Joey Logano won Sunday's race in New Hampshire. The records books years from now will document that fact. Rain might have shortened the event, but a crew chief made a call that was available to all. It proved to be the right one, end of story. Logano won because of decisions made that paid off.

Now, there are some who think the fastest car should win. If that was completely true, then they would hand over the trophy immediately after qualifying. I see nothing wrong with a surprise every now and then. I like to see the underdog come through, and that is exactly what happened this week in NASCAR. It might be nice to get the win in the quickest auto with the checkers waving in the breeze, and next week at Daytona that could well happen. As for this past week, a win is a win is a win, be it in rain or shine.

So, for the first time in history, a 19-year old wins a Cup race. I guess you can't let all the 50-year old guys or even the most popular have all the fun -- Mark Martin finished 14th, one position behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jeff Gordon was second, while Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart both had top-10s, as did the Busch brothers. Nice to see David Reutimann, Brad Keselowski and Sam Hornish Jr finish up front for a change. OK, Kasey Kahne did, too, though nine spots behind what he managed to do the previous week.

The Earth is round, Daytona is banked, but Loudon's track is as flat as that beer you find sitting on the back shelf for months. When someone like Martin Truex Jr. gets turned into the inside wall, there is nothing keeping him from going back up the track to collect a few more. He blamed Kyle Busch, but things log jammed before them on a restart when Junior, the one with all the fans, spun his tires. Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick both got collected, as the Childress team mates finished outside the top-30. A.J. Allmendinger, Jamie McMurray, Brian Vickers and Scott Speed were also among those who had a better chance finding wreckers than checkers.

Our top dozen going into New Hampshire are the same boys heading to Daytona with a place for the Chase currently in their hands. However, the grip of some remain pretty tenuous. Matt Kenseth is six points to the good, Martin is at four and Juan Pablo Montoya is the bubble boy, a single point ahead of Kahne. Reutimann is only 12 points in arrears, so you could say they all have a lot riding on this Saturday night's ride where we could see fireworks well before the July 4 pyrotechnic display fires off.

Once again, hats off to TNT for the race coverage they provide. The Boogity, boogity, boogity boys are not bad, but this crew is great. Replacing them in mid-July with the dull as dishwater ESPN gang, with their daft draft track graphics, will make us almost yearn for the return of that damned FOX gopher.

Will Bill Weber return to the broadcast for Daytona or Chicago? He missed the Loudon gig, supposedly getting a time out for some public confrontation he got involved in at a New Hampshire hotel. I mean, the guy expects those mints on his pillow, and by God they better be there.

I am reminded of the time, many years ago, when I was in Winnipeg for a senior hockey broadcast. It wasn't exactly the fanciest hotel I ever stayed in. In the middle of my shower the water turned damned hot, I flinched, and wound up in a very vulnerable position laying on my back. Thankfully, the temperature of the water had returned to normal. I remained normal, no chestnuts were boiled, though my voice may have climbed an octave or two. Even then, I did not wind up having a public confrontation in that hotel and was able to do my job. Don't you just love a story with a happy ending?

Happy would be getting Truex Jr. out of what is left of DEI. Speculation has that official announcement, with him heading to Michael Waltrip's operation, taking place in about a week. It is said his sponsor, Bass Pro Shops, will stay behind. I'm so sorry for them. Meanwhile, word has Shell leaving Kevin Harvick and Childress for Hendrick. If you were wondering what you could possibly get a man who has just about everything, I'm guessing that in this case a front line sponsor would do.

Next on our dance card is the return to Daytona for the Saturday night Firecracker 400, or whatever Coca Cola is calling it these days. While some are out seeking wins to pad their points total heading into the Chase, there are more than a few just fighting to secure one before summer turns to fall. Toss in those double-file restarts and it should be an exciting July 4. Enjoy the race!