Becoming the first driver to earn four victories in NASCAR’s annual All-Star race, Jimmie Johnson surpassed the late Dale Earnhardt and teammate Jeff Gordon to sail into the history books after Saturday’s win.

Already a dominate force at Charlotte Motor Speedway, it was simply just a matter of time before Johnson took his place in the history books for NASCAR’s prize event. Although it looked bleak on Friday, as Johnson overshot his pit stall during his qualifying effort, he quickly regained his control on Saturday and waited patiently to make his moves in the last segment.

With his crew changing four tires in just 11 seconds in the night’s final mandatory pit stop, the perfect execution put Johnson back out on the track in second and beside teammate Kasey Kahne for a battle to the finish and a $1 million dollar payout.

With just 10 laps to go to the finish, Johnson and Kahne battled for just a couple of laps before Johnson stretched out his lead and made Sprint Cup history yet again. No one could catch an almost flawless Johnson, who seems to know the ins and outs of the track better than any on the circuit.

Joey Logano would finish the race in second and Kyle Busch in third. Busch, who won two of the first four segments on Saturday night, was an early favorite, but just lacked the momentum and the time to pass Logano and catch Johnson.  Kahne would finish in fourth and Kurt Busch in fifth. Kurt split the first four segment wins with his brother Kyle, giving one of the Busch brothers a promising look at potentially winning
it all.

But, unfortunately, it was pit stops that seemed to be the turning point. After Saturday’s race, both brothers expressed their disappointment in their finish, blaming less than stellar pit stops for their downfall.

Next week, the Sprint Cup series will return to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600. Johnson won three straight 600 victories from 2003-05, but after the track went through the repaving process, lost his power over the track. Now, working to become the car to beat yet again at Charlotte, Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus stated they are steadily getting back to figuring out the “science” behind the track once again.

Proving that nothing will stop their rise, Knaus has even made three pit-crew changes over the past week.

After Saturday night’s race when asked about his thoughts on where his career stands at this point, Johnson noted that he felt like it was not a question he should answer and feels that he has a lot of years left in his career.

For his fans, that is a thought that is music to their ears and for his competition, probably not the line that they want to hear coming from an already five-time champion.

In a typical Talladega scenario, it was pretty much every man for himself coming down to the green-white-checker finish.

But, for Front Row Motorsports, it was a tale of “David vs. Goliath”, or two David’s in this case, as David Ragan took the checkered flag and a win for one of the smallest teams in NASCAR. Behind him, his teammate David Gilliland finished second and was credited for giving Ragan that last lap push that edged him to victory.

Ragan pulled into victory lane with his second career win, but his first for the underfunded Front Row Motorsports team.

“I’m kind a low-key guy”, said Ragan. “First off, I’ve got the thank the Lord. Without him, nothing is possible. I’ve got to thank my teammates. If it wasn’t for that final push from David Gilliland, I don’t know what to say.”

With most eyes turned towards Matt Kenseth or Carl Edwards, no one saw the Ford teammates linking up and making a charge until the last lap. Battling to the front, there was no stopping the teammates from surging around that final turn, to hold off what was left of a worn field. Rounding out the top five behind Ragan and Gilliland were Edwards, Michael Waltrip and Jimmie Johnson.

After a rain delay brought the race into the final minutes of daylight at a track known mainly for “the Big One”, Sunday’s escapade proved no different. 

With Kenseth, Johnson and J.J. Yeley leading the field with just six laps to go, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. made a move to the outside of Yeley, in a four-wide push only big enough for three. Yeley then slung down in front of Kurt Busch, who went sailing through the air and on to the windshield of Ryan Newman.

Taking out nearly a dozen cars, the crash brought the field down to what would be a short dash to the finish and the plaguing green-white-checker run.

After the late crash, Newman voiced his frustration and called out NASCAR officials.

“They can build safer racecars, they can build safer walls, but they can’t get their head out of their a**** far enough to keep them on the racetrack and that is pretty disappointing”, said Newman. “”I wanted to make sure I get that point across. Y’all can figure out who they’ is.”

His comments did not stop there…

“That’s no way to end a race… That’s just poor judgment in restarting the race, poor judgment,” Newman said. “I mean, you got what you wanted, but poor judgment and running in the dark and running in the rain. That’s it, thank you.”

No stranger to fines with his comments after previous Talladega races, this one will probably be no different.

In an earlier crash caused by Kyle Busch, over 16 cars were damaged after Busch tagged Kasey Kahne and sent both cars into the wall. In a chain-reaction, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick and several others were taken out of contention early on.

Busch later took the blame for causing the wreck. He admitted that it was way too early to be making those types of moves.

Next week, the Sprint Cup series will be in action on Saturday night as they head to Darlington. 

At most short-tracks, “beating and banging” is a given.

