ESPN

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Martin Truex Jr. won the Coors Light Pole Award at the Samsung Mobile 500 qualifying Friday.

He won with a lap of 28.366 seconds.

After the qualifier, he continued to talk about how he can feel a win coming.

"I can't even explain it. I'm just blessed to have the team I have and be in the position I'm in," Truex Jr. said. "It makes you think back to those days when things weren't going so well."

This could be a huge step in winning his first Samsung Mobile 500. He's had problems winning the pole in the past, and he's willing to admit that.

"I'm not the greatest qualifier," Truex Jr. said. "At times I tend to overdrive the car. There are some days, like today, that the car will take that."

Asked if he did anything different to win the pole, he smiled and said he "just drove harder" this time.

Matt Kenseth finished second with a lap of 28.399 seconds.

Greg Biffle continued to be impressive at Texas Motor Speedway. He finished third at qualifying with his 10th top-10 start in Fort Worth.

It's Truex Jr.'s second pole at Texas Motor Speedway and first in the Samsung Mobile 500. His first came in the 2007 Dickies 500 where he finished third.

His best finish in the Samsung Mobile 500 came in 2007 when he started 24th and moved his way up to finish seventh.

As NASCAR motors into Texas Motor Speedway, two drivers -- Daytona 500 champion Matt Kenseth and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -- stop by ESPN Dallas to chat with you this morning.

Stenhouse, who drives the No. 6 Ford Eco Boost for Roush Fenway Racing, is second in points in the Nationwide Series. In five races, he's got a first (Las Vegas), second (California) and third (Phoenix). He'll get our chat block rolling at 10 a.m. CT. Click here to get your questions in early.

Then, Daytona 500 champion Matt Kenseth -- now a two-time winner of "The Great American Race" -- will stop by ESPN Dallas to answer your questions at 11:45 a.m. He's currently fourth in points in the Sprint Cup Series, having also finished second at Bristol and fourth in the series' last stop at Martinsville, which had a crazy ending. Click here to get your questions in early for Matt.

The NASCAR series has put an exciting, controversial afternoon in Martinsville in the rear-view mirror and now sets its sights on an evening race at Texas Motor Speedway for the Samsung Mobile 500 -- after a weekend off to celebrate Easter.

Who's on top of David McGee's Power Rankings? Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is second in points after finishing third Sunday, jumped four spots to No. 1. He's always been tough at TMS, and don't expect anything to change.

The rest of the top five: Greg Biffle, defending series champion Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick.

Click here to see the rest of McGee's top 20.

Brad Keselowski's win at Bristol on Sunday marked the fourth different winner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' four races this season. He also gave Dodge its first victory of 2012, which means all four manufacturers represented in the series have already earned a win. And there's still 32 races to go.

Chevrolet dominated the 2011 season, winning half of the 36-race schedule. Ford came in second with seven victories, followed by Toyota (six) and Dodge (five). I have a feeling the competition will be spread a little more evenly this season due to the shuffling of talent during the offseason and some new developments among the four manufacturers.

Clint Bowyer, a winner from last season, recently made the transition from Chevrolet to Toyota with Michael Waltrip Racing. Mark Martin is another former Chevrolet driver racing for MWR this season. We've already seen great success with this team and with the newly formed alliance between Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota Racing Development. I think Toyota will be stepping up its program all around.

Ford had a tough year in 2011, but it has been a strong force this season with two of its drivers in the top five in points. Greg Biffle is leading the point standings and has three top fives. Matt Kenseth, who won the Daytona 500, is third.

The recent news with Penske Racing moving to Ford in 2013 left uncertainty for Dodge, but with its new Charger debuting in the Sprint Cup Series next season the organization has received a lot of interest in its NASCAR program. One prospect is Richard Petty Motorsports, which is in its last contract year with Ford. Petty and Dodge have a history together, and the team is looking into renewing that relationship.

And then we have Chevy -- the powerhouse of the sport that has earned the most manufacturers' championships since NASCAR's inception and is currently on a spree of consecutive Sprint Cup championships. Chevrolet has earned a star driver with Kasey Kahne competing for Hendrick Motorsports this year and we've seen early success with Dale Earnhardt Jr., who I believe will be in Victory Lane soon.

