The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to the heartland of America to conduct round three of its 2010 Chase for the Championship. This Sunday’s Price Chopper 400, at the Kansas Speedway, has the makings of elevating a team as a championship contender, reviving a championship effort or sending a team back to the shop with the realization that they are no longer contenders. By the time Sunday’s race is over, we may be seeing a more accurate picture of which drivers has staying power in the Chase and which ones are out of it.

THE STORY BREAKDOWN

It’s back for the second big week in a row. The number one story line is once again the penalty handed down to Richard Childress Racing’s #33 team. The latest chapter to this saga that will have everyone talking this weekend occurred last Wednesday when the National Stock Racing Commission voted unanimously to uphold that massive penalty.  Childress quickly issued a statement expressing his disappointment in the decision as well as his intent to appeal the decision to the final available level: NASCAR’s Chief Appellate Officer. No date for this hearing has been set yet.

At issue here was the height of the Bowyer Chevrolet following the first Chase race held at New Hampshire nearly two weeks ago. The car passed the post race inspection, despite being very close to NASCAR’s tolerance levels. But the car was selected by NASCAR officials to be transported to their Research and Development Center for additional inspection. It was there, under more stringent inspection criteria, that the height problem was discovered.

It was believed by Childress that the left rear of the body was raised by a wrecker that pushed Bowyer’s car to victory lane after it had ran out of gas following post race victory burn outs. Childress felt he had brought along sufficient proof to last Wednesday’s hearing. He retained the services of Dr. Charles Manning, of the Raleigh-North Carolina based Accident Reconstruction Analysis, who has been providing expert testimony in court cases since 1979.

Manning’s group duplicated the post race scenario by using a wrecker and race car of the same specification as the vehicles used in the New Hampshire race. By the time the experiment was concluded, Manning felt there was no question that the wrecker was responsible for the elevation in the car’s height and informed the commissioners of his findings during last Wednesday’s appeal hearing.

Manning was equally disappointed with the decision and afterwards said “the Commission paid no attention, which says something about what’s going on in there. What we brought was positive proof that the damage was caused by the tow truck pushing the car.”

However, it’s believed that a great deal of attention was paid to the fact by the Commissioners because their deliberations took a reported five hours. During the course of this time an exasperated Childress held a large note against a window that read “order pizza and Budweiser.”

The penalty levied by NASCAR on the #33 team was huge with the biggest damage being the 150 championship points lost by Bowyer. He entered the 2010 Chase in 12th, rose to second after the New Hampshire win and then plummeted back to 12th following the penalty announcement. Adding insult to injury was a dismal day during the second Chase race at Dover last Sunday that has left Bowyer with a championship ending deficit of 235 points.

If the next level of the appeals process overturns the original decision then Bowyer and company will again become Chase contenders. If the decision is upheld then their efforts are over.

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On the subject of something being over we can all stop looking for the presence of the “F” word, (feud) between Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing. It appears that drivers Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin shook hands over the telephone last Tuesday to conclude their Dover dust up last Saturday that involved a heated confrontation both on and off the track.

This all started when Hamlin needlessly blasted Childress Racing in a press conference and said they deserved the harsh penalty and alleged that the height issues on the Childress cars have been an issue for quite a long time.

This angered Harvick who decided to defend the honor of Childress Racing with some on track bumping, during a Cup practice session last Saturday, followed by some chest bumping in the garage area. It created video that was seen all week long and don’t be too surprised if you see it again this weekend.

But with last Tuesday’s meeting of the minds between the two drivers, the only “F” word you’re going to hear from these two is “focus”. They’re both major players in the Chase and that’s what they will be paying attention to as it should be.

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THE VEGAS BREAKDOWN

The Las Vegas based World Sports Exchange, WSE, has expressed full confidence in Jimmie Johnson’s current championship focus and has placed them on the top of their list to win the Kansas race at 7 to 2 odds. This is a very solid choice. Johnson is a former Kansas winner, has won the pole position for this race a series high three times and has an average finish ratio of 10.3 in eight starts.

The WSE has also expressed confidence that Sunday could be the day Kyle Busch gets his first win at Kansas and has ranked him at 7 to 1 odds. Always a threat to find a NASCAR victory lane, Busch has a Kansas average finish ratio of 24.3 in six starts.

