price Chopper 400.

That glory lasted about fifteen minutes.

Junior gave away the lead and a chance for a good finish when he was sent back to pit road for a missing lug nut after his first pit stop of the day.

That boner derailed a possible return to glory for the sport's most popular driver, who saw his misery punctuated with a mechanical problem that dealt him a 36th place finish.

Last week Earnhardt caught a lot of grief for a radio communication with his crew chief and spotter discussing their fantasy football teams and the fate of his favorite NFL team the Washington Redskins.

To be fair, that discussion came during the lengthy red flag for Joey Logano's accident clean up and not in the middle of the day's racing.

However because he's Dale Earnhardt Jr., the exchange became a big deal within NASCAR Nation and some people pointed to a lack of commitment or focus.

That couldn't be further from the truth.

Earnhardt, crew chief Lance McGrew and every member of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 team is dedicated to the goal of getting that car competitive on a weekly basis.

What we saw Sunday when the 88 was dominating the early going is that when they hit the right set up, the team is capable of being a force. And that Earnhardt can still drive a stock car.

But problems like what hit them at Kansas continue to haunt. Teams and drivers go through stretches like this from time to time. Unfortunately because of Junior's status, this drought is magnified to the highest degree.

I think next year is a make or break year for Earnhardt and his relationship with Hendrick Motorsports. But I still believe this can be a success story, despite the less than stellar openings chapters.

What I saw Sunday was the potential for that to happen. 

o  Tony Stewart quieted down the critics asking what's been wrong with the No. 14 team on Sunday. Stewart was definitely off in the closing races of the regular season and the Chase hasn't exactly set the world on fire up until Kansas. But make no mistake Stewart will have a lot to say about this title before all is said and done.

o  Hendrick has by far outdistanced every other team as the powerhouse of the garage area with Brad Keselowski's part-time ride also having a stellar weekend. Roush Fenway isn't close to competing with Hendrick and has dropped down the power rankings in a big way after last year's performance. Even the Hendrick "customers" at Stewart-Haas Racing are head and shoulders above anyone else on the grid, making Rick Hendrick a more than solid favorite to be hoisting a ninth championship trophy in Homestead.

o  Richard petty Motorsports was a hot topic all weekend with the team's future still very much up in the air. Somehow Kasey Kahne has put the distractions out of his mind and turned in another solid day Sunday. But if you asked me what RPM will look like in 2010, I'd have a hard time telling you exactly what to look for.

o  Felt bad for Bobby Labonte and the TRG team, who had their first brand new car all season and instead of being on the start and park plan were actually in position to race for a decent finish. Unfortunately Labonte got caught up in an early race wreck ending the team's day and dealing a big blow to the underfunded organization that desperately wants to compete in 2010.

o  While the championship race is definitely the focus, eyeballing next year is very much in play around the garage area. RPM isn't the only team with a cloudy future with Richard Childress Racing and even Joe Gibbs Racing, which may or may not field a fourth team in 2010, also still developing next year's plans. The economy, hopefully on a rebound, is still effecting NASCAR.

o  A solid crowd on hand Sunday in Kansas was a good sign for the sport. Next week in Fontana may be a bit more of a challenge, as it always is when the series hits Auto Club Speedway. The track's first race in the Chase is hoped to boost ticket sales. We'll see.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - They call Talladega the wild card in the Chase and rightfully so. The restrictor plate madness at the 2.66-mile superspeedway usually throws the championship race topsy turvy.

But Kansas Speedway is no slouch itself when it comes to the wild card game.

Since 2002 there's been a different winner rolling into victory lane at Kansas and the 1.5-mile track has rightfully earned a reputation as one of the most competitive places on the schedule.

There really isn't any one reason why Kansas has become a place where predicting the winner is such a task. It's an intermediate track like many on the schedule but has some characteristics of its own.

Since opening its gates in 2001, the Kansas track surface has matured and like its sister speedway in Chicago, has given drivers a second groove in which to use. That has given fans an opportunity to see some pretty good side-by-side racing.

