Saturday night's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is probably the only race where the writers in the Victory Pool are glad they did not go with last week's winner.
Despite the strong statistics favoring the driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet, things didn't exactly work out as they expected. Johnson was running strong until a late restart had things go south in a hurry. A tight battle between Kasey Kahne, himself and Tony Stewart saw the car break loose, and plow hard into the outside wall.
"Take it to the garage guys, we're done," Chad Knaus alerted over the radio.
From the ultimate high to a crushing low, the favorite at Charlotte fell from third to eighth in the standings.
At the same time, the favorite picks of the writers did extremely well. Kyle Busch had a strong run, despite having to start in the back due to an engine change. He not only went to the lead, but led the most laps. Unfortunately, a late pass forced him to settle for second-place, a finish Busch wishes he didn't have.
The best non-Chase driver was Kasey Kahne, as at one of his best tracks powered the Red Bull Toyota to a strong fourth-place finish.
But, the guy at the end of the day was one who stays rather quiet, but makes the most noise on the race track. All race long, Matt Kenseth stayed close to or at the front of the field, and when it mattered the most, he made the daring pass for the lead, and at that point it was all done.
Kenseth won at Charlotte for the second time in his career, the first time being in the 2000 Coca-Cola 600, his first win in Cup competition. His win also paid dividends for one particular writer, as Kelly Crandall achieved her fourth win of the season.
The strong finished, combined with the mediocre ones, have tightened the points. Between first and last, 27 points separate the field. Here's a look at where everyone now stands after the Bank of America 500:
Rob Tiongson (2203) Kyle Busch finished second (3)
Billy Fellin (2199) Kasey Kahne finished fourth (3)
Christopher Leone (2197) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 19th (4)
Dustin Parks (2195) Kasey Kahne finished fourth (1)
Misan Ayuka (2194) Kyle Busch finished second (4)
Sal Sigala Jr. (2194) Brad Keselowski finished 16th (5)
Ryan O'Hara (2193) Brad Keselowski finished 16th (2)
Michael Hirshbein (2190) Kurt Busch finished 13th (6)
James Broomhead (2184) Kasey Kahne finished fourth (2)
Kelly Crandall (2177) Matt Kenseth WON (4)
Kara Martin (2176) Kyle Busch finished second (1)
NEXT RACE: Things now become a bit complicated, or extremely complicated depending on how you look at it. The next race on the schedule puts many of the elements in the race out of the drivers hands, and more into the luck needed to finish.
At the same time, teaming up could be just as important, as finding a dancing partner will be huge.
Call it the "lotto," or the "wild card," or just "unpredictable." Three words sum up what awaits NASCAR next weekend...THIS IS TALLADEGA.
Writers, you can draw names out of a hat, play pin the tail on the driver, or just go with a gut feeling. Each lap will be different than the last, and nothing is settled until the checkered flag falls. Have your picks for the Good Sam Club 500 sent in by Thursday, October 20, at 10 p.m. ET.
Written by:
