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.

Over the previous weekend we saw the #48 team return to Chase form. We watched the Richard Childress Racing soap opera develop another bizarre plot twist. We watched the continuous transformation of NASCAR’s Nationwide Series becoming the “Busch” Series again and we watched the future of a famous family race team develop in the truck series. With all those thoughts in mind let’s begin with:

HOORAH to Jimmie Johnson, and the entire #48 Hendrick Motorsports team, for clearly returning to expected Chase form after winning the AAA 400 at the Dover International Raceway. It was Johnson’s sixth win of the season, series high sixth win at Dover and his 53d career win in 319 starts. Johnson led the race five times for a total of 191 laps. The win also another one of Johnson’s max points effort and it elevates him to second in the Chase standings only 35 points behind Denny Hamlin.

HOORAH to Genevieve Marie Johnson, the beautiful infant daughter of Jimmie and Shandra Johnson. This little cutie made her first ever public appearance in victory lane with mom and dad last Sunday.

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Okay, let’s get to it: the story every NASCAR fan on the planet is talking about.

WAZZUP with all of those interviews with Sprint Cup drivers, outside of Richard Childress Racing-RCR, who were asked for opinions regarding the penalty handed down to Clint Bowyer’s team last week? Did we really need that? The only opinion that matters here should come from NASCAR and RCR officials. To their credit, most of these drivers were diplomatic and chose their words very carefully. HOORAH to Kyle Busch who, during a television interview, made it perfectly clear that “it’s not my problem.”

But WAZZUP with Denny Hamlin for taking the bait by making comments on the Bowyer situation that were way past the line? Hamlin’s inference that the RCR Chevrolets have been in violation of NASCAR’s tolerance levels for a lot longer than anyone realizes simply wasn’t necessary. Nothing but trouble could possibly come from the comments Hamlin made last Friday during that press conference.

That’s exactly what happened the following day. HOORAH to driver Kevin Harvick for wanting to stand up for his RCR team mates. But, WAZZUP with the method he chose prior to the start of the Saturday morning practice session? Ramming the Hamlin car on pit road, followed by multiple hits on the track, really wasn’t the way to handle the situation. Instead of using the practice time to prep the race trim of their cars, these teams spent much of the allotted time making repairs in the garage area.

The fact that these two teams were parked next to each other in the garage made this situation even more interesting. The inevitable confrontation, complete with four letter words and chest thumping, was captured for posterity on live television. HOORAH to Kevin Harvick was keeping his helmet on during that confrontation. Those hard helmets can seriously do some damage to a hand if you hit one.

HOORAH to team owner Richard Childress for taking both a sensible and comedic approach when asked about the garage confrontation. Childress smiled and said “we’re a very tight knit bunch.”

HOORAH to Clint Bowyer who also took the sensible and comedic approach to his team mate’s defense of their race team. During a Sunday morning television interview, Bowyer smiled and said “I didn’t see what you’re talking about, I was in my car.”

HOORAH to Hamlin’s crew chief Mike Ford who was clearly upset with his driver for placing the team in an uncomfortable public relations situation. Ford referred to the entire incident as “nonsense” and said the situation with RCR was none of their business. He reportedly admonished Hamlin for “putting the team in a hole” with his comments and reminded him they needed to stay focused on the Chase. Following the conclusion of Sunday’s race, Ford reportedly came over the radio to remind Hamlin to be careful what he said after he got out of the car.

Having said that, WAZZUP with Mike Ford echoing those very same sentiments to an ESPN television reporter? Ford’s comments to his driver were aired on live television faster than you can say WAZZUP.

WAZZUP with literally anyone who truly believed there would be on track retaliation between Harvick and Hamlin during Sunday’s race? Perhaps driver Tony Stewart was correct when he recently observed that sometimes the NASCAR media has a tendency to create soap operas that just aren’t there. Yes, I’ll accept my fair share of the responsibility in this matter.

The NASCAR Appeals Board will be conducting a hearing on Wednesday to consider the appeal by RCR and a review of the harsh penalties handed down by NASCAR. Hopefully by then this particular soap opera will reach a diminished state.

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HOORAH to the Dinger. A J Allmendinger ran the race of his still short Sprint Cup career in his Richard Petty Motorsports Ford at Dover. After starting the AAA 400 on the front row, Allmendinger led 143 laps of the race. He had only led a total of 43 laps during all of his prior Sprint Cup starts. The team endured some bad luck during the race when a piece of sheet metal cut his right rear tire and forced an unscheduled pit stop. But the strength of his car allowed him to race his way back to a tenth place finish.

During the race Allmendinger came over his radio and said “this is kind of fun, we should try it more often.” After leading all of those laps he later said “it’s no wonder Jimmie Johnson smiles so much.”

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WAZZUP with some of the Sprint Cup teams who were snake bit on pit road during the Dover race?

