1. Jimmie Johnson: Like you expected anything different. Four championships, 47 wins and 180 top-10 finishes over just nine years. He's staked out one of the most dominant stretches of success in NASCAR history ... and the scary thing is, he may be in the middle of it, not at the end.

2. Tony Stewart: Were it not for Johnson, Stewart would be the runaway driver of the decade. With two championships, 34 wins and 209 top-10s, Stewart was already money, but making the jump to team ownership and staying strong as ever? Unbelievable.

3. Jeff Gordon: The difference between Stewart and Gordon is razor-thin on this list, but Stewart gets the nod because of his two championships. In the 2000s, Gordon has only one. But he's also finished in the top 10 for nine of the decade's 10 years, along the way picking up 33 wins and 217 top-10 finishes over 358 races. That'll work.

4. Kurt Busch: He's pinballed between excellence and mediocrity, but when he's been good, he's been very, very good -- one Sprint Cup championship, four top-ten seasonal finishes, 20 wins, 136 top-10s. Imagine how good he'd be if he could make friends. 

5. Kyle Busch: The highest-ranked non-Sprint Cup champion on this list, he's got 62 wins across all three major series. He's said his goal is to get 200 wins over all three, and considering the fact that he's 24, would you bet against it happening? Once he calms down and races consistently, he'll be one of the all-timers. 

6. Bobby Labonte: He led off the decade with a championship, which is a nice way to start but unfortunately means there's only one way to go. Still, he's notched 8 wins and 101 top 10s over the decade, and if he had been in better equipment over the last couple years, that total would be much higher.

7. Matt Kenseth: The 2003 Sprint Cup champion, though it's not his fault he won the Cup while winning only a single race. In the decade, he's had 18 wins and 172 top-10s over 358 races.

8. Mark Martin: Had he not flirted with retirement toward the middle part of the decade, he'd be much higher on this list. But six top-10 seasonal finishes, including two second-places, combined with nine wins and 159 top-10s put him solidly in the conversation for the top drivers of the 2000s

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 18 wins and 141 top-10s over 358 races, and for a time he was right there in the mix for a championship, ranking in the top 10 four times from 2001-2006. He's fallen off the pace just a wee bit.

10. Carl Edwards: In 193 races, he's got 16 wins, 61 top-5s and 99 top-10s. He had a severe dropoff this year, but he's one of the best in the sport and should be very close to the top on the list of the 2010s' best.

All right, your turn. Who else belongs on this list? Rusty Wallace, Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle just missed the cut; do they belong? Who's too high or too low? Have your say!

Okay, folks, you've got to bring some game to this one. Yogi Berra and Jimmie Johnson. Visit this site (or many others) for suggestions on appropriae Yogi-isms.

And remember, if people don't want to come to NASCAR races, nobody's going to stop 'em.

After the jump, Kyle Busch is feeling left out.

kinggeorge:
Little does Kyle know that Brad Keselowki, at the other end of the table, is punking him by handing out $20 bills to have fans refuse his autographed pictures.

Candace G:
To My Biggest Fan Kyle: You're the coolest, sexiest, most awesome driver ever, don't let anyone tell you different, Love Always, Kyle *sob*

Snowbaby:
Kyle chokes back the tears as he signs pictures to himself, You're Good Enough, You're Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like You, knowing full well this won't be the last time this happens.

Crane Poole and Schmidt:
Kyle's lack of popularity is a blessing in disguise, as it gives him time to catch up on his Pokemon trading card collection.

• From the Department of the Obvious (but still true): NASCAR needs Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch to step it up in 2010. [Scene Daily]

• Bad news: more job cuts are coming in NASCAR. [Fox Sports]

• More news to get your blood a-boiling in the offseason: will Volkswagen enter NASCAR? [Examiner]

• Kyle Busch's Nationwide title was cemented when Carl Edwards crashed at Michigan in August. [NASCAR.com]

• The worst Chaser in history? That'd be, um, Brian Vickers. Ouch. [All Left Turns]

• Git'r done! Larry the Cable Guy will be on BAM Racing's No. 49 in the 2010 Daytona 500. No, I can't imagine we'll be running any pictures of that whatsoever. [NASCAR.com via Yahoo! Sports]

Got a link/tip? Hit us up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com and follow us on Twitter. 

Could Denny Hamlin take over the Memorial Carl Edwards "Dude Who's Going To Unseat Jimmie" role for 2010? We shall see, friends, we shall see...

Since rookies tend to have about as much success in NASCAR as turkeys on Thanksgiving, the rookie of the year award isn't quite the big deal it is in some other sports. Even so, the award is a harbinger of future success; in the last ten years, only two winners -- Regan Smith last year and Jamie McMurray in 2003 -- have not made the Chase at one point. Winners have included Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya and Denny Hamlin. (Not winners: Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr.)

Logano had a strong rookie season, notching one win  -- a rain-shortened one, but still -- along with three top-5s, seven top-10s and about 250,000 jokes about shaving and voice-cracking, half of which were made right here. He finished the year in 20th place, ahead of Casey Mears, McMurray, Earnhardt and many others.

Congratulations, Joey! And to honor your win, we promise not to make any more "little kid" jokes. Go ahead, have a chocolate milk to celebrate! (Whoops.)

The complaint: Jimmie Johnson wouldn't have won four championships if we were under the old points system.

The reason behind the complaint: NASCAR fans worship at the altar of Earnhardt and Petty -- justifiably so, I might add -- but now that Jimmie Johnson is edging into their territory, many are getting nervous. The "new" championship format, with its end-of-regular-season points reset, provides an easy out. The thinking goes like this: the old guys won their championships under the equivalent of a full-season playoff, but Jimmie Johnson has won all his championships under the new, 10-race system. Therefore he only wins because of the new system, right? Not so fast.

The truth:  First off, it's called the "old" system for a reason -- it's old and it's done with. So on one level, the complaint is irrelevant. You race under the system you've got; we don't hear many people complaining that they should take away many of Richard Petty's wins because they came against less-than-full fields or against cars with far less technological muscle than his. Times change, like it or not.

But more importantly, this is something that can be easily disproven just by looking at statistics. Let's illustrate, for Johnson's four championships, the breakdown of points under both systems.

2009
Chase format: Johnson, Mark Martin (-141), Jeff Gordon (-179)
Old system: Johnson, Jeff Gordon (-66), Tony Stewart (-71)

2008
Chase format: Johnson, Carl Edwards (-69), Greg Biffle (-217)
Old system: Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson (-16), Kyle Busch (-252)

2007
Chase format: Johnson, Jeff Gordon (-77), Clint Bowyer (-346)
Old system: Jeff Gordon, Johnson (-353), Tony Stewart (-706)

2006
Chase format: Johnson, Matt Kenseth (-56), Denny Hamlin (-68)
Old system: Johnson, Matt Kenseth (-4), Kevin Harvick (-320)

So there you go. Johnson would have won two of his four championships outright, and he obviously wouldn't have raced the same way at Homestead last year (he casually cruised to a 15th-place finish while Edwards won) had the points been as tight under the old system. (Of course, the reverse holds true for 2006, where Kenseth was only four points back under the old system.) Only in 2007 did the Chase really benefit Johnson.

What you need to look at, though, isn't just the numbers, it's the names. Note that while there are twelve drivers named above, only one shows up in the top three -- heck, top two -- every year under both systems. After Johnson, only Gordon and Stewart even show up twice on those lists. And with the exception of this year, look how far back the third-place guy is under the old points scenario. It's been a two-man race every year since 2005, and Johnson's always been one of those two.

Whine verdict: Almost baseless. The Chase may have shuffled the competitors, but it doesn't change the fact that Johnson dominates under any scenario. At least two, and probably three, of the last four championships would still have been his under the season-long system.

Okay, your turn. Post your take below. Got a whine you want us to break down? Add  it below or email me at jay.busbee@yahoo.com. 

Anyway, even though the racing is done for the year, we're not going anywhere. We'll be posting plenty every single day, and we'll continue with our regular weekly chats throughout the offseason. We'll also be continuing the podcasts -- remember to call in and you too can get on the show. We'll also be kicking off a couple new features starting today, including our "Best of the Decade" series (one guess as to what that will focus on) and "Stale Whines," in which we take on the different complaints about NASCAR and its drivers and, one by one, put stakes through their hearts. (The complaints, not the drivers.) It's going to be just like the regular season, except without the races -- and considering the quality of some of the races this year, that might be a good thing. 

We'll do a complete season recap after Thanksgiving, but for now, post your thoughts below -- favorite moments of 2009? Least favorite? Best storylines? Have your say ... and then get ready. After all, it's less than three months to Daytona.