Jeff Gordon, at 8 to 1 odds, is a rock solid wager. His personal stats at Kansas are just simply awesome. He’s a two time winner there in addition to holding the track record for top five finishes, with six, and top tens at seven. He also has a very healthy average finish ratio at Kansas of 8.9 in nine starts. In the past there has been a noticeable problem with closing the win deal when the car was running strong. The law of averages says this trend has to reverse itself sooner or later and Kansas could be the location for it.

At 10 to 1 odds you will find drivers Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards. Stewart is another two time Kansas winner with an average finish of 13.2. He’s also the defending race winner. Stewart is a pre race favorite to get his Chase efforts back on track this Sunday. He’s currently tenth in the standings and 162 points out of first. Considered to be the visible strength of Roush Fenway Racing, Carl Edwards is sixth in the standings and a viable 73 points out.

At 12 to 1 is a quartet of drivers led by previous Kansas winner Greg Biffle who has a healthy average finish ratio of 9.0. Also in this group are Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and current series points leader Denny Hamlin.

In the 18 to 1 group you will find Childress Racing drivers Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer. At 25 to 1 odds are drivers Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya and David Reutimann. Also at the bottom end of the WSE rankings this week is the presence of Jamie McMurray. This possible non Chase spoiler is ranked at 30 to 1 for the Kansas race. At 35 to 1 is the tandem of Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr.

However, it’s the 40 to 1 WSE category that could tweak some interest for those of you into long shot wagers. That where you will find former Kansas race winners Mark Martin and Ryan Newman.

Now for this week’s disclaimer. NASCAR wants us to remind you that these posted odds are for informational and entertainment purposes. They neither encourage nor condone the placing of wagers on their events. One possible alternative to gambling might be the purchase of Childress Racing souvenirs from the official NASCAR store. That presentation from the expert, at last Wednesday’s appeal hearing, had to cost Childress a fortune.

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THE RACE BREAKDOWN

The Price Chopper 400 is 267 laps/400.5 miles around the Kansas Speedway’s 1.5 mile quad oval.

The race has 46 entries vying for the 43 starting berths. 11 of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning they don’t have a guaranteed starting berth because they are currently outside of NASCAR’s top 35 in owner’s points. These 11 teams will have to rely on their qualifying speed to earn a berth in the race.

The Kansas Speedway first opened its gates to the public in June of 2001. The first NASCAR Cup race was held in September of that year and was won by Jeff Gordon.

Chevrolet leads the manufacturer’s standings with six wins at Kansas.

Qualifying is always important in any Sprint Cup event these days. The qualifying record for the Kansas Speedway, 180.856 MPH, was set by Matt Kenseth in October of 2005.

Two drivers, Joe Nemechek and Jimmie Johnson, has recorded wins there after starting from the pole position. Six of the nine winners came from starting positions within the top ten.

Weather should not be that big of a factor for Sunday’s race. The Kansas forecast calls for sunny skies and 69 degrees on race day.

The Price Chopper 400 will be aired live by the ESPN2 Network beginning at 12 pm eastern time. Re airs will be Monday morning, 2am et, on ESPN2 and Wednesday afternoon, 12 pm et, on SPEED.

Sunday’s Price Chopper 400 at Kansas Speedway marks the third race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Since the track’s addition to the Sprint Cup Series schedule in 2001, there have been seven different winners. A track almost identical to Chicagoland Speedway, Kansas provides exciting racing at high speeds and has a touch for the unknown, with the sometimes unpredictable weather paying a visit and wreaking havoc.

With all the off-track distractions of signing with Hendrick Motorsports to be Mark Martin’s successor in 2012, signing with Red Bull Racing for next season, and the uncertainty of RPM’s future, Kasey Kahne has had a relatively quiet year on the track and has missed the chase.

Sunday’s race at Kansas provides Kasey with an excellent chance to get back into victory lane and spoil the show for the chase participants. Since his rookie season, Kahne has two Top 10’s, four Top 20’s, and has led 50 laps at Kansas with no DNFs.