Being in the Chase also gives Kansas a bit of a personality as well with two distinct groups of drivers and teams employing strategies - those who are trying to win a championship may take a little more of a conservative approach while the guys outside the top twelve are more apt to throw caution to the wind and roll the dice in an attempt to steal the championship spotlight away.

Whatever the reasons I like going to Kansas and think this year's race will have its own share of surprises. Good luck in trying to predict just who will be responsible for them.

TEAM ONE
Carl Edwards - His bonzai last turn move of a year ago was one of the season's highlights, even if it didn't pay off. It's a special place for the Midwestern-born Edwards who ranks a win at Kansas as one of his life's goals.

TEAM TWO
Mark Martin - He won at Kansas back in his final Roush season and since then has come back better than ever. With Hendrick power and a Chase title within sight Martin will have all the inspiration he needs this weekend.

TEAM THREE
Kevin Harvick - Used to own Kansas' sister track in Chicago and has been on a bit of an upswing of late.

TEAM FOUR
A.J. Allmendinger - A solid top ten run in Dover last week another good finish will help the uneasiness around the Richard Petty Motorsports team these days.

TEAM FIVE
Brad Keselowski - Another start in Hendrick equipment for Keselowski as he readies for his full time move to the Sprint Cup level and Penske Racing next season.

DOVER, Del. - They took 100 miles away from racing at Dover a few years ago.

It's time to take 100 more.

Last week's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was one of the best of the season and it's not a coincidence that a short 300-mile race was in play to kick off the Chase.

Drivers had no opportunity to simply ride around because time was precious and getting to the front and staying there is a paramount strategy at Loudon.

Dover on the other hand is a place where even with the reduced distance of 400 miles there are too many stretches when drivers simply make laps.

Sunday's AAA 400 droned on and I understand Jimmie Johnson's dominant afternoon didn't add to the excitement level.

However if there was more immediacy to the proceedings you have to wonder if the race wouldn't have been more interesting and featured more passing and energy.

When cars get strung out around any track it doesn't make for entertaining viewing unless of course your favorite driver is the one out in front. 

But during a time of the year when the championship is on the line and the Chase is literally on for the Sprint Cup title, every event should be something die-hard and casual fans want to watch,

I'm sure anyone on the couch who wasn't a tried and true NASCAR fan no doubt went back to their favorite NFL offering on Sunday.

NASCAR is working hard to get standardized start times in play next year in hopes of generating higher television ratings and combating the mighty NFL, who gets about a 90 minute head starts these Sundays before a Sprint Cup green flag waves.

Now it needs to focus on ensuring the races themselves have every opportunity to be compelling. When 100 miles came off of Dover's previous 500 milers, things got better at the "Monster Mile."

Another reduction would make it even better.

o  Johnson didn't seem too worried about the stat that no driver winning the fall Dover race ever went on to take the series championship. The way that 48 car looked on Sunday overcoming that potential hurdle doesn't seem to be a problem.

o  Mark Martin drove a typical Mark Martin race on Sunday. Conservative in the early going, even moving over for cars who were obviously faster in the first half of the event. But the No. 5 car came to life in the second half and certainly down the stretch at the track the veteran considers his favorite. I'd watch for the same strategy to unfold all the way through these final eight races to the end of the season.

o  Richard Petty Motorsports had a nice day on Sunday with top ten finishes from Kasey Kahne and A.J. Allmendinger. The team is still in a state of upheaval with the impending merger with Yates Racing going much slower than anticipated. But more days like Sunday will help the unstable organization feel better for the future.

o  Juan Pablo Montoya was again off the leash on Sunday and scored another top five finish. The feisty Montoya was in a chipper mood all weekend and he might just be the underdog story many people are rooting for in a Chase that is right now being dominated by heavy favorites Johnson and Martin.

o  Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman notched top ten finishes but it wasn't easy, especially for Stewart, who got into the Joey Logano tangle on lap 31 that saw the rookie drivers go barrel rolling down the third turn banking. Stewart's car received damage in the incident and wasn't able to move forward much of the day with the two-time champ doing a stellar job of grabbing a top ten finish.

o  Kurt Busch keeps insisting there's no problem with outgoing Pat Tryson, who leaves the team at the end of the year for Michael Waltrip Racing. Another top ten finish Sunday could be proof but there's still a long way to go and I think it's too much of a distraction to overcome and a situation that will only get harder as the season winds down.

