Keselowski Wins No. 5

Brad Keselowski has been on fire all year, but many wondered whether he would be a legitimate championship contender.  After winning the opening race of the Chase, Keselowski solidified himself as the points leader.  After losing it last weekend, Keselowski outsmarted Jimmie Johnson and the rest of the field to win his fifth race of the year, and reclaim the points lead.

Brad Keselowski celebrates his fifth victory of the season (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Denny Hamlin won the pole for the AAA 400, and led Clint Bowyer to the green flag.  He was able to clear Bowyer heading into the first turn to take the lead.  On lap 16, Kyle Busch blew by Bowyer for second place.  Hamlin's two-second lead began to shrink after he began to run into some lapped traffic, and on lap 34, Busch passed Hamlin for the lead. 

Kurt Busch hit pit road on lap 61 to begin a round of green-flag pit stops.  Right in the middle of pit stops, JJ Yeley blew a right front tire, bringing out the first caution on lap 69.  The caution trapped everyone a lap down except for the top six cars.  The leaders made their stops under caution, and Kyle Busch got out of the pits first.

JJ Yeley brought out the day's first caution (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The race restarted on lap 77, and Busch beat Hamlin out of Turn 2 for the lead.  On lap 102, Jimmie Johnson caught Hamlin and they began to fight for second place.  Hamlin was able to stay ahead of Johnson, but they had fallen about a second behind Busch.  On lap 141, Kevin Harvick hit pit road to start another round of green-flag pit stops.  Brad Keselowski hit pit road on lap 151, handing the lead over to Kyle Busch after stops had cycled around.  Keselowski had a costly stop, spending 24 seconds in the pits after his jack broke.  Keselowski joined the field in sixth place, just ahead of leader Kyle Busch.

The caution came out on lap 179 for debris in Turn 3.   The race restarted on lap 185, with Busch leading Hamlin through Turn 1.  On lap 194, Greg Biffle radioed in that he had a front tire issue, and was forced to pit.  On lap 240, Brad Keselowski was able to get under Jeff Gordon for fourth place, and set his sights on Jimmie Johnson.  The day's third caution came out on lap 246 for debris.  The leaders pitted, and Busch got out of the pits in first.

Kyle Busch led 302 of 400 laps (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

The race restarted on lap 253, and Kyle Busch was able to get ahead of Johnson for the lead.  On lap 277, Johnson caught Busch while he was working his way through lapped traffic, but Busch was able to hold him off. 

The caution came out on lap 308, when Matt Kenseth broke a trackbar.  The leaders came in under the caution to pit, and Johnson was able to win the race off pit road.  The race restarted on lap 316, and Johnson pulled ahead of Busch for the lead.  Matt Kenseth spun entering Turn 3, bringing out the fifth caution of the day.

Matt Kenseth spins in Turn 3 (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The race restarted on lap 322, with Johnson leading Busch into Turn 2.  On lap 350, Kasey Kahne, who had just cracked the top five, had began to complain of a vibration.  He came in to pit, but a mistake on pit road caused Kahne to pit again for a missing lug nut.

On lap 355, Kyle Busch got around Johnson for the lead, and Hamlin was able to get around Johnson for third.  Busch and Hamlin did not have enough fuel to make it to the end of the race, but Johnson was trying to save enough fuel to make it without stopping again.  With 14 laps to go, Brad Keselowski got around Johnson for third.  With 11 to go, Busch pitted for fuel, giving up the lead.  The next lap, Hamlin gave up the lead to pit for fuel, handing the lead to Keselowski. 

Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin, who had topped off under the last caution and were good on fuel, got around Johnson and set their sights on Keselowski.  Keselowski didn't run out of fuel, however, and was able to win the AAA 400. 

Jeff Gordon finished second, and was followed by Mark Martin.  Jimmie Johnson conserved enough fuel and finished fourth.  Carl Edwards had a surprisingly good race, and finished fifth.  Martin Truex Jr. finished sixth.  Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, who pitted for fuel at the end of the race, finished seventh and eighth, respectively.  Clint Bowyer finished ninth, and Joey Logano finished tenth.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 11th after an uneventful day, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished 12th in a rare Cup appearance.  Kevin Harvick finished 13th.  Kasey Kahne finished 15th, and Greg Biffle finished 16th.  Tony Stewart finished 20th.  Danica Patrick finished 28th, seven laps down.  Matt Kenseth finished 35th after a rough day.