Or, so you would think.

For Kurt Busch, he seemed to make rubbing fenders a norm with several drivers coming into the final laps in Saturday’s race at Richmond. Walking away with a seventh place finish, Busch stated that his bumps were merely nothing more than racing and that coming down to the checkered flag was simply a “free-for-all” for all of those involved.

After the conclusion of the race, Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart, all expressed their disgust at Busch’s racing techniques. Although bumping and pushing is a normal occurrence at short-tracks, did Busch take it too far to gain a top ten finish?

According to those three drivers, he did.

Kenseth stated that he felt that Busch simply had one of his “Kurt moments”, after the No. 78 driver bumped him several times after the end of the race. On the final restart, which found Kevin Harvick taking home the checkered flag, Kenseth stated that Busch drove hard into Turn 1, knocking the entire side off of his car.

Stewart, who is no stranger to stating his emotions, echoed that reaction. According to Stewart, Busch slammed into him several times after the race, causing words to be exchanged between the two drivers once their cars were parked at neighboring haulers.

A usually quiet Truex, who was running in the second position early, claimed Busch also would not let off of the gas and got into him. Although Truex stated that he ran Busch hard, he also stated that he ran him clean.

Truex ended his night with a 17th place finish and stated after Saturday, that he would remember that if he finds himself in that position again, he knows exactly what he will do to Busch.

They say that there is more than one side to every story, but with a three to one ratio, it seems like the obvious side is that there was some commonality in the displeasure with Busch. Was it racing? Absolutely. Was it intentional? Who knows.

Next week the action will be taken to the high banks of Talladega. So, will there be retaliation? Maybe.

Although Matt Kenseth compared his victory on Sunday to a game of musical chairs, to the average fan, it looked like a game of complete domination and control from the seasoned veteran.

Although cautions once again played an important factor in this year’s race, it did not seem to phase any part of Kenseth’s game on Sunday.

Looking eerily similar to the March 10 race at Las Vegas, the No. 20 Toyota had to hold off a charging Kasey Kahne before securing a victory. Kenseth is becoming a familiar face at Kansas now, especially since this became his second victory, this time from the pole, at the track since its repaving last year.

This also became the third straight race that a driver has won from the pole.

Dominating early, Kenseth led 110 of the first 111 laps. He then regained the lead with 50 laps to go, after a caution gave him another look at the front. Kenseth was able to pull away from the field on the restart, with Kahne in tow to pull in to second. Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex, Jr. battled for third and fourth, and would keep those positions until the final lap.

Following Sunday’s STP 400, Kenseth stated that although his car was fast, it became hard to pass in traffic. For him, clean air was his friend and became relevant on restarts.

After Sunday, Johnson pulled out to a 37-point lead in the NASCAR standings, over Kahne who is now in second. Keselowski fell to third, after events following last week’s Sprint Cup race resulted in him receiving a 25-point fine. Following the April 13 race at Texas, NASCAR officials took the rear axles from both Penske cars before handing out penalties to both teams. Keselowski has stated that they plan to appeal, but no further information regarding the appeal has been released.

Next week, the Sprint Cup series travels to Richmond, Va., for the Toyota Owners 400.

Although the anticipation had been building after a week off, Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway was surprisingly…tame.

With no revenge taking place or no “heated” battles in the wake of the Tony Stewart vs. Joey Logano vs. Denny Hamlin saga, the race was for the most part quiet and dominated by a tenacious Jimmie Johnson.

Overall, the race was only controlled by three drivers over the 500- lap race. Yes, you heard right, three drivers. Although Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth had a look at the front for a stint, Johnson took complete control for 346 laps, setting a personal best laps led record. Sunday also marked Johnson’s eighth victory at that track.

Leading the final 138 laps and after taking home the pole on Friday, Johnson continued his reign over the weekend and was never lower than fourth in the running order all afternoon. Looking settled, not only did Johnson regain the points lead after his victory, but also catapulted himself into the Martinsville history books with the most wins by an active driver there.

Besides Busch’s 56 and Kenseth’s 96 laps led, Travis Kvapil and Marcos Ambrose were the only other drivers to lead a lap, with one each.

Also leaving a mark on the track, Sunday’s win marked the 20th at Martinsville for Hendrick Motorsports as a whole, giving the team the lead in wins there.

After Sunday, it looks as if Johnson could be bracing for yet another run at this year’s championship. But, the other question is, when has he not been in contention? Looking stable and confident in his team and behind crew chief Chad Knaus, Johnson certainly has the tools and the leadership to get the job done again.

Consistency and steady performance seems to be the name of the game once again for the No. 48 team and with his only less than stellar outing coming at Bristol, Johnson looks poised to be the man to beat so far as the potential top seed in the Chase. Although there is plenty of racing left before it gets down to that point, don’t be surprised to see that Lowe’s Chevrolet take home a few more victories and solidify a top spot.

