Trucks quietly take lead as landscape gets interesting (cont'd)

It may come down to the supporting casts, and it's there where the fascination and intrigue only magnifies. Team owner Harvick is set to drive one of his Chevy Silverado pickups both this weekend -- a track where he's had a lot of success -- and at Homestead, where KHI will further complicate matters by entering Atlanta winner Ryan Newman, who won in his Truck Series debut.

Maybe the most interesting aspect of the Truck races will be what happens near the end if Hornaday's almost winning and one of his teammates is. That scenario has already cost Hornaday 15 points, when he led the most laps but couldn't beat Newman at Atlanta and finished second.

My bet is those scenarios will be settled behind closed doors well before the green flag. But it'll be interesting at the end of the season if those Atlanta points mean the difference between a championship and second place, and if Harvick still feels the honor of racing to win counts for more than the championship.

And for the bottom line on Phoenix, vis-a-vis the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series championship races -- well, it'll be a darned sight clearer after this weekend than it is right now. How's that for not going out on a limb?

A few weeks ago, that someone would have to step up and take control of the Sprint Cup race from Jimmie Johnson was obvious, and despite not having Johnson's title-winning history, Clint Bowyer was in a similar position in the Nationwide Series.

A week or two ago, those two title races seemed a lot more clear-cut than they do now.

But Carl Edwards, who right now is the archetype short-track racer made good at the pinnacle of the big leagues, has managed to set both series on their collectives ears by winning three of the last four races and finishing second in the other, Kyle Busch's record-tying 10th Nationwide Series score this season.

And that leaves the door open for a prediction that has to be made.

Edwards will win one of the two championships, or something stunning will prevent it.

And in the end, that's what's going to keep a lot of people coming back for more, from all three series, in the months to come.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.