Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

This week: Johnson has lapped the field — he leads by more points than any driver can earn in a single race. That means Johnson could skip this week's race at Texas, sit at home and twiddle his thumbs and still be the points leader next week at Phoenix. Johnson's 184-point lead with three races to go is the largest any driver has had since the Chase format began in 2004. He will clinch a record fourth straight Cup championship if he finishes 10th or better in each of the final three races. He has a decent record at Texas — one victory (November 2007), six top-five finishes and nine top-10s in 12 starts — but has a stunning record in the last six races — a victory and three second-place finishes. He was second here in April. "Texas Motor Speedway does a great job taking care of all of us and making us feel comfortable and at home," he said. "The track is aging and doing well, so we have a nice wide groove to race on."

Last week: After running at the rear of the field for most of the race, Johnson's strategy of "not racin"g paid off as he finished sixth at Talladega in a race where his closest pursuers were gobbled up in a 13-car pileup on the frontstretch heading to the white flag in a green-white-checkered finish. Johnson never led a lap in the race. "This wasn't Halloween; this was an early Christmas present," Johnson said. "I feel good about things. I'm very, very happy. I hate to see so many tore-up race cars. For us, we were conservative all day long. We took fuel and other guys didn't, and then guys started to run out of fuel. I was far enough ahead to not be caught up in the wreck. The guys right behind me were cleaned out, too, but we got a good top-10 finish out of it."

Etc.: Johnson promised not to let his guard down with such a big lead in the final three races. "Really, I'm just treating these races as if they were other races, any other race," Johnson said. "I know it sounds stupid and corny and almost predictable, but it's the truth. I mean, the way we have prepared to this point has led to the points lead that we have and the race wins that we've accumulated over the year, and we need to do more of the same. From my standpoint, studying my notes from the previous races, working with the engineers, understanding the setup that we're taking, understanding what we're trying to qualify and what we're going to try and race trim, and being up to speed on all those potential changes that we can work on and understanding what we're hoping that they will do, that's all part of it, and I think this weekend will be a lot easier for me than Talladega because I'm going to be working on things that actually make a difference. At Talladega there was a lot of free time for my mind to worry because the rules are so specific and there's not a lot you can think about from a driver's standpoint. But this weekend it should go fast. As soon as we get in the car, be focused on how the car is handling and adjustments that we need to make right on through the race. I'll just try to fall into all of that and just live and breathe the race car as much as possible so that my mind doesn't think about outside things."

Mark Martin, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

This week: Martin drove to victory for team owner Jack Roush in 1998 in the second Cup Series race at Texas. He has five top-five and nine top-10 finishes in 17 starts there, including two top-10 finishes in the last three races. He was 12th in this race last year and sixth in April. "I look forward to it (going back to Texas Motor Speedway)," Martin said. "We did get a chance to show what we had at Charlotte, and we didn't have enough that particular weekend. We were second fast in every practice. We were second fast in qualifying, but in the race we didn't perform quite like we wanted to so we get another chance. Texas is a different race track and a different day. It's been a good place before, but this is the time when we need to land on both feet."

Last week: Martin's dreams of escaping Talladega without disaster were ruined on the next-to-last lap of the race when he was part of the 13-car smash-up. His Chevrolet flipped over and landed on its roof, and he finished 28th. Martin led twice for seven laps. When asked what he saw at the end of the race, Martin had a short answer. "Nothing," he said. Later, he added, "It was just a wreck. I hope everybody enjoyed the show there. I don't know what it looked like. It looked pretty exciting from my viewpoint. I don't have a clue. I don't know what happened out there."

Etc.: Even though he needs some help to win a championship, Martin is happy to be back as a full-time competitor. "It would have been the biggest mistake of my career to have passed on this opportunity," he said. "I feel very good. I feel fresh and surprised that there's only three (races) left. The people at Hendrick Motorsports have made this a better year for me than I expected. The sponsors have been wonderful to work with, and it's beyond my wildest dreams. One thing is, the testing (ban) has helped enormously. I would not have re-signed for 2010 had the testing been brought back, much less 2011. That's huge. You know, when you're in a bad mood and something happens, it irritates the heck out of you and when you're in a good mood, and the same thing happens and it doesn't bother you. Have you noticed that? Well, that's where I've been there this year. I haven't been tired, burned out, frustrated and all those kinds of things. I'm fresh and enthusiastic and all those kinds of things."