After a string of solid runs with two wins, landing the top spot in the points four times already and a personal best “laps led” performance this weekend, could “Mr. Five-Time” become “Mr. Six” this year?

My guess, he is headed there.

Although it was Kyle Busch that took the win on Sunday and ended a 31 race drought, all eyes were focused on the last lap sparks that flew between Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Tony Stewart.

After the war of words between the two former teammates last week on Twitter, it seems that the bad blood spilled over on to the track, causing a last lap crash that sent Hamlin to the hospital and Logano into the fire. But, it was not just Hamlin that caught the brunt of a more aggressive Logano, as Tony Stewart found himself in the midst of an on track “incident”.

It was also the pit road confrontation between Logano and a very vocal Stewart, that had the attention of fans and media long after the checkered flag waved.

Although Logano explained to reporters after the race that he was just doing what was necessary in both instances, Stewart certainly had a different view of the situation and had no trouble voicing his opinion of the young driver to anyone that listened.

Hamlin, who was transported to a local hospital after slamming nose first into the inside wall, was kept overnight for precautionary measures.

After Clint Bowyer blew an engine on lap 185, most of the field came in for fresh tires in hopes of being able to make a run for the finish. Busch, who was in the lead at lap 190, paced the field with Logano sharing the front row and brought the field around to battle to the finish. At the time, Stewart and Kurt Busch shared the second row, both looking to make a pass for a possible victory.

However, after Logano threw a block on Stewart and knocked him down to the inside of the track,  the No. 14 car was forced out of contention. Logano was able to slip up beside Kyle Busch for a peek at the lead on lap 194, as Hamlin finally nosed his way into the battle. It was then, just as the cars crossed the finish line to go into the final lap, that Hamlin and Logano bumped, causing the last lap crash and sending Kyle Busch home for the win.

Sunday’s win was also the first win for Joe Gibbs Racing at Auto Club Speedway.

Another big mover on Sunday was Dale Earnhardt, Jr. After bringing home a solid second place finish, Earnhardt Jr. now sits in a 12-point lead over Brad Keselowski in the Sprint Cup points.

Although fans are anxiously awaiting for Martinsville, the Sprint Cup Series will be off next week and resume action on April 7.

Although Bristol is known to fans as “The World’s Fastest Half Mile”, after Sunday, it could be known as “The World’s Most Exciting Half Mile.”

Since Daytona, drivers and fans have complained that the caliber of passing has been somewhat “bland”, but this weekend proves that there is definitely more to the season than what fans have witnessed so far. Thanks to the excitement and interest that Bristol brought this weekend, we finally have our antidote.

With plenty of beating and banging to keep even the most mediocre of fans intrigued, the level of racing this weekend was absolutely stellar. With model short track racing between Kasey Kahne and last year’s defending champion and Bristol winner, Brad Keselowski, fans witnessed several lead changes between the two during the final laps. With the reconfiguration and paving after last year, drivers could actually use the high and low lanes to their advantage, making for better action.

But, the day belonged to Kahne and he knew it. After leading the most laps last week at Las Vegas and finishing second, a win this early in the season on such a critical short track, proves that Kahne is poised for a championship run this season. After Sunday’s win, Kahne stated that he feels “accomplished” and that Bristol is a track that “as a driver really feel like you need to win at.”

Kahne, now seventh in the points standings, had finished no better than fifth in any of his previous 10 Cup races at Bristol. His win is the second for Hendrick so far this season.

Rounding out the top five were Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer. Kyle Busch looked like the early race favorite starting from the pole, but a pit road speeding penalty put him as the last car on the lead lap and ultimately cost him a chance at the win.

After the race, the sparks continued to fly off the track with a post race encounter between drivers Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. No stranger to news and controversy to start the season, Hamlin was confronted by an angered Logano before he could even exit his car. With bad blood boiling over after a “Twitter war” following the Daytona race, it seemed the blood spilled over on to the track yet again on Sunday and further after the race ended.

Logano accused Hamlin of bumping him on the track and decided to try and repay the “bump” after the engines were off. With the exchange of words once again on Twitter Sunday night, it will certainly be interesting to see how the situation and “war of words” plays out on the track.

Speaking of action, the Sprint Cup Series will travel to Fontana for the Auto Club 400 on Sunday. Coverage begins at 4 p.m. on Fox.

After Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Matt Kenseth walked away with the best birthday present a racer could get.

Turning 41 on Sunday, Kenseth scored a win with his new team and Toyota’s first win of the NASCAR season. Kenseth also became only the third driver in series history to win on their birthday.

Three races in, all three makes of the new Gen-6 cars now have a win under their belts.