After this race, Brad Keselowski now has the points lead over Jimmie Johnson.  After only three races, it seems as though only the top 3 have a shot to win the championship.  Here are the unofficial points, courtesy of NASCAR.com:

Brad Keselowski made a statement with his second victory in three weeks.  Keselowski now leads the standings, while Jimmie Johnson is in second place once again.  Next week, the Chase heats up as the Sprint Cup Series heads into Talladega, where anything can happen.  The Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 can be seen at 1 p.m. next Sunday, only on ESPN.

Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Hamlin Owns New Hampshire

After running out of gas on the last lap in the Geico 400, Denny Hamlin tweeted, "This is week 1 of 10. We will win next week."  Though Hamlin rescinded his comments on Friday, he dominated the Sylvania 300, leading 193 of 300 laps.

Hamlin celebrates his win (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Jeff Gordon led the field to the green flag, and was able to pull ahead to take the lead.  On lap four, Gordon slipped coming out of Turn 2, and Tony Stewart was able to take the lead away from the 24.  Gordon began to fall back, and was passed by Kyle Busch on lap 11.  Busch began catching Stewart when he began to get into lapped traffic, but the first caution of the day came out before he could make a pass for the lead.  The competition caution came out on lap 41, and all the leaders made their first pit stops of the day.  Gordon beat Busch and Stewart off of pit road first, and became the leader.

Gordon led the field back to the green flag on lap 46, leading Busch and Stewart.  Coming out of Turn 2, Busch was able to take the lead after Gordon chose to restart on the inside lane.  On lap 73, Kasey Kahne chased down Gordon to take second place.  On lap 83, Denny Hamlin, who started 28th, got around Kahne to take away second place.  Hamlin had been running very strong, and set his sights on his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. 

Kyle Busch leads Jeff Gordon (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

On lap 94, Hamlin got around Busch heading into Turn 1 to take the lead.  On lap 105, Jamie McMurray, Joey Logano, and Juan Pablo Montoya brought their cars in to start a round of green-flag pit stops.  Hamlin gave up the lead on lap 109 to make his stop.  Brad Keselowski gave up the lead on lap 113 to make his pit stop, and the lead cycled back around to Hamlin.  On lap 129, the race's second caution came out for debris.  Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson were among a group of drivers that came in to stop under the caution. 

Hamlin led Busch, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., and Matt Kenseth to the green flag on lap 134.  Kahne restarted sixth, and he was the first car in line who had made stopped under the caution.  On lap 164, Johnson was able to get around Busch for second place.  On lap 170, Kahne got under him for third as well.  Busch radioed in to his crew and said that his car may be losing power. 

The caution came out for debris on lap 178, and the leaders came in to make pit stops.  Brian Vickers, driving the 55 car this weekend, got out first, and was followed by Hamlin, Logano, Johnson, and Bowyer.  The race restarted on lap 184, and Vickers was able to pull ahead of Hamlin to take the lead coming out of Turn 2.  But Hamlin got a good run coming off the corner, and got under Vickers through Turns 3 and 4.  The next lap, Hamlin regained the lead coming out of Turn 2. 

Vickers leads the field on an early restart (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

On lap 203, Hamlin's team noticed that he had a large piece of debris on his grille, and it was causing the car's engine temperature to go higher and higher.  Before he could get it cleared off, he got another large piece of debris on his grille, causing Hamlin to have to shut off his fans.  But on lap 209, Kyle Busch slowed going down the backstretch, allowing Hamlin to catch up and get the piece of trash off his grille.

On lap 246, in the midst of green flag stops, Hamlin gave up the lead to make his final pit stops.  Brad Keselowski pulled off on lap 248 to make his pit stop, cycling the lead back around to Denny Hamlin.  The fourth caution of the day flew on lap 272 for debris, erasing a five-second gap that Hamlin had on Johnson.  The first seven drivers stayed out, while the rest of the field pitted.