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

This week: Gordon has slipped even further behind and now trails teammate Jimmie Johnson by 192 points. Gordon scored his first Texas victory in April. He has seven top-five and nine top-10 finishes in 17 starts there, but five of the top-10s have come in the last six races. His one finish out of the top-10 was last place in a 43-car field in April 2008. He was second in this race last year. "We are anxious to get back there," he said. "It was obviously a huge win for us as a team going there so many times and from being so close and not getting the win to having just horrendous, terrible days. We ran bad or hit the wall or had a failure, whatever may have happened. It was just one of those tracks that I typically left there wanting to forget as quickly as I could. Now I can't wait to get back there because we had such a strong car. We had worked so hard over the offseason because of what we learned there in November last year to come back to be strong in Texas, knowing that it is a Chase race and it is a race that has haunted us for the last several years. To turn that around was fantastic."

Last week: Gordon was one of the 13 cars in the final crash of the race and was credited with a 20th-place finish. This came after he led four times for 12 laps. "It's no surprise to me," he said of the crash. "I think we all know that's what's going to happen when we come to Talladega. You know everybody is pretty patient throughout the day and just waiting to get crazy at the end. You know it's going to happen eventually. It's a little disappointing for us on the Chevrolet just because we ran out of fuel. I felt like we saved a lot. I certainly didn't think we were going to run out right then, but I guess I'm kind of glad we ran out when we did because we were at least able to get back out there and destroy our car. As long as you can bump-draft … you're going to have those kinds of incidences. Everybody really used their heads all day long and it was great. With guys staying off of you in the corners I think it definitely allowed us to get to the end. But we had more cars at the end, and you know that it's going to happen coming down with a green-white-checkered finish. It's no different; same old thing as usual."

Etc.: In the 1990s, it was Gordon who was on a championship run similar to what Jimmie Johnson is experiencing now. "Back then from my standpoint, I was loving it," Gordon said. "And it didn't matter to me what other people thought. But there was a rivalry there and it was great. It built up that rivalry because it made people that were Earnhardt fans only hate me more and it built up the people that started to like me; it built that fan base up more. And it was really sort of divided and I think the more you dominate, the more they divide, and that's only a good thing for this sport as well as for Jimmie."

Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Chevrolet, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

This week: Montoya moved up one position in the standings but is 239 points behind the leader. Montoya has just two top-10 finishes in five Texas starts. Those top-10s came in his first (eighth place) and last (seventh) races at the 1.5-mile track. He finished last in this race last year. "We have probably been the closest car to be competitive against the No. 48, but ifs and buts don't count," he said. "If you could get 10 points for every 'if' and 20 points for every 'but,' it would be a lot different. But you don't. You look at what this team has accomplished — everybody says you need to have a four-car team, big this and a big that and a big thing. We have shown that you just have to have hard-working and determined people to get the job done, and we have got all that."

Last week: Montoya somehow escaped Talladega with a 19th-place finish. He led twice for three laps. "It was not too crazy," Montoya said. "It was actually really quiet. … I think that is why you saw so much single-file racing because you couldn't make anything happen. You couldn't do anything. You tried and then every time you would get into someone's bumper, then you would lift and you would lose that contact and half of a car length and the whole pack slows down. I wanted to run up front, but you couldn't do anything."

Etc.: Montoya's spotter, Tab Boyd, is from the Gulf Coast of the United States while Montoya is from Colombia. So far, there hasn't been anything missing in translation even though they speak with such different dialects. "You would be surprised when you hear him on the radio; you couldn't tell he is from anywhere," Montoya said. "He is like a robot. His voice is very clean and very clear and he makes it really easy. It is a very unique voice and it is actually a pretty cool voice. He is always very steady. We have a very good relationship and we understand each other really well on the radio. It makes life really easy. When I need something, he knows what I want."

Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing

This week: Stewart is a former Texas winner, in this race in 2006, and has four top-five and nine top-10 finishes in 15 starts. He was 16th in this race last year and fourth in April. "This track, the grooves have moved around, especially in the last couple of years," Stewart said. "We've seen the track start getting wider, and Eddie (Gossage, track president) took the initiative to try to get the bumps smoother in (turns) one and two. A lot of promoters wouldn't have done that. They wouldn't have taken that much time and effort, but it's made it to where you can move around on the race track and where you can run the top side or the bottom side. It's nice from a driver's perspective to be able to have that flexibility behind the steering wheel, knowing that if your car's not driving exactly the way you want it to, you can move around the race track and find a spot the car likes better. Anytime you put more seasons on a race track, the better it gets because it seems like the pavement wears out on the bottom and it makes it to where you can run the top and be fast and you can run the bottom and be fast. It makes the whole race track, speed-wise, about the same, versus when they pave a race track and the only groove is right on the bottom. The fastest way is the shortest way, because it all has the same amount of grip, so the shorter distance is faster. Every year that we come here I think the racing just gets better and better, as far as being able to move around on the race track and guys not having to just follow each other and get stuck behind each other. You can actually pass. You can race. You can get away from guys if your car's fast."

Last week: Stewart finished 35th after he was part of the multi-car crash on the backstretch that sent teammate Ryan Newman's car sailing through the air. Stewart led one time for one lap.

Etc.: Stewart admitted he was surprised when he found out his former teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, Kyle Busch, was getting a new crew chief when the team decided to "reassig"n Steve Addington. "I'm kind of shocked by it," Stewart said. "I don't know what the reasoning was behind it, but you know at the end of the day there was a reason that made them make that switch. I don't know what that is, but I was like, 'You're joking, right?' It was hard to believe that they are going to split that combination up."

Kurt Busch, No. 2 Dodge, Penske Racing

This week: Busch has never won at Texas and has one top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 13 starts. He was 41st last November and eighth in April. "We've really shown the spark we need on the intermediate tracks so far this season, and we hope to continue that at Texas this weekend," Busch said. "We had the big win back in the spring at Atlanta and have run consistently in the top 10 in most of those tracks. The guys have been putting some great race cars out there, (team engineer) Dave Winston and the engineering department have made so much progress, and the new Dodge engines have had plenty of power in those races."

Last week: Busch had a terrible Talladega and finished 30th. He led one time for seven laps. "It was the most emotional highs and lows that I've experienced since I've been racing here at Talladega," Busch said. "Early in the race, I was bump drafting with the 83 (Brian Vickers) and had contact, which pushed in our right-rear quarter panel and ended up cutting down our right-rear tire. We came to pit road, which put us down two laps, but caught a break when the next caution came out. We decided to stay out and take the wave around even though we were seven laps shy of our fuel window. Then another yellow flag came out when we were racing the 44 (A.J. Allmendinger) for the lucky dog position. We passed the 44, which gave us the pass and put us on the lead lap. After the restart, we fought our way all the way from 35th to ninth when we cut a left-rear tire on lap 181. That set us back again. We had to pit and, amazingly enough, we caught another break when 39 (Ryan Newman) and 47 (Marcos Ambrose) got together and the big wreck happened. We started ninth on the green-white flag restart and started to make a push to the front when I get tapped from behind again. That sent our Dodge into a spin and into the infield wall. It was just a really strange day."

Etc.: Busch will drive the "PRS-70"2 Dodge Charger at Texas. It's the third of the latest generation of race cars to come out of the Penske Racing shop, Winston said.

Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing

This week: Biffle won at Texas in April 2005 when he led a whopping 219 laps. That is one of his three top-five and four top-10 finishes there. He was fifth last November and third in April. Those two top-five finishes ended a dismal two-race Texas streak in which he finished 33rd in November 2007 and 39th in April 2008. "We're looking forward to next year," Biffle said, realizing he isn't going to win the Cup championship. "We're trying to get the highest position in points we can this year, but we're looking forward to picking some wins up. We think we can still win this year. We've got three or four more chances, so we'll get by those and see what we can do, but we're excited about next year. It's a little bit of everything."

