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Hot 20 – Kurt is King heading to Atlanta, but beware the Jungle Cat in the No. 1

It is expected. The standings look weird. With bonus points from the Duels and the demo derby that was the Daytona 500, some wound up with more points than anticipated, and some got far less. Even though the math was there to see, the winner of the season opener actually not on the top of the charts, things did not get that weird.

Our Hot 20 after Daytona…

1. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN – 56 PTS
Two years ago, he had the wrong girl and got banned. Today, he has the right one and a trophy.

2. RYAN BLANEY – 44 PTS
Iconic car, second generation Cup driver, a satisfying result.

3. JOEY LOGANO – 43 PTS
I am just one conversation over beers from being his greatest fan. Alas, it has not yet happened.

4. KEVIN HARVICK – 42 PTS
Move to Ford does not seem to have a negative effect on at least a couple SHR drivers.

5. A.J. ALLMENDINGER – 39 PTS
Not fast, but third last Sunday. Docked points after the Duels, yet sits fifth in the standings.

6. ARIC ALMIROLA – 37 PTS
Seeking to rebound after a miserable 2016. So far, so good.

7. KYLE LARSON – 36 PTS
If Smokey Yunick was his crew chief, he would have won…before he got disqualified.

8. DENNY HAMLIN – 33 PTS
With young Taylor a big sister in training, all is good. Very, very good.

9. CHASE ELLIOTT – 33 PTS
Why we should all carry a jerry can of gas while on a long distance trip.

10. PAUL MENARD – 32 PTS
Easy to identify a driver when he has the family named splashed across the hood.

11. TREVOR BAYNE – 32 PTS
Anything in the Top 20 at Atlanta would mark an improvement.

12. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 31 PTS
Not a fan, but if he should crash my party, and brought beers, I think I would be. Brad?

13. KASEY KAHNE – 30 PTS
Winless in 84, fourth on the team popularity charts, yet had a better start than Junior and Jimmie.

14. MICHAEL WALTRIP – 29 PTS
One final bow after his curtain call.

15. MATT DIBENEDETTO – 28 PTS
Clint, Junior, Rowdy, and Jimmie were among those who stepped aside to make room.

16. AUSTIN DILLON – 28 PTS
Now he knows how Kurt feels. Darn younger brothers, anyway.

17. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 24 PTS
Did someone mention fuel?

18. RYAN NEWMAN – 22 PTS
When I read that Ryan Newman is rumored to be dating Steven Perry, I got confused.

19. MICHAEL MCDOWELL – 22 PTS
Have you noticed that in a fuel mileage race, it is always best to have enough fuel? Funny, eh?

20. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 22 PTS
Jamie the Jungle Cat attacked anything that moved. Might he be on the prowl again in Atlanta?

March 1, 2017
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Daytona

Note: The notes in this article are fictional.

1. Kurt Busch: Busch passed Kyle Larson on the final lap and won his first Daytona 500, finally snagging victory after three runner-up finishes.

“Rob Gronkowski predicted I would win on Sunday,” Busch said. “And he was right. Gronk also correctly predicted that he would finish in the 69th position.

“I thought after coming so close three times that I would never win. But I know more than anyone about putting your past behind you.”

2. Ryan Blaney: Blaney captured second in a wild final lap at Daytona, as several front runners ran out of gas, while Kurt Busch took the win.

“In case you didn’t know,” Blaney said, “my father is Dave Blaney. But I refuse to let that hold me back.”

3. AJ Allmendinger: Allmendinger started 38th at Daytona and finished third for his best ever finish in the 500.

“I think Monster Energy is a great new sponsor for the Cup series,” Allmendinger said. “I’ll say this for Monster Energy drink and the Monster Energy girls–they both have great cans.”

4. Aric Almirola: Almirola finished fourth at Daytona in the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford.

“I’m proud to represent the ‘King,” Almirola said. “But I’m not sure Richard would recognize the state of NASCAR today. Did you hear the language during Michael Waltrip’s ‘Grid Walk?’ I think the phrase ‘kick your ass’ was uttered at least three times. In the King’s day, when the term ‘kick your ass’ was uttered just three times, that meant Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison were on speaking terms.”

5. Paul Menard: Menard finished fifth at Daytona despite running out of gas on the last lap.

“You saw a lot of drivers short on fuel,” Menard said. “Kurt Busch wasn’t one of them. And he certainly wasn’t short on Energy. Monster Energy, that is. Monster Energy is bringing excitement and unpredictability back to the sport. You could say they’re taking the sport back to its roots. They’re even delving into the moonshining business with a product called ‘Monster Mash.’”