All of this is great for the sport. The amount of competitiveness increases the level of excitement among fans and sponsors, and keeps them engaged from week to week.

Hang on NASCAR nation, because it's shaping up to be a sensational year.

DALLAS -- Matt Kenseth was sitting courtside at a Dallas Mavericks game only about 18 hours after winning the delayed Daytona 500.

Kenseth was introduced to the crowd during the first timeout Tuesday night as a man who needs a nap.

Before the game, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle presented Kenseth with a basketball autographed by the defending NBA champions. Kenseth gave the coach a Daytona 500 championship cap from the Victory Lane celebration early Tuesday morning.

Carlisle joked that he knew a little about auto racing and that "winning the Daytona 500 is a big deal." Kenseth has done it twice.

Kenseth says he got only an hour or two of sleep after the race. He will be back in Texas for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in April.

Matt Kenseth, the newly crowned Daytona 500 champion from Monday night's season-opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, will visit with the 2011 NBA champion Dallas Mavericks and Coach Rick Carlisle tonight as part of the "Night of Champions."

Prior to tonight's Mavs game against the New Jersey Nets, Carlisle will present Kenseth with an autographed world championship basketball. Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage will also be on hand.

NASCAR returns to TMS on April 14 for the Samsung Mobile 500.

As Monday turned into Tuesday, you wondered if the bizarre SpeedWeeks at Daytona -- something fans have waited for during what they consider an interminably-long offseason -- would ever end. Finally, it did with a clean sprint to the finish line during a three-lap overtime period with Matt Kenseth claiming his second Daytona 500 win.

PODCAST
TMS president Eddie Gossage shares his thoughts on Monday's epic Daytona 500, the jet fuel truck explosion and how it could all help Texas Motor Speedway's marketing plan. Listen

Kenseth, an often overlooked talent who has won a NASCAR Sprint Cup championship and 22 races in his career, simply buried his foot on the floor while Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave chase. Neither Biffle or Junior could even make a move to try to overtake Kenseth. That’s how strong he was.

But the bizarre nature of SpeedWeeks at Daytona caused you to think back. Unknown John King won the NASCAR Camping World Series race on Friday night while Plano’s James Buescher maneuvered through a last lap wreck to win Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

And then there was Danica. You would have sworn it was the Danica 500. If she wasn’t here, she was there. She was everywhere. All Danica, all the time, as America’s most recognized female athlete prepared for her NASCAR Sprint Cup debut. She ran in Thursday’s dual qualifying races, Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide race and then the Monday night/Tuesday morning’s Daytona 500. Three race, three wrecks. None, really, of her own doing. Welcome to NASCAR.

But the word “bizarre” is perhaps the most-used word about the first race of the 2012 NASCAR season.

Bizarre in that for the first time in the 53-year history of the Daytona 500, the race was postponed due to weather.

Bizarre in that of the three major races at Daytona, 87 of the 122 cars that raced were involved in a caution, according to NASCAR. That means 71 percent of the cars were damaged in some way. Some were repaired and thus returned to the track, but few got by without any damage.

Bizarre in that the race had a red flag delay of more than two hours after Juan Pablo Montoya's race car hit a jet-drier truck during a caution period. The truck, loaded with 200 gallons of jet fuel, erupted in an explosion. Not since the roof of the Metrodome collapsed under snow last year or an earthquake hit San Francisco's Candlestick Park moments before a game in the 1989 World Series have we seen such a bizarre sporting moment. Fortunately neither Montoya or the driver of the jet truck were injured.

Bizarre in that driver Brad Keselowski tweeted photos of the burning jet truck as he sat parked on the backstretch. Tweeting. During the race. From inside his car (but not while driving). What other sport? As the TV network showed his report and gave his @keselowski handle, the driver’s Twitter followers jumped from some 20,000 to more than 200,000. Amazing.

And then, bizarrely, nobody could pass Kenseth as he took the checkered flag and went directly to Daytona's Victory Lane. Winner. Again.

Sadly, Kenseth’s win comes less than a month after his mother died of dementia.

