View From The Flagstand: Stewart's Third Chase Win

The 2011 NASCAR Chase was interrupted on Sunday as Martinsville Speedway put on an old fashioned short track race. There was actual racing, passing, slamming, ramming, and multiple paybacks at the venerable half mile track. The gloves were dropped along with the green flag, as a total lack of respect accounted for the majority of the 18 caution flags.

CHECKERED FLAG

Tony Stewart has won three of the seven Chase races this year, and is still 8 points behind points leader, Carl Edwards. Smoke led early then pit strategy shuffled him back, and he was almost lapped at one point. Pit work put him back up front late in the going; he then caught leader Jimmie Johnson napping and jumped by him on the outside with two laps to go.

GREEN FLAGS

Just finishing at Martinsville was an accomplishment as most of the cars looked like leftovers from a Mad Max movie. Jeff Burton (6th) and Dale Earnhardt Jr (7th) both came back from numerous wrecks to have good finishes. Casey Mears kept his nose clean and impressed with his 12th place run.

YELLOW FLAG

Brian Vickers was involved in 5 of the 18 cautions. This from a driver trying to secure a job for next year. After intentionally wrecking Jamie McMurry and Matt Kenseth (not at the same time), Bri can discount RFR and EGR from his list of potential employers. It looks like the Sheriff's Cup career has about three races left.

RED FLAG

All the hoopla about Stewart fighting leader Denny Hamlin so hard mid-race to stay on the lead lap. Smoke stayed in front of Hamlin long enough for a caution to appear. The announcers made this out as a great feat. The real story is if Stewart had went that lap down, he would have received the free pass, pitted, and restarted in the same position (last car on the lead lap) as he did by staying on the lead lap.

BLACK FLAG

The seeming lack of civility on Sunday. There was no give and take, it was all take. Kurt Busch was treated like a pinata by several drivers as they drove way over their heads. Jeff Gordon said after the race that he had never seen anything like it. Some contributing factors to the wreckfest include, many drivers looking for rides and/or sponsors, and, with this being the last short track of 2011, several guys saw it as their best chance to extract revenge on someone for any slights received earlier this year.

View From The Flagstand: Bowyer Best at Talladega

After five fairly non-eventful races to begin this year's Chase, Sunday's Talladega tangle was easily the best 2011 Chase race to date. Each October 'Dega proves to be the wild card in NASCAR's playoff format. The huge superspeedway annually showcases big wrecks, multiple leaders, and lead changes.

CHECKERED FLAG

RCR's lame duck driver, Clint Bowyer was fast all race long, then drag raced his teammate, Jeff Burton, down the front stretch, and nosed ahead at the line. It was easily one of the year's best finishes. Bowyer carries his winning ways to MWR next year, while winless Burton, and sponsor, stay put at RCR.

GREEN FLAGS

Dave Blaney was the surprise of the day with his third place run. Blaney was pushed to that spot by 4th place finisher, Brad Keselowski. Red Bull mates, Brian Vickers (5th) and Kasey Kahne (6th) were strong all day. MWR drivers, Mike Waltrip (9th) and Martin Truex Jr (10th) came out of nowhere on the final restart.

YELLOW FLAG

Every time a car hits a wall head-on most fans are quick to claim it was 'eerily' similar to Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash ten years ago. Most of them are not at all like Earnhardt's wreck. However, Sunday, Regan Smith had a head-on impact type crash that was almost the same. The black Chevys touched the apron at 190 mph+, then shot, grille first, up the high bank, into the outside wall. Thanks to the safety innovations over the last decade Smith walked away, uninjured.

RED FLAG

Top tier teams coasting in the back of the pack all day. Hendricks' four car team used a ride-around-in-back strategy for most of the race. A long, late yellow trapped them too far back to get to the front in the remaining two green flag laps. Mark Martin (20th) was HMS's highest finisher. The other three HMS cars are/were in the Chase.

BLACK FLAG

The whining over some drivers not helping other drivers via the draft.... I'm looking at you, Gordon fans. Every driver out there owes his loyalty to his own team, only! Like every other job, when the boss tells you to do something, you better do it!

View From The Flagstand: Kenseth Rolls at Charlotte

The 2011 Chase is now at the halfway point, and we have a much clearer view of the big picture. Big picture racing is what championship contenders do. Those teams are always prepared and go after max points when the victory is out of reach.

The Roush Fords have been the class of the one point five mile tracks in this year's Cup series, and Matt Kenseth was the best in show Saturday night at CMS.

CHECKERED FLAG

Kenseth was shuffled back due to pit strategy midway through the race, but eventually made his way back to second place with a couple dozen laps left. From there on it was just a matter of him filling up Kyle Busch's rear-view mirror, as he hounded Busch for several laps until pulling by, then, away from him.

