In order for Carl Edwards to win the season title he needs to win it all in Florida, claim the most laps, and see Jimmie Johnson run so BAD he sputters along to finish 37th or worse. If Johnson is 36th or better, it is over. If Edwards fails to finish at least second (SECOND!), it is over. Now, should Johnson get captured by aliens between now and the weekend and be whisked off to worlds unknown, then a ninth place finish would do it for Edwards. On second thought, maybe that naked David does have something in his hands, but I doubt it is a slingshot.

Over the nine events of the Chase, Jimmie Johnson has reached down and neutered the hopes of one and all who tried to deny him his third straight crown. In that span, he has managed to win three, record six Top Fives, eight Top Tens, with his worst finish being 15th at Texas. Johnson dominated last Sunday at Phoenix, making Cousin Carl's charge up to fourth on the day just not GOOD enough.

Have we seen the last of Kyle Petty in a Petty Enterprises car? His tour of Phoenix was his last of the season, and indications are that if he races again, it will have to be with someone else. Nothing personal, just business, I guess. Too BAD. As one guy leaves a long-time boss, Ryan Newman also gets a new one next year. After a red flag had stopped the action, and Tony Stewart's engine, it was interesting to note that it was Newman who provided the push to get him moving again. It is never too early to start sucking up to the new chief.

It finally happened. Stock car racing's latest BAD boys, Scott "Ramming" Speed and David "Gotcha" Gilliland, managed to get together on the track. When recent Gilliland victim Juan Pablo Montoya sideswiped Casey Mears, it set off a chain of events that left Gilliland's auto parked and mooning that of Speed's as it came to rest jacked up on the top of Scott's hood. I don't either liked the view.

While what had been a GOOD day for Mears went UGLY, others seem to be finishing the year strong. Kurt Busch was the runner-up, though over the past five races he has been found either in the Top Ten or the Bottom Ten. Jamie McMurray picked up his third straight Top Ten by finishing third at Phoenix. All but two of the Chasers finished in the Top 15. Stewart was 22nd while a BAD engine left Jeff Gordon 41st. If only that Hendrick motor had found its way under Johnson's hood, instead of Gordon's, Edwards could well have been our leader heading into Sunday.

It is interesting how little it would have taken to change the course of history, especially on a personal level. In August, 1914, Scotsman John McWilliam laid down the law to his step-sons that neither were to join the army at the beginning of the Great War. Within a month, the 18-year old had signed up under his mother's maiden name and sailed to France. Within six weeks he was wounded and in hospital, only to return to the front six months later. When the armistice of November 11, 1918 came into affect, Sgt. John C. Thornton was unconscious, having been wounded in the head by shrapnel three weeks earlier. Thankfully, he survived.. This is why his grandson is able to tell you about him today.