In 2009, Kenseth won a rain-shortened Daytona 500 that covered only 380 miles. With this morning’s overtime race, Kenseth ran 505 miles in winning the Daytona 500.

He’s the 2012 Daytona 500 champ. SpeedWeeks is over. Almost too much to remember.

So if you only recall one thing other than Kenseth’s triumph, remember the word:

Bizarre.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Joey Logano took his No. 20 to the garage after blowing an engine on Lap 263 of the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

With 73 laps to go, Tony Stewart was the race leader. However, after yellow flag pit stops, points leader Carl Edwards now is in front after most took just two tires. Matt Kenseth will restart third.

Kasey Kahne is the first car in line that took four tires. He's restarting eighth.

Now, we'll just see how things play out once the green flag drops.

RPM Extra gets you ready this week for NASCAR at Texas with Matt Kenseth.

Matt Kenseth joins SportsNation for a chat Tuesday morning, and he discussed the Chase for the Championship as the Sprint Cup series roars into Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. Kenseth, who wheels the No. 17 Ford for the Roush Fenway Racing, sits fifth in the points race with three races left.

Here are a few highlights of his chat:

Is Texas Motor Speedway a good track for you? How confident are you heading into this weekend?

Kenseth: It's been a good track for us, maybe the best statisically speaking. I love going there but past success doesn't mean much for future success. But I like going there.

Do you feel like this year's Chase was more open than in past years?

Kenseth: It has felt like that. There have been many different guys in contention and just like you say, much more wide open. Not sure if it is the point system or Jimmie not being as dominant or what. I'm not really sure.

Do you still feel as if you have a legitimate shot at winning the Sprint Cup?

Kenseth: I was more confident two and a half weeks ago. We're far down but not out. We would have to have a spectacular few weeks and have the top guys have a down few weeks to get back in it.

After Saturday’s race at Richmond, the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field has been set. So who’s going to be crowned champion this season? Even though 12 drivers compete in the Chase, you have to look hard at the top six.

1. Kyle Busch – The most talented driver in the series. He’s got outstanding equipment and a very competitive edge. He’s matured in his eight-year career, but has he matured enough?

2. Kevin Harvick – With four wins this season, including Saturday night at Richmond, he’s got incredible momentum. The last two years he has loitered at the top of the standings. I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes the championship.

3. Jeff Gordon – Someone you definitely need to keep an eye on. His post-race interview Saturday night may have been a giveaway that he knows something we don’t. He was uncharacteristically enthusiastic. He may know his team either has a technical advantage or a great sense of momentum. He’s a popular pick of the pundits to win his fifth championship.

4. Matt Kenseth – My dark horse candidate. Kenseth always seems to poke his nose into contention when it’s money time. He’s got amazing talent in knowing how to go the distance, whether it’s 500 laps or 10 races.

5. Carl Edwards – A tough competitor. He’s been atop the standings all season and is very smart with a race car. He could win his first championship and would be a very popular champion.

6. Jimmie Johnson – Knows how to play the Chase better than anybody. “Five-Time” could easily become “Six-Time.” He’s extremely focused on the championship and chasing down Earnhardt and the King’s seven NASCAR Sprint Cup titles. To quote the great Rick Flair, “To be the man, you gotta’ beat the man.” And nobody’s beaten JJ in five years. Will somebody this year?

I’m not ruling out the remaining six drivers – Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin. These guys are very unpredictable. Don’t be surprised to see Keselowski or Hamlin come out of nowhere and win this thing.

We’ve got 10 races to go starting with Chicago this weekend, including the AAA Texas 500 here at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 4th. We’ll see how it plays out.

Saturday night’s race at Bristol proved that this sport isn’t just about going fast and turning left. There is a strategy to every win. For Brad Keselowski, who picked up his third win this season, part of the strategy to winning at Bristol came on pit road.

Bristol is unique in that it has pit roads along each straightaway, which doesn’t align well with NASCAR’s 30-mph pit road “speed limit.” Technically it is not a “speed limit” but rather a “timing limit” -- go too fast between the timing lines and you are “speeding.” NASCAR times cars on pit road with electronic loops in the track’s surface and computers monitor when cars have moved too fast between the loops.