There are some who complain that any driver outside the twelve racing for the Chase doesn't receive any attention during the final ten races of the season.

It's true because the other 31 on the track with the Chase field don't have a shot at winning the title they are most of the time an afterthought.

But there's a simple way to rectify that problem and we saw it in Sunday's Chase opener at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Run upfront.

Sunday saw a number of drivers who are in the Miss Congeniality pageant this NASCAR playoff season have good days and steal away the spotlight - if only for a minute or two - from the dozen trying to win this year's championship.

Leading the way was Kyle Busch, who showed why he'll be part of this Chase story before it's over even though his championship dreams came up eight points short last week at Richmond. Busch notched a fifth place finish Sunday, a marked improvement at a track that has been one of the worst in the Sprint Cup side of his career. Despite his win in Saturday's truck series race, Loudon has never been a place where Busch has dominated in NASCAR's top division.

Then there was Elliott Sadler, who is part of the mystery surrounding Richard Petty Motorsports and its impending merger with Yates Racing. While stories of hundreds of people losing their jobs in the coming days and an engine department that will be shut down in the near future swirled around the garage area, Sadler went out and came back from some early race issues to finish eighth.

And let's not forget the Richard Childress Racing stable, a non-factor most of this Sprint Cup season. While Jeff Burton's day ended in some pushing and shoving, the No. 31 Chevrolet was near the front of the field some of the day. And his teammate Clint Bowyer, another one of those drivers who loves the flat tracks, drove his No. 33 Impala home to a tenth place finish.

Finally not everyone outside the Chase contender list who were trying to grab some headlines Sunday went home happy, most notably Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had what looked to be a surefire top five wiped out when he got caught up in a late race scuffle with David Reutimann. "He just ran out of talent," a clearly frustrated Eanrhardt said after he assessed the damage to his battered No. 88 Chevrolet.

Sunday proved that good or bad, there are ways to break through the Chase contender clutter for those hoping to not end the season in anonymity.

o  Sunday once again proved what a stroke of genius throwing double file restarts into the mix was by NASCAR. Time after time the side-by-side action after caution flags generated some of the best racing of not only the afternoon but of the season. Several tracks have benefitted from the new rule this year and New Hampshire might be at the top of the list.

o  Forget that Mulligan stuff. This year's Chase field is too competitive that anyone will be able to bounce back from the engine disaster that befell Kasey Kahne. His 38th place finish killed his championship hopes and now he'll have to fight his way out of the basement while dealing with the winds of change whipping around RPM.

o  The harness is off Juan Pablo Montoya in a big way and I see a little controversy brewing because of it. After doing a masterful job of making the Chase with a somewhat conservative approach during the regular season, Montoya was the aggressive - and sometime a bit out of control - driver many know from his open wheel days. He was none too pleased with the way Mark Martin drove him in the closing laps on Sunday and I'd say the 42 has a bulls-eye on the car in more ways than one.

o  Yeh Jimmie Johnson stumbled into the Chase with some mediocre pre-playoff performances and qualified 16th for Sunday's race. But did anyone really expect the 48 team to not be a factor in this year's championship run. Once again there was the under the radar Johnson right in the mix on Sunday and at one point enjoying nearly a three season lead until pit stops and strategies shuffled things. Still a fourth place finish to kick things off is a bad omen for those who believe the four-peat isn't a possibility.

o  Got to give a shout out to Bobby Labonte, who drove the severely underfunded TRG Toyota home to a 22nd place finish. A group of local sponsors got together to give the team the necessary dollars on Saturday to run the entire race and change the start and park philosophy that was intended. It looks more and more like team owner Kevin Buckler will get Labonte to come on board in a full-time capacity in 2010 and maybe field a two-car operation if those elusive sponsorship dollars can be found.

o  Once again the New England race fans came out in droves and packed New Hampshire on Sunday. The track, which had been in the conversation about parent company shifting a date to Kentucky, is secure as a two weekend Cup site for many years to come. 