6. Joey Logano: Logano led 16 laps on his way to a sixth-place finish in the Daytona 500, and was one of four Fords in the top six.

“I’m just happy I made it to the finish,” Logano said. “It was a crazy race, with lots of wrecks, and a new stage format that even has a green and white checkered flag. I believe it’s NASCAR’s way of adding some ‘color’ to the sport.”

7. Michael Waltrip: Waltrip finished eighth in the Daytona 500, the top Toyota finisher in the field.

“You probably saw the ‘Grid Walk’ I shared with Rob Gronkowski before the race,” Waltrip said. “I don’t think Gronk interviewed a single driver. He did, however, interview every single Monster Energy girl. I give Gronk kudos for his investigative journalism because he wanted to get to the bottom of each of them.”

8. Kasey Kahne: Kahne finished seventh in the Daytona 500, giving Hendrick Motorsports its top finish on the day.

“I’m often the overlooked driver at Hendrick Motorsports,” Kahne said. “But keep in mind, there’s a difference between the forgotten driver and the forgetting driver.”

“Dale Earnhardt Jr. was involved in a crash late in the race when he hit Kyle Busch. Dale is perfectly okay, though, and he’s still this sports most popular driver. And that means he’s selling more merchandise than any other driver. That’s not unusual, that’s just concession protocol.”

9. Kyle Larson: Larson took the white flag in the lead at Daytona, but ran out of gas soon after, settling for a 12th-place finish.

“I didn’t win,” Larson said, “but I’m happy I had a chance to win. So my disappointment is outweighed by my optimism. In other words, I’m a ‘glass half full’ guy even when I’m a ‘tank totally empty’ guy.”

10. Chase Elliott: Elliott started on the pole and led with three laps remaining before he ran out of gas. He finished 14th.

“I’m awfully disappointed,” Elliott said. “I thought the No. 24 NAPA Chevrolet had the speed to hold off my competitors with ease. Honestly, I felt like I was ‘coasting.’ Unfortunately, I actually was coasting.”

February 28, 2017
Hot 20 – The preliminaries are over and it is now time to get racing for real at Daytona

Sorry, but this column is arriving a day later than my usual Thursday date. Of course, it has something to do with the race that gives me the data to mess around with did not take place until Thursday. It is not my fault.

So, why do I feel so impelled to share my witticisms when I could have just taken the day off? Well, for the first time since 1982, I can discuss who the hottest drivers are leading into the Daytona 500. Prior to this, there were no points, no benchmarks as to who was hot and who was not, other than to discuss the Daytona weather. I can tell you, sometimes that is not hot at all. I froze my arse off watching Kevin Harvick win the damn thing 10 years ago.

No, this year we have drivers who have earned points that reflect in the standings, thanks to the awarding, for the first time ever, points for the Duels. Winning one of them has meant that a pair of drivers will enter the Daytona 500 as the co-points leader with the chap who won the other Duel. Only was 10th? You have a big point already in the bank account, along with that 10th place driver over in the other Duel.

Without any further adieu, here are our Hot 20 as determined yesterday on the track as they prepare for Sunday’s Daytona 500.

1. Chase Elliott – 10 pts
What was the name of that guy he replaced?

1. Denny Hamlin – 10 pts
Obviously, does not mind hurting the feelings of Junior’s fans.

3. Clint Bowyer – 9 pts
Good things happen when you have a good car to do them in.

3. Jamie McMurray – 9 pts
Is this the year for Dimples to shine?

5. Kurt Busch – 8 pts
Newly married and being sued. Being Kurt is not boring.

5. Kevin Harvick – 8 pts
His backup driver won’t be five until July.

7. AJ Allmendinger – 7 pts
Like a magician, he appeared out of nowhere.

7. Brad Keselowski – 7 pts
First career Cup win was at Talladega, so of course, he did well here.

9. Austin Dillon – 6 pts
Driving under the right number to do great things.

9. Matt Kenseth – 6 pts
Only member of that old Roush gang still competing.

11. Trevor Bayne – 5 pts
It has been six years since his lone Cup win at…where was that again?

11. Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 5 pts
It has been awhile, but this guy seems rather familiar.

13. Danica Patrick – 4 pts
Between her and Ricky, 301 Cup starts, zero wins. The time is now.

13. Martin Truex Jr. – 4 pts
New season, new teammate, but 2016 results were not bad, either.

15. Ryan Newman – 3 pts
Good thing one wins by a fender, not by a neck.

15. Aric Almirola – 3 pts
Teammates…he don’t need no stinkin’ teammates.

17, Joey Logano – 2 pts
What is not to love about Joey…oh, let me count the ways.

