Jimmie Johnson kicked all of those stories about Hendrick Motorsports struggling to find its way to the curb Saturday night at Phoenix International Raceway.

By outlasting the rest of the field, Johnson had enough gas at the end to take his first victory of the season during the Subway Fresh Fit 500.

A restart on lap 233 left 79 laps left until the checkered flag and forced teams to calculate their pit strategy according to how far they could run on fuel. Only Johnson and Clint Bowyer were able to conserve enough to avoid a pit stop.

Carl Edwards won his third race of the season Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway after crossing the finish line first in the Samsung 500.

Edwards, who has also won at California and Las Vegas in 2008, led 123 laps of 339 to score the win over Jimmie Johnson.

Late in the race, it looked like Edwards would cruise to the victory with a safe lead of over one second when Martin Truex Jr.'s No. 1 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet blew his engine with four laps to go. On the green-white-checkered restart, Edwards kept his No. 99 Aflac Ford in front and led the final two laps.

What: Samsung 500
Where: Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas
When: Sunday, April 6 1:30pm/et FOX (Green Flag Approx. 2:15pm/et)
Distance: 334 laps, 500 miles
Weather: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. South wind around 15 mph. :)
2007 Winner: Jeff Burton
Predictions: Keep Reading





Good God Almighty: It's Sunny! - Is there really anything else I need to say here? Though I know it isn't true, it has sure seemed like nearly every race in the 2008 Sprint Cup season has been dogged by rain, moisture, coldness or a variety of other non-Chamber of Commerce weather.

The Lone Star State isn't letting us down, though!

Five races into the 2008 Sprint Cup season, the Fanhouse recaps the Top-5 lessons learned in 2008. Check back each day to get revved up for Sunday's Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

NASCAR on Fox has had a better start to its broadcast season over 2007, and no one is completely sure why.

The ratings have jumped 5.7% on average -- including the rain-plagued Auto Club 500 -- over last year's numbers. There isn't much that has changed in the sport that I'd think would increase ratings. A new car? More foreign drivers at the back?

Those don't seem like plausible reasons. Maybe it has something to do with Hendrick Motorsports being winless so far, or even the fact that Dale Earnhardt Jr. even has a legitimate shot to win races right now.

People tire quickly of watching the same winner in each race especially when its Jimmie Johnson winning two of the first five in 2007, or Jeff Gordon starting from the pole in two of those races.

Sure Carl Edwards has won two in 2008, but he's penalty after winning at Las Vegas kept people involved, not bored.

Kyle Busch must not be much for lounging on the beach or lounging at home.

In a weekend that the Sprint Cup Series has off and most other drivers are taking time to recharge their batteries for the next barrage of race weekends, Busch is hanging out with the Nationwide Series in Nashville.

Saturday morning, Busch put the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on the pole for Nashville Superspeedway's Pepsi 300, scheduled to take the green flag at 3pm/ET.

Busch's lap of 163.357mph on the 1.5-mile concrete oval topped Nationwide regular Mike Bliss (2nd), Steve Wallace, Carl Edwards, and Kelly Bires.

44 drivers challenged the clock for 43 positions in the event.

The Sprint Cup regulars in town for the event were Busch, Edwards, Denny Hamlin, David Reutimann, and Clint Bowyer.

Making his first NASCAR appearance in a while was now-former Sprint Cup driver and Tennessee native Sterling Marlin. Marlin clocked in 20th on the grid.

The race can be seen live on ESPN Saturday afternoon with coverage starting at 2pm/ET.

Welcome to the Carl Edwards Sprint Cup Crazy Train, the newest attraction at Roush-land Amusement Park. Before boarding, realize that this ride is not for the faint of heart. Be sure to keep the lap bar down at all times, and enjoy your ride on the Carl Edwards Sprint Cup Crazy Train.

