Non-Chaser of Note: Brad Keselowski

Mark Martin had the best finish of all the non-chasers. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. put on a good show.

But Brad Keselowski wins this week's "Non-Chaser of Note" for leaving Martinsville with his best Cup finish in a Penske car - tenth.

Keselowski has the 2010 Nationwide Series all but sewn up and will likely end his upcoming run at Texas Motor Speedway as the de facto champ.

But on the Cup side, Special K has had his struggles.

In the March Atlanta race, he went flying into the fence courtesy of the No. 99.  Keselowski also crashed out at Talladega, Sonoma and Daytona.

But the good news for the No. 12 team?  As long as Keselowski isn't on the receiving end of "the big one," he can win big at Dega.

Just ask Carl Edwards.

Shooting the Breeze With Edwards

Carl Edwards signs autographs
before the Bud Shootout in February.

Editor's Note: Most NASCAR drivers are great with fans.  They sign thousands of autographs and do umpteen special appearances during a season.  But Carl Edwards takes the term "fan friendly" to a whole new level. Below, one of my Twitter buddies, Nicole Brown (@bama_diva99) shares how Edwards took time out of his busy Martinsville weekend to chat a little with her.

By Nicole Brown
Special to NASCAR-ista

Sitting at seventh in the Sprint Cup standings, you would think that a driver's main focus would be on winning races and trying to capture his first championship.  Not Carl Edwards. I have always heard that Carl is amazing to fans, but never had the opportunity to experience it for myself until last Friday afternoon.

When I received a text from my friend Jenny, who was attending the Martinsville race, I didn't think anything of it until she asked if I could receive personal calls at work. So when my phone rang, I never expected to hear Carl's voice in the background.  And the next thing I heard was Jenny's voice saying "Would you say 'Hi' to my friend Nicole?"

At this point, I am silently freaking out at my desk (I am still at work and my boss is right down the hall) as Carl takes the phone and says hello to me by name.  He could have handed Jenny back her phone, but he didn't.  He actually walked away with Jenny's phone and continued to talk to me asking me where I worked and what I did there and event telling me what he went to school for before focusing on a racing career.

Carl Edwards is one-of-a-kind. His passion and dedication for racing makes him my favorite driver, but his generosity to fans makes him a great man in my book.  If he ever gets to read this, I want to thank him for making my day and quite honestly my year by just taking a few minutes of his time to shoot the breeze with me.

Hamlin Names It and Claims It at Martinsville

Denny Hamlin celebrates his
victory at Martinsville.

Earlier in the week, Denny Hamlin said he'd be the guy to beat at Martinsville and that points leader Jimmie Johnson had better be worried.

He was right on both counts.

With Hamlin's prophetic win today at Martinsville (his third straight at the track) he chopped Johnson's points lead to six - a virtual tie.

The No. 11 Fed Ex Toyota didn't dominate the paper clip.  In fact, at the beginning, it looked like Hamlin had been shot backwards out of a cannon.

But the driver's surprising patience throughout the 500 laps coupled with a crack pit stop by the No. 11 crew, put him in good stead to bring home the "W".

"We did not have a race-winning car until the very end," Hamlin said. "My pit crew got me from sixth to third before the last restart and that was the key."

Hamlin's victory means the upcoming contest at Talladega could be a more strategic barn burner than usual.

With just a smattering of points separating Johnson and Hamlin - and third place Kevin Harvick trailing by a mere 62 - the boys will be forced  to race each other for position.

And that, my friend, will a wild race make.

Wonder if Hamlin cares to make another prediction?

Time Running Out for a Gordon Win

Prior to Saturday night's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, it appeared that Jeff Gordon was going to be the chaser to beat.

He was on the pole.  He was confident.  He was hungry.

And then all hell broke loose and he ended the race in twenty-third place.

Not quite the night he was hoping for.  Not quite the finish to contend for a championship.

But as time quickly runs out on the No. 24 team like so much sand through the hourglass, there is a bright spot on the nearby horizon:

Martinsville.

Gordon will enter the paper clip as the top-rated driver at the track.  He boasts seven wins, seven poles and leads all active drivers with the most top five and top 10 finishes.

Plus in March, he left Martinsville with a respectable third-place result.

If his pit crew hits their marks and Gordon can keep from speeding on pit road, the No. 24 team could well notch their first win of the season - and perhaps make up some ground on that other "four-timer".

And if it all falls apart?

Well, there's always next year ...

Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down

There are few things more disappointing than rain on a Sunday afternoon.

Especially when raindrops are falling on the very track which is hosting the week's Sprint Cup race.

Such was the case at Martinsville Sunday for the NASCAR faithful.  After viewers waited through an extended pre-race show and umpteen weather predictions, officials postponed the race until noon Monday. So, though disappointed, I immediately set my DVR to record every show on the FOX network from noon to 7 p.m. Monday - just for good measure.

This afternoon, I carefully avoided Twitter, Facebook and all things cyber space on the off-chance I'd find out the Martinsville outcome before being able to see it for myself.  But alas, all my efforts were in vain.  I arrived home after a stressful day at the office, only to discover my DVR hadn't DVR'd anything - except for a Seinfeld rerun and an old episode of My Name Is Earl.

Such was my Monday.  However there is always the proverbial silver lining.  If, like me, you missed the live broadcast, the race will be re-aired in its entirety on Speed TV Wednesday at noon. 

And this time, I'm going to give my DVR a test drive first. Or maybe I'll just call in sick ...

Photo info: Sunday's rain postpones the Martinsville race to Monday.

Elliott Sadler Ready to Cheer on Big Bro.

Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling will partner with longtime TNA personality and NASCAR analyst Hermie Sadler as the primary sponsor for Sadler’s entry in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 250 at 2 p.m. Saturday at Martinsville Speedway.

And little brother Elliott, and the whole Sadler clan, will be on-hand at the paper clip to cheer Hermie on. Says the younger Sadler, "I spent a lot of time when I was younger going to the racetrack to watch my brother race and I get excited when we get a chance to see him back behind the wheel ... I just hope that when the race ends on Sunday that I can say both my brother and I visited victory lane on the same weekend. If not, I want to finish higher than Hermie does. We still have a little sibling rivalry thing going on sometimes."

Hermie Sadler, the 1993 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year and current analyst for SPEED, will enter the first of three scheduled races he plans to drive this year. He previously drove the TNA Wrestling truck at Martinsville in 2008.

“I am really looking forward to getting back on the track this weekend at Martinsville. There’s no pressure as far as points this time, just to go out there, race hard, and hopefully get a good finish,” Hermie said.

Cowboy Harvick Goes West

While filming his new Shell commercial for Nitrogen Enriched, Kevin Harvick also took part in a fun, two-minute parody of an old-school, gun-slinging Western.

Personally, I think the Western theme is pretty apropos for Harvick. He's a NASCAR cowboy for sure, both on and off the track. The only difference is that instead of a wild mustang or a team of stallions, Harvick's horsepower comes from a sweet and racy Chevy Impala.

Cowboy Harvick will be talking about his new commercial and airing some behind-the-scenes footage on Speed TV's NASCAR RaceDay from 12:30 to 12:45 p.m. Sunday, prior to the green flag at Martinsville.

In the meantime, check out the spoof here: