If you ever wondered how a driver can "make a statement" in NASCAR without wrecking someone, watch Johnson's victory romp at Phoenix.

Johnson may be on the verge of championship No. 4, but Martin is inching closer to championship runner-up finish No. 5 -- at least he'll beat Jimmie to that record!

Busch won at Texas then gave Johnson a run for his money at Phoenix before settling for sixth. Is it too late to try to keep him and Pat Tryson together for next year?

Started strong, faded late, disappointing finish ... doesn't it seem like I could have copied and pasted this sentence for several races this year? At least he has a chance to make personal history at Homestead -- if he wins, he'll have a victory at all of the active tracks...

Started strong, faded late, disappointing finish ... doesn't it seem like I could have copied and pasted this sentence for several races this year? At least he has a chance to make personal history at Homestead -- if he wins, he'll have a victory at all of the active tracks on the Sprint Cup schedule.

Raise your hand if you had JPM in your top five for the end of the season back in February . . . or March . . . or September. Guess what? With a strong run at Homestead, that's exactly where he'll finish.

Did you hear how angry Smoke was after his crash with Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Phoenix? Imagine what his reaction would've been if we were running under the old points system since he would've lost the lead by eight points to Johnson.

What do you think Hamlin took more joy in on Sunday, him finishing third for his 14th top-five result of the year or his arch-nemesis Brad Keselowski finishing 37th?

Biffle could make his own type of history Sunday -- but not in a good way. If he doesn't visit Victory Lane at Homestead, it'll be the first time in seven full-time Sprint Cup seasons that he goes winless.

Kept it on all four wheels for the second straight week. Yes, sometimes it's the small victories in racing that you have to cherish.

Think anybody will make him their preseason favorite in 2010?

For the first time in the Chase, Kahne settled for mediocrity (15th). But with all the turmoil at Richard Petty Motorsports, mediocrity isn't such a bad thing.

I don't know who wants the season to end sooner -- Vickers so his bad luck streak will finish, or me so I can drop him from the Power Rankings after his Chase bad luck erased all memories of his summer success.

Ninth, sixth, 19th, 12th, seventh, seventh. With results like these, you better reserve your seat on the Bowyer bandwagon for 2010 because things are only going to get better from here.

Second week with his new crew chief, second week where he storms off after the race and lets his crew chief do the talking afterward. Some things just don't change.

Started all the way back in 36th at Phoenix and finished second. Just imagine what he can do this weekend if he decides to show up at qualifying.

Still hasn't found the talent to be in the top five, but at least he had enough for the top 10 at Phoenix. Guess who still doesn't have enough talent to be in either of those categories?

Remember how improbable his Daytona 500 win was to start the season? Considering Roush Fenway's success at Homestead, a win to end the year wouldn't be that surprising, but it sure would be sweet for Kenseth and Co.

Two weeks in an old-school paint scheme Ford, two finishes of 13th or better. Coincidence?

"David Reutimann edges Marcos Ambrose for a top-10 finish at Phoenix." Who would have predicted that somebody had to write this sentence at the beginning of the year -- or that it wouldn't have been the first time Ambrose found himself in contention for a top-10 result this...

"David Reutimann edges Marcos Ambrose for a top-10 finish at Phoenix." Who would have predicted that somebody had to write this sentence at the beginning of the year -- or that it wouldn't have been the first time Ambrose found himself in contention for a top-10 result this year.

Won Friday's truck race at Phoenix and saw his driver claim the series championship, finished second in Saturday's Nationwide Series race ... so he gets a pass for finishing 24th in the race that matters most on Sunday.