On Sunday night, Jimmie Johnson clinched his fourth straight Sprint Cup championship, and in so doing cemented his place among the greats of the sport. But he's done more than that; he's now propelled himself above and beyond NASCAR. He's the most successful athlete currently competing right now, and it's not even close. 

Were this Tiger Woods snagging his fourth straight Masters, or Kobe Bryant clinching his fourth straight ring, or Tom Brady capturing his fourth straight Super Bowl, you'd be getting their greatness rammed down your throat 24/7. But this is NASCAR; the sports fan public knows they can't throw a pass 50 yards or hit a golf ball 300, but they figure they know how to drive fast and turn left. How hard could it be for Johnson to win some of those little races, huh?

Answer: plenty. Put aside the physical demands -- the intense heat of the car's interior, the physical strength needed to wheel a car for 500 miles. Even running a race -- to say nothing of winning one, or winning an entire season -- requires the mental discipline, ultrafast-twitch reflexes and utter, stone-cold fearlessness that only the best athletes possess. (And don't even start the whole "the car's the star, not the driver" nonsense. Equipment is a key element of every sport. When's the last time you saw a baseball player succeed without a bat, or a football player succeed without pads?) 

So, with the playing field leveled, let's break down why Johnson is the top athlete at work today. For starters, you could argue that the level of competition in every single sport right now is the highest it's ever been. Kids train practically from birth to play one sport; sophisticated training techniques make today's marginal athletes the equivalent of yesterday's All-Stars.

Even so, Johnson has established a four-year gap between himself and his nearest competitors that's greater than any other athlete in any other sport. Nobody in any league is a prohibitive favorite; even Tiger is vulnerable these days.

Plenty of people both inside and outside NASCAR are dismissing Johnson's accomplishments, and that's too bad. They're missing out on history here. Nobody else is riding as high these days, in any sport, anywhere. And anybody who thinks it's certain to end in 2010 ... well, didn't we think that coming into 2007, 2008 and 2009?

Bandwagoners, here's a heads-up: push aside your Yankees caps, Patriots jerseys and Cowboys jackets and make room for some of Jimmie Johnson's gear. (He's the 48.) If you're the type of person who wants to jump on board a proven winning train, you've got one right here waiting for you, ready to roll.

For everyone else, take a moment -- just a moment, that's all -- to applaud what Johnson's doing here. You're not going to see anything like this again anytime soon. 

_______

For more daily NASCAR news & opinion, click here to bookmark Yahoo! Sports' From The Marbles, and follow us on Twitter. 

Related posts:
Stale whines: "Jimmie Johnson's success is a product of the Chase"
Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya's fight, wrecks spice up Miami
Kurt Busch throws his crew chief under the bus with a smile

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
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And then came Sunday night.

After a race in which he was leading but lost ground on the final pit -- a stop where he took two tires where everyone else took four -- Kurt took time to offer congratulations to Jimmie Johnson and tipped his cap to all his sponsors. And then he smiled, the kind of grin which has a name that we can't repeat or describe here but the word "eating" is in the name -- stared straight in the camera, and unloaded more dirty laundry than a college freshman home for Thanksgiving break.

"Maybe this is my best opportunity to throw my crew chief under the bus for giving me two tires at the end instead of four," he said. "We probably had a shot at  winning, and I told him he had to keep an eye on the other guys ... Hey, I'm throwing him under the bus because we don't have him anymore and we're looking for a new crew chief."

Boy, with that guy in your ear every Sunday, the candidates have got to be just lining up out the door, right? Busch did throw some thanks Tryson's way -- "we worked great together" -- but finished by saying, "We'll find somebody great, somebody better, and we'll beat the 56 next year."

Between this and all the other little fights starting to break out around the track, it's almost a shame the season has to end, isn't it?

And Sunday night, Juan Pablo Montoya and Tony Stewart decided to get a little froggy with each other. First, Smoke turned into JPM, knocking him off the track and prompting Montoya to scream that NASCAR should kick Smoke out of the race altogether. But JPM's crew diligently worked to get their driver back on the track, and when they did, this happened:

Montoya got tagged with a two-lap penalty, but since he was dozens of laps down already, that was about as effective as tossing ice cubes in the ocean. Neither Stewart nor Montoya spoke immediately after the race, and chances are both are heading home to cool out. Any chance this will spill over into next season? Probably not, but the fact that drivers are getting saucy is a good way to close out the year, yes?

Keselowski's crew actually got a laugh out of it. And you have to love the spotter's take: "That boy will never learn. He didn't do it good enough."

Hamlin is a man of his word, though in the end he actually got the worst of it. Keselowski stayed on the lead lap, while NASCAR, very aware of the growing tension between the two that stems from at least four previous incidents this season, penalized Hamlin a lap for aggressive driving.

After the race, Keselowski, who finished 12th, said he was over it, only to set the stage for a new chapter with his comments.

"I have a feeling when he wakes up in the morning he's not going to feel any better about himself," Keselowski said. "He's got a lot of problems – on and off the race track – and I don't think spinning me's gonna make him happy. So, that's my take on it. I've moved on. I'm okay. I'm not going to go out and wreck him or anything like that. I'm just going to go out and do my own thing.".

When told of Keselowski's comment, Hamlin, who rallied to finish fifth, responded, "I feel great right now. It was well worth it. … The fact is, I wasn't going to give him an inch. After I went down pit road [for the penalty], I thought I had won the race. I've never seen so many crews applaud and give the thumbs up on the way by. It just shows you all the cars that he's torn up in the past, you know. All the teams, they feel a little redemption anyway. But, we'll never be even in that sense.

"You have to look at the stands," he continued. "I've never seen so much applause in my entire life. I just think everyone understands this is a self-policing sport. NASCAR did what they had to do. Spinning out someone deliberate like that, they gotta penalize me, there's no doubt about it. So, I wasn't mad about that at all. My objective today was to try to win the race first, take care of him second. And yeah, there's gonna be other days when we're racing and he's still gonna think about it when I'm in his rearview mirror, because obviously the scales are tipped a little bit more in my favor, but still tipped a little bit too much."

[Editor's note: Carol Fitzgerald continues her analysis of all things NASCAR. She's a fan, and she's not particularly pleased with how fans are being treated. -- JB]

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, just when you thought the good old days of real racing were over, we learn that NASCAR is receiving not just one, but TWO awards for listening to its fans! They have won -- get this -- the "Forrester Groundswell Award" in the "Business-to-Consumer Listening" category, and the "Vision Critical 2009 Panel of the Year" award.

Sounds like corporate crapola appropriate recognition for the racing that I have sacrificed enjoyed the past months of my life supporting.

Anybody remember last year (yeah, I know, that was a long time ago!), hearing about a NASCAR Fan Council being created? And we all encouraged each other to join? And nobody could because it was "already full"? Well, somehow they managed to sign up some 12,000 loyal NASCAR fans before the likes of you and I even heard of the thing, and are polling them regularly for input on how to make NASCAR better! That's right, and these lucky 12,000 are responsible for double-file restarts and more consistent start times being added to our NASCAR goodness!

And who indeed might Forrester (the guys giving out this no-doubt prestigious award) be? When you take out all the corporate-speak, they're a company who helps its customers figure out how to talk to their own customers by "social networking" means like teh interwebs. And then they pat them on the back for doing a good job. The circle of life!

Just think of it! Brian France can walk up on that stage, and the audience can begin pelting him with random items of standard banquet dinner that haven't been devoured yet (oops, my fantasy is showing. I personally would pay money just to see this, to say nothing of participating.) Sadly, I'm sure the reality will be much more polite. Now all we need to do is find out who the hallowed 12,000 are, and ask them to lobby NASCAR to let the boys race!

Your turn, happy peoples. Anybody on the NASCAR Fan Council? Can I get a "hell yeah"?

So thank you, Kasey Kahne, for giftwrapping this one for us. Kahne, as you know, is one of the most talented drivers on the track but one who's often suffered because of equipment that doesn't measure up to his skill level. He's entering the final year of his contract with Richard Petty Motorsports, and after this exchange during Friday's media session, it sure sounds like he'll be joining the coveted free agent class of 2010: 

How much will you try and stay in the loop with RPM management on what's going on?

Kahne: I use to try and stay in the loop and then things don't happen that they say will. At this point, I have one year left (on my RPM contract). I want to do the best job for Richard Petty Motorsports in my final year. It's up to them what happens. They do their thing and I'll do mine. All I can do is make myself better at driving race cars and communicating with Kenny Francis. If I do that, I'll be happy next season.

So you'll try and look elsewhere next year?

Kahne: Yeah.

Regardless of what happens next year, will next year be your last year with RPM?