Hamlin led Johnson, Bowyer, Gordon, and Keselowski to the green flag.  Hamlin was able to clear Johnson heading into Turn 1, and Gordon dove in front of Bowyer after getting a great restart.  Hamlin checked out when the race restarted, and Johnson wasn't able to catch him.  Hamlin would win his fifth race of the season, and the 100th race for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Hamlin leads Clint Bowyer (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

Jimmie Johnson finished second, followed by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon.  Clint Bowyer finished fourth, followed by Kasey Kahne.  Brad Keselowski, Tony Stewart, Joey Logano, Brian Vickers, and Ryan Newman rounded out the Top 10.  Kevin Harvick finished 11th.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. struggled all day, and finished 13th.  Matt Kenseth finished 14th, while Martin Truex Jr. and Greg Biffle finished 17th and 18th, respectively.  Carl Edwards ran outside the Top 20 most of the day, and finished 19th.  Kyle Busch finished 28th after having engine troubles halfway through the race.

Jimmie Johnson has regained the points lead, and Denny Hamlin has closed in to within seven points of Johnson.  Here are the unofficial points, courtesy of NASCAR.com:

Denny Hamlin arrived at New Hampshire knowing that he and his team had a car capable of winning the race.  He had some problems when his team put the wrong air pressures into the car, and he qualified 28th.  But he made up the distance to dominate the race, and putting everyone in the Chase on notice.  And for the second week in a row, Jimmie Johnson finished second, failing to win once again.  Tune in next week to see how the points shake out, when the Sprint Cup Series rolls into Dover International Speedway for the AAA 400.  The race can be seen at 1 p.m., only on ESPN.

(Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

Keselowski Makes a Statement

When Jimmie Johnson rolled into Chicago, he and his team were ready to win their first race at Chicagoland, and begin their quest for a sixth Sprint Cup Championship.  He was dominant most of the day, and seemed poised to begin his title hunt with a win.  But Brad Keselowski had other things on his mind, and he was able to get around Johnson to win the first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Keselowski celebrates (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

Jimmie Johnson led Aric Almirola to the green flag, and Almirola was able to get around Johnson for the lead coming out of Turn 2.  Johnson was able to get back around Almirola on lap four.  On lap seven, Kasey Kahne was able to get second away from Almirola.  Kahne set his sights on Johnson, but Almirola would not let him get away, and got back around him on lap 24.

On lap 40, Sam Hornish Jr. and Mark Martin pitted to start a round of green flag pit stops.  The stops cycled around by lap 48, and Johnson was once again the leader.  During the stops, Aric Almirola had to serve a penalty for a wild tire during their stops.  Almirola had been running in the Top 5 at the time.

The day's first caution came out on lap 66 for debris in Turn 2.  The leaders came in to pit under the caution, and most took two tires.  Brad Keselowski was the first driver to take four tires, and dropped from third to tenth.  The race restarted on lap 72, and Johnson led Kahne and Denny Hamlin to the green flag.

Johnson leads the field (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The second caution of the day came out on lap 100 for debris in Turn 3.  The leaders came in to make pit stops, and Keselowski was able to beat Johnson off pit road.  Keselowski led the field to the green flag on lap 106, and was able to clear Johnson heading into Turn 1.  Johnson continued to stalk Keselowski, but for almost 20 laps he couldn't make up any ground on Keselowski, who had taken two tires on the previous pit stop compared to Johnson's four.

On lap 143, Kurt Busch pitted to begin another round of green flag pit stops.  In the middle of pit stops, Casey Mears pounded the outside wall in Turn 1 to bring out the caution on lap 149.  The rest of the leaders came in to make their pit stops, and Johnson was able to get out ahead of Keselowski.  Under the caution, 23 cars took the wave-around because they got caught a lap down during the cycle of stops.

Johnson led Keselowski, Kahne, Jeff Gordon, and Ryan Newman to the green flag on lap 158.  Johnson was able to clear Keselowski heading into Turn 1 to take the lead.  Johnson led until the caution on lap 188 for Jeff Gordon.  Gordon slammed the outside wall when his throttle stuck heading into the corner.  The field came in to make pit stops, and Johnson was able to beat Keselowski off pit road.  Under the caution, Matt Kenseth's team went under the hood to replace a missing shock absorber.

Gordon's car sits in the garage (Tyler Barrick/Getty Images)

The race restarted on lap 195, and Johnson got a push from Kasey Kahne to get past Keselowski for the lead.  On lap 204, Dave Blaney lost power on the track, but he was able to limp around to the pits without bringing out a caution.  On lap 224, Mark Martin made his final green flag pit stop, and started another round of pit stops.  Johnson gave up the lead to make his pit stop with just 38 laps to go.

