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You all know the phrase, "Everything's bigger in Texas."
Well, this weekend there could not be anything truer than that. With so much on the line, every lap and every position has never been more important.
Check out the winners and losers for Dickies 500.
Winners
Kurt Busch
The happiest person in Texas has to be Kurt Busch. Busch had the second best car out there all day long, and with $1 million on the line for a fan, Busch not only wanted to win, he needed to win. Busch won in a big way on Sunday.
Busch and his team were not the favorites on Sunday, but they certainly proved a lot of people wrong. Busch took the lead early and began to pull away even though he was struggling with grip. On their first pit stop, the team made adjustments, but lost the lead on pit road.
This would be a pattern that would continue all day long: losing positions on pit road. But Busch had another ace up his sleeve: a perfect pit strategy. On their final stop they ran two laps longer than everyone else and packed the car full of fuel.
While others had to pit for fuel, Busch stayed out and took over the lead when his brother, Kyle Busch, ran out.
Busch's win did not just allow him to gain in the standings; he earned one lucky fan $1 million dollars all in a day's work.
Points: Fourth
Mark Martin
Well, today could have been a lot worse for Mark Martin. After watching teammate Jimmie Johnson crash early, this was the first real opportunity for Martin to gain on Johnson. Martin did just that on Sunday.
After starting in the top 10, Martin fell back early but the team worked on the ill handling race car. The team had solid pit stops and were able to work their way back into the top 10. At one point they were faster than the leaders.
They were going to be a couple laps short, but unlike earlier this year, the team did not gamble with so many points on the line. They pitted and ended up finishing fourth. Martin and his team did exactly what they needed to do on Sunday.
Martin is sitting in the best position to win a championship if Johnson falters again. It will not be easy, but he got the job done this week.
Points: Second
Jeff Burton
What an eventful weekend for Jeff Burton. It did not start off very good his team. During the first practice Burton hit the wall hard. They were forced to go to a backup car and Burton had to sit out of the Nationwide race on Saturday.
On Sunday, after starting at the rear of the field, Burton’s team worked traffic perfectly. Burton had a loose race car early, but the team worked hard and made solid adjustments on the car. They found themselves in the top 15 by the halfway point.
Burton though never gave up, and while they were forced to pit at the end for fuel, they were able to work their way to a ninth place finish. This was an impressive run for this team after all they went through this weekend.
Give a lot of credit to Burton; it was a very painful and sore top 10 finish.
Points: 17th
Losers
Jimmie Johnson
Most people were talking about how Johnson could clinch the championship next week at Phoenix. Well all of those who were already buying the four-peat gear might want to hold on at least until Homestead.
It took to lap three for the Chase to completely change. Johnson and Sam Hornish Jr. got together after David Reutimann got into Hornish. Johnson nearly saved it, but came right back down in front of Hornish and hit the inside retaining wall. His car was destroyed and his point lead all but disappeared.
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