Kasey excels at the cookie-cutter intermediate tracks that the Sprint Cup Series schedule is laced with, and Sunday could be his best shot at stealing the show and getting a win for his team before parting ways at season’s end.

Kevin Harvick held the top spot of the Sprint Cup points standings for almost all of the regular season and won three races. Although having a very quiet Chase run thus far, Kansas could provide the much needed splash that he and the No. 29 team need to stay in contention for the championship.

Since Kevin’s rookie season in 2001, he has three Top 10’s, six Top 20’s, and 67 laps led at Kansas with an average finish of 15.89. Harvick has won at Chicagoland Speedway, which is identical to Kansas, two times. After surprising all of us through the regular season and winning three times, it’s not a far-fetched thought that Kevin could surprise us again by winning on Sunday and putting himself right back into championship contention.

After staring the 2010 season off slowly, Carl Edwards came on hot during the summer months and catapulted himself into the chase. Although having not won since 2008, Carl Edwards knows how to get the job done on the intermediate tracks.

The same is for Carl at Kansas—who has never won there—but has two Top Fives, four Top 10’s, four Top 20’s, and an average finish of 13.33 through six races. Besides an accident that caused Carl to finish 37th in 2007, Carl has never finished worse than 22nd.

Unlike last season, Tony Stewart started 2010 off slow, but came on strong as he always does in the summer months and clinched a spot in the chase with one victory at Atlanta last month.

It’s been feast of famine for Stewart at Kansas, but when everything goes right, he has found success. Tony has two wins, four Top Fives, six Top 10’s, and seven Top 20 finishes at Kansas, with an average finish of 13.22 through nine races.

Although starting off the chase slowly mostly to driver and crew error, Kansas is the perfect place for Stewart to get back on track and get back in contention for his third Sprint Cup championship.

After leading a career-high 143 laps last week at Dover only to suffer a flat tire and finish tenth, A.J. Allmendinger is looking to Sunday for a chance to finally pull the famous No. 43 car back in victory lane.

Kansas has been a good track for the former open-wheel star, who has one Top 10 and two Top 20 finishes there, with an average finish of 13th through two races and a worst finish of 17th.

After the disappointment of last week, it will give the extra fire A.J. needs to get his first career Sprint Cup win. Although highly underplayed, momentum is a very strong aspect of racing and could carry over to Kansas.

Mark Martin nearly won the championship last year, but 2010 has been a very quiet and disappointing seasonand hasn’t won a race and missed the chase.

Historically, Kansas has been a great track for Mark Martin, and he has one win, two Top Fives, four Top 10’s, and eight Top 20’s, with an average finish of 12.44 and never finishing worse than 25th.

Sunday provides an excellent chance for Mark to turn his season around and get back to victory lane. Non-Chase drivers have pulled the upset at Kansas three times in the track’s nine-race history.

Kansas native Clint Bowyer came on strong during the summer months and coupled with consistent finishes, made the Chase and won at New Hampshire three weeks ago. The good vibes quickly ended when his car was found to be illegal and Clint and the team were docked 150 driver and owner points, moving them from second to 12th in points and already more than one race behind.

Bowyer has excelled at his home track of Kansas in the past and has one Top Five, two Top 10’s, three Top 20’s, and has never finished worse than 21st, with an average finish of 11th.

Kansas couldn’t come at a better time for Clint, who looks to get a win in front of his hometown crowd and prove to NASCAR that his chase berth wasn’t a fluke.

Continuing right where he left off last season, four-time consecutive and reigning champion Jimmie Johnson has won six races thus far and is now second in points after a win last week at Dover. Johnson and the 48 team now have their sights set on Kansas and leaving the track on Sunday with the points lead.

Kansas has been a great track for Johnson, and he has one win, two Top Fives, six Top 10’s, seven Top 20’s, and an average finish of 10th, which ranks third among active Sprint Cup drivers.

With Johnson being arguably the best closer in NASCAR, Kansas provides a great chance for he and the 48 team to leave the track on Sunday evening with the points lead and contend for a record-setting five straight cup championships.

Greg Biffle has had a season of ups and downs in 2010, but won the only time this season for Roush-Fenway, which came at Pocono and made the chase after a consistent regular season performance.