Last week: Biffle avoided the crashes and finished a fortunate fourth at Talladega. He never led a lap. "It all depends on where you're at and where you're running," Biffle said. "We got our track position at the end and we knew they were all going to wreck, so we just played it smart and got through that stuff. I'm excited for Jamie McMurray. Those guys ran good. Our restrictor-plate program has been getting better and better. We had a good car, but we just lost our track position there that one time and we were fighting to get it back, but it was a good run."

Etc.: Biffle believes there will be some improvements in his team next season. "Our new engine will help us a little bit, figuring out our chassis better will help us and getting to some places to do some testing will help us," he said. "We'll be a little bit more outside the box when it comes next year as far as trying stuff early in the season."

Ryan Newman, No. 39 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing

This week: Newman drove to victory at Texas in April 2003 and has three top-five finishes and no other top-10s in 12 starts there. He finished 28th last November and 15th last April. He is focused on two things at Texas: the continuing improvement in the asphalt and the double-file restarts. "The first time there with double-file restarts, I think, is going to be another bundle of excitement as we've seen most every race track this year," he said. "The bigger the race track, the wider the race track, the more the double-file restarts have an impact. You know, I saw very little difference at Martinsville compared to the way it used to be. But I think when you go to a place like Texas it definitely adds to some multiple levels of excitement, and I think it's a great place for it. I love the speed. It's a fast race track. The weather should be cool, so hopefully we can haul mail."

Last week: Newman was trapped inside his car for nearly 13 minutes after it went airborne and landed on its roof in the late race wreck. Safety workers finally were able to turn the car back on its wheels and get him out of the mangled machine. "It's just a byproduct of Talladega racing … unfortunately," Newman said. "We got hit from behind. That turned me sideways. Then I got up in the air and just kept flipping and flopping. Unfortunately, the cage came down on top of my head and I couldn't get out. It was a boring race and it was a ridiculous race. To see 43 cars run single file is not what we showed up here today for. The more rules, the more NASCAR is telling us how to drive the race cars, the less we can race and the less we can put on a show for the fans. … I will go back in the day —David Pearson, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, all those guys, they respected each other. In the end there were some big accidents, but, geez, we don't need the cars getting upside down like this. This is ridiculous. There is way more technology than that to help us out, whether it is a speed issue, a roof-flap issue, whatever. I said it myself in the media center after the spring race here, and now to be the guy standing here trying to live it all out again, I'm just happy I am living it out. But it is ridiculous situation. It is a shame that not more is getting done. I don't know. I guess maybe I expect NASCAR to call me. I am the only guy out there with an engineering degree. I would like to have a little respect on my end." When it was suggested that Newman go talk to NASCAR, the driver shot back, "I am not going to talk to them. It just doesn't matter. They have created a lot of the boredom because we couldn't race. It is survival. The race could have been 100 laps long and we could have had a great race. It is just not the way it is and it is unfortunate. I just hate it for the fans."

Etc.: Newman is an avid animal lover and was asked his thoughts on quarterback Michael Vick being allowed back into the National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles. "I don't know exactly how to answer that other than to say that the justice system isn't always just," Newman said. "I think that's totally separate from his profession. His personal life and his profession are two different things in respect to the mistakes that he's made. I think you can read it two different ways. Do people have the right to be forgiven? Yes. Do they have the right to resume what they were doing once they're forgiven? Who knows"?

Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Dodge, Richard Petty Motorsports

This week: Kahne, who gained two spots in the standings to ninth with his finish Sunday, won at Texas in April 2006 but has just two top-five finishes and no other top-10s in 10 starts there. He was 24th last November and 19th in April. "Texas is actually a really neat track," Kahne said. "I've always liked Texas. It's fast. The banking is awesome. It's a little bit rough, too. There are some spots that are rough, so you have that side where your car is bouncing around and you have to slide the back around. I enjoy racing there. Getting into turn one can be tricky. It is real flat, and then as you are coming into the corner, you get into the banking. It's almost like you fall into the corner at 190 miles per hour. Turn three is similar, but it is not as drastic. It is a difficult place to get your car to handle the way you want. It is a great track, but you really need your car to handle well on entry to be competitive. The biggest thing is the front end. You have to get the left front working. You have to make sure that your front two tires are cutting real well. You need your back (of the car) to be in the track real well. The biggest thing for me is the front tires. That's usually what we struggle with here — the front tires aren't working as good as they need to work. The couple times that they have worked really well, we've either been first of second."

Last week: Kahne finished second at Talladega and was happy to bring his car back in one piece. He led one time for one lap. "The team did a good job with our Dodge," Kahne said. "We had a good handling car but lost the draft a couple of times. We needed to be in the middle of the draft. (Brian) Vickers was pushing me really hard there before the caution. I was just in the right place at the right time. It unfolded well for us at the end. If we got back in the pack, we'd lose the draft. We needed to have cars around us and tried to keep cars behind us, mainly. If we were able to do that, we could race pretty decent. The car handled good, which I think everybody's car handled good here. We just kind of shot up through there, had great track position on that restart and ran second. It was good for our team."

Etc.: In addition to Sunday's Cup Series event, Kahne also is scheduled to participate in the Nationwide Series race Saturday, piloting the No. 38 entry for Braun Racing.

Carl Edwards, No. 99 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing

This week: Edwards is a three-time Texas winner with victories in November 2005 and both races in 2008. Those are his three top-five finishes and three of his four top-10s in nine starts. He was 10th in April. "Texas has been one of my best race tracks the last couple years," Edwards said. "In the spring we were leading the race and ended up having a little trouble on pit road during the last stop. I felt like myself, Greg (Biffle) and Matt (Kenseth) were all in a position to win that race. I'm real excited about going back because I feel like it's one of our strongest race tracks. It's a special place to me for a number of reasons, but I think that our record at Texas over the years is better than any other track we go to, so I'm real excited about going there and going for the win."

Last week: Edwards finished 14th at Talladega after leading twice for two laps.

Etc.: Crew chief Bob Osborne is bringing chassis RK-587, which finished 15th at Richmond. "We're taking a different car than the one we raced there in the spring, but hopefully this one will be just as good, if not better," Osborne said. "It would be great to get a win before the season ends, and I think Texas is one of our best chances."

Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing

This week: Hamlin has five top-10 finishes in eight starts at Texas. "Our Chase has been a real up-and-down deal," said Hamlin. "We've run good every week, but we've had those two engine problems along with that win at Martinsville. You can't have mechanical problems in the Chase and we've had two of them. But we want to finish as high in the points as we can so we are going to try to win at least one more before the year is over." Hamlin is only 46 points out of eighth.

Last week: Many people along pit road said Hamlin had the car to beat at Talladega. And he did lead five times for l1 laps and was running up front when he suffered engine failure with 50 laps to go. As a result, he ended up 38th to drop from ninth to 11th in the standings. "We had a great car, that's for sure," he said. "Our FedEx Camry was as strong as anyone, if not stronger, but just couldn't keep it together."

Etc.: Hamlin was upset with NASCAR's decision to tell the drivers not to bump-draft in the corners at Talladega. "Let us race," said Hamlin. "They gave us a car to race, now let the drivers handle it. The one thing I noticed today that was different was that the guys were hitting each other harder on the straightaways. You'll see when 'The Big One' happens today, it will be because someone hits someone too hard on the straightaway."

Brian Vickers No. 83 Toyota, Red Bull Racing

This week: Vickers is still looking for his first top-10 finish at Texas. In 10 starts at the track, his best finish is 12th, which came in his Cup debut at the facility. He has one pole there. "We just haven't run as well there as we do at most of the other mile-and-a-halfs," he said.

Last week: Vickers ran in the top 10 for much of the race before ending up 13th in the final two-lap shootout. "We had a good car, but things got pretty wild there at the end and we got shuffled back," said Vickers, who admitted "the middle part of the race was a little boring. It was probably the most yawning that I've done during a superspeedway race."