Before stops had cycled around, Keselowski was able to pass Johnson coming back up on the track, after Johnson had been leading by over 1.6 seconds before they made their stops.  Johnson and Chad Knaus were trying to get NASCAR to review the pass because Johnson believed that the No. 2 came up the track too soon and messed up his lap.  After reviewing the situation, NASCAR said that Keselowski was all-good.

When David Ragan pitted with 25 laps to go, Keselowski inherited the lead, and had begun to pull away from Johnson.  Keselowski was able to pull away from Johnson to win his fourth race of the season.

After dominating most of the day, Jimmie Johnson had to settle for a second place finish.  Kasey Kahne finished third, Kyle Busch was fourth, and Ryan Newman was fifth.  Tony Stewart, Joey Logano, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished sixth, seventh, and eighth, respectively.  Michael Waltrip Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer rounded out the Top 10.  Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle finished 12th and 13th, respectively.  Mark Martin finished 14th after an uneventful day.  Denny Hamlin ran out of gas on the last lap, and finished 16th.  Matt Kenseth finished 18th.  Danica Patrick finished 25th, two laps down.  Jeff Gordon eventually came back out on the track, but he finished 35th, 77 laps down.

Here is what the points picture looks like (unofficially) after the Geico 400, courtesy of NASCAR.com:

Brad Keselowski came into Chicagoland and made a statement.  He let everyone in the Sprint Cup Series know that he is out to win his first Sprint Cup Series Championship.  He is hoping to give Roger Penske his first Sprint Cup Series Championship as an owner, and he got that started off on the right foot with his win today.  Next week, the Chase continues at Loudon.  The Sylvania 300 can be seen at 1 p.m., only on ESPN.

Geoff Burke/Getty Images

Cut to the Chase

So I was 9 for 12 on my preseason Chase picks.  I don't think that's too bad.  I had Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, and Jeff Burton in the Chase, and I missed Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer, and Brad Keselowski.  Not sure what I was thinking with Burton and Keselowski, but we all make mistakes.

Anyway, I'm gonna make my picks for the Chase.  It would be easy to pick Denny Hamlin or Jimmie Johnson to win the Championship this season.  Those are good picks, I'll admit it.  And many are probably going to think I'm crazy for my pick to win the Sprint Cup Championship.  But when he's in Victory Lane in Homestead, I'll look like a genius.

Courtesy Tim Fuller/US Presswire

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt has been one of the most consistent drivers all season.  He has been running at the finish of every race this season, and has completed all but 20 laps all season.  He and Steve Letarte have found something that they can work with, and it seems that Earnhardt is ready to win his first Sprint Cup Championship.

2. Denny Hamlin
Hamlin has come on strong in recent weeks.  He won four races in the regular season, including two in the past three week, and even came close to winning at Richmond.  He has the most momentum of any driver going into the Chase.  He and Darian Grubb should be strong during the Chase, but Hamlin will ultimately fall short to another Hendrick driver.

3. Jimmie Johnson
Johnson and Chad Knaus have not been as strong this season as in recent years, but an off year for the 48 bunch is still better than most driver's best years.  They'll be strong throughout the Chase, but they will fail to win their sixth championship together. 

4. Brad Keselowski
After last season, many wondered whether Keselowski was the "real deal," or if he would cool off this season.  He hasn't cooled off, and he has continued to run well.  A good finish in the standings will once again show everyone that Keselowski is here to stay.

5. Matt Kenseth
Kenseth has been the most consistent driver at Roush-Fenway Racing this season.  While Edwards and Biffle have been hit-or-miss, Kenseth has been able to reel off good finishes.  His departure at the end of the season will have some effect, however, and it will keep Kenseth from winning his second Championship.

6. Clint Bowyer
Bowyer moved to a new team at the beginning of the season, and he helped Michael Waltrip Racing's resurgence.  With two wins this season, Bowyer helped MWR return to Victory Lane.  He should be strong throughout the Chase, but MWR's inexperience running for a Championship will show.

Michael Waltrip Racing made the Chase for the first time (Courtesy Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

7. Martin Truex Jr.
Truex has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  He has run strong this season, including coming close to two victories.  Truex is in the Chase for the first time, and he should run well.  But inexperience will catch up with him, and he will falter late in the Chase.

