There are only just a handful of races that come along that bring a tear to your eye and a smile on your face.  One race that comes to mind is the 2001 Daytona 500 win for Michael Waltrip or the 2001 Atlanta win that Kevin Harvick had just four weeks after the death of Dale Earnhardt. For me, just recently, it was the Daytona 500 win for my favorite driver of 10+ years Matt Kenseth. The 2009 Pennsylvania 500 race goes into that category, as Denny Hamlin roared across the finish line to capture his first win of the 2009 season.  The emotional win came on the heals of the passing of his beloved grandmother.  His grandmother, Thelma Clark, died Friday at the age of 91.  Hamlin wanted more than anything to be in Flordia with his family during the emotional time, but he knew he had to conduct business and go to work; and boy did he work.  With tears flowing like Amazon River, Hamlin raised his hands in victory and salute to his grandmother."We definitely had some angels with us", Hamlin said.

Today, we also saw two savvy veteran drivers not let major problem get to them and perserverence paying off in the end. Tony Stewart had been rewarded the pole position, only to be forced to the tail end of the pack after crashing in practice. Jimmie Johnson also had his fair share of struggles, as engine problems kept him from capturing the checkered flag.  But, thanks to perserverence and good pit stragety, both drivers managed to finish in the top 12.

Juan Pablo Montoya rebounded nicley, finishing 2nd at Pocono, followed by an impressive performance from Clint Bowyer, who finished third.  Sam Hornish Jr finished fourth followed by the red hot (not in that way!) Kasey Kahne who finished fifth.  Brian Vickers, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, and Tony Stewart rounded out the top 10 for this race.

Other notable finishes: Matt Kenseth (11), Jimmie Johnson (13), Ryan Newman (14), Greg Biffle (15), Kyle Busch (16), Carl Edwards (18), Joey Logano (27), Dale Earnhardt Jr (28), David Reuitmann (29).

Just six more races to go before The Chase for the Sprint Cup begins, and Tony Stewart still sits atop the points standings with a 197 point lead over Jimmie Johnson.  The final chase spot is tightening up, as Greg Biffle now occupies the final chase spot, only 99 points ahead of Kyle Busch, who is in the 13th position.  Matt Kenseth had move up one spot to 11th, but he only hold that position by one point over his teammate Greg Biffle.

Next, the boys will head back to the road course, as they travel to Watkins Glen, NY.

Roush Fenway Racing announed that Diageo, parent company of Crown Royal, will be the primary sponsor for Matt Kenseth for 18 races next season.  The other races will feature his other sponors like Carhart, R&L Carriers, USG Sheetrock, and others.  With this change in sponsorship, Jamie McMurarry will not be returning to Roush Fenway and the #26 car will be in the garage for 2010.

I'm excited about teaming up with Crown Royal," said Kenseth,"I worked with Diageo's Smirnoff ICE brand back in 2003 and we developed a great relationship. They were a part of our championship season and we were able to take part in a lot of really cool promotions and events to promote messages associated with responsible drinking. I'm really looking forward to representing Crown Royal and continuing that great work."

"It's a pleasure to welcome a champion like Matt back as our partner," said Dan Sanborn, senior director of corporate relations for Diageo. "Through our earlier relationship with Matt in 2003, and as the Crown Royal IROC champion in 2004, we have experienced great success together over the years. We look forward to extending that relationship and having Matt represent one of our biggest brands both on-and-off the track."

It is likley that the #26 car will move to Yates racing and the Roush Fenway lineup will be reduced to four (Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, and David Ragan).

On Sunday, the boys from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series showed the Indy Car Series fans what racing was all about.  Jimmie Johnson captured the checkered flag at the Brickyard, which is the third time he has done so in his career.  Johnson managed to hold off his teammate and pole sitter, Mark Martin for the win.

Geez, was he fast," Johnson said of Martin. "For an old guy, he had me pretty worried. ... Those last 15-20 laps, we had to drive it so hard just to stay ahead of the 5 [Martin]. I was better in [Turns] 3 and 4 than he was, and he had me beat in 1 and 2, and it was kind of a give-and-take thing that was going on. Luckily, we held him off."

"Clean air was everything," said Johnson "You could only get so close to the car in front of you. ... I got that restart and put on a great show for the fans. I hope they enjoyed it."

Mark Martin commented that he gave it everything he had without wrecking the #5 car: "I drove my heart out and gave it everything I had," he said. "I'm just thankful that I had a chance to race for the win. I'm disappointed we didn't win, but I got beat by Superman."