Kansas couldn’t come at a better time for Biffle, who has one win, five Top Fives, five Top 10’s, and seven Top 20 finishes, with the second best average finish among Cup drivers of ninth.

Biffle excels at the intermediate cookie-cutter tracks that adorn the Sprint Cup Series schedule and Kansas is a perfect place for him to get a much needed win and get back into title contention.

The 2010 season has been one of missed opportunities for Jeff Gordon, who has arguably been the most consistent driver during the regular season and coming up just shy of wins several times this season after having the strongest car.

Kansas is Gordon’s third-best track statistically and provides Jeff with possibly his best shot to get a much-needed win in the chase. Besides winning the first two races held at Kansas, Jeff has six Top Fives, seven Top 10’s, eight Top 20’s, and an average finish of 8.89, which is the best average finish among all Cup drivers.

With all the near misses and frustration 2010 has brought, Kansas very well could be the place where Gordon finally snaps another long win-less streak and gets that win they have been working so hard for all season.

Sunday’s race at Kansas will be a crucial race of the chase and is the first of five 1.5 mile tracks that are part of The Chase. Those who have a great run on Sunday will have a leg up on those who struggle and may be your 2010 Sprint Cup champion.

If consistency indeed trumps victories, then Carl Edwards would be the poster child for that concept. Still winless in 2010, the Duckman has managed to keep pace by keeping close contact with the race winners in recent weeks. In fact, the worst he has done over the course of the past eleven events is a 12th place finish at Bristol just over a month ago. Nine times he has pulled in with a top ten, six times with a top five, including last Sunday’s event at Dover.

On the other hand, Kyle Busch has already won 19 NASCAR events this season. He has claimed 11 of 23 Nationwide races he has been entered in, along with 5 of 11 Camping World truck derbies. His three Cup races almost appear to be a disappointment in comparison.

Neither have won a Cup race at Kansas, though Edwards has done well enough at the track with four top tens in six tries and Kyle has a Nationwide win there. If you are looking for a dominant driver, that would be Jeff Gordon. A top ten is almost a sure thing for the four time champ, though Tony Stewart did win for the second time there a year ago.

Unfortunately for them, Jimmie Johnson also has a good record there, and the reigning king is on the move after last week’s triumph.

Here is a look at our hot 20 over the past 10 events, with the Chasers in red…

1 (1) – Carl Edwards – 1552 pts – 6 Top Fives, 8 Top Tens
You don’t need wins when your worst finish in the past eleven is 12th.

2 (8) – Kyle Busch – 1412 pts – 1 Win, 3 Top Fives, 6 Top Tens
19 NASCAR wins this season, but “only” three in Cup

3 (7) – Jamie McMurray – 1399 pts – 1 Win, 4 Top Fives, 5 Top Tens
Making his reservations for a Chase place for 2011

4 (4) – Tony Stewart – 1362 pts – 1 Win, 3 Top Fives, 6 Top Tens
Gas in the tank? Check. Speed on pit row? Doh!

5 (5) – Jeff Burton – 1359 pts – 3 Top Fives, 5 Top Tens
Hendrick driver without the drama

6 (2) – Juan Pablo Montoya – 1329 pts – 1 Win, 1 Top Five, 5 Top Tens
If not for those eight finishes outside the top 30.

7 (3) – Kevin Harvick – 1312 pts – 1 Win, 4 Top Fives, 5 Top Tens
“Cheaters” never win, but they can kick your ass

8 (6) – Jeff Gordon – 1306 pts – 1 Top Five, 4 Top Tens
At Kansas, he is the Dominator

9 (12) – Ryan Newman – 1273 pts – 4 Top Tens
At least he’s having a better year than those other guys out of South Bend

10 (17) – Jimmie Johnson – 1251 pts – 1 Win, 3 Top Fives, 4 Top Tens
Is that the theme from “Jaws” I’m hearing?

13 (11) – Matt Kenseth – 1227 pts – 1 Top Five, 2 Top Tens
Best way to fix a fender rub is probably not by removing the fender.

14 (9) – David Reutimann – 1190 pts – 1 Win, 2 Top Fives, 3 Top Tens
Getting hits is great in baseball, not so good in stock car racing

15 (15) – Kurt Busch – 1187 pts – 2 Top Fives, 5 Top Tens
O brother, where art thou?

