Denny Hamlin

The say you have to lose a championship to win one. Jimmie Johnson lost his in 2003 and 2004. For Denny Hamlin, he lost that championship last season, more than JJ won it (not taking anything away from 5 time). Love Hamlin or hate him, you can see the desire to win in his eyes and the determination he has to be the best. He wants this. As he said last year, he would rather Jimmie Johnson win the chase then some one else, because he wants to be the one to take down the champ.He won the most races last season, but just came up 39 points short.

Joe Gibbs Racing announced Friday that Darian Grubb has been named crew chief for its No. 11 FedEx Toyota NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team.   "Darian is a great addition to our organization and person to lead our No. 11 FedEx team," said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. "Obviously he has proven the ability to guide a team to a championship and we are excited to have him working with Denny (Hamlin) toward achieving that goal here at Joe Gibbs Racing. "   Grubb is coming off an impressive championship run with driver Tony Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing which included winning five of the 10 Chase races en route to capturing the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.

Kevin Harvick took the lead by dodging a caution caused by leader Kurt Busch, then pulled away on a restart with 17 laps to go and won the Nationwide Series race Friday night at Richmond International Raceway. The victory snapped a 30-race winless streak in the series for Harvick, whose last victory came in this race two years ago. It was his 38th victory in the series, and fifth at Richmond. As he had done for much of the race, Harvick pulled away as if he had an extra gear when the race went back to green on lap 234, leaving championship contender Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Busch to battle for second.

There are really only two names you need to know when NASCAR heads to Martinsville: Hamlin and Johnson. The two drivers have dominated at the paperclip shaped track in Virginia. And no one is happier to see this track up next on the schedule then Denny Hamlin. He was the driver that took five time champ Jimmie Johnson down to the wire an nearly unseated him last season. But the 11 team could really use a do over to the '11 season. After a blown engine last week in California, they currently sit 21st in the points.

Ryan Newman has held off his boss and teammate Tony Stewart to win his first race of the season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Newman won from the pole Sunday and became the 13th different winner in 19 Sprint Cup races. Newman and Stewart made it the first front-row start for Stewart-Haas Racing in qualifying Friday and they went 1-2 again when it mattered on race day. It was a banner weekend for SHR, and Newman and Stewart hope they've positioned themselves as championship contenders.

So something odd has happened at Martinsville the last three times NASCAR has visited the Virginia track, someone not named Jimmie Johnson or Denny Hamlin has won. From 2006 to 2010, those two drivers combined to win nine straight races at Martinsville. Should make things interesting as both are still strong contenders for the chase as NASCAR heads back to Martinsville this weekend. "It should be a good track for us," said Jimmie Johnson. "As excited as I am, I know also that the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin)

In case you haven't noticed, the NASCAR police has been very busy over the last week or so. From Penske to Gibbs, names that have not normally been in the spotlight are getting busted too. So is NASCAR being unusually harsh on teams? "We've got the rules in play," said NASCAR VP of Competion Robin Pemberton. "They're put there a lot of times by NASCAR, but with input from the teams, manufacturers and outside experts, and it's our job to manage those rules and manage that rule book as it relates to the garage area.

In case you haven't noticed, the NASCAR police has been very busy over the last week or so. From Penske to Gibbs, names that have not normally been in the spotlight are getting busted too. So is NASCAR being unusually harsh on teams? "We've got the rules in play," said NASCAR VP of Competion Robin Pemberton. "They're put there a lot of times by NASCAR, but with input from the teams, manufacturers and outside experts, and it's our job to manage those rules and manage that rule book as it relates to the garage area.

Politics aside, NASCAR has a problem. Whether it's a big problem or a small problem it up for debate as is whether or not you agree with the National Riffle Association. This is not really about that. The problem is, politics and sports should be separate. NASCAR for the most part is a red state sport, and most NASCAR fans fit into the NRA's demographic. So it's easy to understand why most see little problem with the organization sponsoring a race. But what if it wasn't the NRA? What if it was MoveOn.org or Planned Parenthood?

So apparently while I have been neck deep in Kansas basketball this weekend, Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing have been doing their best to recreate the quirky 80's Genius hit "Land of Confusion," minus the creepy puppets. Mark Martin is replacing Denny Hamlin until he is healed from his broken vertebra, just kidding, it will be Martin at Martinsville only, then it will be Brian Vickers. Seriously, does anyone know what is really going on? "Obviously having to find someone to fill in for Denny is not an ideal situation to have to be in, and when you start a process like this, you obviously begin to look at the drivers that are not only available but also able to drive for your race team and manufacturer," JGR president J.D. Gibbs said in a statement.

Sunday's race at the Auto Club Speedway was quite an exciting affair or so I heard. I didn't actually get to watch the race. I was instead listing as I was driving back from covering the Wichita State women in the NCAA tournament. And I didn't get to hear the end of the race. Believe it or not there is no radio station in the beautiful town of Oklahoma City that carries the race and I lost both the radio signal and 3G service at the same time. Just my luck. Thankfully, I had enough of a signal to see Twitter.

With two races to go in the 2010 season, Denny Hamlin and his fans probably felt like they had arrived. And then the wheels fell off at Phoenix and it feels like Hamlin has been trying to get his feet back under him ever since. Hamlin is a wheelman, there is no doubt. He tied with series Champ Brad Keselowski for the most wins last season with five. The deal is, he always seems to have a rough patch in the chase. For a while, it was the start. And then in '10 it was the end. Last season a rough middle stretch took him out of contention.

So something odd has happened at Martinsville the last three times NASCAR has visited the Virginia track, someone not named Jimmie Johnson or Denny Hamlin has won. From 2006 to 2010, those two drivers combined to win nine straight races at Martinsville. Should make things interesting as both are still strong contenders for the chase as NASCAR heads back to Martinsville this weekend. "It should be a good track for us," said Jimmie Johnson. "As excited as I am, I know also that the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin)

Welcome to the half-way point in the chase. It seems almost poetic that we will race at what is almost the half-way point in the country the Kansas Speedway this season and that the Chase field has been cut nearly in half. Only six of the 12 drivers that qualified for the chase for the championship are with in the points you can make up in one race, with sixth place Greg Biffle 43 points back. (The most points you can make up in one race is 47, you win and lead the most laps and the leader finishes 43rd, 48-1 is 47)

In my opinion, every NASCAR race, or at least every race in the Chase should be run under the lights. The cars look better, faster and Saturday night racing just feels more like racing at the local dirt tracks. As it is, the only night race in the Chase that we have, is Saturday night in Charlotte. "Once night falls during the October race, Charlotte (Motor Speedway) becomes completely different than what we practice on during the day," said Kevin Harvick.  "You can bet on the fact that the track will be really fast as the temperature drops and we'll gain a lot of grip.