17. Kyle Larson – 2 pts
If he keeps over the wall crew within acceptable numbers, he’ll be okay.

19. Cole Whitt – 1 pt
The lad is a ginger, and I’m not lion.

20. Ty Dillon – 1pt
First time ever on this chart. Take a bow, young man.

February 24, 2017
Logano Wins ‘The Clash’ Thanks to Final Lap Crash

Joey Logano capitalized on Denny Hamlin making contact with teammate Brad Keselowski on the final lap to win The Clash.

With 11 laps to go, the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas were in control and the rest of the field struggled to form a strong outside line. The field was almost single-file with five to go.

With four to go, however, Keselowski, Logano and Kevin Harvick made their way up the outside. Kyle Busch, who was fourth in the Gibbs line, succeeded in splitting Harvick from the Penske duo but found himself split from the Gibbs breakaway.

Working together the next two laps, Keselowski and Logano split Matt Kenseth and Daniel Suarez from Hamlin. He was all by himself and set up for the Penske teammates to draft right by him.

Going into Turn 1 on the final lap, Keselowski, charging with a full head of steam, dove under Hamlin for the position. Hamlin came down to block, but came across the nose, got loose and turned himself sideways.

Hamlin, who finished 13th, was asked afterward what he’d do differently if given the chance.

“There’s really not much I can do differently at the end. Perhaps staying in the middle lane there through one and two and trying to side draft,” Hamlin said. “He (Brad Keselowski) had help from the 22 (Joey Logano). I was in a bad spot there. He was just coming so much faster than what I was. There’s not much that I could have done to defend. We lined up so well as Toyota teammates throughout the race that once those guys started breaking that up and leap frogging, he (Keselowski) had commitment from the 22 and the 4 (Kevin Harvick) and when they were able to back up there that really put us at a speed differential.”

Logano drove to the high-side of Hamlin and Keselowski and then drove on to score the victory.

“It’s cool to win the Clash,” Logano said in victory lane. “We came close last year and it’s really neat to be in Victory Lane and a good start to our day.

“The Toyotas are so selfless, I guess is the way to look at it. They are able to work together and think of one car of winning, and they’re really good at that. We had to think the same way as Ford and with Stewart-Haas and the Penske cars and we were able to get a good enough run to work together enough to break them up and make the passes and then there at the end was kind of a mess,” he said on what he saw at the end. “Everything was going really fast. Everything was going on and I was just in the right place at the right time.”

Coming to the line behind him, Busch and Alex Bowman made contact exiting Turn 4. Busch edged him out to the line to finish runner-up.

After the race, Busch and Bowman had a heated conversation on pit road.

“When the 22 (Joey Logano) got so far out in front that he was a lone duck…I feel like if we both could have worked together then we could have tracked them back down and then the three of us could have gone for the win instead of just automatically giving it to the 22,” Busch said on what he said to Bowman. “Just trying to see what his mindset was with it all and figure out what got him to that decision. Overall, good day and I need to eliminate some mistakes here for myself on this M&M’s team – the guys did a great job, the guys executed really well. I have a really fast car so I can’t say enough about my guys at Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota – everybody’s done a really good job and we have some good stuff. It’s cool to be able to have the opportunity to race for a win like that, but it kind of snuck away from us there at the end. All in all, real pumped for the opportunity to qualify later and we’ll see where we stack up and get after it next week.”

“It was frustrating,” Bowman said. “We kind of struggled all day, a little bit. We couldn’t get the track position we needed. To come home third is solid, and not bad by any means. We will learn from it and hopefully give Greg (Ives, crew chief) and Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) some information for the Daytona 500. It is a day race. I am just happy to be a part of the Clash.

“It wasn’t a bad day by any means. It was all we could hope for. To come home third is really gold. Just thankful for the opportunity to drive this thing. Had a lot of fast Chevrolet’s out there for Hendrick these 12 races. Just very thankful for the opportunity.”

Danica Patrick came from 10th on the final lap to fourth.

Harvick rounded out the top-five.

On the 17th circuit of the race, Jimmie Johnson’s car broke loose exiting Turn 4, turned down and clipped the right-rear corner of Kurt Busch’s car, sending him head-on into the outside wall.

On lap 50, Johnson’s car broke loose again exiting Turn 4. This time there wasn’t a car below him as he slid down the track and collected the wall head-on.