16 (19) – A.J. Allmendinger – 1186 pts – 1 Top Five, 3 Top Tens
Hopes of victory got deflated.

17 (16) – Greg Biffle – 1161 pts – 1 Win, 3 Top Fives, 5 Top Tens
Kansas has been good in the past, and he could use some lovin’ about now.

18 (18) – Martin Truex Jr – 1123 pts – 2 Top Tens
Once again the only Martin, Truex, or Junior to make this list

19 (14) – Kasey Kahne – 1116 pts – 1 Top Five, 2 Top Tens
Oh, krap!

20 (23) – Joey Logano – 1109 pts – 2 Top Fives, 3 Top Tens
Dover was much better than the New Hampshire experience.

NASCAR’s appeals board, made up of Waddel Wilson (former engine builder and crew chief for Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip among others), former driber Lyn St. James, and former USAC Chariman John Capels, denied Richard Childress Racing’s appeal of penalties levied after the Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire on September 19th. It was the expected outcome as only 10 of the 132 appeals aired in the last decade have been overturned. Childress has difiantly vowed to fight on.

After the decision was rendered, Childress made a formal request to appeal the boards decision to John Middlebrook, a former General Motors executive and NASCAR’s appellate officer. You have to wonder why. Isn’t it obvious by how these decisions have gone over the years that it’s probably a waste of time? Maybe Childress thinks that a former GM executive will overturn a penalty against a Chevrolet team, one that has carried the company banner for so many years. Maybe he’s just trying to protect his driver. Regardless, it seems like it may throw off the team’s chances for a championship, given the other distraction of the past week–the mini fued between Childress driver Kevin Harvick and current points leader Denny Hamlin.

Bowyer and his RCR team were penalized last Wednesday, three days after his win in the opening race for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. The victory ended an 88-race winless streak and pushed Bowyer from 12th to second in the standings, 35 points behind Hamlin. The penalties put Bowyer in 12th place, 235 points behind. It also left Bowyer without a crew chief for most of the Chase.

The crux of RCR’s argument is the violation occurred when Bowyer ran out of gas at the end of the New Hampshire race, a tow truck had to push him to Victory Lane and the contact caused the damage that contributed to a failed inspection.

Childress brought an accident reconstruction specialist to the hearing, but Dr. Charles Manning of Accident Reconstruction Analysis in Raleigh said the three-member appeals panel was not interested in his presentation. Manning used a similar tow truck pushing another Cup car as the basis for his testimony.

In this writer’s opinion, it would better serve Childress and his three drivers to concentrate on the final eight races this season rather than continue to create a distraction that might cost them the title anyway. One thing is certain, the whole garage will be interested in the outcome, since this is the first such appeal Middlebrook has heard and the the decision will effect the standings dramatically.

No timetable was given for Middlebrook’s decision, but Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice-president of competition, speculated that a decsion could come down early next week. In the meantime, the Chase teams will race at Kansas and not know where they stand in the championship standings until after the appeal.

Following a five hour meeting with the National Stock Car Appeals Board at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center on Wednesday, Richard Childress told the Associated Press that his appeal has been denied. Childress will now appeal the board’s decision to NASCAR’s chief appellate officer.

[media-credit name=”Kirk Schroll | SM.com” align=”alignright” width=”400″][/media-credit]Childress was appealing NASCAR’s penalty of the No. 33 team from penalties at Loudon, the race in which the team was victorious. Team owner Childress was fined $150,000 and the team’s crew chief Shane Wilson was suspended for six races. Most importantly, though, NASCAR issued a 150-point penalty to Clint Bowyer and Childress. The points fine dropped Bowyer from second to 12th, after his victory skyrocketed him up the points standings.

The penalty was for the car’s left-rear being 130-thousandths of an inch too high, or 60-thousandths of an inch over NASCAR’s 70-thousandths of an inch tolerance.

“We know without a shadow of a doubt that that car left (our shop for the race) within the tolerances, well within the tolerances,” Childress said last week.

Richard Childress Racing claims that a wrecker that pushed Bowyer’s car to victory lane caused the damage, a claim that the appeals board did not deny.