CUT-OFF FOR "CHASE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP"

Etc.: Vickers was among a number of drivers who wondered what the intent was of NASCAR's decision to forbid bump-drafting in the corners. "If the intent was to prevent a crash, obviously it's not going to do that," said Vickers. "We crash as much in the straightaway here (Talladega) as we do in the corner. We crashed just as much today on the straightaway as we've ever done, and the new rule was in place."

Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing

This week: Busch has three top-six finishes in the last four races at Texas. He will be seeking his fourth straight win in the Nationwide Series there but is still looking for his first Cup win at Texas. "We have great cars at Joe Gibbs Racing, and there's no reason that we won't have a good shot (at a win) this weekend," said Busch.

Last week: Busch led twice for four laps, but he got shuffled out of the lead pack at the end of the race and finished 15th. "We had a pretty good car, but we needed some help to stay up there and things got pretty wild there at the end," said Busch. "That last-lap wreck really had cars going in all kinds of directions."

Etc.:Dave Rogers will take over as crew chief for the 18 team this weekend. "Dave and I have worked together on the Nationwide side before, so we have a sense of what we need from each other and what we need to talk about," said Busch. "Our plan is to use the last three races of '09 to get ready for 2010, not to say we wouldn't love to win one of the remaining races."

Matt Kenseth, No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing

This week: Kenseth has one win, six top-five finishes and nine top-10s in 14 starts at Texas and will be seeking his sixth straight top-10 finish there. Kenseth has led 497 laps at Texas, more than any other Cup driver. He also has two Nationwide victories at the 1.5-mile track.

Last week: Kenseth was running second when the race was red-flagged with four laps to go after Ryan Newman got airborne and landed on his roof. With the race extended three laps, Kenseth was forced to pit for fuel to end any hopes he had of challenging for the win. "We had a good car and were in position there at the end," said Kenseth. "We just ran out of gas and unfortunately didn't get the finish we wanted or deserved." He ended up 24th.

Etc.: Kenseth said the unique thing about Texas is that the "track is pretty high-banked in the corners, but it is very flat on the corner exits. The most unique part is trying to get off the corners, especially turn 2. You have to have a car that can go through the middle of the corner and the bumps very fast."

Clint Bowyer, No. 33 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

This week: Bowyer has two top-10 finishes in the last three races at Texas. "We struggled there in the spring (finishing 22nd), but I've run well there in the past," said Bowyer. "I enjoy the track. It's fast; you've got to get the car rolling (through) the centers (of the corners). You can get too loose there, but I'd definitely prefer a loose car there over a tight one."

Last week: After being involved in a multi-car accident during practice, Bowyer played it safe for most of the race as he dropped to the rear of the field. His conservative approach paid off: He was able to miss both of the big wrecks and finished 12th. "I can't thank the guys enough for all their hard work," said Bowyer. "We should have unloaded a backup car after crashing on Friday, but they worked their tails off to get this thing fixed. The last 10 laps or so were pretty crazy."

Etc.: Bowyer will be racing the same car this weekend that he drove to a sixth-place finish at Charlotte last month. "There's no better test than at Charlotte, and we had a good run there," he said. "There's no question we fell behind on the mile-and-a-half stuff, but the guys worked really hard to get us back to where we needed to be. Our program has really turned around over the last couple of months."

David Reutimann, No. 00 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing

This week: Reutimann won the pole for the spring race at Texas and led 40 laps before ending up 11th. He was 10th in the fall race a year ago. "We have run pretty good there the last two times, so I am looking forward to this weekend," said Reutimann. "We want to finish the year on a high note, and we think Texas is one of the places where we can run up front."

Last week: Reutimann was one of 13 cars involved in the next-to-last-lap accident at Talladega, and he ended up 26th. "You get in a situation like we had with that red flag and then have a green-white-checkered (finish) and guys running out of fuel and stuff — it gets pretty wild there toward the end and you don't know what to expect," Reutimann said. "Just a bad day."