8. Tony Stewart
Last year's Champion has been surprising this season.  When he's running well, he's hard to beat.  But when he isn't running well, he can't seem to break the top 20.  This will be the main reason Stewart doesn't repeat as Champion.

9. Jeff Gordon
Gordon just barely made the Chase.  He's had some of the fastest cars all season, but he just can't seem to finish the races.  Gordon will run strong, but he will fail to be a factor in the Chase.

10. Greg Biffle
Biffle has two wins this season, but he has been a little inconsistent this season.  He runs near the front a lot of the time, but, more often than not, he finishes outside the top 10.  His (and Roush Fenway's) inconsistencies will prove too much to overcome.

11.  Kasey Kahne
Kahne has had a strong season.  After a slow start, the 5 team rallied back to clinch one of the wild card spots.  But Kahne and Francis haven't been in the Chase since 2009.  A lot has changed since then, and they might have a hard time with the competition.

12.  Kevin Harvick
Harvick hasn't won this season, and it's not his fault.  Richard Childress Racing has not had strong cars this year, and not even Harvick can overcome these problems.  He quietly made the Chase this year, and I don't expect "The Closer" to make an appearance in the final ten races.

Do you agree with these picks?  Comment below with yours.  Just don't say I didn't tell you when Dale Earnhardt Jr. is standing on the stage in Homestead.

Courtesy Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Bowyer Wins, Gordon's In

Clint Bowyer did not have an easy trip to Victory Lane.  Contact with Juan Pablo Montoya gave the 15 car a flat tire and sent him spinning on lap 235.  Then he had to stretch his fuel mileage 124 laps.  But he was able to overcome it all, and he walked to Victory Lane after his car ran out of fuel celebrating his second win of the season.

Clint Bowyer celebrates his Richmond victory (John Harrelson/Getty)

After rain had pushed back the start of the race to 9:15, the race started under a green/yellow flag.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the field to the green flag after starting from the pole, and was followed by Jeff Gordon, Regan Smith, Clint Bowyer, and Jimmie Johnson.  The field took the full green flag on lap six, and Gordon got around Earnhardt to take the lead coming out of Turn 2.  Earnhardt was able to get around Gordon for the lead on lap nine.  Denny Hamlin was able to get around Gordon for second place, and he quickly caught Earnhardt while he worked his way through lapped traffic.  The first caution of the day came out on lap 45 for a competition caution by NASCAR.

Earnhardt led Hamlin to the green flag on lap 51, and Earnhardt was able to pull away from Hamlin on the restart.  The caution came out again on lap 52 for a spin by David Ragan.  Earnhardt led Hamlin to the green flag on lap 57, and he was able to pull in front of him again.  On lap 59, Hamlin was able to get around Earnhardt for the lead.

Hamlin led until lap 85, when Earnhardt was able to get around him for the lead.  His lead didn't last long, however; Hamlin was able to get back around the 88 for the lead on lap 91.  The caution came out on lap 138 for rain, and the field came in to make pit stops.  Denny Hamlin was able to beat Earnhardt off pit road.  Hamlin was leading Earnhardt when the red flag came out on lap 152.

After a red flag that lasted 52 minutes, the race restarted on lap 155 with Hamlin in the lead.  Earnhardt was able to get the lead from Hamlin on the restart, but he was able to take it back on lap 159.  Earnhardt began to fall back through the field, and he fell to as far back as eighth.  Marcos Ambrose pitted on lap 227 to kick off a round of green-flag pit stops.  Denny Hamlin gave up the lead on lap 233 to make his pit stop.  The caution came out on lap 235 for Clint Bowyer, who had cut down a tire and spun on the frontstretch.

Denny Hamlin led Kasey Kahne and Martin Truex Jr. to the green flag on lap 240.  On lap 242, Truex was able to get around Hamlin for the lead.  Hamlin was able to get the lead back from Truex on lap 249.  The caution came back out on lap 276 for rain.  Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart, and Mark Martin were among the drivers who came in to make pit stops under the caution.  When NASCAR announced that the race would go back green, Hamlin and Earnhardt pitted on lap 282, a lap before the green flag waved.