The team was warned four days before the Loudon event that there car from Richmond was very close to tolerances. In their warning, NASCAR also informed the team that there car would be taken to NASCAR’s R&D Center following the race at New Hampshire.

With the penalty and Bowyer’s 25th place finish last weekend at Dover, he now sits 285-points behind Denny Hamlin with eight races to go in the chase.

It’s the 133rd appeal since 1999, according to NASCAR. This would mark the 89th time that a penalty was upheld. Only 42 penalties have been reduced or overturned in that time period.

It was one of the silliest things NASCAR has ever done, a mysterious thing called “Victory Lane Gate,” and it all started at Kansas Speedway.

Victory Lane Gate was established in the 2001 season and when Jeff Gordon won the 2001 Protection One 400. What was Victory Lane Gate? It was a device made with PVC pipes that prevented drivers from climbing on the top of their racecars. Two NASCAR officials would hold up a gate like device when the driver climbed out of the car.

You see back in 2000 and 2001 NASCAR was having a lot of issues with drivers winning a race and being so excited that they would climb on top of their racecars and celebrate their victory. When the drivers did that, it would not give NASCAR an accurate reading on the minimum height on a racecar.

It got so bad that when Jeremy Mayfield won his first career race in the 2000 season at California when his crew chief Peter Sospenzo was fined for having his car too low. Both Mayfield and Sospenzo claimed it was because Mayfield had jumped on the roof of his car after the victory.

To prevent that NASCAR created the gate to not have the drivers climb on the car. It was silly. Victory Lane Gate, as it’s called by many who remember, made the victory lane celebrations lackluster.

Nothing was worse than when Ricky Craven won a very emotional race at Martinsville Speedway when Craven held off a hard charging Dale Jarrett. Craven got his first win in his Cup career after a long battle back from being released from injuries. One would think the victory lane celebration would have been one for the ages. Yet Craven’s celebration was as little as a fist pump. He would get emotional but the celebration was nothing.

The gate made drivers feel like they were trapped and they couldn’t celebrate their wins.

The gate got much criticism after that win and the idea was scrapped before the next weekend at Talladega, never to be heard from again.

Now NASCAR just simply tells drivers to stay off their roofs, and that doesn’t seem to be a problem. Yet in 2001, NASCAR thought it would be and created a device that will live in infamy forever.

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished ninth at Dover, well ahead of new rival Kevin Harvick, in 15th, and Harvick’s Richard Childress Racing sidekick Clint Bowyer, in 25th. In a controversy-filled weekend, Hamlin criticized Bowyer on Friday, then was tormented by Harvick in Saturday’s practice. Hamlin maintained the lead in the Sprint Cup point standings, and holds a 45 point edge over Harvick.

“I stand by my assertion that RCR got what was coming to them,” Hamlin said. “It seems the Hamburger Helper ‘hand’ was caught in the cookie jar. I guess NASCAR officials (four)-fingered the No. 33 car for a violation.”

2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson dominated at Dover, leading 191 of 400 laps to take victory in the AAA 400 and authoritatively re-establish himself as the Sprint Cup favorite. Johnson started from the pole and took over midway through the race, and jumped four places in the point standings. He trails Denny Hamlin by 92 points.

“The ‘Drive For Five’ is alive,” Johnson said. “And well. This is the start of something big for us, and that’s bad news for any other driver aspiring to be the champ. The forecast calls for ‘reigning,’ on their parades.

Nothing says ‘I’m back’ like a convincing win, and nothing portends more good things for me like a budding feud between the two teams that likely employ the driver that could potentially unseat me.”

3. Kyle Busch: Busch survived a brush with the wall at Dover to post a sixth in the AAA 400, giving Joe Gibbs Racing three cars in the top 10. Busch is now third in the Sprint Cup point standings, and trails teammate Denny Hamlin by 62 points.

“That’s the best I can do in defense of Hamlin’s run-ins with Richard Childress Racing,” said Busch. “Hamlin may not like what Kevin Harvick did to him, but I bet he’d love to have a teammate that would do that for him.”