“It’s bizarre because it drove really good everywhere else, then off of (Turn) 4 the first time I had a handling problem was when it broke free and I got into the No. 41 (Kurt Busch) and then after that, it was really loose. After that caution and the last long stretch before I crashed again, just off of Turn 4, the Sun certainly sits on that edge of the track a little bit harder than anywhere else,” Johnson said of the two wrecks in which he was involved. “We will take some notes and learn from those mistakes and apply that to the (Daytona) 500 car.”

With 17 laps to go, Martin Truex Jr. was drafting with Harvick going into Turn 3 when he came across the nose of Kyle Larson and got turned. He spun out a few times before making contact with the wall. This brought out the race’s fourth caution and set up the 11-lap run to the finish.

Truex clipped Chris Buescher’s car when Buescher drove to the high side to avoid him.

The race lasted an hour, 18 minutes and 13 seconds at an average speed of 143.831 mph. There were six lead changes among four different drivers and four cautions for 16 laps.

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February 19, 2017
Media Tour – Team Penske’s Logano and Keselowski Look Forward to 2017 Changes

One thing is certain. Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are sure-fire bets to be championship contenders in 2017. They sat down with the media at the CMS Media Tour Wednesday and gave their thoughts on a variety of subjects. The two drivers won seven races in 2016 (four by Keselowski and three by Logano) and Logano just missed the championship when he and Carl Edwards got together on a late restart. Logano finished second to Jimmie Johnson in the championship run. He believes NASCAR’s new points-for-winning-stages approach provides the nine-year veteran with a golden opportunity to capture his first series title.

“I know it’s going to be the right thing for the sport,” Logano said. “Every lap became more important. Every race became way more important and that’s good for everyone. The way this whole format is structured is for a reason, for everyone to race hard and put on a great race for our fans. I don’t see anything but good things coming out of it so I’m really excited about everything coming up for this sport.

“It plays to the person’s advantage who takes the opportunity ahead of him. When there are changes like this, the first person who figures it out is going to have a huge advantage. If you can get some bonus points early in the year it sets you up well for when you get to Homestead.“

Keselowski, the 2012 series champion, won four races last year but wound up 12th in the standings after an up-and-down 10-race playoff. An enhanced format, Keselowski said, “re-fosters the connection between the regular season and the postseason.”

“It’s important from the teams’ and drivers’ sides because it keeps us honest,” he added. “It keeps us from, not necessarily taking races off but keeping us from saying, ‘Let’s not take our best car to this race.’ Our fans deserve to know that whatever they see on the weekend is guaranteed to be important. As drivers, I think you’re going to see more of a desire and an anger factor when things don’t go your way in the regular season.”

Keselowski was part of the team of drivers, owners, track executives, team executives, and NASCAR who devised the new format.

Logano was asked if the boos he hears at introduction bother him.

“I secretly love it. Don’t tell anybody. In all honesty, yeah, I would rather be loved than hated but I would rather them say something than nothing. In all honesty, Martinsville is the race track that I think they dislike me the most. I can tell usually by the pick-up truck ride and counting the number of birds I get. All I can think of is how cool it would be to win there and do a big burnout. That would be the coolest. That is motivation to me. I do like that people like me and my fans that support me as a person and as a race car driver.”

Keselowski, the 2012 champion, hasn’t made it to the final four since he was holding the trophy at Homestead a little over four years ago. How does this format, which he had a hand in, help him?

“The format changes, I’m not looking to take any credit publicly or otherwise for getting anything changed here. There was a lot of collaboration. There were certainly some things that some people pushed for harder than others, but I don’t want to get into the credit and blame game of what works and what doesn’t work.

“What stood out to me is when people don’t like something it’s like 100 percent negative feedback, but when the majority likes it, and the minority dislikes it, it’s about 50 percent, so what stood out to me is the feedback has been about 50 percent, which tells me the majority likes it and is gonna give it a shot. That’s extremely encouraging to me.

“Of course, there is always a resistance to change. I think a lot of people want to see it in action, and that’s great. The people that want to see it in action, I am 100 percent convinced they’re gonna like what they see and it’s gonna work out well. The people that are willing to give it a shot, I think are gonna fall back in love with NASCAR.”

January 26, 2017
Hot 20 – If dreams do come true, why not a Dale Earnhardt 500 at Talladega?

With more than a month left in the old year, talk about the new is already starting to dominate. Tony Stewart is now retired, with Clint Bowyer no doubt thrilled at the chance to get back into quality equipment as his replacement. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is getting ready to return to racing, though that message from fiance Amy Reimann seems to indicate he never really left. Greg Biffle has left Jack Roush after all these years, with his old ride apparently being put on blocks for next season.