Keselowski, Matt Kenseth and others seemed to benefit from the location of their pit stalls, which gave them an opportunity to travel at speeds over 30 mph on certain sections of pit road. During the last round of pit stops, Keselowski passed Jeff Gordon -- who had a one-second lead prior to the caution.

“I don't know if there’s a little bit more of an advantage on the front straightaway than there is on the back straightaway, but to me the whole purpose of having timing lines and pit road speed is to make it as equal and fair for everybody as you possibly can,” Gordon said. “And they’ve got some work to do at this pit road. The race track is awesome, but the pit road is terrible.”

NASCAR announced after the race that the situation would be addressed and additional scoring loops would more than likely be added on each side of pit road.

Drivers have always found ways to get around the rules. Smokey Yunick, owner of Daytona’s Best Damn Garage in Town, is probably most well-known for bending the rules. He always had a trick up his sleeve. In 1968, Yunick installed an 11-foot long fuel line on his car. The rules only stated how big the fuel cell could be; not the fuel line.

Back when NASCAR only weighed cars before the race, Darrell Waltrip’s team was accused of filling the car’s frame rails with buckshot to pass inspection. When on the track, Waltrip supposedly would release the BBs from a trap inside the frame rail. That’s the word, though Waltrip has never admitted it.

In 2005, NASCAR discovered Chad Knaus’ cautiously-engineered shock absorbers, which added 200 pounds of downforce to the car by increasing the height of the right rear. The No. 48 and No. 5 teams’ cars were initially too high during inspection, but settled back into the required specifications after the shocks bled air. Neither team was penalized because technically the cars passed inspection. But because the shock absorbers were used for something other than controlling the frequency of the spring, NASCAR banned the shock absorbers.

Now THAT is strategy. I don’t blame these guys who work hard at finding an advantage for some speed. It’s part of the competition.

At the same time, I give props to NASCAR for looking into the situation in order to keep the competition even and keep safety a top priority on pit road. NASCAR implemented the pit road speed after a crewman was fatally injured in the 1990 Atlanta Journal 500. Mike Rich, a right rear tire changer for Bill Elliott, was caught up in an accident after Ricky Rudd entered his pit too fast, locked his brakes and slammed into the back of Elliott’s car.

Since then we have seen a dramatic decrease in the number of injuries on pit road. Regardless of whether it was right or wrong for Keselowski and others to get away with speeding on pit road Saturday night, give NASCAR credit for admitting the teams were working a loophole and pledging to fix the problem.

In the meantime, teams and officials will continue to work hard to outfox each other. Sometimes it works…other times you get caught.

All the time it’s interesting.

Matt Kenseth had a dominating run at Texas, breaking a 76-race NASCAR Sprint Cup winless streak Saturday night.

Kenseth led 169 of 334 laps at the 1½-mile, high-banked track for his 19th career victory, his first since California in February 2009. Since his other win at Texas in 2002, Kenseth had four runner-up finishes, including last fall behind Denny Hamlin, and six other top-10 finishes at the track.

For more, click here.

As much as I enjoy the National Football League and covering the Dallas Cowboys for 103.3 FM ESPN and ESPNDallas.com, my true passion is auto racing, and especially Nascar. This weekend the Sprint Cup Series makes its first of two visits to the Great American Speedway and the running of the Samsung Mobile 500.

For the first time, the race will be competed under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway. Since speedway president Eddie Gossage was able to secure a second race date for Texas, the November race has started in the daylight but finished at night. Never has an entire race been run under the lights, and it will be interesting to see the different setups these crews use to dial their cars in.

Texas Motor Speedway is already one of the fastest tracks in the Sprint Cup Series and when the racing is done during the day, the track becomes hot and slick, making it even tougher to navigate. Under the lights, the grip and speeds will increase to serious levels. Crews do not have any real notes to go off of but might look to other mile-and-a-half tracks that run races at night -- such as Charlotte and Chicago -- for setups.

Something to also watch in Texas is the long green flag runs. If we see this type of action with fewer cautions, how will crews be able to make time for adjustments under green flag conditions?