4. Kevin Harvick: One day after tangling with Denny Hamlin in practice, Harvick finished 15th at Dover, a result that certainly supported the contention that RCR is not cheating. However, Harvick gained a spot in the point standings, and now trails Hamlin by 45.

“I don’t take kindly to drivers criticizing the actions of Richard Childress Racing,” Harvick said. “And I don’t waste time letting them know how I feel. ‘RCR’ can also stand for ‘Retribution Comes Rapidly.’”

5. Carl Edwards: On one of his favorite tracks, Edwards posted a fifth at Dover’s “Monster Mile,” scoring his seventh top 5 of the year and trimming 22 points from points leader Denny Hamlin’s lead. Edwards is in sixth, 73 points back.

“I support Denny Hamlin speaking his mind,” Edwards said, “and I support Kevin Harvick defending his teammate. In Harvick’s case, I’m not sure I would do the same for one of my Roush Fenway teammates. Heck, I have enough trouble defending my honor, much less someone else’s.

6. Kurt Busch: Busch finished fourth in the AAA 400 at Dover, his ninth top 5 of the year, and closed to within 59 points of Sprint Cup points leader Denny Hamlin.

“All this controversy,” Busch said, “and I’m not involved in it. You could say ‘Something is wrong with this picture,’ which is exactly what I said to my cosmetic surgeon after handing him my mug shot. Then, he proceeded to downsize my ears, and trust me, he took more than .006 of an inch off of them.”

7. Jeff Burton: Burton raced to his second runner-up finish of the year, chasing Jimmie Johnson to the line at Dover to lead the Richard Childress Racing contingent.

“In light of Clint Bowyer’s plight,” Burton said, “I think it was important to finish well at Dover, and we did that. The No. 33 team says they did nothing wrong, and I believe them. NASCAR claims Bowyer’s car was .006 beyond the tolerance. That’s an incredibly low amount of tolerance. Who has tolerance even lower than NASCAR’s? Kevin Harvick, that’s who. He’ll ‘go off’ at the drop of a hat, or the drop of the green flag for practice.”

8. Jeff Gordon: Gordon saw a potential top-5 run derailed by a slow pit stop during the final caution at Dover and finished 11th. He hasn’t posted a top-5 finish since Chicagoland, and is still winless in his last 57 races. Gordon is eighth in the point standings, 83 behind Denny Hamlin.

“My four Sprint Cup championships are a testament to being great,” Gordon said. “But right now, I’d happily settle for being merely good.”

9. Clint Bowyer: Just days after a rules violation dropped him from second to 12th in the points standings, Bowyer finished a disappointing 25th at Dover. He is now 235 points behind Denny Hamlin, who vocally supported NASCAR’s decision to penalize Bowyer.

“I have to thank my teammates for their support,” Bowyer said, “especially Kevin Harvick. Kevin took it upon himself to distribute his own brand of justice when he buzzed Hamlin in practice. As you can see, Kevin’s desire to ‘play God’ is matched by my desire to ‘play dumb.’”

10. Tony Stewart: Stewart finished 21st in the AAA 400, doomed early in the race when a pit road speeding penalty knocked him two laps down. He now sits in tenth place in the Sprint Cup point standings, 162 behind Denny Hamlin.

“I haven’t failed many inspections,” Stewart said, “but I have failed several physicals. Of course, none of my teammates ever felt compelled to go after other drivers that may have spoken negatively about my physical fitness.”

The Chase moved from New Hampshire south to Delmarva for the 40^th running of the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.  Without a doubt, the week leading up to the race was the most surprising, with Clint Bowyer and Richard Childress Racing receiving substantial point fines and probation for an illegal chassis mount.  On top of that there was trash talking about Bowyer and the RCR team in the media center by Denny Hamlin, who then got his comeuppance on the track from RCR teammate Kevin Harvick during race practice.  Here is what was surprising and not surprising when the cars finally took to the track, attempting to conquer the Monster Mile.

Surprising:  While tenth place may not be a surprising finish for Richard Petty Motorsports driver A.J. Allmendinger, the fact that the man behind the wheel of the infamous No. 43 started on the outside pole and led over 140 laps of the race was most surprising.  Allmendinger described it best.  “It was fun to lead,” Allmendinger said.  “No wonder Jimmie (Johnson) is smiling so much.” Although outside the Chase, the ‘Dinger’ has really come into his own, previewing what his 2011 season might look like now that his future is settled and he is under contract with RPM for next year.