Dear NASCAR: Please start branding your races so they might one day become stand alone marquee events. Along with the Daytona 500, the Southern 500, and the Brickyard 400, change it back to the World 600 at Charlotte and summertime should mark the Firecracker 400 at Daytona. While we are at it, who would not want to win at Talladega, taking the Hellmann’s Dale Earnhardt 500, or STP’s Richard Petty 500 at Martinsville? A Ridgeway grandfather clock with the King’s face on the face. Hey, it is not our circus, but we have grown fond of some of the monkeys.

Jimmie Johnson has another trinket to keep polished. NASCAR, in its stupidity, has few iconic events, we know, but Johnson has won them all. Daytona 500? Twice. Southern 500? Twice. World 600? Four times. Brickyard 400? Four more. Ten-time winner at Dover. Nine at Martinsville. Did anyone mention seven Cup championships? Is it too early to wonder about an eighth? Jimmie Johnson is a living, breathing active iconic legend of the sport. Enjoy him while we can.

Most athletes are done by the time they hit 40. NASCAR is lucky in that way, but even at that age folks start asking the drivers “how much longer?” once they hit the milestone. Johnson, Junior, Biffle, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick have already reached the peak of that mountain. The good news is that young gents such as Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Dillon have already arrived, with Ty Dillon coming soon, along with the likes of Erik Jones and Darrell Wallace Jr. Those are just the ones with decent rides, either at this level or the one just below. Like XFINITY champ Daniel Suarez, for instance.

Elliott, Cup’s top rookie, turns 21 within the week. There are 50 drivers younger than him with some experience in the Cup, XFINITY, Camping World, or ARCA series. Harrison Burton finished 22nd in a truck race, third in an ARCA event. Jeff Burton’s boy turned 16 in October. Cole Custer does not turn 19 until January, yet was 10th best in the trucks this season, with a pair of XFINITY Top Tens to his credit in just five attempts. Tomorrow’s stars are coming.

Let us not rush things, though. 2016 gave us a nice mix of seasoned veterans and fuzzy-cheeked talent, as our Hot 20 bears out.

1. JIMMIE JOHNSON (5 WINS – 11 T5 – 16 T10) 5040 PTS
Gunning for eight in 2017. What, too soon?

2. JOEY LOGANO (3-16-26) 5037 PTS
I will never forget what he and Brittany did to honor the family of Jake Leatherman.

3. KYLE BUSCH (4-17-25) 5035 PTS
If NASCAR was Canadian, would Kyle be sponsored by Smarties?

4. CARL EDWARDS (3-9-18) 5007 PTS
Not at the front of the field in the end, but left as the class of the field.

5. MATT KENSETH (2-8-19) 2330 PTS
With the Biff leaving, that ole Roush gang have now all departed for greener pastures.

6. DENNY HAMLIN (3-12-22) 2320 PTS
Average finish over the final 21 races was 8.5. Thirtieth at Charlotte ruined everything.

7. KURT BUSCH (1-9-21) 2296 PTS
Was better in the first half than the second. The good news is that 2017 begins with the first half.

8. KEVIN HARVICK (4-17-27) 2289 PTS
Best damn driver in NASCAR this season is a champion…just not for this year.

9. KYLE LARSON (1-10-15) 2288 PTS
Second-best 20-something driver this season, and seems to have designs on #1 in the next.

10. CHASE ELLIOTT (0-10-17) 2285 PTS
Not all Rookies of the Year are stellar choices, but this one most definitely is.

11. MARTIN TRUEX JR. (4-8-17) 2271 PTS
Next year, Erik Jones becomes his new teammate. If the boy wins, soda pop for everyone.

12. BRAD KESELOWSKI (4-16-22) 2267 PTS
Brad does not think the format led to great racing last week. Brad did not have my television.

13. JAMIE MCMURRAY (0-2-12) 2231 PTS
Joined by Larson, McMurray gave boss Chip Ganassi a pair in the Top Five last Sunday.

14. AUSTIN DILLON (0-4-13) 2223 PTS
Some wags figure if Woody from Toy Story drove in NASCAR, he would look a lot like Austin.

15. TONY STEWART (1-5-8) 2211 PTS
As iconic as Johnson, Petty, Earnhardt, Gordon, L. Petty, Pearson, Yarborough and Waltrip

16. CHRIS BUESCHER (1-2-2) 2169 PTS
Proof that one race can make a season.

17. KASEY KAHNE (0-3-13) 898 PTS
2004’s top rookie teams with a seven-time champ, a 13-time most popular, and 2016’s top rookie.

18. RYAN NEWMAN (0-2-10) 895 PTS
If he had actually been driving a Caterpillar, the car would have looked better after last Sunday.