On lap 283, Kasey Kahne led Truex and Jimmie Johnson to the green flag.  On lap 285, Tony Stewart took Kahne and Matt Kenseth three-wide into Turn 1 to take the lead.  Ryan Newman was able to work his way to second, and he began to chase down his boss.  Newman, who needed to win the race to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup, took the lead on lap 300. 

Bowyer works his way through traffic (Jerry Markland/Getty)

Clint Bowyer was able to come back from his spin, and on lap 308, he passed Stewart for second.  He set his sights on Newman, and he took the lead on lap 312.  Kyle Busch was lapped, and with Jeff Gordon running in the Top 5, his Chase hopes seemed to be dwindling.  On lap 335, Busch came in to pit, but a mistake on the right rear made him lose two laps. 

Bowyer continued to lead, and was followed by Hamlin.  Those two drivers were trying to make it to the finish without having to make another pit stop.  While they were trying to save fuel, Jeff Gordon was trying to save his season; Gordon was trying to get as many spots as he could, as he began to pick up spots, and points, on Kyle Busch.  When Gordon moved into fifth place, he moved one point ahead of Kyle Busch for the final Wild Card spot.

With 15 laps to go, Mark Martin was able to get under Denny Hamlin for second place, and Hamlin quickly lost third to Jeff Gordon.  With seven laps to go, Gordon made a bold move on Martin for second place.  Gordon was hoping that Bowyer would run out of fuel in the closing laps, but he had enough fuel to get his second win of the season.

Jeff Gordon was able to finish second, and he raced his way into the Chase, as he was one point ahead of Kyle Busch.  Mark Martin finished third after a strong run, and Tony Stewart finished fourth.  Matt Kenseth was fifth, followed by Jeff Burton and Brad Keselowski.  Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the Top 10.  Kasey Kahne was 12th, Jimmie Johnson 13th, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 14th.  Kyle Busch finished 16th, and failed to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup.  Carl Edwards finished 17th, and Denny Hamlin was 18th after having to pit in the closing laps. 

The Wild Card provided the excitement that it promised.  The race for the Chase did not end until the checkered flag fell, with Jeff Gordon ahead of Kyle Busch by one point.  Next week, the Chase for the Sprint Cup kicks off, and the fight for the championship promises to be as exciting as it was last season.  Next week, the GEICO 400 will kick off the Chase from Chicagoland Speedway, and it can be seen at 1 p.m. next Sunday, only on ESPN.

The 2012 Chase Field (Jerry Markland/Getty)

Hamlin Goes Back-to-Back

 When Denny Hamlin won at Kansas in April, he had to beat Martin Truex Jr. late to win it.  At Atlanta, Hamlin's pit crew got him out in front of Truex on a late pit stop, and no one was able to catch Hamlin as he ran away with his fourth race of the season.

Denny Hamlin celebrates his victory (Courtesy Getty Images)

Tony Stewart won the pole for Sunday's race, and he led the field to the green flag.  He chose to start on the outside, and he was passed by Greg Biffle on the inside coming out of Turn 2.  Stewart was able to get back around Biffle on lap two to regain the lead.  Jeff Gordon started the race in fifth, but by lap six, he had gotten into the second position and set his sights on Tony Stewart.  On lap 10, Gordon was able to get around Stewart for the lead.  Stewart then began falling back, losing second place to Kyle Busch.  Busch quickly caught Gordon, and passed him for the lead on lap 17.  Gordon lost second place to Denny Hamlin, who began chasing down his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. 

On lap 35, Denny Hamlin was able to get around Busch when he got caught up getting through some lapped traffic.  The first caution came out on lap 40 when Aric Almirola's engine let go.  Kyle Busch won the race off pit road, and led Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Mark Martin to the green flag on lap 44.  Busch pulled away from the field, but Hamlin began to catch him when Busch got stuck in lapped traffic.  Busch was able to lead until lap 86 when he had to make a green flag pit stop.  When the round of stops had cycled around, Busch was once again the leader, with Hamlin right on his tail. 

On lap 91, Busch bobbled in Turn 4 and Hamlin was able to get the lead.  Greg Biffle hit pit road on lap 119 to start another round of green flag pit stops.  Hamlin remained the leader during the round of stops, and led Kevin Harvick by 2 seconds after the stops.  The second caution of the race came out on lap 130 for debris. 

