The Final Word

When the dust had cleared at Las Vegas, Sunday had featured two folks in my opinion. One was Tony Stewart, who won this early in the season way back in...well, never.

They looked similar, with the same track and cars that appeared comparable. However, where the Nationwide race at Phoenix on Saturday was brutally boring, the televised action Sunday kept one interested from start to finish.

Okay, just what in sam hill was that? In the end, it was Matt Kenseth being chased by Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr coming home, with all appearing to have a shot at the win.

NASCAR does it right, my friends. Begin the season with an exhibition game, featuring all-stars, rookies, even old timers would do. You don't start your day with the main meal, but breakfast sure hits the spot.

The two contenders running just over a second apart, first and second, with the winner of the race the winner of the season. Would an engine blow, a tire go down, a split second lack of focus bounce one off the wall?

Welcome to Homestead, Florida, and the championship edition of NASCAR's American Gladiators. With a slim three point advantage going into the final round we have from Columbia, Missouri 32-year old Carl Edwards.

As the boys moved on from Martinsville en route to Texas, the Chase has come down to essentially a two man race. Carl Edwards went to Virginia hoping to avoid disaster, which would have been to maintain his average of 16th place finishes there.

After the weekend's action in Talladega, Alabama, one Carl Edwards might fit in just nicely. After riding around at the back of the pack most of the day, Cousin Carl settled for just outside the Top Ten, and that suited him just fine.

This Chase is becoming more and more like one of those reality series. A week goes by and somebody's nice chef coat gets skewered and their photo bursts into the flames.

Early in the year, a guy can get by with good. Good puts you in position for great things, with 20, or 30, or 40 races to go in the season.