Kahne: That's hard to say. Come January, I can start looking around; I can talk to other people. I would imagine the Gilletts are going to talk to me at that point. But as of right now, the Gilletts haven't talked to me and I'm just kind of doing my job, doing the best that I can through the end of the season. The ups and downs of the team has made it difficult for me to really say, 'Man, I'm going to be here for 10 more years.' I really don't know what's going to happen. Truthfully, I don't know what's going to happen right now.

Yeah, those don't sound like the words of a guy who's enamored of his current team, do they? If Kasey were to jump ship next year, he'd join the most stocked free-agent class in NASCAR history -- Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kurt Busch all also have contracts expiring at the end of next year. And while several of those guys won't ever take a sniff at the open market, some will -- and that's going to make 2010 a yearlong Silly Season.

Plenty of NASCAR observers have said they'd love to see what Kahne could do in top-flight equipment. Before long, he might just get his chance.

As always, we welcome your thoughts, ideas, and recommendations on the podcast. Hit me up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com, or feel free to call our direct podcast line at 678-389-9173 and leave a comment or question for use on a future podcast. For now, though, click the little arrow below to play the podcast or right-click the link to download, and hit the iTunes site linked below to subscribe. Enjoy!

The Chrome Horn, episode 28: Richard Childress

Welcome to The Pace Lap, your catchall preview post! Let's get you started on race weekend with a metric truckload of stats, facts, opinion and innuendo.

The race: Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway

The specs: 267 laps at a 1.5-mile track.

The broadcasts: ABC, plus the live chat right here on Yahoo! Sports. 

Defending champ: Carl Edwards, who made a furious charge at Johnson last year but fell short, as everyone else has in the last few years.

The standings leaders: Oh, come on. Jimmie Johnson's first and everybody else is second. That's all you need to know.

The history: The speedway was built in 1993 as a way for the area to help recover from Hurricane Andrew, and has hosted Sprint Cup racing since 1999. (First winner: Tony Stewart.) Also, I wrote this last year at this time, but I like it so I'm rerunning it here:  In marked contrast to the usual prison rec yard décor of most tracks, Homestead features swathes of aqua blue, purple, turquoise, and other art-deco colors plucked straight from South Beach. Unlike South Beach, however, nobody's hanging out the windows of the cars hollering at sexy ladies.

The appropriate video: From 2006 -- Juan Pablo Montoya had spun Ryan Newman, and Newman took his fiery revenge:

Guy with the most to gain: Same story as last week -- Mark Martin has the potential to grab the Sprint Cup, but it's not really likely. Besides him, I'd say the greatest upside belongs to Dale Earnhardt Jr., who could end a wretched season on a high note with a good run this week.

Guys with the most to lose: Jimmie Johnson, of course. He's almost certain to win the Sprint Cup -- emphasis on "almost." Somebody gets stupid at the wrong time, and it's suddenly all over for JJ. That's not really likely to happen, though.

Our pick to win: Martin. I don't think Johnson is going to surrender the Sprint Cup, but I also don't think Martin is going to go quietly. He's one of the best in the sport, and he'll prove it this weekend by making Jimmie sweat just the tiniest bit.

All right, you're up. Who's your pick for this weekend? Go!

A South Beach autograph session for several NASCAR drivers! Above you can see Kyle Busch, Ron Hornaday, Carl Edwards and assorted other NASCAR luminaries ... surely you can come up with a fine caption or two for this. Enjoy!

After the jump, Junior's pit crew takes its sweet time.

Vaffanculo:
The sponsors just love the car in the stall. It's easier to read the ads.

Robert C:
Dale Jr. tells crew to take it slow, he needs a few minutes to update his Facebook status.

Juan de Nova:
Even with no other cars on the track, Junebug's crew still manages to lose him 5 spots in the pits

Driver: David Stremme

Record: 33 races, no top 10s, average finish 25.0.

Season summary: It wasn't a spectacular return to Sprint Cup for Stremme after a year's absence. Running with Sam Hornish Jr. and Kurt Busch, Stremme had trouble keeping up with the pack, and will finish the season ranked just inside the top 35.

Where it went right: Stremme posted finishes as high as 13th in the first California race and the second Michigan one. And that was really about it, unless you count getting into fights with Robby Gordon or running in that Star Trek car back in the spring.

Where it went wrong: Uh ... pretty much everywhere. He failed to finish six races, and led only 14 laps all seaon. Still, he banked more than $4 million in winnings, so it's not like the season was a total loss.

Prospects for 2010: Who knows? Stremme was bounced from his ride in favor of Brad Keselowski, a move that -- no offense to Stremme -- pretty much everybody would have done. He's been rumored to  head to Front Row Motorsports or Rusty Wallace Racing, but nothing has been confirmed.

Next up: Bobby Labonte

Related Stremme posts from 2009:
The Brad Keselowski era starts early at Penske
What's the best rivalry in NASCAR today? Is there one?

If Johnson finishes 25th or better, the Chase is over. Martin can't win even if he finishes first and leads the most laps.

If Johnson finishes 30th, Martin would have to win the race, but he could go without leading the most laps.

And if Johnson utterly bottoms out and finishes 43rd, Martin would have to finish in 7th or better, or 10th or better and lead the most laps. 

So, see? There's still hope for some drama. As Rick Minter notes over at Racin' Today, a driver has made up 108 points on another driver nine timesin NASCAR history, most recently just two weeks ago at Texas.

We're not rooting for anything bad to happen to Johnson ... but man, it'd make for a little more interesting race if it did. 

* - He can't. Sorry to tease.

Bringing you the best in NASCAR news and opinion. Get your day rolling right ... or left, whichever.

• Considering the heat between Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski, Denny's got himself an interesting Nationwide sponsor for this coming weekend. [Stock Car Spin]

• Keselowski? He's focused on finishing second in the Nationwide series race, not on Hamlin. Good luck with that. [Scene Daily]

• Could Jamo Trulli be the next F1 driver to challenge NASCAR? He took a run with Michael Waltrip, and that didn't turn him off, so there's hope! [itv.com]

• The five best hunts for the Cup. Some good ones in here. Could Sunday's join the list? [All Left Turns]

• Richard Petty's still The King, and he's still got his subjects lining up to meet him. Probably always will, too. [The State]

Got a link/tip? Hit us up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com and follow us on Twitter.

• At the CMAs, he was too nervous to ask Reba McEntire to take a photo with him.

• He doesn't want to get away from racing in the offseason; quite the opposite, he'd rather be racing in December.

• Great quote about how he's getting caught up in so many wrecks because he's back in the pack: "If you hang out with pigs, you're going to get (dirt) on you."

• On running a complete race: "We're to the point now where we show up and we're fast and competitive. In races, we're running good. From now to February, we should have figured out what the hell the other problems are that are keeping us from finishing the deal."

• He laughed off his National Enquirer appearance as a "compliment," but didn't try to track down the "unnamed sources" in the story.

• On 2009: "It's been a real frustrating year, and you've got to give me a little credit, because I've been pretty good about controlling my mouth."

So there you go. Tough year for Junior, but give him credit -- he's facing up to the shortcomings of his car, his team and himself. It'll get very interesting if these problems continue on into next year, won't it?

Earnhardt Jr. strikes a hopeful tone in exclusive Q&A [USA Today]

McMurray, of course, was the odd man out when NASCAR laid down a four-car maximum rule for team owners. Earlier this summer, Jack Roush decided to keep David Ragan and let McMurray go, which led to the awkward scene of Roush congratulating McMurray after Jamie won the Amp Energy 500 in Talladega a couple weeks back.

The #1 has an open seat because Martin Truex Jr. hopped ship for a new ride at Michael Waltrip Racing, and McMurray fits the bill perfectly -- a talented, telegenic, sponsor-pleasing kind of driver. With everybody else spoken for, he was the marquee free agent of 2009, but with few seats available, it wasn't like he had a whole lot of choice.

In a podcast with us a few weeks back, McMurray expressed disappointment with the way that his time at Roush-Fenway had worked out. He hinted that being one of the lower men on the totem pole may have worked against him. But at EGR, he'll be teamed with Juan Pablo Montoya and will be able to grab more of the spotlight.

Hopefully McMurray's bad experience with Target won't cause any intra-team problems. (Video features a touch of bad language and one naughty gesture.)

Anyway, the Jays worked really hard (bwahahaha) and got me this interview (again, no, they didn't), so I wanted to share with you his thoughts (as commentated by me).

Q: So, there are many opinions flying around right now about the state of NASCAR. What is your general opinion on the state of the sport?

Robin Pemberton: I think things are in pretty good shape.

Like the fence at Talladega, Jeff Gordon's car at Watkin's Glen, and Ryan Newman's undies? And what does ‘pretty good' mean anyway? It's one of those tacit phrases that really means the opposite in my book. Like, "The tofu-polenta stir fry is not bad, honey". Plus, when you add two words together that basically mean the same thing, you are lying.