Etc.: This has been a breakthrough year for Reutimann. Going into the season, his best career finish was a ninth. As the year winds down, he has one win, five top-five finishes and nine top-10s and is 16th in the Sprint Cup standings. Reutimann finished 22nd a year ago. "We want to add to all those numbers," said Reutimann. "We've still got three shots to do that."

Jeff Burton, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

This week: Burton won his first Cup race at Texas back in 1997 and also won the spring race in 2007. Burton has four top-nine finishes in the last five races there. "Texas has been a good track for us lately, but it has been an up-and-down place for us, too," said Burton. "It's a demanding race track and is different from the other mile-and-a-halfs we go to. The corner entry is completely different and the track is rough."

Last week: Burton missed both of the big wrecks and saved enough fuel to get to the end as he finished fifth at Talladega for only his third top-five finish of the season. "It's nice to finally get back in the top five," said Burton. "Luckily, we were not involved in the incidents in the last few laps. Things are bound to happen in restrictor-plate races, and luck was on our side today."

Etc.: Burton said the "interesting thing about Texas is that every time we go there, it takes something different to get around the track. It's unbelievable how the setups change from race to race there. I enjoy racing at Texas, but it's one of those places where it has been feast or famine for me."

Marcos Ambrose, No. 47 Toyota, JTG-Daugherty Racing

This week: Ambrose's best finish in two starts at Texas is only 21st. "We've struggled a little on our 1.5-mile program," he said. "It's an area where we really need to work on and understand. That's why I am looking forward to Texas and seeing how much we have improved since the spring."

Last week: Ambrose was a major player in the first of the two big wrecks — he hit Ryan Newman's car, which became airborne and somersaulted several times before landing on its roof. "They checked up in front of me and I got hit from behind," said Ambrose, who ended up 34th. "I don't know what started it all — don't know what caused it. I'm just thankful Ryan is OK."

Etc.: Following the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway later this month, Ambrose will return to his home in Tasmania for two months. "The idea of going back to Australia is for my kids to see family and friends," said Ambrose. "For me, I will also use the time to get my body in shape for next year."

Joey Logano, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing

This week: Logano finished 30th in the spring race at Texas. "Texas was one of the most difficult races for us as a team earlier this year," said Logano. "We struggled. I struggled. We've come a long way as a team since then; I've come a long way as a driver. Zippy (crew chief Greg Zipadelli) and the Home Depot team are building new and better cars and we are running much more consistently, especially the second time we visit these tracks."

Last week: Logano was happy after finishing third at Talladega. "It was a good run," said Logano. "These races are interesting, man. I had a good restart (with two to go) and was pushing the 9 (Kasey Kahne), the 9 was pushing the 26 (Jamie McMurray) and got that whole row out ahead and just kept digging for all we were worth. It would have been interesting if we'd have had one more lap. You never know. I think anything could have happened."

Etc.: Logano said he did a lot of experimenting during the Talladega race to learn as much as he could. "Throughout the whole race I put my car in different positions trying to learn as much I can about being around cars and what helps and what doesn't," the rookie driver said. "I tried to make as many friends out there as I can for the end of the race and be positioned right there at the end."

Casey Mears, No. 07 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

This week: Mears has four top-10 finishes in 11 starts at Texas. He will be making his 250th start Sunday. Mears is optimistic about this weekend after finishing seventh at Charlotte last month. "We ran well at Kansas (15th) and had a good car at California (11th) and did well in Charlotte, so it gets you excited about coming to a place like Texas knowing you did well the past few races (at the intermediate tracks)."

Last week: It was an up-and-down day for Mears. After leading once for 20 laps, he was penalized for driving too fast while exiting pit road on his first pit stop. That put Mears a lap down. He finally got his lap back just past the 100-lap mark and then raced his way back to second. But Mears got caught up in final accident of the day and ended up 25th. "We really had a fast car today," said Mears, "but we got caught up in that last wreck."

Etc.: Mears said that "even though Texas, Charlotte and Atlanta are all basically the same, the way you drive them is totally different. One of the things that makes Texas different is the huge bump when you get into turn one. That really dictates the speed you have off the corner."

