Busch sets futility mark; Reutimann raises the bar

Eight Chase drivers finished in the top 10 at Loudon -- none named Kyle Busch. For the first time in the five-year history of the Chase, the points leader did not post a top-10 finish in the first playoff race.

• 2004 -- Jeff Gordon, finished seventh
• 2005 -- Tony Stewart, finished second
• 2006 -- Matt Kenseth, finished eighth
• 2007 -- Jimmie Johnson, finished sixth
• 2008 -- Kyle Busch, finished 34th

Busch's woes were attributed to a broken heim joint, which connects the sway bar to the lower control arm.

So you're wondering, what is a heim joint? Wikipedia says:

The spherical rod end bearing was developed by the Germans in World War II. When one of the first German planes to be shot down by the British in early 1940 was examined, they found this joint in use in the aircraft's control systems. The H.G. Heim Company was given an exclusive patent to manufacture these joints in North America, while in the UK the patent passed to Rose Bearings Ltd.

The ubiquity of these manufacturers in their respective markets led to the terms heim joint and rose joint becoming synonymous with their product. After the patents ran out, the common names stuck although "rose joint" remains a registered trademark. Originally used in aircraft, the rod end bearing may be found in cars, trucks, racecars, lawn tractors, boats, industrial machines and many more applications.

• On the other end of the spectrum -- and the results -- was Greg Biffle, a self-proclaimed dark horse in the Chase.

After appearing in Track Smack last week, the Biff posted his fifth victory in Chase races, second-most to Jimmie Johnson (11).

Given the good fortune in the wake of smackin' with the NASCAR.COM crew, there's an open invite to any Chase driver who wants to participate.

However, heading into Dover they should remember: No driver in the Chase has ever won at Dover and gone on to win the championship. The last time a driver won the fall Dover race and the championship in the same season was 1995 (Jeff Gordon).

• Martin Truex Jr. finished seventh at Loudon and this week at Dover has a chance to post consecutive top-10 finishes for the first time since Races 34-36 of 2007. He finished sixth at Dover in June.

• David Reutimann has three top-15s in a row, a first for a Michael Waltrip Racing entry.

• And speaking of MWR, everyone knows longtime sponsor UPS will be delivering for Roush Fenway Racing's No. 6 in 2009. So are NASCAR's small teams feeling the squeeze? Sports Business Journal says yes.

• Back-to-back top-20 finishes for Travis Kvapil, who has run 15 different primary sponsors this year: K&N Filters; Teamyatesracing.com; Zaxby's; Ford. Drive one.; Northern Tool + Equipment; Discount Tire; Lafayette Ford; Lumber Liquidators; Dish Network; freecreditreport.com; California Highway; Hitachi Power Tools; Carfax; Knight Rider; Valvoline.

Nah, there's no squeeze ... (Continued)