19. A.J. ALLMENDINGER (0-2-9) 830 PTS
If getting the wave around works good enough to claim eighth at Homestead, why not?

20. RYAN BLANEY (0-3-9) 812 PTS
Turns 23 on New Year’s Eve. Talk about welcoming in a new year twice at the same party.

November 23, 2016
The Final Word – As it all went to crap for Edwards, Johnson rolls a seven in NASCAR finale

It was down to four as NASCAR made its final stop of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Two champions had already been declared, with Johnny Sauter taking the truck title, with the junior circuit claimed by Mexico’s Daniel Suarez. Now it was down to Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Joey Logano to determine the Cup championship.

Three-time champion Tony Stewart was the other driver who mattered. After 618 races, three championships, one more as a car owner, and with an IndyCar crown in the mix, he was stepping out as a driver to become a full-time team owner. As the laps went by, it became obvious this, like so many others in recent memory, was not going to be his day. That day could come next season if his drivers do well, and definitely will arrive soon enough when the Hall of Fame welcomes him.

Within 60 laps, our contenders were all in the Top Five, along with Kevin Harvick, who at the time was leading the pack. It was obvious all those who mattered would be vying not only for the title but the win. It all depended on fate. Even so, if bad things happened early enough, they could be overcome. Johnson started at the rear of the pack due to some unauthorized modifications. No biggie. Kyle Busch came in early for a softening tire to go from being in the Top Five to the Top 20. Not a problem that could not be overcome. The secret was to stay close, and as the laps counted down, they were.

As I’ve mentioned before, I do not watch the races live. I set it up to record, and start it up a couple of hours after the start time. If I had to sit through it live, and all those commercials, I do not know if I could do it. They need to come up with a better plan or surrender their viewership to only the most avid racing buffs. Few others would bother. Few others are these days, or so it appears. Then again, not my circus.

It looked like Edwards, leading the way, might be the guy to beat. He was. Literally. A late caution interrupted the victory parade, and when they came out of the pits Carl led the Fabulous Four, with Logano behind him, two spots ahead of Johnson, with Kyle Busch sitting beside him on the re-start. As they pulled out, Logano attempted to dive down inside of Edwards, who tried to block. They collided, with Edwards slamming into the inside wall. He was done, as the red flag came out for 30 minutes in order to clear the carnage that included a bunch of names that normally would make headlines.

Edwards’ reaction? He walked from the crash site to the pits, explained things to Logano’s crew, shook hands, and continued on to the care center. At a time when some would have went sniveling off to their safe place, that driver showed more class than most have. Than I have. Another season without getting the ring, but he left with tons of respect.

They tried to get things going again, but then Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spun to bring out yet another caution, Johnson was sitting second. As they went one final time for a green-white-checker conclusion, he started on the inside lane, with Logano behind him, but history did not repeat itself. Johnson got tagged by his rival, but that only shot him to the front and that is where he stayed.

Eighty career wins. Seven NASCAR championships. Sometimes life provides something that just makes you feel good. Real good. Homestead delivered just that as the final story of the final chapter of the 2016 season closed the book. Now, it is off to Daytona…in three months.

November 21, 2016
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Homestead

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson held off Joey Logano on an overtime restart and won at Homestead, earning his seventh Sprint Cup championship.

“First,” Johnson said, “I’d like to thank the most important woman in my life. That would be ‘Lady Luck.’

“This race was called the ‘Ford EcoBoost 400.’ I get an ‘echo boost’ when I say ‘Sprint Cup champion,’ because I hear it repeated six times.”

2. Carl Edwards: Edwards was cruising to what appeared to be a championship run at Homestead before a caution flew with 15 laps to go. On the ensuing restart, Edwards dove low to block a charging Joey Logano and spun, first slamming the inside wall and then spinning back into traffic. Edwards’s day was done and his championship hopes were extinguished.

“I was already visualizing my celebratory backflip,” Edwards said. “Instead of a landing stuck, however, it was disaster that struck.”

3. Joey Logano: Logano finished fourth, and second to Jimmie Johnson in the championship race, in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead.

“The wreck with 10 laps to go defined the outcome,” Logano said. “I had a good run on Carl Edwards and he blocked me, spinning himself and causing more wreckage. If I get by him clean, more than likely, I’m the Sprint Cup champion. That would have been my first, and at 23, I would be looking forward to many more Cups, particularly my third. After that, I would have been known as ‘Thrice’d Bread.’”

4. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished ninth at Homestead, posting his 22nd top 10 of the year.

“Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson,” Hamlin said. “He joins Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. as seven-time winners of the NASCAR championship. Jimmie is neither a ‘King’ nor an ‘Intimidator.’ Johnson’s much too humble to have such an audacious nickname. Me and the guys just call him ‘JJ,’ because he’s ‘Just Jimmie.’”

5. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth started seventh and finished seventh in the Ford EcoBoost 400.

“Jimmie Johnson’s seventh Sprint Cup championship is truly an amazing feat,” Kenseth said. “And it also takes amazing fingers to indicate that many championships.”

6. Kyle Busch: Busch finished sixth at Homestead, behind championship contenders Jimmie Johnson, who won, and Joey Logano, who took fourth.

“I really thought Carl Edwards was going to do it,” Busch said. “And I was right, because if you ask anyone about Sunday’s race, especially those on Logano’s team, they’ll say ‘he did it.’”

7. Kevin Harvick: Harvick started on the pole at Homestead and finished third, recording his 17th top five of the season.

“I’m known as ‘Happy,” Harvick said. “But after failing to have a chance to win the championship, friends and colleagues have said I don’t seem like myself. They tell me I’m ‘not Happy enough.’”

8. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 13th at Homestead as Jimmie Johnson took the win and his seventh Sprint Cup championship.

“Tony Stewart raced for the last time in Sprint Cup,” Busch said. “So, we may never see Tony in a Sprint Cup car ever again. I guess Tony’s ‘going away for a long time.’ But let’s be clear, Tony’s not going to jail.”

9. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski was caught up in the Carl Edwards-Joey Logano mix up and finished 35th at Homestead, 11 laps down.

“With no chance to win the championship,” Keselowski said, “I was really disinterested in putting forth my best effort. So, instead of being at Homestead, I would have rather best at home, instead.”

10. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex was collected in a crash with 10 laps to go triggered when Carl Edwards tried to block Joey Logano on a restart. Truex’s No. 78 Toyota ended up in flames and he finished 36th.

“I guess it’s fitting,” Truex said. “We started the Chase For The Cup ‘on fire,’ and ended it that way too.”

November 21, 2016
NASCAR To Blame For Logano/Edwards Incident

That’s a wrap on the 2016 NASCAR season and history was made as Jimmie Johnson tied Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt to become a seven-time champion. It was a huge moment in NASCAR, with plenty of strategy and drama being played out in the closing laps. In the end, Johnson edged out the dominant but snake-bitten No. 42 of Kyle Larson as the race went into overtime.

It was a historic night, and the championship wasn’t decided until the last lap. However, it was the high-pressure atmosphere of the event – win the race, win the championship – that led to the biggest incident of the night, when contact between Joey Logano and Carl Edwards resulted in a huge, fiery accident that ended Edwards’s championship hopes.

Going into the first turn on lap 259, Logano went low to pass Edwards for the lead. However, when Edwards went low for the block, Logano turned him headfirst into the frontstretch retaining wall. Edwards then shot back up the track and into traffic, collecting Kasey Kahne, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., and others.

Many took to social media to express even more disdain towards Logano, while others were quick to build onto Edwards’s admission that he was to blame for the incident. But although it was triggered by Edwards, the ultimate culprit to blame is NASCAR. That’s not saying the evening itself was a bad night. But when put into a situation like Homestead, where whoever wins or places the best out of four drivers is the Sprint Cup champion, things like this are bound to happen. Is it ideal? Absolutely not. It’s unnecessary.

Since the induction of the elimination system in 2014, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch became Sprint Cup champions in dramatic but clean events. Sure, it was exciting. Plus, the best drivers of the season were awarded properly. Also take into consideration that this wasn’t the only championship event to ever happen in NASCAR that the championship contenders were taken out in a crash. Just ask Brendan Gaughan about the 2003 Ford 200 at Homestead.

But to state a fact, it’s unnecessary. There are ways to achieve drama in the sport without sending guys into a catch fence. Resetting the points for the season finale is not one of them. It’s easy to say that Logano and Edwards would have raced like that even if it was under the 2013 Chase format, but that’s unlikely. If anything, those two probably would have raced more conservatively if they knew a title was on the line.

But conservative isn’t dramatic, according to some, and that’s what led to this current format. A format where one wrong move could spell disaster. A format where a slight misstep could mean another year-long wait to contend for a championship. Sure, it could be fun and dramatic, but that shouldn’t have to include airborne cars and cars burnt to a crisp.

It shouldn’t have had to come to this in the first place; the championship decided by some gimmick that’s constantly being overhauled. Maybe that’s spoken with a touch of bias and a bit of nostalgia for the old school formats, granted. But in all honesty, it’s true. The sanctioning body constantly switched out gimmicks instead of sticking to a cut-and-dry format that added prestige to the title “Sprint Cup Champion.”