Others: 

Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

This week: Harvick has four top-10 finishes in the last seven races at Texas. "I think our cars are definitely running better," said Harvick. "We finished seventh in this race last year, then came back here in April and ran 27th. That was definitely one of the bigger struggles we had this year with how things were going for our team."

Last week: Harvick had one of the strongest cars in the field as he led three times for 28 laps, but he was in the wrong place at the wrong time late in the race. "I saw Ryan (Newman) get hit from behind and then he came across the nose of our car," said Harvick. "Then he flipped in the air and landed on my hood and windshield as it was upside down. I'm just glad he's OK. We were just trying to work our way back to the front, and all it took was one car to spin and end our bid for a good finish." Harvick ended up 21st.

Etc.: Harvick believes RCR has "done a good job of making our cars more competitive. We're still not as fast as we need to be, but we're definitely more competitive than we were in the beginning of the year."

Jamie McMurray, No. 26 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing

This week: McMurray finished third in the fall race at Texas a year ago after leading 56 laps. "We have a lot of momentum coming into this week after our win at Talladega, so I'm really looking forward at Texas and seeing if we can stay on this streak," said McMurray. "Roush Fenway's 1.5-mile program has always been good, and I'm sure that we'll see similar performances this weekend."

Last week: After spending the first 100 laps "riding around in the back," McMurray came on strong in the final 40 laps at Talladega. He led four times for 32 laps, including the final 11 to score the third win of his career. "Fortunately for me, our car was really fast and I was able to get to the front," he said. "Luckily, (teammate):Matt (Kenseth)Kensethwas right behind me, and he helped push me to the front and keep me there."

Etc.: McMurray will be leaving the organization at the end of the season since Roush Fenway has to cut back to four teams in 2010. "Being able to win is not gonna hurt my chances at getting another ride," said McMurray. "I'll miss not getting to drive one of these cars. The performance certainly hasn't been what I think either of us was expecting." McMurray is expected to move to the Earnhardt Ganassi team next year.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

This week: Earnhardt will always have fond memories when it comes to Texas Motor Speedway. He won his first Cup race at the track in only his seventh start on April 2, 2000. Earnhardt also scored his initial Nationwide Series victory at the track on April 4, 1998. "We've had some good success at Texas, so that makes you excited about coming back," said Earnhardt.

Last week: Earnhardt was forced to pit for fuel with three laps remaining, ending any hopes he had of challenging for the win. He was able to rally for an 11th-place finish. "We had a real good car," said Earnhardt, who led five times for nine laps. "It was just another of those late race deals where we didn't have enough fuel to make it to the end. But we missed that last wreck and almost got us a top-10."

Etc.: Lance McGrew has been named full-time crew chief for the 88 team. He had been the interim crew chief since taking over for Tony Eury Jr. on May 28. "I have total faith in Lance and what he's capable of doing with Dale Jr.," said car owner Rick Hendrick. "Lance has a lot of faith in Junior, and the chemistry between the two of them is real good. I'm very excited about the future of the 88 team."

Elliott Sadler, No. 19 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports

This week: Sadler has only three top-10 finishes in 15 starts at Texas, but one of them was a victory back in the spring of 2004. "Texas is one of my favorite race tracks," said Sadler, who will be back driving a Dodge this weekend. "I've had success there in the past, so that probably helps when picking a favorite track. Hopefully we can take our top-10 finish from last week and continue to build on that to finish the season out strong."

Last week: Sadler rebounded from being involved in the first of the two big wrecks to finish ninth at Talladega in his first race in a Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports. "All I saw out of the corner of my eye was the 14 (Tony Stewart) hit me on the right side," said Sadler, who was able to keep his car off the wall after the contact. "I was really proud of my car today. We led some laps and could push to the front. It was a tough race for us, but we got a top-10."

Etc.: When Sadler was asked about what needs to be done to keep the cars on the ground at Talladega, he replied, "I don't know. I really don't. I think NASCAR and all the drivers should sit in a private room, lock the doors and have a discussion and try to fix this together. That's what I'd like to see."

***

Notes provided by The Sports Xchange