The story of the day was the rise and fall of Juan Pablo Montoya.  The 2000 Indy 500 Champion dominated most of the race, leading the most laps of any driver (116).  Montoya started out the race in strong fashion, leading 92 of 100 laps.  However, with just 24 laps to go, NASCAR put the brakes on any kind of celebration for the 42 team.  A timley pit stop of tires and fuel was ruined after NASCAR officials called Montoya back to the pits for a speeding penalty, costing him the victory.

"I swear on my children and my wife, I was not speeding," Montoya radioed to crew chief Brian Pattie. "You know, I was being very conscious of that, you know what I mean? "I've been robbed before, I've been screwed before, but [NASCAR] overdid themselves this week."

Tony Stewart managed to finish third in this race, followed by Greg Biffle and Brian Vickers to round out the top 5.  Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, David Reuitmann, Jeff Gordon, and Matt Kenseth (woo hoo!) finished to round out the top 10.

Other notable finishes: Juan Pablo Montoya (11), Joey Logano (12), Carl Edwards (15), Bill Elliot (26), Kurt Busch (27), Terry Labonte (33), Dale Earnhardt Jr (36), Kyle Busch (38)

Tony Stewart still sits atop the points standing, now leading new second place driver Jimmie Johnson by 192 points.  Greg Biffle found his way back in the top 12 (11th) with his impressive finish.  Matt Kenseth still has a hold on the final chase spot, while Kyle Busch took a major hit in the points, moving all the way down to 14.  Just 78 points separates the final chase spot and David Reutimann, who is currently 13th.

Next, the boys will head up to the Poconos for the running of the Pennsylvania 500.

Representatives at Roush Fenway Racing this afternoon informed the media that DeWalt Power Tools will not return to sponsor the #17 car driven by Matt Kenseth for the 2010 season.  This news ends the 10 year relationship between Kenseth and DeWalt.

"We would like to thank DeWalt for serving as a great partner for the past 10 years," said Geoff Smith, president of Roush Fenway Racing. "During that time we have seen great success for both their company and marketing program, as well as with Matt on the race track. They will always be remembered and honored as the sponsor of Jack Roush's first Sprint Cup championship team".

During the span that DeWalt was sponsor for the #17 car, we have seen a driver mature and grow into one of the elite drivers in NASCAR Sprint Cup history.  They were there in 1999, when Kenseth was narrowly defeated by Dale Earnhardt Jr for the Nationwide Series Championship.  DeWalt was there for Kenseth's first win in 2000 during his rookie season, taking the checkered flag at Lowe's Motorspeedway during the Coca Cola 600.  At the conclusion of that season, Kesneth was crowned the Raybestos Rookie of the Year.  More importantley, they stuck by Kenseth through a rough 2001 season and had front row tickets to see Matt hoist the Sprint Cup Championship.  More recently, they were there to see Kenseth win the biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500.

It is unclear who will sponsor Kenseth next year, but rumor has it that Carhardt and R&L Carriers are two of the front runners to take over the main sponsorship.  One such reporter stated that Gatorade may make their way back into the Sprint Cup series via the #17 car.

What did I think when this news came out, you ask? "Damn, now I gotta go buy new Kenseth gear, but at least I won't have to wear those crappy Steelers colors anymore".

The storybook season for Mark Martin continues, after his Saturday night victory at the Chicagoland Speedway.  Martin captured his fourth win of the season taking the checkered flag for the Lifelock.com 400.  Martin took the checkered flag almost four second ahead of teammate Jeff Gordon and dominated the race leading the most laps.  Oil from the engine of Kyle Busch set up the seventh and final cauton as Martin won in the final shootout of the race.

"That was fun," Martin exulted after climbing from his car. "That's what life's all about right there. These guys  deserved to win. We could have parked the car [Friday] with an hour left in practice. I knew it was awesome. "But the best car doesn't usually win. The double-file restarts are to mess the best car up so he doesn't win, to make it good for the fans -- and it did -- but luckily we pulled it off anyway."

Kasey Kahne continues to gain ground by making some key top 5 finishes, as he finished 3rd in this race.  Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin followed suit, rounding out the top 5.  Ryan Newman, Brian Vickers, Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, and Juan Montoya rounded out the top 10.

The Chase is a tight one, as we have new drivers making their way up and some making their way down.  Tony Stewart still hold the lead, now by 147 points over Jeff Gordon.  The biggest mover was Kasey Kahne, moving up four spots to 8th.  The biggest loser, was Greg Biffle moving down five spots to 13th.  Only one point separates 12th place driver Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle.  With just seven races left to go before the Chase, we could have some suprise driver making the cut in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.

