Last race: Jeff Burton gambled on his final pit stop and was rewarded with a victory that pushed him into title contention. Burton led entering the final round of pit stops, then took gas only to ensure he'd come out in front at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He staved off a brief challenge from points leader Jimmie Johnson when the race resumed with 34 laps to go, but held on to snap a 25-race winless streak. The victory, his second of the season, pushed Burton from fourth to second in the Chase for the championship standings with five races to go. Carl Edwards, who entered the race second in the standings, lost power in his Ford early and finished 33rd, likely losing his shot at his first Sprint Cup title.
Last year: Jimmie Johnson made the pass he didn't allow Jeff Gordon to make in the spring, sneaking inside his Hendrick Motorsports teammate with 44 laps to go in regulation and holding on for his series-high seventh victory of the year and the 30th of his career. A record 21 caution flags flew, slowing the proceedings for 127 laps, and forcing the race to be extended by six laps. Johnson gained in the championship chase with four races remaining, cutting Gordon's lead to 53 points.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS
Kroger 200
Site: Martinsville, Va.
Schedule: Saturday, qualifying (SPEED, 7 a.m.); race (SPEED, noon).
Last race: Todd Bodine took the lead on the last lap and held off Ron Hornaday Jr. and Kyle Busch in the Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. Bodine raced to his second victory of the season and won for the second straight year in the 250-mile race on NASCAR's largest track. On the last lap, Bodine nudged Busch from behind and turned him sideways.
Last year: Mike Skinner sneaked into the lead and held off Jack Sprague for the final 66 laps, helped along by numerous cautions that made the race look like a brawl. The race was red-flagged with seven laps to go after an accident coming out of Turn 4 that involved at least nine trucks and left wreckage and fluid strewn everywhere. It went back to green for a three-lap dash to the finish, and with the trucks behind him jockeying, Skinner sailed off to his series-best fifth victory of the season.
Last race: Renault's Fernando Alonso won the Japanese Grand Prix for his second straight victory. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton of McLaren finished out of the points in 12th, and Felipe Massa of Ferrari was eighth after the two collided on the second lap. BMW's Robert Kubica was second, and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen third. Hamilton's lead in the drivers' championship standings was cut to five points with two races remaining.