I think we've had great competition this year.

You and the 48 team. Were you even watching the Daytona 500 (rain-shortened), Phoenix, Talladega (Fall), California (Spring), Kansas (all of them, ever), the Chase race, and every other single-file parade that my wet brain has already forgotten?

We have some rivalries that have developed throughout the year -

We have one rivalry: just one, not some. Granted, it's a good one, because as far as I can tell neither one of them cares.

and for the most part, I think we've had some of the best competition I can remember in my years in the sport.

Jesus, Robin, put down the pipe. JJ has run away with this thing. What year are you "in"? 1978?

Q: Yet most estimates put attendance as being off by about 15 percent. What do you attribute that to?

RP: I think it's a well-known fact that the economy has not helped things. When people have their disposable incomes reduced, they have to make choices.

But they don't have choices when their disposable income is increased?

Our fans can't come to the amount of races that they've come to in the past.

They may, however, if you deflate the price of a race - all aspects of attending a race - accordingly.

When they're able to come again, we'll be here for them to put on a good show.

I'm blushing.

Q: This sport is different from others in that so much relies on corporate sponsorship dollars. Some say next year might be worse than this year for NASCAR in that regard. Your thoughts?

RP: You know, you can speculate all you want.

Thanks, I will. But it's "your thoughts", not mine.

Next year, what we do is we plan for the worst.

Nothing like a positive attitude. I wonder if that's the 48 team's secret?

Everybody watches their budgets and runs their business.

Everybody like, say, AIG, Bear Stearns, and closer to home, GM and Chrysler?

All these teams out here, they're running their businesses the way they see fit. But I can't comment or speculate on what may or may not be out there.

Why? Helton got your tongue? Say something, for crying out loud. Be honest. Say what you mean. Some teams need help, some tracks need help, some people need help, some rules need help. You are an experienced executive of an enormous, multi-million dollar company. You must have some thoughts on the future of your business. No?

We've worked with the teams and talked to them, and we know where they all lay in terms of having to make business sense out of all this. There is not the free flow of money that there once was - but that's what America is about.

It is? It's about not having the free flowing money there once was? I'm sort of partial to the whole constitutional republic, representative democracy, free society version. The apple pie, baseball, and Elvis Presley version isn't bad, either.

It comes and it goes, and it goes in cycles.

Just like DW says, comers and goers! You are a sage, my friend.

Q: Are you concerned that there will be more start-and-park efforts to fill fields next season?

RP: We have always seen, throughout the years, a number of people who don't intend to run all the laps of a race. Or if they don't run all the laps of a race, it's OK with them.

But not me, so much, and I assume, you.

It isn't something that just came up. I saw it in the 1980s; I saw it in the '70s. And I've heard about it in other times.

Like 1880?

There are people who like to compete at a higher level. And there are some of the teams who do what they do;

Which is suck.

they put more effort toward some races than others, in terms of trying to compete. Once again, it's about their balance sheets and what they have to do.

Oh, I see, it is about the money! Finally, that's the honesty I'm looking for.

Q: Another hot issue this season was Talladega -- again. What can be done to keep the cars on the ground there?

RP: We're working on that. Like anything, many of our rules and regulations come out of a reaction. Carl [Edwards'] wreck [in the spring race, where he nearly went into the grandstands] was what it was.

Nothing. Nothing can be done. Have you ever seen a gust of wind flip over a tractor-trailer? Exactly. Boxes don't cut through the wind, particularly if they are going backwards or happen to get punched by a two-ton battering ram.

We made a change there [in terms of minor modifications to the car].

We put magnets on them!

The race track has done a job with their catch fences and stuff to further protect the race fans, and we're working right now on some things that hopefully we can put out there that will help all of that.

Chad Knaus, for example, has figured out a way to build a car with negative mass, thereby circumventing Gauss' Law and defying gravity! It's genius, but sadly, we had to ban the car from the track because the front spoiler was 1/64 of an inch low.

Q: It looks like you're going to end the year with two four-time champions -- not only Jimmie Johnson, who is poised to capture his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup title, but also in Ron Hornaday, who often is overlooked but already has clinched his fourth Camping World Truck Series title. As a guy who clearly respects the history of this sport as much as anybody, can you put those accomplishments in perspective?

Pemberton: Hornaday is a great racer. He's been around a little bit

Long bit.

and has been on all different levels throughout NASCAR. ... To still be able to compete at his high level in one of our three national series, everyone should really appreciate what he's done for the sport and what he has accomplished.

Completely agree. But here is a guy who should still be racing at the Cup level. Only the current environment doesn't allow for too many 'old guns' to play in the game. The result is a young and green driver pool, and subsequently, a collectively less skilled race. With more Ron Hornadays in your Cup races, you will have better races. From a competitive standpoint, would you rather watch the Colts play New England, or the Vikings play Detroit?

Q: What are you going to do in the off-season to relax?

RP: Work on next year. Work on stuff at the wind tunnel. Work with our guys on Daytona and Talladega.

You, my friend, are a live one.

(*Actually, it's an excerpted spoof from Joe Menzer's piece on NASCAR.com, but I think you already knew that.)

This here is your regular Midnight Marbles thread, where you can discuss the events of the day or whatever else comes to mind. Suggested topic for discussion: who's your favorite for 2010?  Never too early to start making predictions!

Other than that, hang out and enjoy yourselves here, and we'll be back soon with more. Got tips/links/stories I need to check out? Hit me up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com. Seeya!

The item: Planters' NASCAR nuts, branded with your favorite driver -- if, of course, your favorite driver happens to be Greg Biffle, David Ragan or Jamie McMurray.

The deal: What goes better together than NASCAR and peanuts? What, I ask you? And if you were going to pick three nutty drivers, wouldn't you pick David Ragan, Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray? They're as nutty as they come! And ... and ... sweet heaven, I can't come up with any more nut-oriented jokes that wouldn't get me a call from above. On a related note -- you think the David Ragan nuts laugh at the Jamie McMurray nuts for getting bounced out of a job? Okay, your turn.

The hat tip: Reader Kinggeorge, who located these for a mere 99 cents at his local food emporium. I still don't understand why all of you are laughing. But if you can stop your giggling and you have NASCARiana of your own to send my way, email photos, site links and the like to jay.busbee@yahoo.com. Stop laughing!

• Jimmie Johnson's competition in the Hendrick stable is what's spurring him and Chad Knaus on to higher levels every year. [Scene Daily]

• The race for the Cup isn't over yet, and you only need to look to 2004 and Kurt Busch to see how tight the final race could be. [All Left Turns]

• Fighting between drivers is fun, but is it damaging for the long-term health of the sport? [Catchfence]

• Aric Almirola is doing his best to keep his spirits up as he tries to keep his racing career afloat. [Scene Daily]

• Who do the best old-school drivers think is the best driver today? Those of you who hate Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson may want to skip this one. [Racin' Today]

• Do you watch NASCAR on TV but listen to the broadcasts on the radio? (Misplay. You need to watch the race and read us in the live chat.) [The Virginian-Pilot]

• Kelly Bires is going to make his debut in the No. 5 car for Junior's JR Motorsports Nationwide team this weekend at Homestead. Catch him on the way up!

Got a link/tip? Hit us up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com and follow us on Twitter. 

What? I'm talking about this day in 2004, not 2009. 

The point being, of course, that five years ago, NASCAR looked a whole lot like it does today at the top of the standings. Guys like Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya have made their charges, but for the moment, and for the foreseeable future, it's the same dudes at the top of the standings.

Which is fine and good, everybody likes continuity. But who are the next generation of great NASCAR drivers, the post-Logano generation? (Yes, we're already using the phrase "post-Logano.") As Bob Pockrass notes in an interesting article in today's Scene Daily, we're at the final race of the 2009 season, and there's not one rookie scheduled to run in 2010 in the Sprint Cup series.

Brad Keselowski doesn't quite qualify as a rookie, having run 14 races already. And as Pockrass notes, there aren't any Nationwide drivers ready to make the step up to full Cup status. Joey Logano benefited from a patient owner in Joe Gibbs and a huge sponsorship hole left by the departure of Tony Stewart from JGR; it's not likely Logano would have run in a Sprint Cup ride had Smoke never left.

Pockrass points to a more ominous development -- that the lack of rookies is a result of a lack of sponsorship of Nationwide and Truck Series drivers. The sponsors' reluctance to throw money at Nationwide drivers is understandable; Sprint Cup drivers have owned the Nationwide circuit, and there's not a whole lot of room -- or money -- for young up-and-comers to develop. And with the economy the way it is, it doesn't look like things will be changing anytime soon.

