Autism Speaks 400: Surprising, Not Surprising

It’s official NASCAR Nation, we are half-way to the cut-off for the 2009 Chase.

Sunday’s race provided action-packed side-by-side racing nearly the entire 400-miles, and ended with a terrific (and clean) race between two of the sport’s top drivers.

Here is a look at some things Surprising and Not Surprising from this weekend’s action.

Surprising: An owner/driver leads the points

Sure, I have said all along that Tony Stewart was going to not only be competitive in his own organization, but also that he would compete for the championship.

But, nobody expected him to lead the points this early.

With his runner-up finish (combined with former points leader Jeff Gordon’s sour day), Stewart became the first driver-owner to lead the points since Alan Kulwicki did so in 1992.

It’s also the first time Stewart has led the points since Nov. 20, 2005 and the earliest in a season Stewart has ever led the points.

Stewart now sits atop the standings, 36 points ahead of Gordon.

“Obviously that stat there is pretty cool, to be leading the points standings this early into the new venture,” Stewart said after the race. “But really proud of our guys to give us equipment that puts us in this position. Just pretty excited about the end of the day there. It was fun racing with Jimmie like that.

“Definitely the fastest car. They’ve been the fastest car all day, so there’s no shame in running second to a guy that led the most laps all day. So pretty excited about it.”

Not Surprising: Jimmie Johnson wins at Dover

It’s never surprise when Johnson visits Victory Lane anymore.

As the three-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, Johnson and the No. 48 team have won a race in every six attempts since entering the Sprint Cup level back in 2001.

Johnson has 268 Sprint Cup starts, and 43 wins.

The win gave Johnson his second of the year and moved him back into third in the point standings, 64 behind Stewart.

Johnson had no problem slaying the “Monster,” leading 298 laps en route to his fourth win at the one-mile track.

“I just had to go,” Johnson said of his charge through the field in the waning laps. “I had one heck of a race with Tony. That’s how racing’s supposed to be done.”

With the win, Johnson also recorded his second perfect Driver Rating since NASCAR began collecting Loop Data in 2005 (his other came at Auto Club Speedway last August).

During the race, Johnson managed a race-best laps led (298), Average Running Position (2.0), and Fastest Laps Run (127).

Johnson spent all but five of the laps running in the top 15 (98.8 percent).

Surprising: Carl Edwards remains winless

Heading into this weekend’s race, Edwards was a top selection to win on the concrete track.

Edwards has been called “Concrete Carl” for his success he has found on concrete tracks, but appears to be struggling to find Victory Lane on any surface this year.

Prior to the 2009 season, the media consensus to win the championship was Edwards, who nearly rallied to win the championship in 2008.

This year, Edwards has four top-10 finishes and only two top-fives.

He currently sits 11th in the points, only 46 points ahead of 13th-place David Reutimann.

Not Surprising: Top 12 drivers changed very little

This is the point in the season where the top 12 drivers will not change much from here on out.

Sure, the drivers within the top 12 may shift around a little, but there will be little movement in and out of the Chase spots.

Mark Martin brought his No. 5 Chevy home in 10th-place, and managed to hold onto the golden spot – 12th.

Reutimann – who entered coming off his first career win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway earlier in the week – won the pole and managed to lead a few laps, but eventually finished 18th, dropping him 31 points behind Martin and a Chase berth.

Surprising: Casey Mears carried the banner for Richard Childress Racing

Who saw that one coming?

Mears has struggled in just about every car he has driven since entering NASCAR’s elite division, but showed a spark of potential on Sunday with a ninth-place finish at the one-mile track in Delaware.

The top-10 finish was his second of the year (Richmond was the other) and moved him up to 21st-place in the point standings.

RCR has not been the same team in 2009 as it was in 2008, and appears to be headed towards a one-team only representation in the 2009 Chase.

Mears is 261 points outside of a Chase berth, and while that number is not impossible to make up in 12 races, it is improbably.

The good news for Mears is that he is third among his RCR teammates in the point standings, as Kevin Harvick continues to fall back in the standings.

The No. 07 and No. 29 teams were completely switched two weeks ago, and the changes appear to be working for Mears.

Not Surprising: Dale Earnhardt Jr. did not win

This could have been Surprising or Not Surprising.

Many people thought the crew chief change would provide instance success.

While it didn’t provide a win – or even a top-five or top-10 for that matter – it did show that things may be turning around for the No. 88 team.

With Lance McGrew atop the pit box, the No. 88 appeared to be more consistent with its changes throughout the race – something the team has struggled mightily with recently.

The 12th-place finish was Earnhardt Jr.’s best run since a runner-up at Talladega in April.

The month of May was rough for Junior Nation, as the AMP Energy Chevy 27th twice (Richmond and Darlington) and 40th at Lowe’s Motor Speedway last month.

The solid run at Dover moved Earnhardt Jr. up to 18th in the point standings, 215 behind teammate Martin.

“One of the things I liked about Lance is I felt like I was in the pit box with him all day, and I felt like he was riding with me all day,” Earnhardt said. “That was a good feeling. Hopefully we can keep that up.”

The Monster Mile is behind us. Up next for the boys is a trip to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania.

This column is also featured on SpeedwayMedia.com.