Earnhardt speaks volumes but is anyone listening? (cont'd)

Moving on to Phoenix

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

• OK, so the drama is building! Two races remaining! Only 106 points separate leader Jimmie Johnson from second-place Carl Edwards! Phoenix, here we come! ... And yeah, Johnson's 6.0 average finish in 10 races -- including two wins, five top-five finishes and eight top-10s -- leads all active drivers. Edwards' numbers: three top-fives and five top-10s with an average finish of 14.5 in eight starts. But it could happen! The lead could be double-digits heading to Homestead!

Johnson can clinch his third consecutive Cup Series championship at Phoenix; he needs to finish with a 196-point lead over second place. If Johnson leaves Phoenix with a 162-point lead, he would need only to start the season finale at Homestead to clinch the title. (Again, take the green, make a hard left into the grass and cue Kool & The Gang.

There's a party goin' on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times, and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you

Bottom line: If Johnson finishes seventh or better in each of the final two races, he will win the championship no matter how any other driver finishes.

• The great thing about PIR: There's really no clear-cut favorite. Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick lead the pack with two wins. Six drivers have at least five top-five finishes. Fourteen have at least five top-10s. Still, there are those you know will be there at the end. Just don't be surprised if it's Mark Martin. Or Denny Hamlin. Or even Martin Truex Jr.

• Phoenix is one of 12 tracks (seven of which are in the Chase) at which Jimmie Johnson averages a top-10 finish. (Homestead is a woeful 13.4! There is hope for a dramatic finish!)

• After finishing fourth, first and fifth in his first three races at PIR, Bill Elliott has one top-10 finish in his last 16 starts at the track (and none in the past 13).

• I can't believe it's the end of this week's column and there hasn't been a mention of Greg Biffle. He was the runner-up in the fall race at Phoenix last year and finished ninth in the spring. Only four other drivers finished both races in the top 10 in those races: Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. ... and, of course, The Man, The Myth, The Legend -- Jimmie Kenneth Johnson.

And finally ...

According to Stats Inc.: With the upcoming presidential election, the search is on for signs as to who will be our nation's 44th president. One infamous predictor is the Washington Redskins' result in their final home game prior to Election Day.

Between 1936 and 2000, a Redskins victory in their last home game before Election Day meant the incumbent party kept control of the White House. A Redskins loss meant the election went to the party not in power. However, in 2004, the Redskins lost a home game to the Green Bay Packers on the Sunday before Election Day, yet George W. Bush and the Republicans retained control of the White House.

A lesser known predictor of White House triumph belongs to the Cincinnati Bengals. In nine of the past 10 elections, the Bengals have tied their fate to the Democratic candidate.

Since 1968, if Cincinnati won its last contest prior to Election Day, the Democratic contender for the White House also was victorious. If Cincinnati lost its last contest before Election Day, the Democrat also lost. The lone exception came in 1988, when the Bengals defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 6, yet two days later Michael Dukakis lost the election to George H.W. Bush.

The Bengals won on Sunday; the Redskins play on Monday night. Get out and vote on Tuesday.

Lasting image

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Will the real Carl Edwards please stand up?

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.