The race started with 4-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson holding a slim points lead, and ended with Denny Hamlin not only winning, but taking a 33 point lead in the standings, with only 2 races remaining.
But it was in between the green flag & the checkered flag that was the real entertainment.
Kyle Busch was penalized for speeding off of pit road after coming down to repair some damage. He felt this was the wrong call and made and flipped off the official standing by his car, and proceeded to string together some very colorful language about NASCAR over the team radio. He was held for 2 additional laps. (He has since been put on probation until the end of the year and fined $25,000).
Next up, the main attraction. An on-track incident between veterans Jeff Gordon & Jeff Burton caused both cars to wreck. Gordon was understandably upset at the incident. He climbs out of his car, walks to Burton & attempts to fight him. Now I may have only been watching NASCAR since 2005, but I know that A) Fights do not happen in NASCAR and B) Jeff Gordon is generally a calm individual. So when I was was watching the race on Sunday, I literally almost fell out of my chair when that happened. The best part? No penalty on either driver.
Now, I may be a bit biased here as I am a Kyle Busch fan, but is an obscene gesture & some heat of the moment cursing really worse than attempting to beat up on a fellow competitor??
Then, another moment that has people talking. Jimmie Johnson had been having horrible pit stops all day, costing him valuable track position. Since his teammate Jeff Gordon was out of the race, Johnson's crew chief made the call to "bench" his crew and put in Gordon's. Now, while the two are technically the same "team", that is only due to the fact they are owned by the same person and come out of the same shop. If you are going to switch teams with someone, do it during the week, not in the middle of the race. You have to deal with what you have.
With only 2 races left, things are definitely starting to heat up, and this is the most excited I've been about the last few races of a NASCAR season since Tony Stewart was battling for the title in the 2005 season. If Johnson have 2 incredibly solid races, he could pull of a ridiculous 5th straight championship. But if the 48 team continues to have issues, and Denny Hamlin or Kevin Harvick can have strong finishes, someone may finally be able to upset the current top dog of the sport.
All I have to say is, I really don't want to see this picture again:
