Thanks to Kansas, the '09 Chase became best Chase

It felt very strange, after an adventurous 22-day stretch on the road, to be at home last weekend for the first time in four race weekends, so it figures an attempt to tick off a great percentage of fans might be in order.

And that's with this statement: Finally, the real Chase is shaping up!

It really is, in my opinion. Because after what I called the best run-up to the Chase, ever, it really appeared to me that this Chase had the potential to be the best of the six we've had so far. That's already ticking people off, I know.

Decided on the box

With pit strategy playing a major role in the first three races of the Chase, David Caraviello says this year's title will be won by team which has its pit gambles work best.

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So after two races, it seemed that we had only a four-horse race comprised of Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Juan Montoya and Kurt Busch. And all of a sudden, with the least bit of a lapse by Martin and Johnson, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and yes, even Jeff Gordon, are right back in it.

I know people love to hate who they love to hate -- so they probably will only keep hating Gordon and not give his words much credence -- but doggone it, even he said that under the old championship format, and particularly after his Kansas win, that Stewart would be on cruise control.

That statement has a lot of validity to it, so please, try to latch onto this Chase format and appreciate it, even if only a little bit?

I say, "so what if nine Chase contenders finished in the top 10 Sunday?" That only proves what everyone should have known by now: They're currently the best teams in the sport.

The race set Kansas records for leaders and lead changes -- and at the end you really didn't know if Gordon was going to catch Stewart or not. That's good stuff.

The most intriguing aspect as this chapter of the Chase closes -- and we won't have an answer until after Fontana this weekend -- or even after that. And that is, what effect did NASCAR's "warning shot" have on the effectiveness of Hendrick Motorsports' lead duo, Martin and Johnson?

Each of them had scored top-four finishes in each of the first two Chase races, and they "faltered" to seventh and ninth, respectively, at Kansas. That's the intrigue that just has to keep you watching at least for one more week, even if it means absolutely nothing.

Reutimann rockin' on

I find no irony in the fact that David Reutimann "called this a breakout season." Reutimann was the only non-Chase driver to finish in the top 10 Sunday (read more). The funny thing is, since the "spat" that Reutimann and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had at New Hampshire, when they both were racing for top-five finishes, Reutimann has handily handled Hendrick Motorsports' No. 4 driver.

It's only two races, sure, but Reutimann has averaged starting ninth and finishing 14.5, while Junior's numbers are 13th and 28th, respectively. The edge that June Bug has is the 41 laps he led at Kansas, but the bottom line is results, and to this point -- in fact all season -- Reuttie has him handled.

Follow the Chase with news and analysis from the track by NASCAR.COM's insiders.

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Mark your calendar

Historic moments are always fun to witness, and in this case plenty of tickets are available -- so if you're going to be anywhere near Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, Oct. 31, put the Mountain Dew 250 on your must-see list.

A Camping World Truck Series event at Talladega is a show, there's no mistaking that. But when you add the fact that, for the first time in the history of NASCAR's three national tours a father-daughter combination will be racing -- that sends it over the top.

Mike Wallace, who had an extremely successful run in the Truck Series back at the turn of the century is fired-up at driving a truck for the ultimate racer, Andy Hillenburg.

And the icing on the cake is his daughter, Chrissy, who's still trying to get her promising racing career off the ground, has a ride in a Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet with Earnhardt Childress Racing Technologies power.

Both trucks plan to race all day but both teams are seeking additional sponsorship to get their drivers a bigger bang for the (sponsors') buck.

Hear, Hear Joey Logano

Joey Logano's Dover flips are probably the most over-played, over-hyped NASCAR event in perhaps the last decade -- not to mention the fact that it emphasized peoples' inability to watch video and count flips. That is, unless they're rounding-off to the highest full number (watch video).

If anyone truly expected that accident to have much effect on Logano's effectiveness, especially considering his age and the avowed aura of invincibility that surrounds the young -- they are more ignorant than they'd want to admit. At the very least, they should have waited a week or 10 days to write about it.