Top 5 Drivers to Watch:

1. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Fed Ex Office/March of Dimes

Hamlin swept the two Sprint Cup races at TMS in 2010. In 11 career starts at TMS, he has two wins and eight top-10 finishes. Hamlin started 29th and 30th in the field in his victories, a tribute to the strength of his team. Something to note: Joe Gibbs Racing has struggled with some engine issues. Word in the garage is they feel they've solved the problem, but it's something to watch.

2. Carl Edwards, No. 99 Scotts Turf Builder

Edwards comes into the race second in the Sprint Cup Series points standings. In six starts this year, he has a win and four top-10 finishes. Edwards is a three-time winner at TMS, and like Hamlin did in 2010, he swept the season races in 2008. Edwards is in the top 5 of total laps led at the speedway and is a master when it comes to stretching fuel mileage to finish a race. Something to note: In two of last three races at TMS, Edwards has suffered a DNF.

3. Matt Kenseth, No. 17 Crown Royal Black

Kenseth is the teammate of Carl Edwards at Roush Fenway Racing. He is ninth in the Sprint Cup Series but has not had the consistency of his teammate early this season. But when he passes through the tunnel at TMS, no matter how up and down his season has been, he will be a factor in that upcoming race. In 17 career races at TMS, Kenseth has a win and 11 top-10s. Not known as one of the better drivers when it comes to qualifying, Kenseth won the 2001 event when he was able to pilot his Ford from the 31st starting position -- the deepest a winner at TMS has ever started from. Something to note: Kenseth has finished in the top 10 every time he has started in the top 10 here.

4. Jimmie Johnson. No. 48 Lowe’s

Jimmie Johnson is the model of consistency. The five-time defending Sprint Cup champion has made 15 starts at TMS, winning once with 11 top-10 finishes. Johnson has never started outside the 18th spot and had a string of six races in a row where he never started outside the top 8. Johnson has suffered only one DNF at TMS, and that was in the Spring race of 2007. It was in the fall race at TMS in 2010 where Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus sent a message to his team after several poor pit stops by switching his crew out for members of Jeff Gordon’s team during the middle of the race after Gordon had crashed out. Johnson went on to finish ninth in that day. Something to note: In eight of Johnson’s 15 starts at TMS, he has failed to lead a single lap. When he won the fall race in 2007, he only led nine laps.

5. Mark Martin, No. 5 Go Daddy.com

Mark Martin knows how to get around Texas Motor Speedway. Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte are the only other drivers to compete in all Sprint Cup Series races run at this facility. In 20 career starts, Martin has one victory and 12 top-10s. In his last four races at TMS, he has finished no worse than sixth. Martin is at his absolute best at the finish of races. In 2011, of a possible 1,987 laps, he has yet to miss a lap. Martin is first in the Sprint Cup Series in that stat, one lap ahead of Kyle Busch. Something to note: Martin has finished 18 straight races at TMS. The only race that he received a DNF was his first one in 1997. He found himself in teh winner's circle the following spring.

Others to watch: Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship starts this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

PODCAST
Jeff Gordon joins Galloway & Company to talk about the chase for the Sprint Cup, Kyle Busch's fiancée, connecting with the fans, and more. Listen

Here’s my take on each driver and why he is “hot” and “not hot” entering the 10-race Chase:

Denny Hamlin (5060 points)

• Hot: Since the end of 2009, Hamlin has been talked about as the favorite to beat Jimmie Johnson. He’s also shown on the track that he can back it up. Two of his six wins this season were on Chase tracks (Texas, Martinsville).
• Not hot: Over the last ten races, Hamlin has been outperformed by every single driver in the Chase. Last year, Hamlin had three DNF’s in the Chase that were caused by either engine failure or a crash. In the last five races this season, he’s had two DNF’s caused by an engine failure or crash.

Jimmie Johnson (5050)

• Hot: Four-time Champion. He knows how to win the Chase. Johnson has finished a whopping 75 percent of all Chase races inside the top ten. What’s even more impressive is that in over half of the races -- 33 of the 60, Johnson has finished inside the top five. Johnson has also claimed 18 total Chase victories. That’s an average of three Chase wins per year. Most drivers would be happy with three total wins per year.
• Not hot: With an average finish of 17th over the last 10 races, is Johnson as invincible as he’s been the past four seasons?