Hamlin leads Kevin Harvick (Courtesy Getty Images)

Denny Hamlin led the field to the green flag on lap 135.  Kyle Busch had some trouble on the restart, causing the outside lane to bottle up.  Kevin Harvick was able to get around Hamlin for the lead coming out of Turn 4.  Joey Logano, who had been suffering from a stomach virus all weekend, came in on lap 148 with a flat right front tire.  On lap 175, Harvick came in to make another green flag pit stop.  Hamlin took the lead when Harvick pitted, but he brought the 11 car into the pits on lap 177.  After the round of stops, Kevin Harvick was once again the leader.

On lap 183, Clint Bowyer brought his car in for an unscheduled stop.  Bowyer had been running eighth at the time, but he had been complaining about low voltage in the car's battery.  He finally had to come in so his team could replace the battery.  On lap 208, Mark Martin came in to start another round of green flag pit stops.  Harvick gave up the lead on lap 217 to make his pit stop, and Hamlin quickly took the lead.  Harvick was able to retake the lead when Hamlin pitted on lap 221.  Hamlin lost a lot of ground to Harvick when he pitted much later than the 29, but Hamlin began to quickly close in on Harvick with fresher tires. 

The caution came out on lap 241 for Juan Pablo Montoya, who slapped the outside wall when his car got a little loose.  The field came in for pit stops under caution, and Hamlin beat Harvick out of the pits, and led the field back to the green flag.  Hamlin was able to pull away from the field.
 

Edwards' car sits in the garage (Courtesy Getty Images)

With about 71 laps to go, Carl Edwards began to slow on the track, and he believed that he had a voltage problem.  His crew told him to switch batteries, but that didn't help.  He then believed that he had something broke in one of the cylinders.  On lap 264, Edwards' engine finally let go, bringing out the caution for the fourth time.  The caution also may have ended Edwards' Chase hopes for the season as well. 

Harvick led the field back to the green flag on lap 269, and Harvick got a great restart.  On the backstretch, contact with Sam Hornish Jr. sent Jimmie Johnson across the track and into the car of Ryan Newman to bring out the night's fifth caution.  The race restarted on lap 279, with Hamlin leading Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch. 

Hamlin wasn't able to break away from Truex on the restart, and he was able to stay on Hamlin's bumper.  On lap 284, Truex was able to take the lead away from Hamlin to lead his first laps of the night.  Jeff Gordon worked his way around Denny Hamlin for second place on lap 291, but Truex had already gotten out to an almost two-second lead.  Truex got out to a lead of over three seconds, but he began to give it all back to Gordon as he had to begin saving fuel.  With just five laps to go, Jamie McMurray slammed into the frontstretch wall to bring out the last caution of the night.  All the leaders came in to pit, and Denny Hamlin gained the lead from Truex on the race off pit road. 

Martin Truex Jr. leads (Courtesy Getty Images)

The race restarted with a green-white-checkered, and Truex spun his tires, allowing Hamlin, Gordon, and Brad Keselowski to pull away.  Gordon tried to get past Hamlin on the final lap, but he was able to hold off the charge to win his second race in a row. 

Jeff Gordon finished second, and Brad Keselowski finished third.  Martin Truex Jr. finished fourth, and Kevin Harvick was fifth.  Kyle Busch finished sixth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was seventh, and Paul Menard finished eighth.  Matt Kenseth finished ninth, and Mark Martin finished tenth.  Greg Biffle finished 15th after an uneventful day.  Joey Logano had been suffering from a stomach virus all weekend, and came home 18th.  Tony Stewart finished 22nd after a terrible day.  Kasey Kahne had numerous problems throughout the night, and he finished 23rd.  Clint Bowyer finished 27th after having battery problems most of the night.  Danica Patrick finished 29th, six laps down.  Jimmie Johnson finished 34th after his late-race wreck.  Carl Edwards finished 36th, and will have to win to make the Chase next weekend.

After the race, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, and Kevin Harvick all clinched their spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.  Tony Stewart also clinched his spot, because if he falls out of the Top 10 next week, he will get one of the Wild Card spots. 

After an uneventful race at Atlanta, next week's race promises to have some drama.  The Federated Auto Parts 400 will be run at Richmond International Speedway, and it will be the final race before the Chase for the Sprint Cup.  The race will be the final shot many drivers have at making the Chase, including Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon.  Next week's race will be run at 7 p.m., and can be seen only on ABC.

Courtesy Getty Images