Next, it's off to one of the most famous tracks in all of auto-racing, The Brickyard in Indianapolis.

Michael Waltrip Racing announced eariler today that Martin Truex Jr will be joining the team in 2010, driving the #56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota.  Michael Waltrip will still remain as a driver for his team, but only on a part time basis.

"I am turning my car over to a guy I think can win the championship," Waltrip said. "I just believe at this time in my career, Martin is the right guy."

Waltrip stated that he will race in at least four races next year and maybe as many as 12, including the Daytona 500, which he is a two time champion.

Truex is a former two time Nationwide series champion that made the jump to DEI along side Dale Earnhardt Jr to drive the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy.  Martin Truex has just one win in 135 Sprint Cup series starts, that coming at the Dover International Speedway.  He hopes to get more wins with his new team in 2010.

"I think we're going to go on to do really good things," said Truex.

Michael Waltrip has been a fan favorite for many years with his sense of humor and love for the sport of NASCAR.  He was, and will always be the sentimental favorite for every race.  Waltrip has four wins, 39 top five finishes and 127 top 10s in 742 starts in the Cup Series. He made his series debut May 26, 1985, at Charlotte and finished 28th. His Cup Series career began with a 462-race winless streak. Waltrip broke through with his first victory on Feb. 18, 2001, in the Daytona 500.

Thanks to not giving an inch of room, Tony Stewart has captured his second Sprint Cup Series win as a driver/owner.  During the final stretch of the running of the Coke Zero 400, Kyle Busch overtook the lead from Smoke.  However, Stewart was not going to be denied as he bullied his way to the front of the pack.  Like the moron that he is and not having any room to do so, Kyle Busch tried to block Stewart.  Tony held his ground and Busch slammed hard into the fence, taking out some of the field as well.  In my opinion, Busch had no business trying to block Stewart with no room to spare.  He should be fined and suspended by NASCAR for such reckless driving.

Jimmie Johnson survived the big one at Daytona and finished 2nd, followed by Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, and Kurt Busch to round out the top 5.  Marcos Ambrose, Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, Juan Montoya, and Elliot Sadler rounded out the top 10 for this race.

The points are unchanged, however, we do have two new drivers occupying the final spots in the Chase, Juan Montoya and Kasey Kahne, who have finally cracked the top 12 in points.  Mark Martin is now 45 points out of 12th place and Matt Kenseth, thanks to an impressive top 10 finish to follow up his Daytona 500 victory, has a 100 point lead separating 10th from 13th.

Next, more night racing from Chicagoland as the boys take it north for the running of the LifeLock.com 400.

What an exciting year in the world of NASCAR.  Some exciting races have taken place and, for me, a personal highlight for my driver.  With the Chase looming in the near future, I thought I would hand out my midseason NASCAR awards and give you my predictions on who will make it to the Chase:

Driver of the Year Thus Far (Tony Stewart): He took a huge risk leaving Joe Gibbs Racing, and boy has that risk paid off with his own team.  He has been the most consistant driver and currently leads the points by 69 points.

Biggest Disappointment (Jeff Burton): After a great 2008 season season and being the most consistant driver finishing 4th in the standings, everyone thought he would return to form with a new sponsor.  However, that has not been the case seeing as he has fallen from grace and will most likley be out of the chase

Most Improved Driver (David Reuitmann): The Franchise took his first checkered flag and is following up with consitant top 10 and top 5 finishes, which is what you need to get into the Chase

Owner of the Year (Rick Hendrick): No suprise here, seeing as three of his four drivers are in the top 12 in points and accounts for 7 wins this year.

Worst Driver (Dale Earnhardt Jr): Sorry Junior Nation, but this is a no brainer.  When you have the resources of Hendrix Motorsports at your door step, good things SHOULD happen.  Unfortunatley for the two time Nationwide Series Champion, things are not looking so good.

Inspirational Driver (Mark Martin): What a story! Three wins for the old dog and still going strong.  Don't be suprised to see him win that illusive Sprint Cup Championship.

Biggest Jackass (Kyle Busch): Seriously, when is this guy gonna give it a rest? Bad mouthing Dale Jr and the Junior Nation isn't wise when you hit those southern states, there kid. Just concentrate on driving and stop wrecking people and learn paitence.

So, here are my predictions for the top 12 drivers who will make it into the chase:

1. Tony Stewart

2. Jeff Gordon

3. Jimmie Johnson

4. Kurt Busch

5. Ryan Newman

6. Carl Edwards

7. Greg Biffle

8. Kyle Busch

9. Denny Hamlin

10. Matt Kenseth

11. Mark Martin

12. Kasey Kahne