So, yeah ... if you're not crazy about the current crop of NASCAR leaders, you might want to rethink your position.

State of developing drivers a bigger concern [Scene Daily]

On the radio afterward, Tony Stewart snarled, "Dammit! Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a no-talent son of a bitch!" Here, listen in:

That may cause a few hurt feelings and bruised egos. In the end, though, another ugly afternoon for Junior, who's probably going to get out of his car at Homestead when the race is over and just run, run, run away.

Quick-hitter for you here -- spotted this ad for some kind of charitable gala in Miami Thursday night, featuring -- of all people -- Cher and Kyle Busch. Wha ... ? (Also slated to attend: Helio Castroneves and DJ Jazzy Jeff, who's a nice guy as long as you don't mention that whole Fresh Prince thing to him.)

Sure, Cher doesn't seem like a good match for NASCAR, but think about it -- she's been rebuilt more times than one of Robby Gordon's cars, and at this point her makeup/plastic surgery team probably works as quickly as any pit crew.

Seriously, the charity is to benefit Operation Helmet, which helps provide helmet upgrades to combat troops, so it's a good cause. And it's exclusive, too -- only people who visit their website and pay $125 to $250 for a ticket are invited. Get to it!

Anyway, by now you know the deal. Three guys -- Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer -- in the Chase last year, exactly zip this year, with only Bowyer putting up anything resembling a fight. It's been a rough nine months for RCR ... but at last there's starting to be some light at the end of the tunnel, and not just because the season's almost over.

Chief among them: Jeff Burton has quietly been running some very good races. He recorded his third straight top-10 finish Sunday at Phoenix, and it was by far his most impressive run of the year, storming as he did from a 36th-place starting spot to a second-place finish. And since the winner was Jimmie Johnson, that basically counts as a victory for Burton anyway.

USA Today notes that Burton's turnaround coincides neatly with the late-October crew switcheroo that put Todd Berrier atop Burton's pit box and moved previous crew chief Scott Miller to an administrative role in RCR. Berrier had begun the season on Harvick's box, then moved to Mears, setting what has to be some kind of record for most different drivers chiefed (is that the right word?) in a season.

"We're building on something," Burton said after the race. "We're working hard on our equipment, working hard on our communication, working hard on paying attention to how I drive. Everybody's looking at themselves in the mirror, and the results are showing."

If 2010 sees the return of several RCR cars to the Chase, then 2009 will be forgotten in a hurry ... exactly as Burton and the rest would like it.

Burton, Childress team make strides after crew overhauls [USA Today]

[Occasionally, From the Marbles asks its readers to provide their unique insights. Where does the Jimmie Johnson hate come from? Who are the fire-suited people who bring us reports each week from the track? So we asked Dennis Tarwood ("Tuffy" in the weekly Sunday chats), a Phoenix-based freelance writer and journalist, to answer another question: what's it like to attend a coronation? Here's his report from Phoenix International Raceway.]

Despite Jimmie Johnson's unfortunate weekend in Texas, there was little sense of drama at Phoenix International Raceway for the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500. The tension at the track felt no different than the spring race with a stronger focus on the gathering of like-minded individuals for an opportunity to consume alcohol in a dry environment.

After all, how seriously can you take a race day where someone cursed their RV forever by flying the Phoenix Coyotes flag over the Robby Gordon flag? How does that trailer not spontaneously combust from bad karma?

Not to mention a day when Brad Keselowski's two most memorable moments came when he got his first "talk" with Brian France about his driving style and when he was brought in for questioning after members of Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s crew got T-boned on their way to the track Sunday morning. (Alright, Brad didn't get blamed for that, but that's because he was too busy ramming his shopping cart through the on-site supermarket to buy up all the donuts.)

And why is Brad in such a hurry to take over the Kyle Busch crown for reckless driving? It's certainly not the way to win friends and influence people, unless the Kyle display pictured below is meant as a compliment.

The closest fans came to acknowledging the Chase came during pre-race ceremonies was when PIR's president mentioned the names of the last two winners at Phoenix: Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson. The former received light cheers, while the latter earned similar cheers and a few sharp expletives. Still, nothing suggested deep-seated animus; a few people just didn't care to see Jimmie dominate again.

Those people came away disappointed, of course, but not fatally so. The intensity just wasn't there for an alleged semifinal race, not even before the starting of engines. More than once, a voice groaned that they couldn't wait until next year. When you see people trading in their requests to see females partially nude, you know fans have checked out.

The racing was quality for the first 115 laps, including paint swapping between Kurt Busch and HRH Jimmie Johnson, and zero cautions. The air was let out of the place, though, when the "debris caution" was called, leading to a second caution shortly thereafter. After one of the "debris cautions" that led to yet another caution, a fan shouted the old chestnut, "Cautions breed cautions!" For at least one afternoon, it felt like Brian France was the Octomom of yellow flags.

No one was disgruntled otherwise, though; they still love their racin'. They just know when it's over. After the race, a Mark Martin fan drawled, "I love you, Mark! Nice effort, Mark!" It's not clear Mark Martin appreciates receiving the same reassuring tone one gives their six-year-old after running the bases backwards in T-ball, but the affection is surely appreciated.

On the other hand, Jimmie Johnson fans are in a distinctly unique position more familiar to other sports: becoming dynasty fans. One late-40s woman in particular showed symptoms of Dynasty Fan Syndrome, usually associated with Yankees or Red Sox fans. Sporting a pink Jimmie cap and a tasteful tramp stamp, she insisted on high-fiving a young boy in her party after every loop by the 48 car and giving Johnson a "woo woo" train signal as he led the parade.

You may ask yourself how anyone could complete 200+ high-fives without injury, but that's the kind of endurance you can build by patting yourself on the back all week before the race. If Jimmie manages to keep his car running all day in Miami, it'll be because he dodged all the wrecks as well as those infected by Dynasty Fan Syndrome being tossed on the track by people in their section.

(To be clear: not all Jimmie Johnson fans will be infected. However, be sure to quarantine those who have succumbed so no one else ends up on Junior's grill next weekend.)

By the way, the replacement for the Commitment Cone lost at Talladega had a solid run, managing to avoid the single large wreck of the day by a hundred yards. (See photo at right.) With all the smoke, there was initial concern. However, he threw the crowd the cone's up sign after the caution came out.

So Jimmie Johnson has a coronation to finish next week, Mark Martin as a well-worn spot on the second podium step to wiggle into, and Jimmie's fans have an outbreak of hubris to fend off. Still, beyond the parade-like nature of the race (and who didn't hate to see Underdog and Garfield reduced to start-and-park balloons?), some things about a NASCAR event also don't change, as proven in this exchange after the race on the way to the parking lot:

"Pick your head up!"
"I'm drunk."
"Pick your head up and walk!"
"I'm DRUNK!"

Heavy is the head that wears the crown, but apparently not as heavy as the one that holds the booze.

Thanks to Tuffy for the hard work! Follow him on Twitter at @tuffyr and visit his website, Tuffy's Refrigerator Logic, for more of the same.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew is extremely casual about their duties, yes? Running 20-minute pit stops is no way to make up ground, gentlemen! Post your thoughts on what may be happening right here.

After the jump, the Intimidator whips his crew into shape.

Rick C:
YOU....join my conga line...NOW !

Snowbaby:
Dale: Kid, yeah you, fetch me a cigarette.
Crewman: Psst.. Dale, that's Junior.
Dale: Dammit. Kid, fetch Daddy a cigarette.

Driver: Paul Menard

Record: 35 races, no top 10s.

Season summary: Um ... Menard ran in all 35 races to date? Other than that, he hasn't done a whole lot to catch people's attention. His streak means that he's in line to win the FLOPPER (Finishes Last in Overall Points while Participating in Every Race) award, so he's got that going for him, at least.

Where it went right: Hmm. I guess it was the Samsung 500 in Texas, where Menard recorded his best finish of the year -- 13th. Still, good for him for -- uh -- for driving all the races in the season, I guess? Sorry, Paul, I got nothin'.

Where it went wrong: Well, like many of the guys in the lower reaches here, it never really went "right" for Menard this year. He ran all the races, he totaled more than $4 million in prize money, he had fun. And isn't that what it's all about?

Prospects for 2010: Menard is the NASCAR equivalent of the kid who gets to play quarterback because his dad is the coach. As long as Menard's is sponsoring a NASCAR ride, Paul Menard is going to be behind the wheel. 

Next up: David Stremme

Related Paul Menard posts from 2009:
Wreck of the week, where we actually mention Paul Menard
Your Bud Shootout front man is ... Paul Menard? Wha ... ?
(Yep, those are the only stories that starred Menard. Like I said, slow year.)