For a guy who basically was ready to walk away from the sport a couple of years ago, Mark Martin sure has had a change of heart.

That's what winning races and contending for championships will do for you I guess.

Martin's decision to sign on with Hendrick Motorsports for another two seasons shouldn't come as a complete shock to those close to the sport. After all, since coming back to full-time driver status this year as Hendrick's No. 5 team pilot all Martin has done is win four times in the regular season and start the Chase in the number one seed.

Even though he's fifty-years-old, Martin is definitely at the top of his game and age really has never been an issue for the veteran driver. martin has been a physical fitness nut nearly his entire professional life and can match up with even the youngest and strongest drivers in the garage area.

But what really drives Martin is the chance to win on a regular basis and in turn challenge for Sprint Cup championships that have so far eluded him during his illustrious career. Now part of the Hendrick powerhouse, Martin is getting the chance to do just that and is in no danger of entering that sad zone of athletes who stayed well past their time to hand things up.

Martin is my pick to win this year's title and he must believe his window is still very much open or he wouldn't have signed on for another couple years.

With his future now set, one has to wonder how that will play into this year's title run. Will Martin now have even more confidence knowing what he'll be doing the next couple of years rather than playing the guessing game of "Will he or won't he" in terms of retirement.

The announcement that GoDaddy.com will back Martin's effort at Hendrick through 2011 will also have other ramifications though the NASCAR world specifically with Danica Patrick's potential move to stock car racing. The company already sponsors Patrick's Indy Car ride and there was speculation the connection GoDaddy has with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports team would connect the dots to bring her to that stable as a precursor to a Cup career.

Those sponsorship dollars - which make no mistake are hefty - will now go to Hendrick's 5 ride, possibly slowing down the path of Patrick's career move.

But none of that matters to Martin, who is set to be NASCAR's GoDaddy for the following two seasons.

Year six of the "Race to the Chase" is in the books and it has to go down as at least the second best run to the post-season since NASCAR introduced the format in the 2004 season.

The 2004 edition was crazy and probably more dramatic as Jeremy Mayfield won the final cut-off race at Richmond to earn a spot in the championship field which then was ten.

But this year's Chase had twists and turns that really began about two months ago as drivers jockeyed for position inside the top twelve.

Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 was the crescendo to the 26-race build-up to the playoffs and once again it lived up to the hype that had been building for weeks.

As Denny Hamlin soared in front of his home state fans, friends and family to score a popular win at the .75-mile track, Matt kenseth, Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch waged a battle worthy of the prime time attention Saturday's race received (albeit later than planned thanks to ABC pushing the green flag back due to Notre Dame-Michigan, using a little "moisture" on the track as an excuse to slow things down).

As the laps wore down the playoff picture between Vickers and Busch changed minute-by-minute and as Kenseth was clearly knocked out of the hunt with a poor performance, it became clear the two drivers who certainly don't exchange Christmas cards based on their spirited and sometime ugly altercations on and off the track, would fight it out for the final Chase spot.

In the end it was Vickers by a mere eight points getting the advantage, leaving Busch and his four regular season wins, left to play the rol eof spoiler over the final ten races of the year.

The Chase format is an absolute success and this year's version was the latest example of why. There are still some old school fans who complain about its unfairness or the fact that it is still a radical change from the old system of simply racking up points over the course of the entire season. That plan more often than not resulted in a two or sometimes three driver race for the title that many years was wrapped up long before the final checkered flag of the year.

