You had to know after several weeks of chasers all running close together, we’d come upon a race where things would shake up. That happened at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, but at the end of it all, even with the wild night it was, we ended up with a scenario suspiciously familiar.
I will admit to being Mark Martin’s number one apologist on the ‘net, and for a moment, I was beginning to think there’d be a little "October surprise" when the "5" took the lead no the opening lap. That hope quickly evaporated when Johnson re-took the lead after the first caution flag of the night.
After a rain-caused caution, the drama level picked up a little. Non-chaser Matt Kenseth, one of the heartbreak kids of 2009, got in a nice side-by-side battle and took the lead. About this time, Denny Hamlin started coming into the picture, Juan Pablo Montoya started showing speed, and what seems like a long-forgotten Kyle Busch got into the act.
Just when it looked like all the trends were taking hold, the field bunched up on a re-start after caution. Martin got into Montoya and the net effect made for one of Montoya’s worst nights of the seasons. After this race, JPM slips from third to fifth in the points standings. Martin hobbled through the rest of the night for a 17th place finish, and with all the trouble his competitors had on this night, he holds onto second, but is 90 points back of the four-time champ.
They weren’t the only chase racers with problems. Brian Vickers and Carl Edwards struggled pretty much out of the gate. When Edwards car finally blew down the stretch, he called it a "mercy killing." Later, Hamlin would join in the misery with a mechanical failure, and what was one of the hottest drivers going into the chase, is now a driver who sits in 11th, between Edwards and Vickers.
Kasey Kahne found a higher gear mid-race, and by golly, if he didn’t look like he wouldn’t stink up the show. Kenseth, Johnson and Jeff Gordon were hanging around, but Kahne was hauling the mail and ended up at one point nearly five seconds in front of Johnson.
A flurry of late race cautions opened the door for Johnson to win a race off pit road over Kahne with a razor-thin margin. During this same series of re-starts, drivers took turns trying to run at the "48", but Johnson would hold off his teammate in the "24" and take home the trophy, kind of fitting considering it’s the last race at Charlotte under the name of Lowe’s Motor Speedway, as Johnson’s primary sponsor will give up naming rights.
What can you say about Johnson? When he unloads this well, this is what we should expect. He’s taking control and that trophy will have to pried from his hands.
With all the foul fortunes visiting title contenders, it did open the door for NASCAR’s lesser lights to shine. 6 of the top 10 in this event weren’t in the Chase. Matt Kenseth came home a second place finisher ahead of Kahne and Gordon. Young Joey Logano was 5th, Clint Bowyer, 6th, Casey Mears, 7th, Kyle Busch, 8th and Martin Truex Jr., 9th with Kurt Busch rounding out the top ten.
Make no mistake, there’s still some racing left, and tracks like Martinsville and Talladega provide potential for upsets and yet more game- changing results. By the same token, the champion who has done a skillful job of making his own luck will make the road long and hard for anyone looking to dethrone him.