In the latest twist to the never-ending Danica Patrick story -- I swear, this thing has more plodding chapters than a Russian novel -- Rick Hendrick has said that there is, at present, no deal to bring Danica to NASCAR to run in a partial Nationwide season. Previously, Danica was supposed to be in the last stages of a deal to come drive for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports, but we've heard nothing more since then.

This past weekend in Phoenix, Hendrick, co-owner of JR Motorsports, threw a bit of cold water on the steamy Danica rumors. "I just think that [Danica and her management team] are not even close to making a decision on whether to even do it this year or next year," Hendrick said. "You never know until it's done. You never know until it's signed. And anybody can change their mind."

True enough. Danica apparently hasn't even officially signed with Andretti Green Racing to run in IndyCar next season, despite initial reports to the contrary. If I had a nickel for every new Danica rumor that's come down the pike and not come to pass, like the ones that had her teaming with Michael Waltrip or getting mentored by Tony Stewart, well, I'd be able to fund her myself.

Interestingly, Danica was apparently less than 30 miles away from the race this weekend, relaxing at her home in Scottsdale, Ariz. Why not swing by the track for a visit?

Yes, I know there are political, logistical and commercial reasons why she wouldn't show up. It would spawn a thousand rumormongering articles and get folks talking in directions that Danica and her team might not want to go. But if she's serious about NASCAR, shouldn't she be, you know, showing it a little?

The backstory: Keselowski is barely a rookie, having run only about a dozen races at NASCAR's highest level. But in that short span of time, he's already managed to tick off and/or concern every driver in the garage, chief among them Denny Hamlin. Being a locker-room jerk is one thing when you're running on a football field; it's a whole different deal when you're driving two-ton vehicles at 200 mph.

Jet Ski and The Hamster have a long history dating back to a brawl last season in a Nationwide race, and they've been sniping back and forth all season. Contact between the two drivers has led to five Hamlin wrecks, which is getting close to justification for Hamlin meeting Keselowski out back of the garage with a pipe wrench. 

This past weekend at Phoenix, Keselowski flat-out spun Hamlin late in the race. Here, check the video:

As a result, NASCAR sat Keselowski down for a little come-to-Jesus meeting. Hamlin, meanwhile, has all but promised to wreck Keselowski next weekend at Homestead, which puts that race from irrelevant -- Kyle Busch has already unofficially won the Nationwide championship -- to must-watch TV.

Keselowski has already singlehandedly altered the entire complexion of this season. He was a proximate cause of the season's most spectacular wreck, the Carl Edwards wall-scrub at Talladega in April. Then just two weeks ago, Keselowski started the catastrophic wreck at Talladega that took out Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Juan Pablo Montoya and cleared the way for Jimmie Johnson to roll to his fourth straight title.

And drivers all over the garage are expressing concern with Keselowski's style. (Listen in on a few reactions from Saturday night.) "What is wrong with that kid?" Kyle Busch called over the radio during Saturday night's race, an interesting query considering that, until this year, Kyle was the unchallenged Most Hated Driver In NASCAR. His brother Kurt, Keselowski's own teammate, was collected in the second Talladega wreck and bellowed his displeasure, to put it politely, with his new teammate. 

If you're a NASCAR fan, you're probably concerned that this guy's going to dump your favorite driver. And if you've left the sport -- or if you've never been a fan -- Keselowski might just be the guy to bring you into the fold. He's feisty, he's old-school, he's arrogant as hell, and he's going to be getting headlines next year, that's for sure.

And in a sport that could desperately use some excitement, Keselowski looks like he's going to deliver. Buckle up.

Standings (movement): Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch,Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Brian Vickers. That's right, there was no movement whatsoever this weekend. Toldja it was a boring race.

Who's up: Jimmie Johnson. Duh. He put his lead over Mark Martin at three figures, and now only has to finish 25th or better to win the Sprint Cup. And it looks like Martin will end up finishing second for the fifth time in his career. Sorry, Mark.

Who's down: Everybody else, including every fan who's not pulling for the 48. Look, let's not paint this any other way than it already is -- the drama is utterly gone from this year's Chase. We'd love to have something more to be watching for this weekend, but it didn't work out. Is that Jimmie's fault? NASCAR's? The field's? Hey, look at it this way -- only three months to Daytona!

Outlook: You're going to get it beaten into your skull over the next few days, but too bad -- Jimmie Johnson is as good as it gets, like it or not. As we've said many times before, everybody else in the field has had the chance to catch up to Jimmie and the 48, and everybody has fallen short in one way or another. There's always the chance that something catastrophic will go wrong next Sunday, but the likelihood is that this is a done deal. You can pout or you can stand and applaud, your choice.

And you're up! What's your take on the Chase? Go!

Was it a boring race? Absolutely. It was one of the dullest affairs of the year, but sometimes relentless domination can look boring from the outside. For Jimmie Johnson and his fans, though, this one was a delight, an exclamation point on another outstanding season.

Side note: we're hearing a lot more from Jimmie's fans these days, people who after three-plus years are finally getting bold enough to stand up to JJ's critics. Now, certainly some of these "fans" are bandwagon-jumpers and probably have Yankees, Lakers and Patriots jerseys in their closets. But for the 48's true-Lowe's-blue fanbase, these are the Good Times, and they're well-deserved.

But for two letters, Wendy Venturini's name would be a vital feature of a carburetor. (A venturi is a constricted area in the air passage of a carburetor, which causes a reduction in pressure resulting in fuel vapor being drawn out of the carburetor.) Somehow, considering the path her life has taken, that seems appropriate.

Wendy's dad Bill and her brother Billy have both raced in the Arca/ReMax series, where dad was rookie of the year in 1983 and series champion in 1987 and 1991. These days Bill Sr. owns Venturini Motorsports, where Joey Logano spent some of his development time for Joe Gibbs Racing.

By her own account, Wendy always knew she wanted to do her thing in television. She graduated in a mere threee years from college. while spending time on the side as an intern at NBC in Charlotte. She earned degrees in Media Production and Psychology and a minor in Journalism. So she can whip up her own story, produce it and psychoanalyze her interviewees, all at the same time!

Wendy's list of accomplishments is long, and includes the singular honor of having been the first woman ever to call an entire race from the booth. These days she spends time with her own feature on SPEED's RaceDay, The Real Deal, and as a pit/garage reporter, where the guys clearly know she's not just another bobblehead. Earlier this year, she took a spin around a dirt track with Ray Evernham. Check it out here:

Wendy's guests on The Real Deal have included everyone from Tony Stewart to Joey Logano to Jeff Gordon to Richard Childress. Check it out this week as Wendy speaks with Jimmie Johnson. On her Twitter feed, Wendy noted this week that she's also filmed a feature about "crew chiefs working w/ 'high-profile' drivers (or some fans may call it 'high maintenance' drivers ... haha)." NASCAR RaceDay runs before every race on SPEED.

Wendy Venturini [Official Site]

I hate Jimmie Johnson.

There, I said it. I hate everything about him. I hate his sponsor. I hate his manufacturer. I hate his owner. I hate his teammates[1]. I even hate that stupid beard he grew at the start of the season[2].

Why such venom? It started innocently enough: when I became a fan, I had to find two important pieces to complete the dramatic viewing experience I was looking for: a hero and a villain. The hero was found quickly in Dale Earnhardt Jr. A young driver in only his second year who showed promise and had the ridiculously juicy subplot of adversity[3]. The other side ended up being Jeff Gordon, he of the rainbow car[4] and alleged jerkiness[5]. Jeff Gordon, conveniently enough, was the anti-Earnhardt. But then emerged a bigger threat. A young up-and-coming driver named Jimmie Johnson, handpicked by the villain to kneel at his tree of knowledge. It was like Star Wars all over again, with Earnhardt as the fatherless youth with some raw talent up against the incredible power of Gordon's Palpatine and Johnson's Vader[6].

Johnson played the role so well, eventually becoming the main villain, as Gordon turned into a JAD[7]. He won a lot, with Earnhardt winning several battles here and there[8]. Better yet, that 48 car kept getting into run-ins with NASCAR's tech inspectors, becoming an even bigger villain in my eyes. Coupled with his reputation as a choke artist[9], he made the perfect villain: a threat who was eventually defeated at season's end. It was so perfect.

And then it happened. Johnson won a championship. Then he staged a ridiculous comeback to win another[10]. After that he just flat-out dominated to win another. Even worse, his run-ins with NASCAR became non-existent. What the hell?! Talk about owning us haters. I hate him because he abandoned my great story. He was supposed to be the powerful, flawed villain. He doesn't even fit as a jerk! I hate him because, unfortunately, he is a cool guy. He raced Baja and motorcycles. He surfed on a golf cart at risk of life and limb[11]. He pointed out in an interview that Jimmy Spencer asked him how he still "gets it up[12]". That's a joke I would have made!

