Biffle takes checkers again but still can't take top spot (cont'd)

In case you missed it ...

• Mark Martin's fourth-place finish at Dover was his 21st top-five and 28th top-10 at the track. He's finished fourth in three of the past four fall race at Dover. His other finish: 14th.

Date	Track	Time	TV
Sept. 14	Loudon	1 p.m.	ABC
Sept. 21	Dover	1 p.m.	ABC
Sept. 28	Kansas	1 p.m.	ABC
Oct. 5	Talladega	1 p.m.	ABC
Oct. 11	Charlotte	7 p.m.	ABC
Oct. 19	Martinsville	1 p.m.	ABC
Oct. 26	Atlanta	1 p.m.	ABC
Nov. 2	Texas	3 p.m.	ABC
Nov. 9	Phoenix	3 p.m.	ABC
Nov. 16	Homestead	3 p.m.	ABC

All times ET

• Michael Waltrip's 10th-place finish was his best showing since Loudon in June (second in a rain-shortened event). Waltrip Racing now has four consecutive top-15 finishes (David Reutimann at Fontana, Richmond and Loudon; Waltrip at Dover).

• Dave Blaney finished 12th, his best run since a ninth-place finish at Dover in June. It was the No. 22 Toyota's third top-15 of the season.

• Ryan Newman finished 13th for his first lead-lap finish at Dover since June 4, 2007. In contrast, he posted seven top-10 finishes in eight starts from 2002-05.

• Bobby Labonte's 14th-place finish was his second consecutive top-15, his best two-race stretch since Loudon (10th) - Daytona (13th). The No. 43 has 10 top-15s this season; it had eight last year.

• Casey Mears finished 15th and now has top-15 runs in three of the past four races at Dover. That's not too shabby for a guy who failed to finish on the lead lap in his first five starts at the track.

Moving on to Kansas

• Camping World RV 400 presented by Coleman | 1 p.m. Sunday | ABC

• Kansas arguably is Matt Kenseth's worst track: two top-10s (and only three lead-lap finishes) in seven starts with an average finish of 22.1 (lowest of all Cup tracks).

• On the other hand, Clint Bowyer enjoys the home cooking: two top-10s and a 5.5 average finish in two starts.

• Jeff Gordon is the only driver with multiple wins (2) at the track, so that notion of it being a three-driver championship run may get put to the test this weekend.

• Tony Stewart and Gordon each have a series-best five top10s at Kansas. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson have four.

Lasting image

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Engine failure left Kyle Busch 43rd at Dover -- and last in the Chase standings. His reply: "We're out of the title hunt."

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.