Johnson moves one step closer to Cup Series history (cont'd)

Bump-and-run thoughts after Martinsville ...

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

Winner

• Denny Hamlin's fifth-place finish was his second top-10 of the Chase (ninth at Loudon). Who'd-a-thunk-it: Jimmie Johnson has more top-10 finishes (6) in the playoffs than Joe Gibbs Racing's three drivers combined -- Tony Stewart (2), Denny Hamlin (2) and Kyle Busch (1).

Loser

• Who could blame Jeff Burton if he lobbied to have Martinsville bumped from the Chase? Two years ago he lost the points lead in this race, and Sunday he dropped to third in points after a 17th-place finish. In three playoff races at Martinsville, his average finish is 23.6.

Lucky Dog

• Greg Biffle worked his way back to the lead lap after a caution on Lap 485 en route to a 12th-place finish. About 150 laps before, he was a lap down in 24th. Biffle led the race early, then fell off the lead lap after pitting under green at the halfway point. In the end, he moved to second in points.

Autostock

Why does this man not have a ride lined up for 2009?

Who's hot

• A.J. Allmendinger -- no, seriously. The victim of crashes in two of his past five starts (spread among three teams), 'dinger has top-16 finishes in the other three races. He finished a career-best 15th at Martinsville. ... It's a crock that he a) lost his ride with Red Bull (if anything it should be a three-car team in 2009 to try to keep pace), and b) still hasn't signed with anyone for next year.

Who's not

• Can it get any worse for Kyle Busch? He has finished 28th or worse in four of the six Chase races, including his 29th-place run on Sunday. He's led 38 only laps in the Chase -- less than he did in 12 races this season. Busch, who still leads the Cup Series with eight victories, is 37 points out of 10th place, the final spot on stage at the year-end awards banquet. (Continued)