So I hate Jimmie Johnson. I hate him because he made the hero in my drama a fool. I hate him because he is almost flawless on the track[13]. I hate him because, in all honesty, he's a pretty cool guy. In short, I hate him because he gives me no good reason to hate him. Now all I can do, all I could ever do, is sit back and watch him march toward history, seeing red every step of the way as he takes down Mark Martin...

[2] You're supposed to be a pretty boy, remember? SHAVE IT OFF!

[3] If you're reading this, you know what I'm referencing.

[4] How feminine!

[5] [There was another word here, but this is a family site. --JB]

[6] I'm still not convinced Johnson is not Earnhardt's father.

[7] Just Another Driver.

[8] The year? 2004.

[9] Put yourself back into 2005. It was there.

[10] That was when he permanently lost the title of Choke Artist.

[11] Or perhaps just wrists.

[12] To race every week as competitively as the last, you pervert.

[13] I appreciate the effort nonetheless, Mr. Hornish.

[14] The way I still hate Kevin Harvick for taking away Martin's Daytona 500 in 2007!

"Women's skin. I love women's skin." That's gonna give me the heebie-jeebies for awhile.

All right, that'll do it for the working week. This weekend, we've got not one, but two guest commentaries, plus that lil' ol' Phoenix race on Sunday afternoon. While you're waiting, those of you who aren't yet sick of all the ranting we do here all week can check out my appearance on a couple of podcasts -- the fine folks at Joe Sports Fan and Kissing Suzy Kolber have welcomed me on their shows in recent weeks, and I thank them for that. Check out the podcasts and see whatcha think.

Have a good one, and we'll talk to you more this weekend!

Okay, it's not quite that simple. But as Scene Daily reports, a Dover International Speedway filing with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission has shed light on a whole host of agreements that exist between tracks and NASCAR. The contract stipulations aren't quite at the level of Van Halen's infamous "no brown M&M's" mandate, but there are still a whole host of mandates.

First, the numbers. Dover has to pay NASCAR a $6.055 million fee for its May race and $5.429 million for the September one. However, the track also gets $12.645 million in broadcast coin for its spring race and $10.473 for the fall one. The track has to contribute about 28 percent of that total to race purses. Dover has previously reported that about 70 percent of its revenues derive from its two Sprint Cup races.

As part of the filing, Dover disclosed the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup sanctioning agreements. Here are a few of the choice items, according to Scene:

• The track must carry $50 million in liability insurance and $1 million in medical malpractice liability insurance. NASCAR must be listed among the insured. NASCAR must require the TV partner to carry $2 million in general liability insurance ($1 million limit per occurrence) that includes the promoter in that policy.

• A track cannot alter the racing surface by painting, sealing or resurfacing without prior written consent of NASCAR.

• NASCAR can postpone or cancel an event if the promoter does not fix any unsatisfactory racing surface, barriers, fencing, retaining systems, SAFER barrier systems, garage area, pit area, race control area, timing and scoring areas or structures used for broadcast of the event.

• NASCAR gets 225 reserved choice grandstand tickets for the race and 200 for qualifying.

• The track must provide 325 parking passes/permits adjacent to or near the garage area for NASCAR and 50 in close proximity to the NASCAR track suite.

• The track must provide two pace vehicles. It also must provide 150 chairs in an enclosed, climate-controlled area for the drivers meeting. It must provide a control tower with air conditioning, heat, 14 chairs (with cushions), phone line and television monitors.

• The track must provide a television booth for at least five people, air-conditioned to 68 degrees. The TV partner also gets 300 tickets plus one luxury track suite. The track also must use "reasonable efforts to cause the title sponsor of the event to buy advertising in the telecasts." NASCAR requires its broadcast partner to say the name of the race at least once during the opening segment of the telecast and thereafter at least once during each hour of the telecast.

•  Track must provide foot rubs and back rubs for all NASCAR officials Said foot and back rubs must be of at least "super-duper" quality, though "awesome" is preferred. Foot and back rubs given in a grudging, "If I have to" manner will not be accepted.

Okay, I made that last one up.  But still, this is a pretty interesting list, and a pretty daunting one as well. Makes you wonder why anyone would want to bother with hosting a NASCAR event -- oh, wait, the millions. Right.

Financial filing offers rare glimpse into NASCAR sanctioning stipulations [Scene Daily]

• They're smashing Talladega? Wait, guys, we weren't mad at the track, it was the rules! There's no need to trash the whole ... what's that? This is a planned renovation? Oh, cool. Carry on, then. [Catchfence] 

• Carquest Auto Parts has extended its sponsorship of Mark Martin's No. 5 through the 2011 season for eight races per season. By then, Martin will be, what, 103? And still competitive, dammit! [Scene Daily] 

• Reed Sorenson is racing in the Nationwide Series this weekend for the first time in three years. Would it be wrong to say that Sorenson might want to get comfortable in a Nationwide seat? [NASCAR.com via Yahoo! Sports]

• International Speedway Corp. is planning to resell that New York City-area property it had wanted to use for a race track for an estimated $80 million. Sounds great ... until you remember they paid nearly $110 million for it. [Staten Island Advance] 

• This is pretty cool: Richard Petty is going to drive a World War II Jeep at Phoenix, which'll then be auctioned off. (The Jeep, not Petty.) Somehow, this thing is going to lead the field; I didn't think World War II Jeeps could make that kind of speed, but we'll see, won't we? [Scene Daily]

• An article about the positive impact that NASCAR is having on a community? This writer obviously didn't get the memo that no positivity about NASCAR is allowed whatsoever. [KTAR]

Got a link/tip? Hit us up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com and follow us on Twitter. 

The race: Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500, 3:15 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15 at Phoenix International Raceway

The specs: 312 laps on the one-mile track. (It's 500 kilometers, y'see.)

The broadcasts: ABC, plus the live chat right here on Yahoo! Sports. 

Defending champ: Jimmie Johnson. Yep, him again.

The standings leaders: Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin (-73), Jeff Gordon (-112).

The history: Drivers rank Phoenix as one of their favorite tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit, tied for second with Atlanta. (Bristol is No. 1.) The late Alan Kulwicki won the first NASCAR race at Phoenix, in 1988, and immediately performed the first Polish Victory lap.

The appropriate video: Kyle Busch here in 2008: "We don't wait on tape."

Guy with the most to gain: Come on, you need to ask? Mark Martin, of course. If he can get within 50 points of Johnson going into Homestead, he's got a reasonable shot. If the lead stays the same -- or worse for Martin, widens -- the Chase is all but over. And if Johnson can manage to stretch the lead to 162 points, all he needs to do is start the car in Miami.

Guys with the most to lose: Again, you don't even need to ask. If Johnson has another early-lap wreck here, or if something unforeseen goes wrong in the pits or fuel strategy,

Our pick to win: Martin. This is the most important race of the season, and one of the most important in his career, and I'm thinking he and the No. 5 team are up to the challenge.

All right, you're up. Who's your pick for this weekend? Go!

Classic create-a-caption time starring The Intimidator. What might be going on here in the testing just before the Diehard 500 at Talladega in 1995. Have at it, friends!

After the jump, Kyle Busch is as happy as a little girl.

Robert C:
Kyle decides to mock Danica's future reaction to losing in Nascar..."Well, pretty little me, I just didn't see the wall". Little did he know Danica, who was visiting the track that day, was standing near by. She came over and punched Kyle in the face, "I am not a girl!"

Randy
"D00D Looks Like A Lady"

Meltdown:
"Yeah, Kurt won....but, Mooooommmyyyyy loves me beeeeettteeeeerrrr!!!!"

Here's one for the record books. The Montreal Gazette brings us the story of one Sam Thornton, who's turned his garage into a NASCAR-and-hockey shrine.

Think you've got some choice NASCAR-watching digs? Check this. Thornton has 46,693 Coors and Budweiser bottle caps stuck to the walls of the garage, arranged in the shape of his favorite drivers' numbers. Look at the photo there at top left and take a wild guess who they are. (Aside: That's an awfully exact number. Who the heck counted these caps, huh?)

Beyond that, he's got dozens of model cars and hockey memorabilia. He's also tricked out the joint with a fridge, a furnace (this is Canada, you know), a pantry and a 47-inch TV for watchin' the racin'.  

47,000 beer caps. Jeez. When I did that in college, they called the administration on me. Of course, the caps were accompanied by various half-full and broken bottles, but still.