Let’s start with Tony Stewart who was caught speeding on pit road. Unfortunately he couldn’t seem to recover from the pass through penalty and finished the race in 21st two laps down. A pre Chase championship contender now finds himself tenth in the standings and 162 points out of first.

Matt Kenseth missed the commitment line while trying to enter Dover’s treacherous pit road and locked up his brakes. He continued around the track only to blow a left front tire that shattered the sheet metal on his fender. He finished 18th one lap down. Kenseth is now 11th in the Chase standings 165 points out. His Chase effort is also now treading water.

Clint Bowyer also had a tough Sunday at Dover on top of a very tough week. He was penalized for speeding on pit road two times and wound up 25th three laps down. He’s now 12th in the Chase 235 points out.

The HOORAH for making chicken salad out of chicken do-do belongs to Kurt Busch. After completing a penalty, also for speeding down pit road, Busch got up on the wheel of his Penske Racing Dodge and was able to drive his way back to a fourth place finish. He later said “I felt like a kid playing with matches and I got burned.” He left Dover fourth in the Chase standings and only 59 points from the top.

The Oh No He Didn’t WAZZUP award goes to Regan Smith, driver of the #78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet. After being caught for speeding on pit road, Smith came back to serve his drive through penalty and, you guessed it, was nailed for speeding on pit road again. He wound up with a frustrating 26th place finish three laps down.

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HOORAH to Kyle Busch for winning Saturday’s Dover 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Busch led 192 of the 200 laps for his 11th win of the season in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He also rewrote another page of the series’ history. He broke the all time series’ win record for a single season held for many years by series’ icon Sam Ard. Joey Logano, Busch’s Gibbs Racing team mate, finished second and marked the 11th time Gibbs Racing has finished one-two in a Nationwide Series event.

For many years NASCAR’s second tier racing series was known as the Busch Series because of long time sponsorship from Busch Beer. In recent years the name was changed to the Nationwide Series when the well known insurance company became the title sponsor. With the numbers and records Kyle Busch has established in such a short amount of time, one has to think the name should be changed to Busch’s Nationwide Series.

I totally get that many NASCAR fans simply doesn’t like this driver. To be honest, I really don’t see myself joining his fan club anytime soon. But I have to be completely honest here when I say that Kyle Busch is simply one of the best things that has joined NASCAR in quite a few years. The numbers he’s compiled certainly supports that theory.

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HOORAH to young Austin Dillon for winning Saturday’s Smith’s 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The rookie sensation started the race from the pole and led 93 of the 146 laps on the way to his second win of the year.  During the dominant performance Dillon finished a whopping six seconds over runner up Johnny Sauter.

This Las Vegas win was some good medicine for his team owner and grand father Richard Childress who had a very tough week due to aforementioned problems with one of his Sprint Cup teams. In addition to making grandpa proud, Austin Dillion has clearly proved that he is the future of the family business.

HOORAH to Todd Bodine whose fourth place finish padded his series points lead. It also moves him closer to his second series championship.

Bodine gets another HOORAH for a great line from a post race interview. Bodine said “this is Las Vegas and my wife, Janet, bet on Austin Dillon so now we get to go collect her winnings.”

Dover International Speedway, also known as The Monster Mile has been known as one of the toughest and most physically demanding tracks on the Sprint Cup Circuit. The track lived up to it’s moniker Sunday afternoon during the AAA 400, striking some of the sport’s most popular drivers and possibly ending the title hopes of others.

After Sunday’s race there were some drivers who left the track scratching their head and wondering what might have been.

AJ Allmendinger surprised everyone on Friday when he qualified second, and backed up the excellent effort by leading 143 laps on Sunday during the race. AJ appeared to have the strongest car until a flat tire forced him to pit while leading and losing two laps in the process. Allmendinger was unable to lead or find the top-five again after the disappointment, but did rally back to finish 10th.

Leading up to Dover, Clint Bowyer dominated the headlines earlier in the week after winning the first race of the chase at New Hampshire and catapulting to second in the points standings. The positive vibes quickly came to an end a few days later when the winning car was confiscated by NASCAR and found to be illegal at their R&D Center in Charlotte. Bowyer was docked 150 points, his crew chief Shane Wilson suspended for six races and fined $150,000 and car chief Chad Haney also suspended for six races. The penalty erased Bowyer’s jump to second in points and dropped him back to 12th- over 160 points behind the points leader.

The negative vibes continued at Dover as Clint struggled in practice on Friday and qualified 24th; and in the infield media center where he and Richard Childress racing were the center of a media frenzy and a war of words with fellow competitors.

Sunday proved no better for Bowyer, who finished the worst among chase drivers after hitting the wall midway through the race and sustaining damage to the right side of his car. Clint went on to finish 25th and finds himself 235 points behind holding down the 12th spot in the points standings- with his title hopes seemingly down the drain.