It's been an interesting couple of race weekends for Carl Edwards in the Sprint Cup Series. Winning races, cheating accusations, penalties, and a blown engine don't generally run together for a driver, so let's rewind:

Monday, Feb. 25, 2008 - Auto Club 500: Edwards takes his No. 99 to victory lane on rain-delayed Monday. The No. 99 led 64 of 250 laps for Edwards 8th-career victory at the Auto Club Speedway of Southern California.

Sunday, March 2, 2008 - UAW-Dodge 400: For the second week in-a-row, Edwards carries his Roush team to victory, backflip and all. It's his 9th-career victory and is a sign that Roush-Fenway Racing has made significant strides in 2008.

Hours later though, problems would arise.

Kyle Busch scored his first win of the season, first win with Joe Gibbs Racing, and most importantly scored Toyota's first-ever victory in the Sprint Cup Series Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

It was the first time since 1954 when a Jaguar won a race in New Jersey that a foreign manufacturer has won a race in NASCAR's top series.

Busch had one of the top cars to beat all afternoon, though in the middle of the race he seemed to lose the handle on the No. 18 Toyota. That's when Carl Edwards took command trying to win his third consecutive race in the Sprint Cup Series before suffering a mechanical failure while leading late in the event.

In victory lane, Busch made note of the important victory by recalling how the No. 18 machine used to be a dominant force at Atlanta when Bobby Labonte drove the machine.

Jack Roush, co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing, was none too pleased with Toyota's Lee White Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

White, a former Roush employee and now the head of Toyota Racing Development, was quoted Thursday as saying that the violation against Carl Edwards that resulted in severe penalties for the No. 99 team were intentional.

White's comments are below, and he is referring to the oil tank cover that was missing from Edwards' Ford after Sunday's win at Las Vegas:

"I guarantee you the cover bolts didn't fall out, because if they fall, the engine leaks and you can't run," White said. "If you want something to fall off, you fix it so it can."

Roush responded Friday with these comments about White:

"He's a real nice guy," Roush said of White, a former Roush employee. "I respect him, but he's also a great racer and would seek any advantage he might think he had an opportunity for."

In other words, Roush tactfully stated that he thought White's comments were out of line, incorrect, and tactless.

Carl Edwards' No. 99 Roush Fenway Ford may have won the UAW-Dodge 400 last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but NASCAR rained down heavily with penalties on Wednesday.

All of the fines and penalties come directly from Edwards' No. 99 failing post-race inspection due to a oil tank cover not in its correct position.

Edwards' Penalties Include:

• 100 driver points
• 100 owner points
• 10-point Chase bonus for winning a race
• Six week suspension for crew chief Bob Osbourne
  
• $100,000 fine for Osbourne
• Probation until Dec. 31 for Osbourne

The penalties given are quite similar to those the Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Gordon faced for Car of Tomorrow violations in 2007.

The penalty drops Edwards from first in the point standings to seventh, taking him out of first points lead in his Sprint Cup career.

Carl Edwards may have won his second race in a row in the Sprint Cup Series, but his crew chief might be sitting out three times that many after the Dish Network No. 99 failed post-race inspection Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

From the NASCAR Scene:

LAS VEGAS – Carl Edwards and the Las Vegas-winning No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing team face possible penalties after NASCAR discovered the lid from the oil tank was off after the race.

That is a violation of NASCAR rules similar to infractions found after Nationwide Series qualifying at Daytona last month. Five teams were caught with oil tank covers that were loose after qualifying at Daytona and all were fined, docked points and had their crew chiefs suspended.

The Nationwide Series teams were all assessed penalties involving six-race crew chief suspensions and $15,000 fines for their Daytona infractions, and I'd expect that ante to rise for Carl Edwards' team.

The infraction -- which I'll be the first to admit I'm no genius at understanding -- happens when teams have a loose or missing oil tank lid, which would allow a possible advantage due to air venting of some sort.

NASCAR frowns on it so much because the oil can create a safety hazard to the driver in the cockpit.

Edwards' race win will stand at Vegas, but the points, suspensions, and monetary fines could be large.