46,693 beer caps create NASCAR shrine [Montreal Gazette]

Driver: Michael Waltrip

Record: 32 races, 2 top-10 finishes

Season summary: After a reasonably promising start, things went south in a hurry for Mikey. He plummeted from the teens and the Chase hunt -- granted, this was in March -- to settle in the mid-30s. In all likelihood, this is Waltrip's final full season, and he'll transition into the broadcast booth.

Where it went right: Waltrip notched two seventh-place finishes -- one at the rain-shortened Daytona 500, and one at the wreck-marred Amp Energy 500 in Talladega. Things went better as an owner rather than as a driver, with teammate David Reutimann in the Chase hunt until the very end.

Where it went wrong: Waltrip wrecked twice in a row in the early part of the Chase, not that it mattered. And not long afterward, he was involved in a traffic accident in which he'd been drinking, but not to the legal limit.

Prospects for 2010: Waltrip will almost certainly go part-time in 2010, and with two of the more talented young drivers in Martin Truex Jr. and Reutimann in his stable, he'll be riding like a proud and soon-to-retire papa.

Next up: Paul Menard

• Kyle Busch got dinged for $5,000 and 25 points, and put on probation until the end of the year, for violations related to his No. 18 Nationwide car. [The Fifth Turn]

• It's a good idea not to get too far behind when you're running at Phoenix, as the top three drivers in the Chase could tell you. [Scene Daily]

• Good news for some old racetracks, bad news for others. Here's hoping more are able to follow the example of Jeffco Speedway in Georgia and reopen, but most are facing the wrecking ball. [Racin' Today]

• All that downforce in the new Nationwide cars is going to make them a smoother ride than their Cup counterparts. Think that'll cause any controversy next year? Why, of course it will! [Scene Daily]

• Enough with the freakin' Jimmie Johnson conspiracies. The NASCAR Insiders, talkin' sense as always. [The NASCAR Insiders]

Got a link/tip? Hit us up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com and follow us on Twitter. 

Continuing our "please-oh-please-oh-please" series on the final races of the Chase, we focus on how Mark Martin (or someone else) could take the Cup away from Jimmie Johnson. The last couple weeks, we've talked about how Johnson could lose, so let's be more positive today, shall we?

With two races left, Jimmie Johnson's closest pursuers are Martin (73 points back), Jeff Gordon (112 points back), Kurt Busch (171 points back) and Tony Stewart (178 points back). So let's break down how this could go, using this points system as a guide. 

If Johnson averages a fourth-place finish, the Chase is over. Nobody can catch him.

If Johnson averages a fifth-place finish, Martin would have to win both races and lead the most laps in both. Nobody else can catch him.

If Johnson averages a 10th-place finish, Martin would have to finish first in one race and second in the other, but wouldn't need to lead either in laps. Jeff Gordon would have to win both races and lead the most laps in both. Busch and Stewart couldn't win.

If Johnson averages a 15th-place finish, Martin would have to average a fifth-place finish. Gordon would have to win both, but he wouldn't have to lead the most in both. Busch and Stewart still couldn't win.

If Johnson averages a 22nd-place finish -- wins one race and crashes out on lap 1 of the other, a highly unlikely event -- Martin would have to average a 10th-place finish. Gordon would have to average a fifth-place finish. Busch would have to win both races; Stewart would have to win both races and lead the most laps in both.

So there you go -- chances aplenty! Phoenix thus becomes the most important race of the season so far. If Martin can cut into Johnson's lead, even by a little, it'll completely change the complexion of the Chase. We shall see.

Beyond that, discuss whatever you like, and we'll see you right back here soon with more stuff.

Random Wednesday question that occurred during today's chat: assume you just hit the lottery and became a kajillionaire. Now, assume against all reason, that you decided to start a NASCAR team, and you've got the pick of the litter. You can sign any driver you like -- active, that is -- and your goal is to produce a consistent championship team for years to come.

So who would you take? You only get the driver, no fair bringing along their existing crew. But you can still hang onto their fanbase.

-The established champion in Jimmie Johnson, who's shown again and again that he knows how to win -- but could be on the downslope before long?

-The insanely talented but moody star in Kyle Busch, who's destined for greatness but also for some serious blowups?

-The marketing juggernaut in Dale Earnhardt Jr., who'll bring enough cash into your brand-new organization to make people forget about winning for awhile?

-Or somebody else like Carl Edwards, Juan Pablo Montoya, Joey Logano or Brad Keselowski, each with plenty of positives but plenty of negatives?

Have at it. Make your case in the comments. If this flies, perhaps "random question Wednesday" could become a regular feature. And if not, well, it's your fault.

Oh, and don't forget to name your new team. Go!

Almirola -- not to be confused with AJ Allmendinger or Alan Alda -- was supposed to be driving the No. 8 full-time this year after splitting it the previous two years with Mark Martin. But Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s merger with Chip Ganassi Racing, combined with a softened sponsorship economy, put the brakes on the No. 8 car after just seven unremarkable races. His only finish higher than 30th was a 21st-place finish in Atlanta in the spring.

The lawsuit does not specify details on the breach-of-contract claim, but instead asks the court to send the matter to arbitration.

The case echoes one involving Elliott Sadler earlier this year, in which Sadler threatened to sue Gillett Evernham Motorsports over getting bounced from his ride by Allmendinger. But once GEM merged with Richard Petty Motorsports, there was space available after all, and that suit mysteriously went away. That doesn't seem likely in this case.

Aric Almirola files claim against Earnhardt Ganassi Racing [Scene Daily]

• Here's a good idea: Why not crown the champions of NASCAR's various series on different weekends? (That photo is last year's Nationwide champion Clint Bowyer, and it's one of the strangest I've seen.) [Scene Daily]

• And now it begins: What will Jimmie Johnson's place in NASCAR history be should he win his fourth straight Cup title? [Racin' Today]

• Good news: J.J. Yeley is healing from a brutal wreck and is eager to get back onto the race track. [NASCAR.com]

• Continuing on the NASCAR-gear-wearing criminals beat: A guy in a NASCAR hat tried to rob a bank in Kannapolis, N.C., but got spooked and ran. Wimp. [All Left Turns]

• Why's everybody coming to NASCAR to drive? Because it's the best racing series around. Some fella by the name of Juan Pablo Montoya said that. Yeah, he might know. [Virginian-Pilot]

• Who should host the NASCAR season-ending awards ceremony in Las Vegas? I say Chris Rock. [The Daly Planet]

• Pretty much everything you're reading about Dale Earnhardt Jr. these days is wrong. (Except what you read by me, of course. I'm always right.) A passionate, eloquent defense by a Junior fan.  [The Diecast Dude]

Got a link/tip? Hit us up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com and follow us on Twitter. 

Gordon was able to recover somewhat, but Montoya was done for the day and the Chase. Somehow, though, I think we'll see him again.

I don't even want to begin to speculate on what's happening here between Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. That, friends, is your job. Enjoy.

After the jump, Tony Stewart goes fishin'.

Randy:
WILDEST KINGDOM
Moments later...
A stunned and horrified Tony, and Sunglasses Guy watch helplessly as Jim (in black shirt) dives headlong off of the bow to wrestle with a 14' hammerhead. Perkins reassures them, "Not to worry fellas...that shark is obviously a female, and we all know how good Jim is with the ladies."

Rick C:
NOOOO Mr. Ranger sir, we don't have any beer or open containers.

Empress:
Poor Tony....he is reduced to catching his dinner.

Driver: Robby Gordon

Record: 33 races (at this writing), one top-5 finish

Season summary: Robby gets all kinds of grief for causing wreck after wreck, but truth is that the guy is one of the best drivers on the planet -- he just happens to be spread kinda thin. He'll race anything -- cars, trucks, refrigerators on wheels -- and more often than not, he ends up walloping the competition, one way or another. Is there another driver in Cup who could handle as many rides as Robby? I think not.

Where it went right: The Coca-Cola 600, where he pulled off a third-place finish. (Yes, it was because of a rain-shortened race. Hush. You wouldn't have remembered that if I hadn't told you.) Also, Robby won a whole passel of off-road races, but that's not what we're focusing on here.

Where it went wrong: Robby had nine DNFs this year, ranging from crashes to engine problems. When you're back in the pack, it doesn't matter how good of a driver you are, you're going to get caught up in the mess more often than the frontrunners.  

Prospects for 2010: Robby seems to be staying in the top 35, which is good news. He's also most likely going to run in every doggone series he can find, which is good news for him, I guess. There was a rumor floating around that Bobby Labonte would join his team, which could make for an interesting garage. But we'll see.

Next up: Michael Waltrip

Related RGordon posts from 2009:
Video: You will believe Robby Gordon can drive a car
Robby Gordon introduces Joey Logano to the wall
Robby Gordon charged with cheating in offroad race
Robby Gordon is, like, seriously lost looking for Daytona