Still plagued by engine failure in the Daytona 500, several analysts questioned Kenseth’s move from a steady home at Roush Fenway Racing at the end of last season. Over his 13-year run with Roush, Kenseth became a recognizable face among winners in NASCAR’s top level of racing.

But, fortunately, the tables have seemed to turn in Kenseth’s favor to solidify his decision in moving to a new program.

Although Kasey Kahne dominated Sunday’s race early, Kenseth finally made a late race move to take the lead. Not taking tires during the final caution, Kenseth gambled on a risk that eventually worked in his favor.

Kahne chased the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota of Kenseth for the final 20 laps, but never could regain ground. Even though Kahne was running on a fresher set of tires and was better getting out of the corners, he just did not have the momentum to catch Kenseth who was using lapped traffic to his advantage.

Rounding out the top five were Kahne, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards. Because Friday’s qualifying runs were rained out, Keselowski started the race on the pole after positions were determined by last year’s final point standings.

This week, NASCAR will travel to Bristol for a look at their first short track in Sunday’s Food City 500.

At the end of Sunday’s Subway Fresh Fit 500, NASCAR fans finally got to see a move that they have not seen in over 70 Sprint Cup races.

So, what was the big move? A back-flip from Carl Edwards.

You could see the excitement in his face as he finally got to climb back on to the window frame of his No. 99 Ford at the finish line and perform a move that fans, and Edwards, wondered if and when they would see again.

Holding off a persistent Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin on the final laps, Edwards finally took the checkered flag since his last win in Las Vegas almost two years ago. After a string of bad luck and misfortune over last season, many wondered if Edwards still had the “drive”. After Sunday’s race, it was easy to see that he still does.

In Edwards’ second win at Phoenix, many found it ironic that it was also there that Edwards took a win and ended a 70 race winless streak back in 2010.

After a 33rd place finish at the season opener in Daytona, Edwards was excited for his quick rebound and a win in the second race of the NASCAR season. With three laps left and a fast approaching Johnson, a single car wreck from Ken Schrader brought out a late caution and set the field up for a “green-white-checker” finish. Several teams were running low on fuel and a caution meant extra laps and the need to conserve and stretch as much as possible.

Taking his spot on the inside, Edwards got a push from Brad Keselowski on the restart that pretty much set him up for victory. Keselowski later stated that he wished he had taken that push as an opportunity to make a pass on Edwards, but felt like he would have ultimately ended up wrecking him in the process.

Rounding out the top five were Johnson, Hamlin, Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Earnhardt also had a strong car on Sunday leading 47 laps.

Pole-sitter Mark Martin looked strong early and led 75 laps, but fell back in the second half of the race to end with a 21st place finish.

This week, the Sprint Cup Series will roll into Las Vegas for the Kobalt Tools 400, where last year’s winner Tony Stewart looks to defend his title. Coverage begins at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Although dubbed as the “Danica 500″, Jimmie Johnson definitely left his mark after earning his second Daytona 500 victory on Sunday.

In light of Saturday’s horrific Nationwide race, where a last lap accident left several fans injured after Kyle Larson’s car slammed into the catch-fence, Sunday sort of became the “calm after the storm” in a sense. Several wondered if Saturday’s events would leave a negative taste in fans and media on Sunday, but after a long night of repairs and updates, everyone was more than ready to go racing in the 55th running of the Daytona 500.

Although most of the attention was focused on NASCAR’s “it-girl”, Danica Patrick, Johnson was able to make a statement all on his own and bring home a victory for Hendrick and team Chevrolet in the season-opener. After a late race caution, Johnson quickly picked apart the field and brought the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet to the checkered flag. Even more impressive, teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was right behind in a close second.

After creating and having much of the week’s focus on her, Patrick quickly proved her worth to anyone with doubts. Setting yet another milestone in her Sprint Cup rookie season, Patrick led twice for a total of five laps during the 500-mile race to set another record for women in the sport. To solidify her day even more, she stayed within the top 10 for nearly all 200-laps and walked away with an eighth place finish. Commenting on her finish, Patrick stated that she was disappointed with the finish after she was in third when taking the white flag for the final lap. In the shuffle to pass Johnson, she was pushed back in the lead pack.

However, with her performance Sunday, several drivers and analysts alike agreed that she can and deserves to race with the best in the sport.

Overall, Sunday’s race was relatively calm and uneventful, although an early wreck took out several of the field’s top contenders. An early race crash took out the likes of race favorite Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne. 2012 Sprint Cup Champion Brad Keselowski was also involved in that crash, but was able to make repairs and remain on the lead lap. Ironically, it was Keselowski who Johnson would pass for the lead.

For several Toyota teams, hopes of bringing home a season-opening win went up in smoke, as cars for both Michael Waltrip Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing went home early with blown engines.

Next week, NASCAR travels to Phoenix, where Daytona’s winners and losers hope to get a fresh start.