THE RACING REPORTER

Jimmie Johnson held off Tony Stewart in the closing laps of Sunday's rain-delayed Rock & Roll 400 for his second win in two weeks, and the fourth of the season.

The two-time defending Cup champion passed Tony Stewart for the lead with 34 laps to go at Richmond International Raceway.

Stewart, who has not won in the last 31 races, got underneath Johnson with 12 laps remaining in the 400-lap race. Johnson was running the outside groove, and Stewart was on his inside. Stewart was able to get the nose of his No. 20 ahead of Johnson on one lap, but he was never able to make the pass, and had to settle for the runner-up spot.

"It's hard not to feel like we are peaking at this time," said Johnson. "It's just a lot of hard work and we're coming to some good tracks. I think the 48 car team is going to be ready for this championship battle."

Stewart was clearly disgusted with his second place finish. He stormed away from his car after the race and refused to answer reporter's questions.

Denny Hamlin registered his third consecutive third-place finish.

"We made a run at the very end," said Hamlin. "Our car was pretty good. We got too far behind in the middle stage of the race. We were just too loose, but we did what we had to do to get into the Chase."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a good car, led several laps, but was not able to run with the leaders near the end. He came in fourth.

Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, David Reutimann, and Kurt Busch were the remaining top-10 finishers.

Clint Bowyer at one point was in danger of dropping out of Chase contention, but his 12th place finish moved him up seven positions, to fifth.

"This has been a roller coaster, with all the emotions," said Bowyer. "We've had a good car one week, and then we lose track position and wind up with a bad finish, and wind up on the outside looking in. We just kept our heads on and here we are."

Matt Kenseth was the 12th and last driver to make the Chase field.

Kasey Kahne finished 19th, missing the Chase by 69 points. David Ragan also had a chance, but wound up eight points behind Kahne.

The field for the 2008 Cup championship has been reset for the final 10 races: 1. Kyle Busch-5080, 2. Edwards-5050, 3. Johnson-5040, 4. Earnhardt-5010, 5. Bowyer-5010, 6. Hamlin-5010, 7. Burton-5010, 8. Stewart-5000, 9. Biffle-5000, 10. J. Gordon-5000, 11. Harvick-5000, 12. Kenseth-5000

The first of 10 Chase races begins next weekend at New Hampshire.

Remaining Top 25 drivers who did not make the Chase; 13. Kahne- 3047, 14. Ragan-3039, 15. Vickers- 2854, 16. Newman-2853, 17. Truex-2818, 18. McMurray-2659, 19. Kurt Busch-2622, 20. B. Labonte-2497, 21. Montoya-2487, 22. Sadler-2477, 23. Kvapil-2477, 24. Mears-2434, 25. Reutimann- 2427.

Top 10 Craftsman Truck Series leaders after 17 of 25: 1. Benson- 2596, 2. Hornaday-2502, 3. Crafton-2397, 4. Bodine-2347, 5. Skinner-2323, 6. Crawford-2307, 7. Darnell-2289, 8. Sprague-2233, 9. Setzer-2165, 10. Cook-2158.

Joe Gibbs Racing

Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991. The team has three Cup Championships (Tony Stewart 2002-2006, Bobby Labonte 2000). They also run cars in other lowertier NASCAR series for driver development.

Despite past success with General Motors, and winning three championships with Pontiacs and Chevrolets, the team switched to Toyotas in 2008, with much success.

A

ll three of the JGR drivers;

Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, and Denny Hamlin will be in this year's Chase for the Championship, but with three competitive drivers, there appears to be a "Race Within a Race."

Kyle Busch has been the hot one this year, winning eight of the first 22 races. Denny Hamlin had one victory (Bristol), while Stewart is still winless.

Busch is now the most-dominant driver in the Cup Series. He has eight Cup, seven Nationwide and three Craftsman Truck series wins this season.

Some see him as the most skillful driver to come along in a while, like Gordon or Tony Stewart. Others view him as arrogant youngster, who has a "race-to-win at all cost" style while desiring to be raced more cleanly by other drivers.

Whether you like or hate him, he will go into the Chase as number one.S

tewart, like Hamlin, is almost sure to make the Chase, but to be considered a real contender for the championship, he and his team need a boost. A victory—Stewart has never had a winless season— would kick in the momentum.

"How you get into the Chase is the same way you win the Chase," said Stewart. "You've got to go out there, and you've got to be good. You've got to be good in 26 races to get in the Chase, and then you've got to be good for 10 races after that to win the Chase."

Hamlin said the last pair of races have really sparked the team and have reminded him of how well they can perform. He is attempting to make his third consecutive Chase, having finished third as a rookie and 12th last season.

"I think California and Bristol were really important for this team because those races reminded me a lot of the way we ran in 2006 and 2007 when we were really consistent and running in the top five pretty regularly," he said. "We need to get back to that, and I think those races are a good sign for this team heading to Richmond and hopefully into the Chase. At Richmond, even with a little more of a buffer in terms of points, and as much as I want to win, we are focused on getting into the Chase."

JGR has had its share of problems this season, but with all three of their teams making the Chase, it certainly can't be considered a bad year.N

ext Week: What to Expect From the Chase.

Weekend Racing The first of 10 Chase Sprint Cup races begins this weekend at New Hampshire. The Craftsman Trucks will share the weekend at the 1.058- mile track will the Cup cars. The Nationwide Series has the weekend off. Sat., Sept 13, Craftsman Trucks New Hampshire 200; Starting time: 2:30 p.m. (EST); TV: Speed Channel.

Sun., Sept 14, Sprint Cup Sylvania 300; Starting time: 1 p.m. (EST); TV: ABC.

Racing Trivia Question: Which team will Ryan Newman drive for in 2009?

Last Week's Question: Where is Carl Edwards' home town? Answer. Columbia, Missouri.

You may contact the Racing Reporter at hodgesnews@ earthlink.net.