GREEN FLAGS

Busch was second, for the second night in a row, and led the most laps. Kasey Kahne finished 4th, again. RPM drivers, Marcos Ambrose (5), and AJ Allmendinger (7), were the other non-Chasers in the top-10.

YELLOW FLAGS

Coma-inducing would be an apt description of the first two thirds of the, mostly single file, race, as only three yellows flew... all for alleged 'debris' during the first 238 laps. Five legit cautions were displayed over the final 94 laps... all for actual, on-track, events.

RED FLAG

One of those cautions was for, five-time defending champion, Jimmie Johnson's hard, head-on, crash. JJ is now 35 points behind the points' leader, Carl Edwards. And, after proclaiming him six-time champ just last week, I now declare him out of the Chase!

BLACK FLAG

A great racing talent was lost Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when two time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon died from injuries suffered in a multi-car pileup in the Indy Izod series race. Wheldon was a great driver, and a great guy. Sad regrets to his wife and two little boys.

View From The Flagstand: Johnson Wins Kansas

Jimmie Johnson had the dominant car, and team, Sunday at Kansas Speedway. His Lowes Chevy was out front on 197 of the 272 laps that were completed in the Hollywood Casino 400. JJ now sits just four points out of first place in his march towards his sixth straight title.

CHECKERED FLAG

Johnson stunk it up at the 1.5 mile, cookie cutter, Kansas track, as he led most of the green flag laps. Two tires, or four, it mattered not to the #48, no one could head him off.

GREEN FLAGS

Brad Keselowski was 3rd after winning the first race here earlier this year. RFR drivers, Matt Kenseth (4), Carl Edwards (5), and, pole winner, Greg Biffle (8) had solid finishes. RCR pilots, Kevin Harvick (6), and Clint Bowyer (7) likewise had good runs.

YELLOW FLAG

This race was one of the most boring of the year, and so far the four races in the Chase have not been too competitive. One reason is that we are not seeing enough caution flags to reset the field once it gets strung out around the track. One popular theory is that the Goodyear tires are so well made now that we don't see as many blowouts and the accompanying cautions.

I would expound on that theory and add a related factor. The idiotic "wave around" rule allows a lot of cars to not punish their tires while trying to stay on the lead lap. The slower drivers know that between the "lucky dog" and the "wave around" they can lose three or four laps during a race, never pass the leader, and, viola, cruise to a top-15, lead lap, finish.

Don't worry, he'll get a few wave arounds

RED FLAG

NASCAR told one RCR driver, Austin Dillon, to stop pushing another RCR driver, Kevin Harvick, during a late race caution. Harvick had his engine shut off, trying to save gas, while Dillon was pushing him. NASCAR's rules supposedly state that you can't push/assist another car on the last lap only. Apparently, NASCAR changed rules during the race... again.

BLACK FLAG

Jeff Gordon, thanks for playing The NASCAR Chase 2011! You didn't win immunity and have been voted off the island. Kyle Busch, please report to the council next week, and don't forget your luggage.

View From The Flagstand: Kurtster Beats Monster

Kurt Busch jumped out front on a late restart and was never challenged as he motored to the win on Dover's Monster Mile. The third race of the 2011 Chase continued the proof that last year's exciting Chase races were a fluke wrapped in an anomaly, as, even without it being a fuel mileage snoozer, there was no sense of urgency among the Chasers.

CHECKERED FLAG

How sweet it is! Busch had to enjoy beating his chief rival, Jimmie Johnson. Especially after hole shotting JJ on that last restart. Busch qualified second and the Penske Dodges have found some extra speed over the last couple of months.

GREEN FLAGS

Johnson led the most laps and went from 10th to 5th in the point standing on Sunday afternoon. Carl Edwards was third and is now tied for the points lead with Kevin Harvick. RPM drivers, AJ Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose both had top-10 finishes.

YELLOW FLAGS

Why did the track, and, or ESPN drag out the pre-race festivities when the sky was black with rain approaching? Are they now trying to time the green flag starts with the NFL halftimes?

RED FLAG

Dale Earnhardt Jr (-34 points out of 1st) Ryan Newman (-41) and Denny Hamlin (-68). Thanks for playing The NASCAR Chase 2011! Among your parting gifts are our home version of The NASCAR Chase! and a year's supply (two cans) of Turtle Wax.

BLACK FLAG

Will someone please tell ESPN that the Lucky Dog is virtually meaningless now. They talked about it, and Tony Stewart and Dale Jr's chances of getting it, for hours on Sunday. With the "wave around rule", the Lucky Dog position is not that crucial.