Excellent racing this weekend. Great side by side action. Even the Nationwide race was pretty good.

Congrats to Jimmie Johnson and Rick Hendrick on their first win this season. He's not the one I wanted to win though. I actually would have loved to see Mark Martin or Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the winner's circle instead. I missed the interview with Mark Martin after the race but you could definitely hear the disappointment in Junior's voice when they interviewed him.

Here are a few random thoughts that ran through my noggin:

-- I appreciate the network delaying the race so that we could watch the conclusion of the rain-delayed Red Sox vs. Yankees game. The key word in that sentence is conclusion. At first I was grumpy because of it and then I started really getting in to the baseball game.

I think it was the bottom of the ninth with 2 outs and a full count. Just as Papelbon was getting ready to throw a pitch they changed it over to the start of the race. There was absolutely no warning. I'm relaxed watching baseball and then my heart started racing because 43 cars were coming at me on the big screen television. I was all confused and highly anxious. I wanted to know if his pitch ended the game...uugh.

-- Matt Kenseth had some bad luck hitting the wall early in the race. He's really had an up and down year this year so far.

-- Bad luck for Ryan Newman who's car blew up, spewing oil all over the track bringing out a caution.

-- Elliott Sadler also had a bad night. He had a tire go down and hit the wall and had to go to the garage.

-- Give Mark Martin a good car and look what happens. He was so feisty. What a great race for him.

-- I’m not a big fan of races that end on gas mileage, including this one. But I really liked watching Chad Knaus talking with Jimmie Johnson those last 3 laps.

-- What happened to Kevin Harvick in the pits?! He was looking like he was going to have a great finish. That was disappointing.

-- Jeff Burton, my pick for the race, finished fifth.

-- Mr. Consistent (yeah, my man Clint Bowyer) was consistent again at Phoenix finishing second. He's the man. That's all I'm saying.

On a different note...

Ricky Carmichael was at the Moto X World Championships this weekend. He was in the Step Up competition. Step Up is where riders speed up a dirt incline to try to attempt to fly their motorcycles over a bar high up in the air, it's kind of similar to a high jump, only MUCH higher.

Yesterday during the competition, the bar was set at 35 feet in the air. On Carmichael's first attempt, he cleared it. And I mean he CLEARED it. He was actually the only one that was able to do it. He just couldn't stick the landing and he crashed. On impact, his chin hit the handle bars on his motorcycle before he was thrown off and put a gouge in his chin. He was taken to the hospital to get stitches and to make sure there were no other injuries. He was complaining of his jaw hurting (as you can imagine).

He did go back to the event afterwards to commentate the rest of the events. The entire time I was watching him compete I was wondering what Ken Schrader was thinking about this whole thing. Afterall, Carmichael is supposed to be jumping in a car and racing for Ken Schrader this weekend in the Camping World East Series at Greenville Pickens Speedway in Easley, S.C. What if he had broken his wrists in the crash?

All for now...

I'm going with a Richard Childress Racing car this week for the win at Phoenix. Although, I almost hate picking a driver now for a race because as you know, I have never picked a winner in the history of this blog. For yucks, let's start keeping track this year. I am 0-for-7 for 2008. I'm going on the record right here and now saying that I will NEVER pick Clint Bowyer this year. I would never want to jinx him.

Since about Wednesday, I had my mind made up that I was going to go with an RCR driver for Saturday night's race. Well actually two drivers but based on what I said above, I'm not mentioning the name of the second...

I get in to work this morning and look up the race lineup (because I didn't get a chance to watch qualifying) and the driver I am picking is sitting there in 39th position. I'm sticking to my guns though and going with Jeff Burton. He has two wins here and has historically run well at Phoenix. Besides the fact that RCR is HOT this season.

Who are you picking to win tomorrow night?

How about Ryan Newman earning his 43rd pole?! Incredible.

Did anyone watch qualifying last night? I didn't but got called in to the living room to watch the interview with Elliott Sadler. Did you see it? It was really funny. I guess Carl Edwards backed his truck or motor coach (I can't recall which) into Sadler's motor coach.

Sadler was saying something to the effect that Edwards is a great driver on the track and has won a few this year...but can't back the truck/motor coach up. It was funny.

All for now. Have a great weekend everyone!

Four in a row for Jimmie Johnson. Unbelievable and sickening. I am glad there's only one race left of the season. I am. It's just too long. And I'm getting a bit sick of Hendrick's domination.

If Johnson finishes 18th or better, he'll clinch the championship. If he leads a lap, then he can finish 19th or better regardless of where Jeff Gordon finishes and clinch the championship. Gordon is 86 points behind Johnson in the point standings.

Here are the trivia answers from last week:

Can any of you name the 13 different pole sitters at this Phoenix Internation Raceway?

They are: Ryan Newman – 3, Rusty Wallace – 3, Jeff Gordon – 3, Geoffrey Bodine - 2, Bill Elliott - 2, Ken Scrader – 2, John Andretti – 1, Casey Atwood – 1, Kyle Busch – 1, Bobby Hamilton – 1, Denny Hamlin – 1, Bobby Labonte – 1, Sterling Marlin – 1

What's the farthest back a race winner has started? Who was it? When was it?

29th starting spot, Ricky Rudd, 1995

Who are the only drivers to have posted back to back wins at Phoenix?
Davey Allison - 1991 and 1992, Jeff Burton - 2000 and 2001, Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 2003 and 2004, Kevin Harvick - both 2006.

Morgan-McClure Motorsports announced yesterday that Ward Burton is out of the No. 4 car for this weekend's race at Homestead. I really hate it when these press releases are so vague as to why they would make a driver change for the LAST race of the season. What in the world?

Said Tim Morgan: "Ward has worked hard for us this year, he is a good driver and a friend. Todd has been helpful to us in the past and has agreed to step in and help us benchmark our efforts as we get ready for the 2008 season.”

That says absolutely nothing about why he is sitting out the LAST race of the year.

The press release goes on to say, "Both Ward Burton and the MMM team have agreed that his change is the best way to fully evaluate the performance of the team."

Who did they get to replace him to try to qualify the car into the race at Homestead? Todd Bodine. I almost fell off my chair when I read that. I think wreckfest when I think of Todd Bodine. Uugh.

All for today.

Phoenix has been a good track for Richard Childress Racing (RCR). Kevin Harvick has won here twice, with three top fives and four top tens. Jeff Burton has won here twice also, with five top fives and eight top tens. Clint Bowyer, however, has not been so lucky with only one top five and one top ten in four starts. This year though has been an incredible year for him so I guess anything's possible.

As much as I would like to see Bowyer gain ground in the driver point standings this weekend, it is very unlikely. This track, unfortunately, has also been a good place historically for Hendrick Motorsports. And with the luck they have been having, I would expect this weekend to be no different.

My picks this weekend will be any of the RCR cars.

A little trivia, because I love trivia...

(Without looking it up)

• Can any of you name the 13 different pole sitters at this track?
• What's the farthest back a race winner has started? Who was it? When was it?
• Who are the only drivers to have posted back to back wins here?

All for this week. I am taking a few days off. I'll be back on Tuesday with my racing recap and have the answers to the trivia questions. Have a great weekend.