Not Surprising:  Jimmie Johnson, otherwise known as the man with the proverbial lucky horse shoe, most certainly found some good luck at Dover, achieving all of his goals for the race weekend, from sitting on the pole to finishing it in style in Victory Lane.  Jimmie Johnson also celebrated the win for the first time with his wife Chandra and daughter Genevieve, just eleven weeks old.  Johnson described the win as a “huge weight off my shoulders”.  He also pronounced himself and the No. 48 team as “in this thing now,” second in the Chase standings, just 35 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.

Surprising:  Speaking of the points leader, Denny Hamlin survived not only the controversy caused by his remarks in the media center to the garage and on track confrontations with Kevin Harvick, he actually had a good finish at the Monster Mile, a track where he has not fared well in the past.  Hamlin scored a top ten, taking the checkered flag in the ninth position.  In spite of his finish, Hamlin pronounced his day “mediocre.”  He did say, however, that the feud with Richard Childress Racing was “over and done.”

Not Surprising:  Controversy can be just plain distracting, a fact that came home to roost for the RCR driver at the center of the penalty storm.   Clint Bowyer, driver of the RCR No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet, clipped the wall on lap 181, causing his right rear tire to go down.  To add insult to injury, Bowyer received a pit road speeding penalty and he never really recovered, coming in 25^th and remaining in the Chase points cellar. 

Surprising:   Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart both had reasons to get into victory lane, for themselves as well as for two small business owners who were competing for cash and prizes from the Office Depot.  In fact, if either of the drivers won, the small business owner with whom they were paired would have won $1 million.  Unfortunately, both drivers had fairly miserable days.  Stewart had a pit road speeding penalty on lap 115, putting him two laps down.  Biffle also went two laps down after pitting prior to teammate Kenseth’s blown tire, which caused one of the few cautions of the race.  The two drivers, Biff and Smoke, had tough race finishes, 19^th and 21^st respectively, as well as languishing at the back of the pack in the Chase standings.

Not Surprising:  After running out of gas with just two laps to go at Loudon, Jeff Burton’s goal coming into the Monster Mile was to just “keep going after that disappointment.”  And keep going he did, at first struggling with handling but then having the car come to him toward the end of the race.  With that good run and the runner up finish, Burton jumped two spots in the Chase, up to the seventh spot.

Surprising:   What a difference a year makes, especially for Joey Logano at the Monster Mile.  One year ago, the driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota was barrel rolling end over end in one of the scariest crashes ever at the Dover track.  This year, Logano had an amazing run, finishing up in the third spot.  Logano now is desperately seeking consistency as he finishes out his season and looks forward to 2011.

Not Surprising:   Jeff Gordon continued his struggles and was NASCAR’s ‘biggest loser’ in the Chase standings.  Gordon dropped four spot in the standings, from fourth to eight, due to his fight with the rubber on the race track.  Gordon battled throughout the race and was running in the top ten until his pit crew dropped a lug nut on the final stop, relegating the four-time champion to 11th when the checkered flag flew. 

Surprising:  While the track is a ‘monster’ in many ways, it was surprising just how weather sensitive the track was throughout the race day.  With clouds and a few sprinkles prior to the start of the race, to full sunshine at the half-way point and then further cloud cover towards the end of the race, many drivers had handling problems all day long.  Probably most affected by the weather was Kyle Busch, who was in the front of the pack contending for the win, but fell to sixth when the weather changed.

Not Surprising:  After Brad Keselowski called Kyle Busch out during driver introductions before the Bristol race, it was not surprising that all of the Cup drivers behaved themselves, appropriately introducing themselves as well as service men and women with whom they were paired.  Kyle Busch did, however, have the last laugh, telling the crowd that he was “glad you all woke up” when the chorus of boos greeted him during his introductory session.

The third Chase race will be held on Sunday, October 3^rd at Kansas Speedway.  The Price Chopper 400 presented by Kraft Foods will kick off at 1:00 PM ET on ESPN.