Matt Kenseth, who had the best average finish among all Sprint Cup drivers coming in to Dover and was a favorite to win the race, struggled as well. Kenseth suffered a flat tire during the race and sustained significant left-front damage. Matt rallied back from adversity, but only managed to finish 18th and is now 11th in points standings- over one race behind points leader Denny Hamlin.

After running out of fuel while leading with two laps ago last week and finishing 24th, Tony Stewart struggled the entire weekend at Dover. Stewart was only 24th fastest in the opening practice session and qualified 28th on Friday afternoon. During the race, Tony was caught speeding on pit road and found himself two laps down early in the race. Stewart eventually made up one those laps, but wound up finishing 21st. After a tough outing, Stewart is 10th in the standings and 162 points behind.

Although Sunday’s race at Dover lacked the multiple car accidents and extended caution periods that it’s known for, Miles the Monster took a significant bite out of some chase driver’s title hopes. Four of the twelve chase drivers now found themselves over 100 behind points leader Denny Hamlin, and look to get their title runs back on track at Kansas for next Sunday’s Price Chopper 400.

For the latest NASCAR talk and information, you can follow Kyle on Twitter: @TheKyleBrandt

As the inaugural winner of the Kansas Speedway’s first two races in 2001 and 2002, it’s not surprising that four-time champion Jeff Gordon enjoys heading to the Midwest.

In 2001 he led 53 laps in route to his 58th career victory and eventual fourth championship eight weeks later. Gordon then returned in 2002 where he dominated by leading 116 laps before battling Ryan Newman late. It was Gordon’s 61st career win. If career win No. 83 should come this weekend, don’t be surprised if Gordon has another one of those days.

At Dover last weekend, Gordon relieved his Kansas victories.

“I think everybody wants to go to a track, a new market, and win that race,” he said. “I know that certainly was the case for us, we went there excited about a new racetrack and wanting to be the team to figure it out the best and fastest and we did that.”

As the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins to get heated, Kansas will play host to race No. 3. For Gordon it can’t come quick enough as he looks to one of his favorite places to help his Chase chances.

“When you go to a track, a new track, and you win the first two races there it certainly gives you a lot of confidence and makes it one of your favorites right away,” Gordon said.

When the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet team heads to a speedway this weekend though, they’ll be doing so looking for another first: a win in 2010. They started the season in championship form, running and finishing up front even though numerous wins slipped through their fingers.

Currently sitting eighth in points, 83 behind leader Denny Hamlin, Gordon’s ready to make a big statement at a track he says seems like just yesterday opened and is still new to him. The “Drive for Five,” as his fans have adapted to calling it since 2001, is well in reach but Gordon needs to win and win soon if he really wants to apply the pressure to the point leaders.

“I like Kansas, I know that,” Gordon said. “I feel like our mile and a half program is really strong this year. When I look at the 10 races in the Chase, Kansas is one that stands out as one we’re looking forward to going to.”

Good news for Gordon is a performance he had in July at Chicagoland. Chicago is well worth mentioning for two reasons. A sister track to Kansas, success at Chicago can set the bar for a good run later in the year at KS. Gordon was one of the dominant cars in Chicago and was leading late in the going. David Reutimann took the lead and the win from Gordon with 54 laps to go as Gordon finished third.

“We ran well at Chicago and it’s probably the closest track to Kansas on the circuit,” Gordon continued. “I feel like other than Charlotte we’ve been really good on the mile and half’s this year. We recognize we got to get better at Charlotte, but hey I can’t wait to get to Kansas.”

Excitement about going to Kansas is evident in Gordon’s words and face and for good reason. While winning would certainly be great and is the ultimate goal, it’s not the only thing that has gotten the job done for Gordon.

Since Kansas opened, Gordon has scored the most points of any driver with 1,314. Behind Gordon is Tony Stewart with 1,199 points. Stewart is also the only driver besides Gordon who has won multiple races at Kansas.

Heading into the weekend Gordon is sure to be listed as a favorite. In nine races he’s led 157 laps, won twice, has six top fives and seven top 10s. Gordon’s average start is a 9.9 while his average finish is 8.9.

Will this be the time “Big Daddy” strikes big in the Chase? Not that he needs anything else in his favor, Gordon will also enter the weekend with three straight top five finishes at Kansas.

“Even when we’re not at our best it seems to be one of our good tracks,” said Gordon. “I think we’re much better this year than what we’ve been the last couple years.”

The confidence and statistics are clear, all that’s left if for the No. 24 team to do is execute. Throughout the garage drivers readily admit that they run well at tracks they love and for Gordon has played that hand well.

