Reiser's agony and ecstasy revisited atop No. 99 box

Toyota's first victory in Sprint Cup racing was, uh, a big story last Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

And race winner Kyle Busch, who on a day-to-day basis only continues to build his mark as possibly the most spectacular driver in NASCAR today, was certainly a great chapter.

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You want sideshows? It doesn't get any better than Tony Stewart, after a scintillating on-track performance, launching into a tire-blistering rant, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. playing straight man.

But unfortunately we missed a chance at the best story of the weekend when Carl Edwards' No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford's engine went "poof" with 51 laps to go in the Kobalt Tools 500.

When you talk about Edwards' chance to one-up all the naysayers who rose out of the ground after Lidgate at Las Vegas, this would have been it -- provided his car passed post-race tech.

No offense, Carl, owner Jack Roush and suspended crew chief Bob Osborne -- but you just know NASCAR would've been slathering to get their prying mitts on Roush Fenway's Fusion for the third week in a row following a Victory Lane celebration.

Yep, they would've been good stories, all.

But not as good as if Robbie Reiser could've gone to Victory Lane in his return to the pit box as a crew chief.

Most everyone knows the background on Reiser, a Wisconsin native and hard-core racer who grew up in the sport, drove his family's cars, then teamed with fellow Wisconsinite Matt Kenseth as his car owner in the Busch Series. Then when Kenseth moved up to Cup racing with Roush, Reiser moved up as his crew chief.

They made more than 280 starts as a tandem before Roush decided at the end of 2007 that Reiser would be better utilized in a management position overseeing all five Roush Fenway Cup programs than just Kenseth's No. 17 group.

But getting back on track, and back to Sunday -- I don't know if the part that torched Edwards' engine was worth 50 cents or $50, but I guarantee you it cost us all a million-dollar moment.

Because I've seen few brighter sunrises than Reiser the Racer's face after a victory. For a guy who's usually bulldog-focused, it's a sight to behold.

This is a guy who, if you heard a rattle in his throat in the middle of the night, it's probably lug nuts and fasteners, not phlegm.

Reiser eats, sleeps, drinks and breathes racing; and says as much, even though, as he headed off to his new role after last season -- as a winner, by the way, thanks to Kenseth's victory in the Homestead finale -- he was also craving more time with his family. (Continued)