Brad Keselowski

You want to know why Jimmie Johnson has so many championships? Sure he's a great driver, on the best team, with one of the best crew chiefs in the garage. But you want to know why Johnson won 5 straight titles and is in line to win his 6th in 7 years this season? He's better at the mind games than anyone in the garage. Don't believe me? Just as Denny Hamlin or Carl Edwards. They are two of the many drivers who have tried to get into JJ's head and failed. Brad Keselowski it the latest to try, but will he succeed?

Make no mistake, this trip to the Kansas Speedway will be unlike any other. It's a completely different track. "I think it is a wild card, but it won't be where there's going to be some Chase guys in the 30s because they wrecked and maybe, possibly some that win the race," said Spring Kansas winner Denny Hamlin "I think on strategy you easily could go one way or the other, so it's a wild card in that sense.  You just hope that you're smarter or have things fall your way and cautions when you need them they fall -- things like that.

From Fred Lorezen to Darrell Waltrip to Kurt Busch and then Kyle Busch, Bristol Motor Speedway has been the kind of track that once you figure it out, you figure it out. On Sunday, Brad Keselowski became the 12th different driver to have at least two wins at the world's fastest half mile. "I have noticed this is a streaky track.  There's no doubt about that," said Keselowski. And it's also a track that once you win there, you are considered in among the best in the business.

Two races to go, three drivers with any kind of chance of winning the Sprint Cup Championship. So obviously the stakes at Phoenix International Raceway, are rising. The stakes are probably the highest for Clint Bowyer, as his margin for error is the smallest. Not only must he run a perfect race at Phoenix, but he also needs a little help in the way of bad luck for both Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski. And Phoenix is not a great track for Bowyer, but then again, neither was Charlotte.

After a successful two-day Goodyear Tire Test at Michigan International Speedway, some NASCAR drivers say they are happy with the repave. Oh, and the track is fast. They all said that, too. “This place is fast. I mean fast, fast,” NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Juan Pablo Montoya said. “Our minimum speed this morning was over 180 mph through the corner when you think about it. We are doing easily over 210 mph at the end of the straight. “For a car like this, it is really, really quick.

This time one year ago, Brad Keselowski was barely on anyone's radar. Sure he had two career NASCAR victories, but both were widely considered to be kind of a fluke. Fast forward a year, and Keselowski has won five times since, including three this season,  the most recent this past weekend at Kentucky. "I think you've got to go out and win races," said Keselowksi.   " Luck stuff, everybody says luck stuff in races.   If you go out and have good cars and win races and execute and do all those things, Tony proved that you'll win a championship.

If you are asking yourself, "weren't we just in Pocono?"  The answer is almost. It was just seven races ago that NASCAR visited Pocono, by far the shortest time between visits to the same race track. And according to Joey Logano that makes coming back to Pocano, that much easier. "When the races are closer, your notes relate a lot better than it is coming to a racetrack a whole year later, because a lot of things can be different a year later," said Logano. "Your general set up of a car usually changes a lot throughout a year.  Your chassis usually changes and your bodies are different.  It's hard to go back on what you have and improve on that.  Usually come with a whole different package.

For the first in ten years, I am going to miss the spring race at Talladega. Since moving to Kansas, I have missed the last two fall races, but I did make it back for the Spring race last year. Of course, as soon as I miss a race, the greatest paint scheme in NASCAR in years happens (pictured above). I can just hear ole Ricky Bobby yelling "if you aint first, your last" every time the car rolls by. A Talladega Nights car...at Talladega? Brilliant! Big props to Kurt Busch. I cant think of a better team, or driver to sport that "ME" paint scheme.

Rebounding from hard contact with the wall early in Friday night's Dollar General 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards held off Kyle Busch on a five-lap green-flag run to the finish to win his eighth Nationwide Series race of the season and the 37th of his career. Busch came home second followed by Trevor Bayne and Elliott Sadler, who claimed the final $100,000 Nationwide Insurance Dash4Cash bonus and cut into the series points lead of ninth-place finisherRicky Stenhouse Jr. Brian Scott ran fifth, followed by Brad Keselowski, whose dominating run was foiled by a cut tire late in the 200-lap race.