Kevin Harvick (5030)

• Hot: Regular-season points leader. Earnhardt/Childress Racing engines have been the strongest all season. That could pay off in a big way at tracks like Texas, Charlotte, California, Kansas, Homestead and Talladega.
• Not hot: Has a career average finish of 17th or worse at California, Martinsville, Charlotte, and Dover. Only once in the history of the Chase has the regular-season points leader won the championship (Tony Stewart in 2005).

Kyle Busch (5030)

• Hot: Has won Cup races on five of the ten Chase tracks. Busch has also learned how to be a more consistent driver. He’s been running at the finish in 25 of 26 races so far this year. His only DNF was a crash at Daytona.
• Not hot: Busch has never won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race on any one of the five, 1.5-mile tracks in the Chase. Busch has also never won in the final 10 races of any season.

Kurt Busch (5020)

• Not: First Chase champion (2004). As the only Penske driver in the Chase, it’s “all hands on deck” for Busch. Sam Hornish Jr. unloaded at Richmond with Busch’s setup, ready to assist the No. 2 in any way possible. Brad Keselowski’s team is also doing everything it can to help bring a title to Penske.
• Not hot: As the only Dodge team in the Cup Series, there is no one else available to share notes or develop engines with. Also, both of the teammates that are helping Busch have not had a single top ten all year.

Tony Stewart (5010)

• Hot: Momentum has picked up at just the right time for Stewart. He also has the best record in the last 10 races that have been held at tracks that are one mile or longer. Nine of the ten Chase tracks fit this category.
• Not hot: While Stewart’s results at any track are impressive, seven of the ten tracks in the Chase are statistically some of his worst.

Greg Biffle (5010)

• Hot: Biffle goes into the Chase knowing the he and his team are capable of winning races. The No. 16 team earned its first 2010 victory at Pocono in August.
• Not hot: Biffle has finished on the lead lap in only six of the last ten races.

Jeff Gordon (5000)

• Hot: Gordon spent most of the summer second in the Sprint Cup point standings. Gordon’s average finish of 8.4 in the last 10 mile-and-a-half races is the best in the Sprint Cup Series. Gordon is also the only Cup driver that has finished on the lead lap of each of the last ten races.
• Not hot: Gordon has still not been to Victory Lane since winning at Texas in April of 2009 -- the longest stretch he’s ever had without a race win.

Carl Edwards (5000)

• Hot: Edwards has scored more points than any other driver in the last ten races, finishing in the top 10 in eight of those races. He’s also started on the pole in two of the last five races. A win (or several wins) is right around the corner for the No. 99 team
• Not hot: Even though a win might be right around the corner, the fact is that Edwards has still not been to Victory Lane since the last race of 2008.

Jeff Burton (5000)

• Hot: It’s been said that to finish first, first you have to finish. Burton is one of only three drivers that have not had a DNF all season long. Burton has also led a respectable 390 laps this year.
• Not hot: Burton has not won a race since October of 2008.

Matt Kenseth (5000)

• Hot: Mr. Consistency has one very impressive stat this year. Kenseth has completed all but seven laps this entire season for a total of 23 lead lap finishes.
• Not hot: Kenseth has only led 35 of the 7,699 laps that he’s completed. He has also not won a race since February of 2009.

Clint Bowyer (5000)

• Hot: In Bowyer’s last two Chase appearances, he ended up fifth and third in the final point standings.
• Not hot: In 120 career Cup races, Bowyer has only two wins. His last trip to Victory Lane was in May of 2008.

My pick to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship for 2011: Kyle Busch. Joe Gibbs Racing is peaking at the right time -- all three JGR drivers finished in the top five at Richmond Saturday night -- and Busch has been strong all year. He’s matured into a championship driver. It will be the first of several NASCAR Sprint Cup championships the young Busch will win in his career.

Sunday’s race at New Hampshire gets the green flag at noon CT.