When informed that Kansas would be receiving two dates in 2011 Gordon replied, “Even better,” before lobbying that both races should be in the Chase. One thing at a time however, just as Gordon will take it one race at a time.

Kansas though, could end up being one big race for Gordon and company.

What do NASCAR Chase competitor Greg Biffle, Office Depot and Mike Pagano, proprietor of PaganoPhoto, have to do with potentially solving New Jersey’s fiscal crisis? Well, if Greg Biffle wins the AAA 400 race at the Monster Mile in Dover, Delaware this weekend, Office Depot will make Mike Pagano, a new Jersey small businessman, a millionaire, bringing some much needed income tax revenue to the coffers of New Jersey Governor Christie.

Pagano, who works full-time for the State of New Jersey in the Department of Environmental Protection by day, has been using his evenings, weekends and furlough days to turn his photography hobby into a business. On a lark after listening to an interview with Cup driver Greg Biffle, Pagano entered the Office Depot’s ‘Official Small Business of NASCAR’ Sweepstakes, hoping to bring home the million dollar grand prize.

“Greg Biffle was on the radio talking about this contest going on and said that someone could win a million dollars,” Pagano said. “I was driving down the road but that perked my ears up. I thought ‘I like contests and I’d sure like a million dollars’ so let me look into this.”

“When I got home that day I went on the Office Depot website and signed up for it,” Pagano said. “I sent notes to all my friends on Facebook to nominate me and here I am.”

Pagano is one of two finalists for the Office Depot Small Business of NASCAR award. His competitor for the million dollar grand prize is Rose Berger, owner of Professional Cleaning Service in Greer, South Carolina.

Both finalists have been having the NASCAR time of their lives prior to the second Chase race at Dover International Speedway. The pre-race festivities have been especially enjoyable for Pagano, who has been a NASCAR fan for quite some time.

“The original interest in NASCAR came from our son, who is a high school junior now, back when he was in kindergarten,” Pagano said. “He had a Jeff Gordon little plastic lunch pail and started watching the races. We started watching the races with him and within a couple of years, we were hooked and going to races at Pocono and Dover.”

Pagano, however, has had to switch his allegiance from Jeff Gordon to Greg Biffle as his primary driver. Not only did Biffle’s interview convince him to enter the contest, but Pagano is also paired with Biffle for the contest, who will make Pagano a millionaire if he wins the Dover race.

“It was a random pairing,” Pagano said of his match with Biffle. The other finalist is paired with Tony Stewart and whichever driver finishes ahead of the other will make their small business the final winner.

Biffle, who had dinner with both finalists, as well as Tony Stewart, was pretty stoked about the contest as well.

“This weekend is going to be pretty exciting because Office Depot and 3M have created an incredible opportunity with this year’s ‘Official Small Business of NASCAR’ sweepstakes,” Biffle said. “As a small business owner myself, I want to do a great job for PaganoPhoto, the small business featured on my car, and hopefully give them a shot at the $1 million prize.”

Pagano has been busy prior to the race weekend, appearing on SPEED TV’s NASCAR Race Hub show, as well as visiting the new NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“We were at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and we saw a few videos,” Pagano said. “Every one of the videos was of Greg winning a race so that’s a good sign. Also the last time we were at Dover, Greg won. So I told him at dinner that I was his good luck charm at Dover.”

Pagano and his fellow Small Business finalist will also have some surprises in store at the Monster Mile.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” Pagano said. “All they told me is that we’re watching Nationwide and the Cup race. The rest of the details are hush, hush for now.”

The bottom line, however, is that if Greg Biffle crosses the finish line and takes the checkered flag, Mike Pagano will be $1 million richer. His wife and children will also be joining Pagano for the race experience, although they will be trading their Jeff Gordon gear in for Biffle T-shirts and caps.

“This is as close to a million dollars that I’ve ever been,” Pagano said. If he wins that prize, Pagano plans to sink all of the money back into his photography business, enhancing his digital computer capabilities, as well as increasing the income tax coffers of the State of New Jersey.

While only one small business owner will walk away with the big bucks, both Pagano and Berger are set to receive a $10,000 small business makeover from Office Depot. Each competitor also gets the name of their small business on the back of Biffle’s and Stewart’s race car respectively.

“That was really a cool thing to see,” Pagano said after getting a preview glimpse of his business’ name on Biffle’s car. “I saw a tear in my wife’s eye.”

While Pagano is enthusiastically pulling for Biffle to be in victory lane, Tony Stewart, racing for Rose Berger and her cleaning business is stoked for the competition.

“Building a successful small business takes a lot of hard work,” Stewart, a NASCAR small businessman himself, said. “It’s great to be able to reward small business owners for their dedication.”

“Greg (Biffle) and I are definitely ready to battle it out this weekend on their behalf,” Stewart said. “We both want to deliver the $1 million prize with a win and the bragging rights that come with it.”