By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
AVONDALE, Ariz.—From his fiasco in Forth Worth, Jimmie Johnson rose like a phoenix in—where else?—Phoenix.

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
FORT WORTH, Texas (Nov. 8, 2009) — In recent weeks, Jimmie Johnson has worn out the already threadbare phrase, “Anything can happen in our sport.”

TALLADEGA, ALA. -- Jamie McMurray added his name to the victory list Sunday in a surprising finish to a typical race at Talladega Superspeedway.

McMurray, odd-man out in Jack Roush's compliance move to fielding a maximum of four teams in 2010, crept home the winner in a green-white-checker finish that only made it three-quarters-of-a-lap before a wild crash brought out a caution flag making McMurray the winner.

NASCAR rules allow only one attempt at a green-white-checkered finish and McMurray was in the right position at the right time.

Kasey Kahne was second, followed by Joey Logano, Greg Biffle, and Jeff Burton.

Probably the story of the day was sixth-place finisher and still leader in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Jimmie Johnson.

Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus decided to spend a majority of the race running at half throttle or so in the back of the pack to hopefully stay out of harm's way and protect a lead in the standings that could eventually make Johnson NASCAR's first driver to win four championships in a row.

Nuttleman Tops 30th Season With Wisconsin State Championship

By Paul Schaefer, NASCAR
A Wisconsin dairy, crop and livestock farmer stands tall as one of the all-time greatest drivers in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

Kevin Nuttleman, 48, of Bangor, Wis., capped his 30th year of racing by winning the Wisconsin NASCAR state championship in 2009. He’s been racing at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway for two decades. He’s amassed an enviable record that includes 10 NASCAR track championships, and under different series formats, a NASCAR regional championship, divisional championship and a state championship. He placed 23rd in the 2009 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national top 500 ranking.

Nuttleman drives for a three-car NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model team owned by Tim Jacobs’ DMT Motorsports. Teammates included 2007 series national champion Steve Carlson, 52, of West Salem, Wis., and 2009 NASCAR Drive for Diversity member Emily Sue Steck, 22, of Holmen, Wisc. Steck led the team with three Late Model feature wins. Nuttleman and Carlson each won twice.

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
MARTINSVILLE, Va.—Denny Hamlin may have won the Virginia campaign with a victory Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, but Jimmie Johnson moved ever closer to a record fourth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship with a runner-up finish at the .526-mile short track.

Necedah's Johnny Sauter talks about his recent Truck Series success.

Jimmie Johnson has done it again. He won the NASCAR Banking 500 Saturday night, extending his lead over teammate Mark Martin to 90 points in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.

Johnson drove away from the field after dicing with teammate Jeff Gordon in the closing laps of the 334-lap race.

It was Johnson's sixth win at Lowe's Motor Speedway and put him another step closer to a fourth consecutive championship, which would be a first in NASCAR history.

Trailing Johnson at the finish line were Matt Kenseth, with his best finish since winning at Auto Club Speedway in February, Kasey Kahne, Gordon, Joey Logano, Clint Bowyer, Casey Mears, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex and Kurt Busch.

Martin had his worst night of the Chase thus far after accidentally hitting the rear of Juan Pablo Montoya's car on a restart. The accident ended Montoya's streak of top-five finishes at four, and relegated Martin to a 17th-place finish. Montoya didn't fare so well. He wound up 35th.

FONTANA, Calif. (Oct. 10, 2009) -- Resurrecting his hopes after sustaining early damage to his No. 20 Toyota, polesitter Joey Logano won Saturday's Copart 300, an event he described as "the most fun race I've ever had in my life."

For others, particularly NASCAR Nationwide Series points leader Kyle Busch and his relief driver, Denny Hamlin, the race at two-mile Auto Club Speedway was anything but a barrel of laughs.

Taking over for Busch after 39 laps -- because Busch had a case of the flu that wouldn't let up -- Hamlin collided with Greg Biffle off Turn 4 while fighting for the lead on Lap 141 and exited the race with an irreparable car.

The accident put a substantial dent in Busch's points lead over third-place finisher Carl Edwards, who now trails Busch by 155 points with five races left in the season. Brad Keselowski, who rallied from a slow restart on a green-white-checkered-flag finish that took the race two laps beyond its scheduled distance, finished fifth and is third in points, 227 behind Busch.

Logano rallied from 25th position after Biffle forced him into the backstretch wall while Biffle was passing for the lead on Lap 50 of 152.

Matt Kenseth

Johnny Sauter talks about his Truck Series Win