Will they overhaul it? It’s doubtful. Probably not, to be honest. But this kind of thing was going to happen sooner or later, and instead of trying to avoid it, it now masquerades under “quintessential NASCAR.” It’s a joke, in all honesty. The only good thing to come out of it was Edwards’s stroll to Logano’s pit box to shake the hands of his crew and to take the blame for the incident. A class act, a great show of sportsmanship, and a great way to build goodwill into the new year.

Let’s just hope Homestead 2017 doesn’t see another travesty like this.

November 20, 2016
Hot 20 – And now, the end is near, and so we face the final Homestead curtain

So it ends. Another NASCAR season. A Hall of Fame career for Tony Stewart. The reign of a title sponsor. The wait for another seven-time champion, or a repeat champion, or maybe the crowning of the newest member of NASCAR royalty.

Tony Stewart made his mark as an open wheel champion, and three times he proved to be the season best among those with fenders. One more race, one more chance to grab his 50th career win before he moves on to eventually join the Hall of Fame.

Winston Cup held the rights for more than thirty years. Nextel had it for four, then when they got rolled into Sprint, the Sprint Cup it became for the past nine seasons. That ends at Homestead. Could it be the Monster Energy Cup next season? That remains to be seen.

Will Jimmie Johnson join with two of the sport’s icons and become a seven-time champion? Can Kyle Busch repeat his championship run of last season and claim his second? Can Carl Edwards or Joey Logano finish the climb to the top of the mountain?

The answer comes our way on Sunday at Homestead.

The Hot 20, featuring wins, season-long points, and the official points tallies heading to Homestead.

1. JOEY LOGANO – 3 WINS – 1095 S/PTS – 5000 PTS
The best of the rest remaining in the hunt for the title.

2. KYLE BUSCH – 4 WINS – 1027 S/PTS – 5000 PTS
This seems like a good time to order up a double.

3. CARL EDWARDS – 3 WINS – 997 S/PTS – 5000 PTS
Always a bridesmaid, but will he get the ring this time?

4. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 4 WINS – 963 S/PTS – 5000 PTS
The King and the Intimidator await him as part of a very exclusive club.

5. MATT KENSETH – 2 WINS – 963 S/PTS – 2296 PTS
One mistake from above and his coach turned into scrambled pumpkin pie.

6. DENNY HAMLIN – 3 WINS – 1052 S/PTS – 2288 PTS
Was close when they started at Phoenix, just not close enough when they finished.

7. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN – 1027 S/PTS – 2268 PTS
A win to be in, but there was no room at the inn this time.

8. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 4 WINS – 986 S/PTS – 2266 PTS
Rarely do leaders get penalized for passing the pace car to enter the pits. Last week was different.

9. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 4 WINS – 1083 S/PTS – 2261 PTS
Thought Joey would be a good fit for Penske after leaving Gibbs. It appears he was right.

10. CHASE ELLIOTT – 0 WINS – 936 S/PTS – 2255 PTS
Took over from Jeff Gordon, and still got to race against Jeff Gordon. Sweet.

11. KEVIN HARVICK – 4 WINS – 1120 S/PTS – 2250 PTS
The best over the course of the season, but they do not have a trophy for that.

12. KYLE LARSON – 1 WIN – 890 S/PTS – 2247 PTS
Eneos. If you know who they are, it might be due to this guy.

13. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 0 WINS – S/871 PTS – 2195 PTS
Official points give him 13th. The season-long tally has him behind Kahne and Newman.

14. AUSTIN DILLON – 0 WINS – 873 S/PTS – 2194 PTS
Paint scheme needs to include a pair of Texas longhorns on the hood. Just a suggestion.

15. TONY STEWART – 1 WIN – 623 S/PTS – 2192 PTS
Future Hall of Famer would love to bow out with a 50th victory.

16. CHRIS BUESCHER – 1 WIN – 524 S/PTS – 2152 PTS
One win. The difference between a notable season and finishing 28th in points.

17. KASEY KAHNE – 0 WINS – 894 S/PTS – 894 PTS
On the bright side, his season was better than that of team-mate Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

18. RYAN NEWMAN – 0 WINS – 879 S/PTS – 879 PTS
Stewart will soon be going, just not to where Newman once suggested he go to.

19. RYAN BLANEY – 0 WINS – 797 S/PTS – 797 PTS
It comes down to this….Ryan or A.J. for 19th.

20. A.J. ALLMENDINGER – 0 WINS – 797 S/PTS – 797 PTS
Might have a teammate, at least for a few races, next season.

November 16, 2016