NASCAR did a smart thing introducing the Chase which by all means is not perfect and will no doubt be tweaked and massaged over the years.

But it works in its current state and after Saturday night's theatrics in Richmond, the stage is set for what promises to be an entertaining ten race stretch to crown this year's champion.

o  The delay of the race will no doubt light up the switchboard at ABC headquarters Monday as well as NASCAR talk shows from coast-to-coast. It's a problem that will probably happen again as the network tries to cram NASCAR racing in among the heavy college football schedule over the next three months.

o  Mark Martin will take his four wins and bonus points to the top of the Chase standings when the seedings begin the playoffs next week in New Hampshire. The veteran has been a little too inconsistent for some to be a title favorite but if there is a Cinderella story many would like to see it's Martin hoisting that championship trophy in Homestead come November.

o  Kenseth's season, which started so strong with wins in the Daytona 500 and the following week in Fonatna, will now be judged a failure as he missed the Chase for the first time in his career. Unlike last week in Atlanta when Kenseth was able to rally from early problems to salvage a decent finish, the 17 car was off from the drop of the green flag and several pit road miscues compounded the problems for the 2003 series champion.

o  Tony Stewart will sleep well Saturday night knowing he has both of his cars in the Chase in year one of Stewart-Haas Racing's existence. Ryan Newman's tenth place finish Saturday night sealed the deal for the teammates to both have a chance to run for a title, an amazing feat especially given the way Newman started the season.

o  Jimmie Johnson had another off night and faded back to 11th in the final standings. There have been years during Johnson's current three straight championship stretch when the 48 team didn't look all that good in spots of the regular season. But this year's last month or so has been particularly flat for Johnson leaving some hope in the garage area the reigning champ just might be capable of being overtaken.

o  A sell out crowd jammed Richmond Saturday night showing that a short track, like Bristol a few weeks ago, can still pack in crowds even during this down economic time. After last week's stellar turnout in Atlanta and a three week run of television ratings on an upswing, NASCAR officials have to be feeling pretty good about the health of its number one series these days.

All the marbles are on the line Saturday night in Richmond and there will be a lot of different strategies and agendas in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

Those trying to lock down their spot in the Chase may try to take a more conservative approach to the 400 laps and hope to come out of RIR with a decent finish to secure their place in the post-season line-up.

The group at the top of the standings with nothing to lose will no doubt go all out for a trip to victory lane and the coveted bonus points that go along with the checkered flag and apply to the Chase seedings.

And of course the drivers still on the outside looking in will employ a no holds barred plan in a last ditch effort to crack the top twelve and steal a Chase position away in the final regular season race of the season.

The myriad of story lines is what makes this annual September trip top Richmond so interesting. It is truly one of the most unpredictable races of the season and trying to figure out who will do well is almost as complicated as predicting the order of finish at a Daytona or Talladgea restrictor plate race.

In its five years, the Chase has provided some intriguing moments and the 2009 edition is going to be one of the most dramatic.

TEAM ONE
Jeff Gordon - He used to own Richmond and needs a win to get up the Chase seeding ladder so watch for the 24 car in front Saturday night.

TEAM TWO
Clint Bowyer - His Chase chances are over but RCR is looking for a shot in the arm similar to what Kevin Harvick gave the team in Atlanta. Bowyer loves Richmond and should have a solid night.

TEAM THREE
Martin Truex Jr. - Days at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing are winding down and Truex Jr. will be motivated to make up for last week's disappointment at Atlanta when he had a strong car for at least some of the night.

TEAM FOUR
Bobby Labonte - A resurgence last week at Atlanta in a start for the TRG team has this veteran out to prove there's still something left in the tank and that a ride in 2010 should be offered.

TEAM FIVE
David Gilliland - This week he gets a shot in Robby Gordon's ride and Gilliland, bounced out of TRG and solid last week for the Wood Brothers in Atlanta, is also driving for his Sprint Cup future.