And what was the saddest aspect? That Logano, who scored his long-awaited (for a guy who only has a 32-race Cup career), first Cup victory earlier this summer, would have to say the aftermath of the crash had eclipsed the media storm he experienced following his win.

Oh well, hype will outsell substance every time, I guess.

Biffle's back?

Greg Biffle's third place at Kansas might be the best news yet for Chase watchers -- and it might mean a seventh legitimate contender considering Biffle's California history.

Biffle says, and proving it's never too late, that his Greg Erwin-led team has "found something," and their performance Sunday proved that. Biffle's performance on two tires even provided one of the race's most comic moments.

At one point, as he closely tailed three-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson -- the defending Kansas race winner who had struggled mightily for a long time to get around Biffle despite a four-tire-to-two advantage -- Biffle keyed his radio.

"That's the best driver in the world," Biffle said of Johnson, through a chuckle, "and he can't out-run two tires."

Too bad Biffle didn't listen to Erwin late, when the crew chief wanted to make the two-tire play again.

Just saying

The best radio exchange, which also proved the respect crew chief Brian Pattie and driver Juan Montoya have for each other, came with about 30 laps remaining, when Montoya was complaining about his car's handling.

Pattie begged him to look at the big picture and keep trying, to which Montoya replied, "You wouldn't be saying that if you were driving this." Without hesitating Pattie cracked, "That's why you get paid to drive."

Keep an eye on

Juan Montoya is the only Chase driver to finish in the top five in the past three races. Duane Cross says the question isn't if Montoya can win the title -- it's will he?

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Montoya restarted eighth with 26 laps to go and finished fourth, which prompted Pattie to say post-race that his driver "never lost focus" after Pattie used "code words" to get him motivated.

One more bit of proof that they're legitimate Chase contenders.

Stewart being Stewart

The first thing Tony Stewart said when a TV microphone was shoved in his face Sunday evening after his Price Chopper 400 win was, "Damn right I can win a dirt late model race tonight."

Post-race media obligations made Stewart's prediction that he'd be late to Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway for the Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals true -- but it also proved the grit of Stewart and his teams.

Neither Stewart nor Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Ryan Newman participated in time trials or any heats at Knoxville, but they had a hot lap session and were provisional starts in the A Main.

Stewart blew up on his last hot lap, his crew busted out an engine change and he made the feature lineup in 27th. He raced to seventh, then according to at least one media report, "declined to be interviewed." Newman finished 22nd.

Labonte's heartache

TRG Motorsports pulled another rabbit out of its hat by signing Mahindra Tractors as the sponsor for Bobby Labonte's No. 71 Chevrolet in Sunday's Cup race, but despite the chassis being the newest in the TRG fleet, it all went for naught when Labonte got tied up in the five-car melee caused by Paul Menard's early Turn 2 spin.

Team owner Kevin Buckler said his organization was already talking to Mahindra about some other upcoming deals, so stay tuned.

Kyle Busch Victory Watch

Kansas was the latest low blow for Busch, who dominated another Nationwide race, only to see it slip away with less than 10 laps to go -- for the fourth time this season -- and at the hands of none other than Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano.

"I suck," Busch spat into his radio, which was relayed to the world via ESPN. I beg to differ. Shrub does NOT suck -- Logano is just that good. The more troubling aspect of the weekend is that Busch and Steve Addington were able to make very little good happen in the Cup Series.

So we repeat the phrase, the only plus in Busch's chase to eclipse his 2008 record total of 21 wins (8 Cup, 10 Nationwide, 3 Truck), is that he has plenty of opportunities left to do it -- like another doubleheader this weekend at Auto Club Speedway, where Busch won twice a year ago.

Right now, Busch remains at 15 wins: 4 Cup, 6 Nationwide, 5 Truck. At this point last year Busch was at 19: 8 Cup, 8 Nationwide, 3 Truck, so the biggest question remains -- can they get the Cup program back up to speed?

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.